Psalm 123
4 verses · BSBPsalms book hub →
Speaks with:Psalms 25×2Psalms 121×1Psalms 141×1Psalms 130×1Lamentations 3×1Luke 18×1
Summary
Chapter summary
The servant's eyes: 'Unto thee do I lift up mine eyes, O thou that sittest in the heavens.' As the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their master, and the eyes of a maid unto the hand of her mistress, 'so our eyes look unto Jehovah our God, until he have mercy upon us.' The single petition, doubled: 'Have mercy upon us, O Jehovah, have mercy upon us; for we are exceedingly filled with contempt', the scorning of those that are at ease, the contempt of the proud.
Context
Poetry · David, Asaph, Sons of Korah, others — Psalms overview
The world behind this chapter
Psalms 123The history
The picture in the middle is domestic and exact. A household servant stood at the edge of the room and watched the master's or the mistress's hand, because instructions were given by gesture rather than speech — a lifted finger to bring the basin, a turn of the hand to clear the table. The servant's whole attention was fixed on one hand.
That posture is the psalm's definition of prayer. Eyes up, waiting, ready to move, with no idea how long the wait will be.
The trouble is contempt rather than violence. Two groups are named: those who are at ease, and the proud. Comfortable people with time on their hands make the best mockers, and a struggling community is an easy target. When Nehemiah's crews were rebuilding the wall, the officials of the surrounding provinces did precisely this — stood nearby and jeered at the workmanship.
Ridicule of that kind was more than hurt feelings. In a culture built on honor and shame, being laughed at by neighboring provinces damaged a community's standing in every negotiation it had to make.
What it meant to them
Sung on the way up to the feast, this let pilgrims say the thing they were carrying: we have had more than enough of being sneered at.
The remedy asked for is not vengeance but mercy — twice. The people doing the sneering are simply left with God, while the singers keep their eyes on the hand.
Sources cited
- Walton, Matthews and Chavalas, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament
- Charles H. Spurgeon, The Treasury of David on Psalm 123
The text of this chapter
This page carries no textual note on Psalms 123. Where this site has examined a place the manuscripts differ, the examination is in the manuscripts room. Every place this site examines →
This page draws on Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory; John Calvin, Commentaries; John Wesley, Notes on the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary.