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.
2, 3. Slander and deceit charged
on his foes implies his innocence.
tongue—as in Psalms 52:2;
Psalms 52:4.
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.
4. Sharp arrows of the
mighty—destructive inflictions.
coals of juniper—which
retain heat long. This verse may be read as a description of the
wicked, but better as their punishment, in reply to the question of
Psalms 120:3.
5.
Woe is me, that I sojourn in Mesech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar!
5. A residence in these remote
lands pictures his miserable condition.
6.
My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace.
6, 7. While those who surrounded
him were maliciously hostile, he was disposed to peace. This Psalm
may well begin such a series as this, as a contrast to the promised
joys of God's worship.
7.
I am for peace: but when I speak, they are for war.