141:1-2 Cry for help141:1 O Lord, I call upon You; hasten to me- “The cryptic phraseology indicates urgency” Miller, 433. Call (Ps. 4:1, 3; 17:6; 88:9; 130:1) and hasten or come quickly is ...

Psalm 140 For the choir director, A Psalm of David“Psalm 140 is clearly an individual lament, with its appeals to God to listen and rescue (vv. 1, 4, 8), its complaints concerning the wicked who in...

Psalm 139 For the choir director. A Psalm of David.“The Greek title has prefixed the strange phrase ‘for the end,’ and the Alexandrinus text has appended the phrase ‘of Zechariah in the dispersion.’” Miller, 426; see Kinder, 463-4...

Psalm 138A Psalm of David- Psalms 138-145 are listed as Psalms of David in the heading. “The Greek title places the psalm in the days of Haggai and Zechariah” Miller, 423. Is the I individual or collectively...

Psalm 137The LXX has a heading τω Δανιδ the Lucian text add (δια) ‘Ιεριμιομ ‘through Jeremiah’ Allen, 235. This is a community lament written in the time of Babylonian captivity. They are in Babylon (1-3)

Psalm 135“Some Jewish authorities include Psalms 135 and 136 as part of the collection of Psalms 120-136, whereas others limit the Great Hallel psalms to 135-136, or even Psalm 136 alone” &n...

A Song of Ascents- “The pilgrimage began in ‘Kedar’ (120:5); it ends in the Lord’s house wherein the pilgrims ‘bless the Lord’ (2) and He blesses them (3)’” Motyer, 576. This “forms a magnificent conclusion to this c...

Psalm 133A Song of Ascents, of David“The brief didactic psalm employs two beautiful similes to illustrate the beauty and value of unity” Miller, 415. The two similes are the oil and dew. “The pilgrims cam...

A Song of AscentsThis is considerably longer than the other songs of Ascents- NICOT, 933. “Its length seems to signal its special importance” McCann, 1210. This is a royal psalm along the line of Psalms 2, 45, 72, 89, 101 a...

A Song of Ascents, of DavidIt is attributed to David. “It is not against high position that is divinely given, but it does model a critical attitude toward pure blind ambition” Longman, 433. “This persona...

Psalm 130 A Song of Ascents “In Christian tradition the psalm became one of the seven penitential psalms, the others being Ps. 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 143” Allen, 195. “This psalm, of course, is a penitential psalm, focusing not on th...

Psalm 129 A Song of Ascents129:1-2 Introductory summary; 129:3 Their intense need; 129:4 Praise to God129:5-8 Request for judgment upon the foes“The psalm divide into two sections: vers...

Psalm 128 A Song of Ascents“The quiet blessings of an ordered life are traced from the centre outwards in this psalm, as the eye travels from the godly man to his family and finally to Israel. Here is simple piety with its proper ...

“The psalm is ascribed to Solomon, and has perhaps a concealed signature in the expression his beloved (2), which is the word from which Jedidiah, his personal name from God, was formed (II Sam. 12:25)” Kidner, 440. Solom...

A Song of Ascents“The community prayer is strikingly similar to the longer Psalm 85…Verses 1-3 reflect upon a past deliverance, probably return from Babylonian captivity. Verses 4-6 plead for the further restoration ...

This psalm “makes a proper distinction between the fate of righteous and the fate of the wicked, a favorite theme in Israel’s wisdom poetry (cf. Ps. 1; Prov. 1-9). Those blessed are those who trust in the LORD (vs. 1), the righteo...

Psalm 124The verses of the Psalm describe Israel’s trouble- vs. 3-5- deliverance- vs. 1-2, 6b, 7- praise- vs. 6a, 8. The psalm shows us “how serious the threat was, and how little confidence David placed in h...

Psalm 123 A Song of Ascents“Verses 1-2 are written in the tone of a psalm of trust, but 3-4 are in the form of a community lament.123:1 To You I lift up my eyes- 121:1; Lifting up eyes can indicate ar...

Psalm 122 A Song of Ascents, of DavidThe phrase “of David” is omitted in most mss. of the LXX and the Vulgate- Miller, 399. “The psalm gives more evidence of having been written as a pilgrim psalm than any among the Ps...

Psalm 121There are some connections with Psalm 91. The idea of shade or shadow in 121:5; 91:1. The word keep in 121:3, 4, 5, 7, 7, 8 is also in 91:11. The word foot ...

120:1-2 Words of Trust and Petition120:1 In my trouble I cried to the LORD- 102:2 The word order in Hebrew is “To the LORD in distress to me I cried/called and He answered me.” The point is the emphasis falls on the LORD to...

Jesus Fulfills Psalm 119 Psalm 119 and Jesus General Pictures: Jesus as the Word- While there are 177 synonyms for God’s law, word found in Psalm 119. Jesus is the ultimate embodiment of Word....

119:153-160 רGod’s mercy- vs. 156, lovingkindness- vs. 159, truth- vs. 160, and righteousness- vs. 160 are all mentioned here. 119:153 Look upon my affliction and rescue me-

119:129-136 פ“His own appreciation of the supernatural quality of the Lord’s word (129) is bracketed with his grief over the flouted word (136)” Motyer, 570. “YHWH’s Torah will be presented in the פ strophe...