| Psalm 120 | |
| Subtitle: | "In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he heard me" |
| Type: | Song of Ascents |
| Image Upright: | 1.1 |
| Language: | Hebrew (original) |
| Other Name: |
|
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).
The psalm forms a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and other Protestant liturgies. It has been set to music in several languages.
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).
| Verse | Hebrew | English translation (JPS 1917) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Song of Ascents. In my distress I called unto the LORD, And He answered me. | ||
| 2 | O LORD, deliver my soul from lying lips, From a deceitful tongue. | ||
| 3 | What shall be given unto thee, and what shall be done more unto thee, Thou deceitful tongue? | ||
| 4 | Sharp arrows of the mighty, With coals of broom. | ||
| 5 | Woe is me, that I sojourn with Meshech, That I dwell beside the tents of Kedar! | ||
| 6 | My soul hath full long had her dwelling With him that hateth peace. | ||
| 7 | I am all peace; But when I speak, they are for war. |
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]
This psalm is recited following Mincha between Sukkot and Shabbat Hagadol.[6]
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.
At the Palazzo Bocchi in Bologna, an inscription on the facade quotes verse 2 in Hebrew.
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.