Psalm 120

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This article is about Psalm 120 in Hebrew (Masoretic) numbering. For Psalm 120 in Greek Septuagint or Latin Vulgate numbering, see Psalm 121 .
Psalm 120
"In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he heard me"
Song of Ascents
SigfusdatterAdDominum.jpg
Virgin with child with initial A of Psalm 120 (Ad dominum), painted by nun Birgitta Sigfusdatter in the Birgitta Monastery
Other name
  • Psalm 119
  • Ad Dominum cum tribularer clamavi
LanguageHebrew (original)
Psalm 120
←  Psalm 119
Psalm 121  →
Book Book of Psalms
Hebrew Bible part Ketuvim
Order in the Hebrew part1
Category Sifrei Emet
Christian Bible part Old Testament
Order in the Christian part19

Psalm 120 is the 120th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in the English of the King James Version: "In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he heard me". In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate translations of the Bible, this psalm is Psalm 119. In Latin, it is known as "Ad Dominum cum tribularer clamavi". [1] It is one of 15 psalms categorized as Song of Ascents (Shir Hama'alot).

Contents

The psalm forms a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and other Protestant liturgies. It has been set to music in several languages.

Text

Hebrew

The following table shows the Hebrew text [2] [3] of the Psalm with vowels alongside an English translation based upon the JPS 1917 translation (now in the public domain).

VerseHebrewEnglish translation (JPS 1917)
1שִׁ֗יר הַֽמַּ֫עֲל֥וֹת אֶל־יְ֭הֹוָה בַּצָּרָ֣תָה לִּ֑י קָ֝רָ֗אתִי וַֽיַּעֲנֵֽנִי׃‎A Song of Ascents. In my distress I called unto the LORD, And He answered me.
2יְֽהֹוָ֗ה הַצִּ֣ילָה נַ֭פְשִׁי מִשְּׂפַת־שֶׁ֑קֶר מִלָּשׁ֥וֹן רְמִיָּֽה׃‎O LORD, deliver my soul from lying lips, From a deceitful tongue.
3מַה־יִּתֵּ֣ן לְ֭ךָ וּמַה־יֹּסִ֥יף לָ֗ךְ לָשׁ֥וֹן רְמִיָּֽה׃‎What shall be given unto thee, and what shall be done more unto thee, Thou deceitful tongue?
4חִצֵּ֣י גִבּ֣וֹר שְׁנוּנִ֑ים עִ֝֗ם גַּחֲלֵ֥י רְתָמִֽים׃‎Sharp arrows of the mighty, With coals of broom.
5אֽוֹיָה־לִ֭י כִּי־גַ֣רְתִּי מֶ֑שֶׁךְ שָׁ֝כַ֗נְתִּי עִֽם־אׇהֳלֵ֥י קֵדָֽר׃‎Woe is me, that I sojourn with Meshech, That I dwell beside the tents of Kedar!
6רַ֭בַּת שָֽׁכְנָה־לָּ֣הּ נַפְשִׁ֑י עִ֝֗ם שׂוֹנֵ֥א שָׁלֽוֹם׃‎My soul hath full long had her dwelling With him that hateth peace.
7אֲֽנִי־שָׁ֭לוֹם וְכִ֣י אֲדַבֵּ֑ר הֵ֝֗מָּה לַמִּלְחָמָֽה׃‎I am all peace; But when I speak, they are for war.

King James Version

  1. In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he heard me.
  2. Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue.
  3. What shall be given unto thee? or what shall be done unto thee, thou false tongue?
  4. Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper.
  5. Woe is me, that I sojourn in Mesech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar!
  6. My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace.
  7. I am for peace: but when I speak, they are for war.

Verse 5

Woe is me, that I dwell in Meshech,
That I dwell among the tents of Kedar! [4]

"Woe is me" is a typical expression of despair. Meshech and Kedar (or Qedar) were "typical enemies [of Israel], who forced their way into the kingdom of Judah and vexed the people of God". [5]

Uses

Judaism

This psalm is recited in some communities following Mincha between Sukkot and Shabbat Hagadol. [6]

Catholic Church

According to the Rule of St. Benedict set in 530, this psalm was sung or recited during the third office during the week, namely from Tuesday until Saturday, followed by Psalm 121 (120) and Psalm 122 (121) and after the offices of the Sunday and Monday were occupied with Psalm 119, which is the longest among the 150 psalms. [7]

In the Liturgy of the Hours, Psalm 120 is now recited in Vespers on the Monday of the fourth week of the four weekly liturgical cycle.

Other

At the Palazzo Bocchi in Bologna, an inscription on the facade quotes verse 2 in Hebrew.

Musical settings

William Byrd set the psalm to eight voices, with minor variations in the text. The music is found in a 1578 manuscript of polyphony.

Heinrich Schütz wrote a setting of a paraphrase of the psalm in German, "Ich ruf zu dir, mein Herr und Gott", SWV 225, for the Becker Psalter , published first in 1628. Giacomo Giuseppe Saratelli set it is one of his 150 psalm settings in Latin, for choir, orchestra and basso continuo.

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References

  1. ↑ "Parallel Latin/English Psalter / Psalmus 119 (120)". Archived from the original on 2017-09-30. Retrieved 2019-11-02.
  2. ↑ "Psalms – Chapter 120". Mechon Mamre.
  3. ↑ "Psalms 120 - JPS 1917". Sefaria.org.
  4. ↑ Psalm 120:5: New King James Version
  5. ↑ Meyer, F. B. (1914), Through the Bible Day by Day: Psalm 120, accessed 2 June 2022
  6. ↑ The Complete Artscroll Siddur, page 530
  7. ↑ Règle de saint Benoît, traduction par Prosper Guéranger, (Abbaye Saint-Pierre de Solesmes, 2007) p. 46
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