Month: October 2022

The Bible – Old Testament

Psalms

Index

Int. 1. 2. … 119. 120. 121. … 149. 150.

Chapter 120

1

¹ A song of ascents. ² The LORD answered me when I called in my distress:

2

LORD, deliver me from lying lips, from treacherous tongues.

3

³ What will the Lord inflict on you, O treacherous tongue, and what more besides?

4

⁴ A warrior’s sharpened arrows and fiery coals of brush wood!

5

⁵ Alas, I was an alien in Meshech, I lived near the tents of Kedar!

6

Too long did I live among those who hated peace.

7

When I spoke of peace, they were for war.

1 [Psalm 120] A thanksgiving, reporting divine rescue (Psalm 120:10) yet with fervent prayer for further protection against lying attackers (⇒ Psalm 120:2-4). The psalmist is acutely conscious of living away from God’s own land where divine peace prevails (⇒ Psalm 120:5-7).

2 [1] Song of ascents: Psalm 120-134 all begin with this superscription. Most probably  these fifteen psalms once formed a collection of psalms sung when pilgrims went to Jerusalem, since   on “ascended” to Jerusalem (⇒ 1 Kings 12:28; ⇒ Psalm 24:3; ⇒ 122:4; ⇒ Luke 2:42) or to the house of God or to an altar (⇒ 1 Kings 12:33; ⇒ 2 Kings 23:2; ⇒ Psalm 24:3). Less probable is the explanation that these psalms were sung by the exiles when they “ascended” to Jerusalem from Babylonia (cf ⇒ Ezra 7:9). The idea, found in the Mishnah, that the fifteen steps on which the Levites sang corresponded to these fifteen psalms (Middot 2:5) must underlie the Vulgate translation canticum graduum, “song of the steps” or “gradual song.”

3 [3] More besides: a common curse formula in Hebrew was “May the Lord do such and such evils to you [the evils being specified], and add still more to them.” Cf ⇒ 1 Sam 3:17; ⇒ 14:44; ⇒ 25:22. Here the psalmist is at a loss for a suitable malediction.

4 [4] Coals of brushwood: coals made from the stalk of the broom plant burn with intense heat. The psalmist thinks of lighted coals cast at his enemies.

5 [5] Meshech was in the far north (⇒ Genesis 10:2) and Kedar was a tribe of the north Arabian desert (⇒ Genesis 25:13). The psalmist may be thinking generally of all aliens living among inhospitable peoples.

Index

Int. 1. 2. … 119. 120. 121. … 149. 150.

The Bible – Old Testament

Psalms 

Index

Int. 1. 2. … 111. 112. 113. … 149. 150.

Chapter 112

1

¹ Hallelujah! ² Happy are those who fear the LORD, who greatly delight in God’s commands.

2

Their descendants shall be mighty in the land, generation upright and blessed.

3

³ Wealth and riches shall be in their homes; their prosperity shall endure forever.

4

They shine through the darkness, a light for the upright; they are gracious, merciful, and just.

5

All goes well for those gracious in lending, who conduct their affairs with justice.

6

They shall never be shaken; the just shall be remembered forever.

7

They shall not fear an ill report; their hearts are steadfast, trusting the LORD.

8

Their hearts are tranquil, without fear, till at last they look down on their foes.

9

⁴ Lavishly they give to the poor; their prosperity shall endure forever; their horn shall be exalted in honor.

10

The wicked shall be angry to see this; they will gnash their teeth and waste away; the desires of the wicked come to nothing.

1 [Psalm 112] An acrostic poem detailing the blessings received by those who remain close to God by obedience to the commandments. Among their blessings are children (⇒ Psalm 112:2), wealth that enables them to be magnanimous (⇒ Psalm 112:3, 5, 9), and virtue by which they encourage others (⇒ Psalm 112:4). The just person is an affront to the wicked, whose hopes remain unfulfilled (⇒ Psalm 112:10). The logic resembles Psalms 1; 111.

2 [1] Happy are those: literally, “Happy the person.” “Person” is used typically, hence the plural translation.

3 [3] Prosperity: literally, “justice.” In the Second Temple Period the word acquired the nuance of liberality and almsgiving. Cf ⇒ Sirach 3:30; ⇒ 7:10; ⇒ Matthew 6:1-4.

4 [9] Their horn: the symbol for vitality and honor.

Index

Int. 1. 2. … 111. 112. 113. … 149. 150.