[[Ps-120]] Prev: [[Prophecies in Ps-119]] | Next: [[Prophecies in Ps-121]] --- ### What will be given to you, and what will be done more to you, you deceitful tongue? Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper. *Type*: prophecy *Summary*: A prediction of severe divine retribution against those who use deceit and lying to harm the righteous, specifically using the imagery of piercing arrows and enduring fire. *Historical context*: Theologians, including Matthew Henry and Charles Spurgeon, interpret this as a prophecy of the 'lex talionis' (law of retribution). In a Messianic context, this is seen as being fulfilled through the judgment upon the false witnesses who accused Jesus during His trial. Just as they used 'sharp' words like arrows, they faced historical judgment, notably during the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, which many early church fathers viewed as the divine response to the 'deceitful tongues' that rejected the Messiah. *Related to*: ### In my distress, I cried to Yahweh. He answered me. *Type*: fulfillment *Summary*: The Psalmist records the fulfillment of a prayer for deliverance, which scholars identify as the historical experience of the Jewish exiles returning from captivity. *Historical context*: [[Ps|Psalm 120]] is the first of the 'Songs of Ascents' ([[Ps|Psalms 120]]–134). Historians and biblical scholars note that these psalms were likely used by the Jewish exiles during their return from the Babylonian captivity (c. 538 BC). The 'answer' to the distress mentioned in verse 1 is found in the decree of Cyrus the Great, which allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple, fulfilling the broader prophetic promises of restoration found in [[Jer-29#v10|Jeremiah 29:10]]-14. *Related to*: [[Jer-29#v10|Jeremiah 29:10]]-14 ### Woe is me, that I live in Meshech, that I dwell among the tents of Kedar! *Type*: prophecy *Summary*: A prophetic lament describing the dwelling of God's people among hostile and foreign nations, specifically referencing Meshech (in the north) and Kedar (in the south). *Historical context*: Meshech is associated with the northern tribes of the Caucasus/Anatolia (identified by Herodotus as the Moschi), while Kedar refers to the nomadic tribes of the Arabian desert. While these names are used poetically to represent the extremes of the world, [[Ezek-38#v2|Ezekiel 38:2]]–3 and 39:1–2 contain specific prophecies regarding 'Meshech' in the end-time conflict of Gog and Magog. Literary analysts suggest [[Ps-120#v5|Psalm 120:5]] serves as a prophetic foreshadowing of the Jewish Diaspora, where the nation would be scattered to the farthest reaches of the earth among cultures that 'hate peace.' *Related to*: --- #ai_prophecy