--- title: "Psalms 120 - Study King James Bible with clarkes commentary" description: "Read Psalms 120 with clarkes commentary commentary. 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 un" image: "/_app/immutable/assets/missing.C7wGMEZ6.jpg" url: "https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/clarkes-commentary/psalms/120" --- [ Read](/kjv/psalms/120)[ Commentary](/study/psalms/120)[ Interlinear](/interlinear/psalms/120) Audio 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.* [Psalms 119](/study/psalms/119) [Psalms 121](/study/psalms/121) ## Commentary To verse 1 This Psalm, and all the rest that follow it, to the end of [Psalms 134:0](/kjv/psalms/134/0), *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 ascending*, [1 Kings 10:19-20](/kjv/1-kings/10/19-20); [2 Kings 9:13](/kjv/2-kings/9/13). But as the word may be applied to *elevation* in general, hence some have thought that it may here signify the *elevation of voice*; "these Psalms being sung with the *highest elevations of voice and music*." Others have thought the word expresses rather the *matter* of these Psalms, as being of peculiar *excellence*: and hence *Junius* and *Tremellius* prefix to each *Canticum excellentissimum*, "A most excellent ode." *R. D. Kimchi* says, "There were *fifteen steps* by which the priests ascended into the temple, on each of which they sang one of these *fifteen* Psalms." This opinion I find referred to in the Apocryphal Gospel of *the birth of Mary*: "Her parents brought her to the temple, and set her upon one of the steps. Now there are *fifteen steps* about the temple, by which they go up to it, according to the *fifteen Psalms of Degrees*." But the existence of such *steps* and *practices* cannot be proved. *Aben Ezra* supposes that the word means some kind of *tune* sung to these Psalms. It is more likely, if the *title* be really *ancient*, that it was affixed to them on account of their being sung on the *return from the Babylonish captivity*, as the people were *going* *up* to Jerusalem; for though some of them are attributed to *David*, yet it is very probable that they were all made long after his time, and probably during the captivity, or about the end of it. The author of these *fifteen* Psalms is not known; and most probably they were not the work of one person. They have been attributed to *David*, to *Solomon*, to *Ezra*, to *Haggai*, to *Zechariah*, and to *Malachi*, without any positive evidence. They are, however, excellent in their kind, and written with much elegance; containing strong and nervous sentiments of the most exalted piety, expressed with great felicity of language in a few words. Verse [Psalms 120:1](/kjv/psalms/120/1). ***In my distress*** — Through the causes afterwards mentioned. ***I cried unto the Lord*** — Made strong supplication for help. ***And he heard one.*** — Answered my prayer by comforting my soul. It appears to be a prayer of the *captives* in Babylon for complete liberty; or perhaps he recites the prayer the Israelites had made previously to their restoration. ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#website","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com","name":"Real Bible Believers","description":"RBB","publisher":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/search?q={search_term_string}","query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/clarkes-commentary/psalms/120#primaryimage","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/_app/immutable/assets/missing.C7wGMEZ6.jpg","contentUrl":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/_app/immutable/assets/missing.C7wGMEZ6.jpg","width":672,"height":448,"caption":"Real Bible Believers"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/clarkes-commentary/psalms/120#webpage","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/clarkes-commentary/psalms/120","name":"Psalms 120 - Study King James Bible with clarkes commentary","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/clarkes-commentary/psalms/120#primaryimage"},"author":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509"},"description":"Read Psalms 120 with clarkes commentary commentary. 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 un","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/clarkes-commentary/psalms/120#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/clarkes-commentary/psalms/120"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/clarkes-commentary/psalms/120#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/","name":"Home"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study","name":"Study Bible"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/clarkes-commentary","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/clarkes-commentary","name":"clarkes commentary"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/clarkes-commentary/psalms","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/clarkes-commentary/psalms","name":"Psalms"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/clarkes-commentary/psalms/120","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/clarkes-commentary/psalms/120","name":"120"}}]},{"@type":["Person","Organization"],"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#personlogo","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/android-chrome-512x512.png","contentUrl":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/android-chrome-512x512.png","width":512,"height":512},"logo":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#personlogo"},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/RBiblebeliever","https://www.facebook.com/RBibleBelievers"]}]} ```