Psalm 120
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". It is one of 15 psalms categorized as Song of Ascents.
The psalm forms a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and other Protestant liturgies. It has been set to music in several languages.
Uses
Judaism
This psalm is recited in some communities following Mincha between Sukkot and Shabbat Hagadol.Catholic Church
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 and Psalm 122 and after the offices of the Sunday and Monday were occupied with Psalm 119, which is the longest among the 150 psalms.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.
Coptic Orthodox Church
In the Agpeya, the Coptic Church's book of hours, this psalm is prayed in the office of Vespers and the second watch of the Midnight office.Other
At the Palazzo Bocchi in Bologna, an inscription on the facade quotes verse 2 in Hebrew.Musical settings
set the psalm to eight voices, with minor variations in the text. The music is found in a .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.
Text
The following table shows the Hebrew text of the Psalm with vowels, alongside the Koine Greek text in the Septuagint and the English translation from the King James Version. Note that the meaning can slightly differ between these versions, as the Septuagint and the Masoretic Text come from different textual traditions. In the Septuagint, this psalm is numbered Psalm 119.| # | Hebrew | English | Greek |
| 1 | In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he heard me. | ᾿ῼδὴ τῶν ἀναβαθμῶν. - ΠΡΟΣ Κύριον ἐν τῷ θλίβεσθαί με ἐκέκραξα, καὶ εἰσήκουσέ μου. | |
| 2 | Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue. | Κύριε, ῥῦσαι τὴν ψυχήν μου ἀπὸ χειλέων ἀδίκων καὶ ἀπὸ γλώσσης δολίας. | |
| 3 | What shall be given unto thee? or what shall be done unto thee, thou false tongue? | τί δοθείη σοι καὶ τί προστεθείη σοι πρὸς γλῶσσαν δολίαν; | |
| 4 | Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper. | τὰ βέλη τοῦ δυνατοῦ ἠκονημένα, σὺν τοῖς ἄνθραξι τοῖς ἐρημικοῖς. | |
| 5 | Woe is me, that I sojourn in Mesech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar! | οἴμοι! ὅτι ἡ παροικία μου ἐμακρύνθη, κατεσκήνωσα μετὰ τῶν σκηνωμάτων Κηδάρ. | |
| 6 | My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace. | πολλὰ παρῴκησεν ἡ ψυχή μου. | |
| 7 | I am for peace: but when I speak, they are for war. | μετὰ τῶν μισούντων τὴν εἰρήνην ἤμην εἰρηνικός· ὅταν ἐλάλουν αὐτοῖς, ἐπολέμουν με δωρεάν. |