John Gill Commentary Psalms 120

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.

Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips, [and] from a
deceitful tongue.

Not from such lips, and such a tongue of his own, which David abhorred; though every good man desires to be kept from speaking lies and deceit; nor from the company of those who have such lips and tongues, which he was determined should not dwell with him; but from the malignity of them, from being hurt in his character and reputation by them; God can restrain them, and prevent the ill influence of them when he pleases, (Psalms 31:20) (Isaiah 54:17).

Such were the lips and tongues of Doeg the Edomite, (Psalms 52:2–4), and of Saul's courtiers, who insinuated to him that David sought his hurt, (1 Samuel 24:9); and of the Scribes and Pharisees, that flattered Christ to his face, and reproached him to the people; and of Judas, that betrayed him with "Hail, master", (Matthew 26:49); and of the false witnesses suborned against him; and of false teachers, deceitful workers, that lie in wait to deceive, and, by their good words and fair speeches, do deceive the hearts of the simple; and of antichrist and his followers, who, as they are given up to believe a lie, speak lies in hypocrisy; and of Satan the father of lies, and who is the old serpent, the devil, that deceives the whole world.

And to be delivered from the bad effects of such lips and tongues is very desirable.

What shall be given to you ?^F19
&c.] Or, "what shall [it] give to you?" That is, what shall the deceitful tongue give to you, O my soul? or to you, to anyone that hears and reads this psalm? It is capable of giving you a deal of trouble, of doing you a deal of mischief; and of injuring your character, and hurting your peace and comfort, if permitted;

or what shall be done to you, you false tongue ?^F20
or, "what shall the false tongue add to you?" it shall increase your sorrows and distress: or rather, what gain, profit, and advantage, shall the deceitful tongue get to itself by its lies and deceit? none at all; it may do harm to others, but gets no good to itself; see (Isaiah 28:15Isaiah 28:17) ; Or, "what shall he (God) give to you?" ^F21 or, "what shall he add to you, you false tongue?" so Jarchi. What punishment will not he inflict upon you, who hates lying lips? what plagues will not he add to you, who knows all the deceit that is in you, and spoken by you? The answer is as follows:

FOOTNOTES:

• F19: (Kl Nty hm) "quid dabit tibi", Pagninus, Montanus, Musculus, Gejerus; so Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.
• F20: (Kl Pyoy hmw) "et quid addet tibi", Montanus, Castalio; so Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Cocceius.
• F21: "Quid inferat tibi (Deus) aut quem rem adhibeat tibi, O lingua dolosa?" Tigurine version.

Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper.

Some think these words describe lying lips and a false tongue, which are like arrows, sharp ones, sent out from a bow drawn with a mighty hand, which come with great force, suddenly and swiftly, and do much mischief (see Psalms 11:2, 57:4, 64:4). They are also compared to "coals of juniper", which are very distressing and tormenting; the tongue being a fire, set on fire of hell, and sets on fire the course of nature; and throws out devouring words, which consume like fire (James 3:6, Psalms 52:4).

But rather the punishment of an evil tongue from the Lord is intended, whose sore judgments are often compared to arrows (Deuteronomy 32:23, Deuteronomy 32:42, Ezekiel 5:16, Psalms 7:13); because they come from above, and bring swift and sudden destruction with them; and are very sharp in the hearts of his enemies; are very severe and cutting, and come with power irresistible, being the arrows of the Almighty (Job 6:4).

And these may be compared to "coals of juniper", which are very vehement and strong, and very lasting and durable. Jerom ^F23 and Isidore ^F24 say they will last a whole year; and the Midrash on the place reports of two men, who had prepared food with them, and at the end of a year returned and found them burning, and warmed their feet at them.

These fitly express the lake of fire and brimstone, the portion of liars; whose fire is very strong, and flames devouring, being kindled by the breath of the Lord of hosts, like a stream of brimstone: and the fire of hell is everlasting; its burnings are everlasting burnings; a worm that dies not, a fire that is not quenched; the smoke of the torments of which ascend for ever and ever (Isaiah 30:23, 33:14, 66:24, Revelation 14:11, 21:8).

The Targum speaks of these arrows as lightnings from above, and of the coals of juniper as kindled in hell below; and they are interpreted of hell in the Talmud ^F25.

FOOTNOTES:

• F23: Ad Fabiolam de 42. Mans. tom. 3. fol. 15. I.
• F24: Origin. l. 17. c. 7. Schindler. col. 1776.
• F25: T. Bab. Eracin, c. 3. fol. 15. 2.

Woe is me, that I sojourn in Mesech
Meshech was a son of Japheth (Genesis 10:2), whose posterity are thought by some to be the Muscovites ^F26 and Scythians, a barbarous sort of people. Mesech is frequently mentioned with Tubal and his brother, and with Gog and Magog (Ezekiel 38:2, Ezekiel 38:3, 39:1); the Targum here calls them Asiatics. Rather the Cappadocians, according to Josephus ^F1, and Strabo ^F2 mentions a city of theirs, called Mazaca; and the rather, since they are mentioned with the Kedarenes, or Arabian Scenites, and were nearer to the land of Judea than the former.

[that] I dwell in the tents of Kedar ;
Kedar was a son of Ishmael (Genesis 25:13), whose posterity were Arabians, as the Targum here renders it; and Suidas ^F3 says, they dwelt not far from Babylon, when he wrote; they lived a pastoral life, and dwelt in tents. Pliny ^F4 mentions Arabs, called Cedrei; and also of Scenite Arabs, from the tents they dwelt in, which they could remove from place to place for the sake of pasturage. And among these David dwelt, when in the wilderness of Paran (1 Samuel 25:1); though some think David never dwelt among any of those people, but among such who were like them for ignorance, idolatry, and barbarity.

Some render the words, "woe is me, that I sojourn so long, dwelling as in the tents of Kedar" ^F5 ; as when he was among the Philistines and Moabites; nay, he may even compare his own people to those, many of whom it was as disagreeable dwelling with as with these. And we find Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, speaking of them in their times in like manner, and making the same complaints (Isaiah 6:5, Jeremiah 9:2, Ezekiel 2:6). And it is very grieving and distressing to good men to have their abode among wicked men, as well as it is infectious and dangerous: to hear their profane and blasphemous talk, to see their wicked and filthy actions, and to observe their abominable conversation, is very vexatious and gives great uneasiness, as it did to righteous Lot (2 Peter 2:7, 2 Peter 2:8). The first clause is rendered by the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, and all the Oriental versions, "woe is me, that my sojourning is prolonged"; to which the next words agree (Psalms 120:6).

FOOTNOTES:

• F26: Davide de Pomis, Lexic. fol. 86. 1. 3.
• F1: Antiqu. l. 1. c. 6.
• F2: Geograph. l. 12. p. 370. Rufi Fest. Breviar. Vid Suidam in voce (tiberiov).
• F3: In voce (khdar).
• F4: Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 11.
• F5: Weemse's of the Ceremonial Law, c. 3. p. 8.