Psalm 123: A Song of Ascents

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Psalms 125:5
and prosperity inside your fortresses!
 
the current would have overwhelmed15
14

122:8 For the sake of my brothers and my us.16


neighbors 124:5 The raging water
I will say, “May there be peace in you!” would have overwhelmed us.17
122:9 For the sake of the temple of the 124:6 The Lord deserves praise,18
Lord our God for19 he did not hand us over as prey to
I will pray for you to prosper. their teeth.
124:7 We escaped with our lives,20 like a
Psalm 123 bird from a hunter’s snare.
A song of ascents. The snare broke, and we escaped.
124:8 Our deliverer is the Lord,21
123:1 I look up toward you, the Creator22 of heaven and earth.
the one enthroned in heaven.
123:2 Look, as the eyes of servants look to Psalm 12523
the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a female servant look to the A song of ascents.24
hand of her mistress, 
125:1 Those who trust in the Lord are like
so my eyes will look to the Lord, our Mount Zion;
God, until he shows us favor. it cannot be upended and will endure
123:3 Show us favor, O Lord, show us forever.
favor! 125:2 As the mountains surround Jerusa-
For we have had our fill of humiliation, lem,25
and then some. so the Lord surrounds his people,
123:4 We have had our fill10 now and forevermore.
of the taunts of the self-assured, 125:3 Indeed,26 the scepter of a wicked
of the contempt of the proud. king27 will not settle28
upon the allotted land of the godly.
Psalm 124 11
Otherwise the godly might
A song of ascents,12 by David. do what is wrong.29
125:4 Do good, O Lord, to those who are
124:1 “If the Lord had not been on our good,
side” – to the morally upright!30
let Israel say this! – 125:5 As for those who are bent on
124:2 if the Lord had not been on our side,
when men attacked us,13
124:3 they would have swallowed us 14 tn Or “stream.”
alive, 15 tn Heb “would have passed over.”
when their anger raged against us. 16 tn Heb “our being.” The Hebrew term ‫( נֶפֶ ׁש‬nefesh) with a
124:4 The water would have overpowered pronominal suffix is often equivalent to a pronoun, especially
us; in poetry (see BDB 660 s.v. ‫ נֶפֶ ׁש‬4.a).
17 tn Heb “then they would have passed over our being, the
 tn or “security.” raging waters.”
 tn The psalmist uses second feminine singular pronomi- 18 tn Heb “blessed [be] the Lord.”
nal forms to address personified Jerusalem. 19 tn Heb “[the one] who.”
 tn Heb “I will seek good for you.” The psalmist will seek 20 tn Heb “our life escaped.”
Jerusalem’s “good” through prayer. 21 tn Heb “our help [is] in the name of the Lord.”
 sn Psalm 123. The psalmist, speaking for God’s people, 22 tn Or “Maker.”
acknowledges his dependence on God in the midst of a cri- 23 sn Psalm 125. The psalmist affirms his confidence in the
sis. Lord’s protection and justice.
 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in 24 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in
Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these
psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to cele- psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to cele-
brate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their back- brate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their back-
ground see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21. ground see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
 tn Heb “I lift my eyes.” 25 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2;
 tn Heb “sitting.” The Hebrew verb ‫ָשב‬ ַ ׁ ‫( י‬yashav) is here Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
used metonymically of “sitting enthroned” (see Pss 9:7; 26 tn Or “for.”
29:10; 55:19; 102:12). 27 tn Heb “a scepter of wickedness.” The “scepter” symbol-
 sn Servants look to their master for food, shelter, and izes royal authority; when collocated with “wickedness” the
other basic needs. phrase refers to an oppressive foreign conqueror.
 tn Heb “for greatly we are filled [with] humiliation.” 28 tn Or “rest.”
10 tn Heb “greatly our soul is full to it.” 29 tn Heb “so that the godly might not stretch out their
11 sn Psalm 124. Israel acknowledges that the Lord deliv- hands in wrongdoing.” A wicked king who sets a sinful ex-
ered them from certain disaster. ample can have an adverse moral and ethical effect on the
12 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in people he rules.
Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these 30 tn Heb “pure of heart.” The “heart” is here viewed as
psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to cele- the seat of one’s moral character and motives. The “pure of
brate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their back- heart” are God’s faithful followers who trust in and love the
ground see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21. Lord and, as a result, experience his deliverance (see Pss
13 tn Heb “rose up against us.” 7:10; 11:2; 32:11; 36:10; 64:10; 94:15; 97:11).

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