Psalm 120:2 kjv
Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue.
Psalm 120:2 nkjv
Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips And from a deceitful tongue.
Psalm 120:2 niv
Save me, LORD, from lying lips and from deceitful tongues.
Psalm 120:2 esv
Deliver me, O LORD, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue.
Psalm 120:2 nlt
Rescue me, O LORD, from liars
and from all deceitful people.
Psalm 120 2 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ps 120:1 | In my distress I cried to the Lord... | Context: Initial prayer in distress. |
| Ps 52:2 | Your tongue plots destruction, like a sharp razor, you worker of deceit. | Describes deceitful tongue's harm. |
| Ps 34:13 | Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. | Command to avoid evil speech. |
| Ps 101:7 | No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house... | God's stance against deceit. |
| Prov 6:17 | Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood... | Lists "lying tongue" among abominations. |
| Prov 12:19 | Truthful lips will be established forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment. | Contrasts truth and deceit. |
| Prov 19:5 | A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will not escape. | Consequence of false speech. |
| Matt 15:19 | For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. | Source of evil, including false witness. |
| Jas 3:8 | But no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. | Power and danger of the tongue. |
| 1 Pet 3:10 | For “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit." | Command echoing Old Testament wisdom. |
| Eph 4:25 | Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor... | Exhortation to honesty. |
| Rev 21:8 | But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death. | Liars face judgment. |
| Ps 31:13 | For I hear the whispering of many... while they plot together against me, as they scheme to take my life. | Slander and plots against life. |
| Ps 35:19 | Let not those rejoice over me who are wrongfully my foes... and who wink the eye who hate me without cause. | Praying against enemies gloating. |
| Ps 59:12 | For the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips, let them be caught in their pride, for the curses and lies that they utter. | Judgment for sinful words. |
| 1 Sam 24:9 | David said to Saul, “Why do you listen to the words of men who say, ‘Behold, David seeks your harm’?" | The suffering from false accusations. |
| Rom 3:13 | “Their throat is an open grave; with their tongues they keep practicing deceit.” | Depicts pervasive human depravity in speech. |
| Col 3:9 | Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices. | Instruction to believers to be truthful. |
| 1 Tim 4:2 | By speaking lies in hypocrisy, their own conscience seared with a hot iron. | Describes those spreading false doctrine. |
| Tit 1:10 | For there are many unruly and pointless talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party. | Describes false teachers. |
| 2 Pet 2:3 | And in their greed these false teachers will exploit you with deceptive words. | False teachers using deception for gain. |
| Isa 59:4 | None calls for justice; no one pleads with honesty. They rely on empty arguments and speak lies; they conceive trouble and give birth to evil. | Describes pervasive deceit in society. |
| Jer 9:8 | Their tongue is a deadly arrow; it speaks deceitfully. | Strong imagery of deceit as weapon. |
| Zech 8:16 | These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another... | Command for truthfulness within community. |
| Ps 10:7 | His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and oppression; under his tongue are mischief and iniquity. | Depicts a wicked person's speech. |
| Ps 109:2 | For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me; they speak against me with a lying tongue. | Direct parallel to Ps 120:2, indicating suffering. |
Psalm 120 verses
Psalm 120 2 Meaning
Psalm 120:2 is an urgent plea to the Lord for deliverance from the damaging effects of false and treacherous words. The psalmist is expressing deep distress caused by deceitful communication from those around them, recognizing that such verbal assaults can gravely harm one's soul or inner being. It is a cry for rescue from the moral injury inflicted by lying lips and a deceitful tongue.
Psalm 120 2 Context
Psalm 120 is the first of fifteen "Songs of Ascents" (Pss 120-134). These psalms were likely sung by pilgrims on their way up to Jerusalem for the great annual festivals, symbolizing a spiritual journey towards God's holy dwelling. This particular psalm begins the collection with a cry from deep distress, indicating the pilgrim's starting point is one of significant trial, specifically the pain inflicted by the deceptive and malicious speech of those around them. It is a lament from exile, describing the vexation of living among hostile "Meshech" or "Kedar," perhaps figurative terms for a people of untruth. The plea in verse 2 thus highlights the emotional and spiritual burden carried by the psalmist, needing divine deliverance from such verbal hostility before experiencing the full joy of spiritual pilgrimage.
