Psalm-120
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Please Note: Some alterations or (additions) have been made relating to
‘Names’ and ‘Attributes’ of אֱלֹהִים -
Elohim, having been corrected like it once was pre
the “Masoretic Text”.
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Remember the
following truth from our beloved Torah!
“Ye shall NOT ADD TO THE WORD which
I command you, NEITHER SHALL YE DIMINISH FROM
IT, that ye may keep the commandments of יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֵיכֶם - the LORD your Eloleichem,
which I command you”. Davarim - Deuteronomy
4:2.
However, sadly both the later priests as well as our rabbis of long ago and of today have, and are shamefully disobeying this command of אֱלֹהִים יְהוָה - the LORD Elohim, בָּרוּךְ שֵׁם קָדוֹשׁוֹ - ‘Baruch Shem Kadosho’ – ‘Blessed be His Holy Name!’
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With Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
Foreword:
Psalm 120 is a short but potent cry from the heart. This Psalm opens the collection known as Shir HaMa’alot (“Songs of Ascents”), a group of fifteen Psalms 120-134 traditionally associated with pilgrimage, spiritual ascent, and inner elevation.
Introduction - “A Song of Ascents”.
Tehillim - Psalm 120 is the voice of someone who feels trapped among ‘hostile’, ‘deceitful’ people and cries out to אֱלֹהִים - Elohim for deliverance. It is a Psalm of tension, the tension between longing for peace and being surrounded by conflict. It sets the tone for the ‘Songs of Ascents’ by beginning in a low place: ‘distress’, ‘alienation’, and ‘yearning for Divine rescue’. From this starting point, the spiritual journey begins.
This Psalm resonates deeply with anyone who has ever ‘felt misunderstood’, ‘slandered’, or ‘stuck in an environment that opposes their values’. It is a prayer for ‘truth’, ‘peace’, and ‘escape from toxic surroundings’.
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Lets
us read Tehillim - Psalms Chapter 120: (JPS-1917 version of the Tanakh).
1. A Song of Ascents.
In my distress I called unto אֱלֹהִים - Elohim the LORD, and He answered me.
2. O אֱלֹהִים - Elohim - LORD, deliver my soul from lying lips, from a deceitful
tongue.
3. What shall be given unto thee, and what shall be
done more unto thee, thou deceitful tongue?
4. Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of broom.
5. Woe is me, that I sojourn with Meshech, that I dwell beside
the tents of Kedar!
6. My soul hath full long had her dwelling with him
that hateth peace.
7. I am all peace; but when I speak, they are for
war.
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Let us now look at the ‘verse by verse’ Item, with Explanations:
Verse 1. “In my distress I called unto יְהוָה - the LORD, and He answered me”.
Explanation: The Psalmist begins with a personal testimony: distress led to prayer, and prayer led to an answer. This sets a tone of confidence, the speaker knows from experience that אֱלֹהִים - Elohim responds. The verse is both a memory and a declaration of trust.
Verse 2. “O יְהוָה - LORD, deliver my soul from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue”.
Explanation: The danger here is not physical but verbal. ‘Lies’, ‘slander, and ‘manipulation’ can wound the soul. The Psalmist asks not merely for protection but for deliverance, to be removed from the reach of deceit. This highlights how destructive false speech can be in biblical thought.
Verse 3. “What shall be given unto thee, and what shall be done more unto thee, thou deceitful tongue?”
Explanation: This rhetorical question challenges the slanderer directly. It asks: What consequences await you? What fitting response is there to your deceit? The Psalmist is not seeking revenge but acknowledging that deceit carries its own divine consequences.
Verse 4. “Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of broom”.
Explanation: The answer to the previous question: the deceitful tongue will face sharp arrows and burning coals, symbols of Divine justice. “Coals of broom” (rotem) burn extremely hot and long, suggesting that the consequences of malicious speech are severe and enduring.
Verse 5. “Woe is me, that I sojourn with Meshech, that I dwell beside the tents of Kedar!”
Explanation: Meshech and Kedar were distant, foreign peoples, symbolic of ‘hostile’, ‘uncivilized’, or ‘warlike environments’. The Psalmist feels exiled among those who do not share his values. This is not literal geography but emotional geography: I feel like I live among strangers who oppose everything I stand for.
Verse 6. “My soul hath full long had her dwelling with him that hateth peace”.
Explanation: The Psalmist has endured this environment for too long. The phrase “hateth peace” describes people who thrive on conflict, aggression, or hostility. The Psalmist’s soul is “weary”, not just annoyed, but “spiritually exhausted”.
Verse 7. “I am all peace; but when I speak, they are for war”.
Explanation: This final verse captures the heart of the Psalm: the speaker desires peace, but the people around him respond with hostility. It is the cry of someone whose intentions are misunderstood or rejected. The contrast is stark: I speak peace; they answer with war. This tension becomes the launching point for the spiritual ascent that follows in the next Psalms.
My Concluding Message:
Psalm 120 is the beginning of a journey, not from a place of strength, but from a place of distress. It teaches that spiritual ascent often begins with honesty: acknowledging pain, conflict, and longing for something better. The Psalmist models a powerful truth: When surrounded by ‘deceit’, ‘hostility’, or ‘misunderstanding’, the first step upward is calling out to אֱלֹהִים - Elohim. This Psalm invites you to bring your own struggles, especially those involving difficult people or environments, into the presence of the One ‘who hears’, ‘answers’, and ‘lifts you higher’!
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This site was originally created, for those who desired to return to our blessed and wonderful faith. Thus be wise and work on your faith and pray at least two or three times a day (if possible) and always seek our beloved אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s guidance, for His love is always with us, especially when we seek Him, blessed be He! However this site has become very much a teaching site with hundreds of studies!
Remember what אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, blessed be
He, said the following via several of our prophets...
“Return unto Me, and I will return unto you, saith צְבָאוֹת- יְהוָה- the LORD of
hosts”. Mal’a’chi - Malachi 3:7. (JPS).
And Remember ...
Enjoy your Sabbath Rest, Shabbat Shalom!
אֲנִי
יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֵיכֶם, בְּחֻקּוֹתַי
לֵכוּ; וְאֶת-מִשְׁפָּטַי
שִׁמְרוּ, וַעֲשׂוּ
אוֹתָם
וְאֶת-שַׁבְּתוֹתַי, קַדֵּשׁוּ; וְהָיוּ
לְאוֹת, בֵּינִי
וּבֵינֵיכֶם-לָדַעַת, כִּי
אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם
“I am אֱלֹהֵיכֶם יְהוָה -
the LORD your Eloheichem; walk in My statutes, and keep Mine ordinances, and do them; and
hallow My Sabbaths, and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that ye may
know that I am אֱלֹהֵיכֶם יְהוָה - the
LORD your Eloheichem”. Yechezkel
- Ezekiel 20:19-20. (JPS).
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“The More Torah, the
More Life”
For אֱלֹהִים יְהוָה - the LORD Elohim, Blessed be His Sanctified Name,
He is
the one who gave us our Life!”
May the שָׁלוֹם - Shalom = Peace of צְבָאוֹת- יְהוָה= the LORD of hosts. be with you, and please always uphold our blessed שַׁבָּת - Shabbat, as well as the מוֹעֲדִים - Mo’a’dim - Feasts, and continue saying your daily תְּפִלָּה - Tefeelah’s (Prayers) and regular בְּרָכָה - Be’ra’chah’s (blessings) before food and drinks, etc!
שָׁלוֹם
עֲלֵיכֶם - Shalom Aleichem - Peace be with you!
Rabbi,
Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens,
PhD.
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