Psalms 120:1

In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he heard me. Psalms 120:1.-The first of the fifteen "Songs of degrees." The Septuagint, not probably, translate, 'Songs of the steps' [toon anabathmoon] - namely, sung on thee fifteen steps between the court of the women and that of the men [ shiyr (H7892) hama`ªlowt (H4609): in Psalms 121:1, lama`ªlowt (H4609)]. They all have a general, not an individual character, referring to Israel, the literal and the spiritual, whom God's providence ever guards ...

1._I cried to Jehovah in my distress. _The name of the author of the Psalm is not expressed, but the style of it throughout presents David to our view. Although, therefore, I cannot positively affirm, yet I am rather inclined to think that it was composed by him. Nor will it be improper, in my judgment, to explain it as if his name had been mentioned in the inscription. This, then, being granted, I would observe that although David, when in this verse he affirms that the Lord had heard him, gives thanks to him, yet his chief purpose was to set forth, in the form of complaint, how wickedly and cruelly Saul’s flatterers employed all their ingenuity and power to accomplish his destruction. He, however, sets out with an expression of his gratitude to God, telling us that he had not called upon Him in vain; and he does this, that by his own example he might encourage others, especially when o...

1-4 The psalmist was brought into great distress by a deceitful tongue. May every good man be delivered from lying lips. They forged false charges against him. In this distress, he sought God by fervent prayer. God can bridle their tongues. He obtained a gracious answer to this prayer. Surely sinners durst not act as they do, if they knew, and would be persuaded to think, what will be in the end thereof. The terrors of the Lord are his arrows; and his wrath is compared to burning coals of juniper, which have a fierce heat, and keep fire very long. This is the portion of the false tongue; for all that love and make a lie, shall have their portion in the lake that burns eternally....

PSALM CXX _The psalmist, in great distress, calls on the Lord for_ _deliverance from calumny and defamation_, 1, 2; _shows the punishment that awaits his persecutor_, 3, 4; _deplores the necessity of his residence with the ungodly_, 5-7. NOTES ON PSALM CXX This Psalm, and all the rest that follow it, to the end of Psalms 134, _fifteen_ in number, are called Psalms of Degrees; for thus the Hebrew title המעלות _hammaaloth_ is generally translated, as coming from the root עלה _alah_, to _ascend_ or _mount upwards_. Hence מעלות _maaloth, steps_ or stairs for a

IN MY DISTRESS - In my suffering, as arising from slander, Psalms 120:2. There are few forms of suffering more keen than those caused by slander: “Whose edge is sharper than the sword; whose tongue Outvenoms all the worms of Nile; whose breath Rides on the posting winds, and doth belie All corners of the world: kings, queens, and states, Maids, matrons, nay, the secrets of the grave This viperous slander enters.” _Cymbeline, iii. 4._...

EXPOSITION THE_ _SONGS_ _OF_ _ASCENTS_._ THE next fifteen psalms have a common heading, which is translated "Songs of Degrees," "Songs of Ascents," or "Songs of Steps." They constitute together "a Little Psalter," which contains indications of a formal arrangement. The central psalm—the only one ascribed to Solomon—has on either side of it a group of seven; each such group formed of two psalms ascribed to David, and five anonymous ones. The ascribed psalms are separated one from another by the anonymous ones, in such sort that no two of the former ever come together. This is evidently not the result of chance. Of the title itself different explanations are given. Some regard the degrees (_ma_'_aloth_)_ as _"steps," and accept a rabbinical explanation

IN MY DISTRESS I CRIED UNTO THE LORD,.... Being at a distance from his own country, or, however, from the house of God; persecuted by men, under the lash of their tongues; reproached, abused, and belied by them: in this his case and circumstances, he betook himself by prayer to the Lord, and importuned help and deliverance of him, knowing that none could help him as he; see Psalms 18:6; AND HE HEARD ME; answered him, and delivered him. The petition he put up follows, which shows his case, and his particular distress....

Psalms 120:1. _In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he heard me._ Slander occasions distress of the most grievous kind. Those who have felt the edge of a cruel tongue know assuredly that it is sharper than the sword. Calumny rouses our indignation by a sense of injustice, and yet we find ourselves helpless to fight with the evil, or to act in our own defense. We could ward off the strokes of a cutlass, but we have no shield against a liar's tongue. Silence to man and prayer to God are the best cures for the evil of slander. It is of little use to appeal to our fellows on the matter of slander, for the more we stir in it the more it spreads, it is of no avail to appeal to the honour of the slanderer, for they have none, and the most piteous demands for justice will only increase their malignity and encourage them to fresh insult. However, when cries to man would be our weaknes

A SONG OF DEGREES Literally, "of ascents." Perhaps chanted by the people as they went up to Jerusalem to the feasts. See, for example (Psalms 112:1); (Psalms 112:2)....

PSALM 120-134 The Psalms of Degrees Fifteen brief Psalms follow, called songs of degrees, or, ascents. They were in all probability used by Israel going up to Jerusalem three times a year to celebrate the feasts of the Lord--”Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, a testimony for Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the LORD.” They are indeed Psalms of “the goings-up” for we rise higher and higher as we read through them. Prophetically they give us again the steps from trial and suffering to the glorious consummation. As they are so simple in language and construction no lengthy annotations are needed. Psalms 120:1 begins with distress, picturing again the suffering of the righteous godly remnant. In Psalms 121:1 the Keeper of Israel, the Covenant Keeping God, is revealed