Psalm 120 2 Word analysis
- Deliver (הַצִּילָה - hatstsilah): This verb means to rescue, snatch away, or pull out from danger. It conveys an urgent plea for God to act immediately and powerfully, to intervene decisively to free the psalmist from a harmful situation, implying great vulnerability and dependence on God alone.
- My soul (נַפְשִׁי - naphshi): In Hebrew thought, nephesh encompasses the totality of a person's being—their life, vitality, mind, will, and emotions. The plea for deliverance of "my soul" signifies that the attack by lying words is not merely a superficial annoyance but profoundly impacts the psalmist's inner peace, well-being, and very existence.
- O Lord (יהוה - Yahweh): The covenant name of God. Addressing God by this name signifies a personal relationship and trust in His faithfulness to His promises. The psalmist appeals to the God who is intrinsically truth and covenant-keeping, as opposed to the deceit being experienced.
- Lying lips (שְׂפַת־שֶׁקֶר - sefat-sheqer):
- Sefat (lip) represents the instrument of speech, or more broadly, what is uttered.
- Sheqer (lying) denotes falsehood, deception, or anything untrue. It often implies a deliberate perversion of truth or reality, a violation of what is morally sound. The phrase points to persons whose speech is characterized by consistent falsehood and distortion.
- Deceitful tongue (לָשׁוֹן רְמִיָּה - lashon rĕmiyah):
- Lashon (tongue) also signifies speech, similar to "lips." It highlights the physical instrument used for communication.
- Rĕmiyah (deceitful) suggests treachery, trickery, or hidden craftiness. It speaks of a lack of straightforwardness, where intentions are veiled and words are used to mislead or betray, indicating a more insidious form of falsehood than sheqer which can be overt lying.
- Words-group: "lying lips and from a deceitful tongue": This is a classic example of synonymous parallelism, common in Hebrew poetry. Both phrases describe the same pervasive evil—speech characterized by untruth and treachery. The repetition intensifies the gravity and pervasiveness of the problem, emphasizing that the psalmist is surrounded by people whose communication is inherently untrustworthy and harmful. This dual expression underscores the deep and manifold nature of verbal deceit targeting the psalmist's being.
Psalm 120 2 Bonus section
The suffering from "lying lips" and a "deceitful tongue" could be a direct result of false accusations, potentially within a legal context, or severe interpersonal slander. Historically, one's reputation in ancient societies was paramount, and false accusations could lead to severe social ostracization or even physical danger. The plea to Yahweh, the God of truth and justice, implicitly calls upon His divine character to right a wrong committed through human falsehood. The repeated emphasis on instruments of speech (lips, tongue) also reflects a pervasive biblical concern with the power of words, both for good (blessing, truth, instruction) and for evil (cursing, deception, destruction). This verse reminds us that true worship and pilgrimage require a setting apart from such verbal pollution, making God the sole deliverer from this specific kind of moral and spiritual entanglement.
Psalm 120 2 Commentary
Psalm 120:2 expresses a profound and ancient human lament: the suffering caused by the verbal malice of others. It highlights that the damage from false words can be as severe as physical harm, reaching deep into one's "soul." The psalmist recognizes that such attacks aren't merely accidental misstatements but come from a character of "lying lips" and a "deceitful tongue," suggesting intentionality and persistent wickedness. This prayer implicitly contrasts the perfect truth of God with the destructive lies of humanity. It serves as a timeless cry for divine intervention against slander, gossip, false witness, and any form of communication designed to harm or betray. It is a reminder for believers to seek God's protection in a world where truth is often corrupted and to exercise discernment in whose words they allow to impact their spirit. This plea anticipates the righteous heart's journey towards God's truth.