God’s Word Translation
Psalms 120:5
5How horrible it is to live as a foreigner in Meshech or to stay in the tents of Kedar.
Psalms 120:5 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Woe is me, that I sojourn in Mesech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar!
- New International Version (NIV)Woe to me that I dwell in Meshek, that I live among the tents of Kedar!
- English Standard Version (ESV)Woe to me, that I sojourn in Meshech, that I dwell among the tents of Kedar!
- New King James Version (NKJV)Woe is me, that I dwell in Meshech, That I dwell among the tents of Kedar!
Context of Psalms 120:5
3You deceitful tongue, what can the Lord give you? What more can he do for you? 4He will give you a warrior’s sharpened arrows and red-hot coals. How horrible it is to live as a foreigner in Meshech or to stay in the tents of Kedar. 6I have lived too long with those who hate peace. 7I am for peace, but when I talk about it, they only talk about war.
Read all of Psalms 120Psalms 120:5 word by word
אֽוֹיָה־לִ֭י כִּי־גַ֣רְתִּי מֶ֑שֶׁךְ שָׁ֝כַ֗נְתִּי עִֽם־אָהֳלֵ֥י קֵדָֽר׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Psalms 120:5
- Jeremiah 9:2I wish I had a place to stay in the desert. I would abandon my people and go away from them. They are all adulterers, a mob of traitors.
- Jeremiah 15:10I’m so miserable! Why did my mother give birth to me? I am a man who argues and quarrels with the whole earth. I have never lent or borrowed anything. Yet, everyone curses me.
- Micah 7:1Poor me! I am like those gathering summer fruit, like those picking grapes. But there aren’t any grapes to eat or any ripened figs that I crave.
- 2 Peter 2:7Yet, God rescued Lot, a man who had his approval. Lot was distressed by the lifestyle of people who had no principles and lived in sexual freedom.
- Revelation 2:13I know where you live. Satan’s throne is there. You hold on to my name and have not denied your belief in me, even in the days of Antipas. He was my faithful witness who was killed in your presence, where Satan lives.
- Genesis 10:2Japheth’s descendants were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.
- Ezekiel 27:13People from Greece, Tubal, and Meshech traded with you. They exchanged slaves and bronze items for your goods.
- Genesis 25:13These are the names of the sons of Ishmael listed in the order of their birth: Nebaioth (Ishmael’s firstborn), Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,
- 1 Samuel 25:1Samuel died, and all Israel gathered to mourn for him. They buried him at his home in Ramah. Then David went to the desert of Paran.
- Isaiah 60:6“Many camels will cover your ⌞land⌟, young camels from Midian and Ephah. Everyone from Sheba will come. They will bring gold and incense. They will sing the praises of the Lord.
- Jeremiah 49:28This is about the tribe of Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon defeated. This is what the Lord says: Get ready, attack Kedar, and loot the people from the east.
Commentaries on Psalms 120:5
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5That I sojourn in Mesech - The Chaldee has it, "Wo is me that I am a stranger with the Asiatics, (אוסאי useey ), and that I dwell in the tents of the Arabs." Calmet, who understands the Psalm as speaking of the state of the captives in Babylon and its provinces, says, "Meshec was apparently the father of the Mosquians, who dwelt in the mountains that separate Iberia from Armenia, and both from Colchis. These provinces were subjugated by Nebuchadnezzar…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 5Woe is me - My lot is a sad and pitiable one, that I am compelled to live in this manner, and to be exposed thus to malignant reproaches. It is like living in Mesech or in Kedar. That I sojourn - The word used here does not denote a permanent abode, but it usually refers to a temporary lodging, as when one is a traveler, a pilgrim, a stranger, and is under a necessity of passing a night in a strange land on his way to the place of his destination. The…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 5-7Verses 5-7 It is very grievous to a good man, to be cast into, and kept in the company of the wicked, from whom he hopes to be for ever separated. See here the character of a good man; he is for living peaceably with all men. And let us follow David as he prefigured Christ; in our distress let us cry unto the Lord, and he will hear us. Let us follow after peace and holiness, striving to overcome evil with good.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5Meshech was a Japhethite territory far to the north of Canaan. Kedar was an Ishmaelite territory in Arabia. Violent people lived in both places. Meshech was known for its slave trade (Ezekiel 27:13; see also Exodus 21:16), and Kedar was known for its warriors (Isaiah 21:16–17). These places represented the rebellious and violent land where the psalmist suffered.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 55. A residence in these remote lands pictures his miserable condition.Read the comment
Topics related to Psalms 120:5
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Psalms 120
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- The Treasury of David
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
Commentaries