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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Psalm 120:5 Woe to me that I dwell in Meshech, that I live among the tents of Kedar!</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/psalms/120-5.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/7/19_Psa_120_005.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Psalm 120:5 - In My Distress I Cried to the LORD" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="Woe to me that I dwell in Meshech, that I live among the tents of Kedar!" /><script type="application/javascript" src="https://scripts.webcontentassessor.com/scripts/8a2459b64f9cac8122fc7f2eac4409c8555fac9383016db59c4c26e3d5b8b157"></script><script src='https://qd.admetricspro.com/js/biblehub/biblehub-layout-loader-revcatch.js'></script><script id='HyDgbd_1s' src='https://prebidads.revcatch.com/ads.js' type='text/javascript' async></script><script>(function(w,d,b,s,i){var cts=d.createElement(s);cts.async=true;cts.id='catchscript'; cts.dataset.appid=i;cts.src='https://app.protectsubrev.com/catch_rp.js?cb='+Math.random(); document.head.appendChild(cts); }) (window,document,'head','script','rc-anksrH');</script></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="/vmenus/psalms/120-5.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="/bmc/psalms/120-5.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="/">Bible</a> > <a href="/psalms/">Psalms</a> > <a href="/psalms/120.htm">Chapter 120</a> > Verse 5</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div><div id="ad1"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/ad5.htm" width="100%" height="48" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="/psalms/120-4.htm" title="Psalm 120:4">◄</a> Psalm 120:5 <a href="/psalms/120-6.htm" title="Psalm 120:6">►</a></div></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="topverse"> <a href="#audio" class="clickchap2" title="Context and Audio Bible"> Audio </a> <a href="#crossref" class="clickchap2" title="Cross References"> Cross </a> <a href="#study" class="clickchap2" title="Study Bible"> Study </a> <a href="#commentary" class="clickchap2" title="Commentary"> Comm </a> <a href="#lexicon" class="clickchap2" title="Lexicon"> Heb </a> </div><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheadingv"><b>Verse</b><a href="/bsb/psalms/120.htm" class="clickchap" style="color:#001320" title="Click any translation name for full chapter">  (Click for Chapter)</a></div><div id="par"><span class="versiontext"><a href="/niv/psalms/120.htm">New International Version</a></span><br />Woe to me that I dwell in Meshek, that I live among the tents of Kedar!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/psalms/120.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />How I suffer in far-off Meshech. It pains me to live in distant Kedar.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/psalms/120.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />Woe to me, that I sojourn in Meshech, that I dwell among the tents of Kedar!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/psalms/120.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />Woe to me that I dwell in Meshech, that I live among the tents of Kedar!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/psalms/120.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />Woe is me, that I sojourn in Mesech, <i>that</i> I dwell in the tents of Kedar!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/psalms/120.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />Woe is me, that I dwell in Meshech, <i>That</i> I dwell among the tents of Kedar!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/psalms/120.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />Woe to me, for I reside in Meshech, For I have settled among the tents of Kedar!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/psalms/120.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />Woe is me, for I sojourn in Meshech, For I dwell among the tents of Kedar!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/psalms/120.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />Woe is me, for I sojourn in Meshech, For I dwell among the tents of Kedar!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/psalms/120.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />Woe is me, for I sojourn in Meshech, <i>For</i> I dwell among the tents of Kedar!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/psalms/120.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />Woe to me, for I sojourn in Meshech, and I live among the tents of Kedar [among hostile people]!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/psalms/120.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />What misery that I have stayed in Meshech, that I have lived among the tents of Kedar!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/psalms/120.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />What misery that I have stayed in Meshech, that I have lived among the tents of Kedar! <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/psalms/120.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />Woe is me, that I sojourn in Meshech, That I dwell among the tents of Kedar!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/psalms/120.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />But I must live as a foreigner among the people of Meshech and in the tents of Kedar. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/psalms/120.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />Woe is me, that I sojourn in Meshech, that I dwell among the tents of Kedar!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/psalms/120.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />How horrible it is to live as a foreigner in Meshech or to stay in the tents of Kedar.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/psalms/120.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />Living among you is as bad as living in Meshech or among the people of Kedar. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/psalms/120.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />How terrible for me, that I am an alien in Meshech, that I reside among the tents of Kedar!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/psalms/120.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />Woe to me that I dwell in Meshech, that I live among the tents of Kedar!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/psalms/120.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />How miserable I am! For I have lived temporarily in Meshech; I have resided among the tents of Kedar. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/psalms/120.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />Woe is me, that I live in Meshech, that I dwell among the tents of Kedar.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/psalms/120.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />Woe is me, that I sojourn in Mesech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/psalms/120.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />Woe is me, that I live in Meshech, that I dwell among the tents of Kedar! <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/psalms/120.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />Woe to me, for I have inhabited Mesech, "" I have dwelt with tents of Kedar.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/psalms/120.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> Woe to me, for I have inhabited Mesech, I have dwelt with tents of Kedar.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/psalms/120.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />Wo! to me that I sojourned in Mesech; I dwelt with the tents of Kedar.<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/psalms/120.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />Woe is me, that my sojourning is prolonged! I have dwelt with the inhabitants of cedar: <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/psalms/120.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br /><V 119:5>Woe to me, for my sojourning has been prolonged. I have lived with the inhabitants of Kedar.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/psalms/120.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />Alas, I am a foreigner in Meshech, I live among the tents of Kedar! <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/psalms/120.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />Woe is me, that I am an alien in Meshech, that I must live among the tents of Kedar.<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/psalms/120.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />Woe is me, that my sojourn is prolonged, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/psalms/120.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />Woe to me, for my pilgrimage is long and I have dwelt in a tent of Qedar!<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/psalms/120.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />Woe is me, that I sojourn with Meshech, That I dwell beside the tents of Kedar!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/psalms/120.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />Woe is me, that my sojourning is prolonged; I have tabernacled among the tents of Kedar.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/psalms/120-5.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nFaD2oDhKPc?start=16027" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/psalms/120.htm">In My Distress I Cried to the LORD</a></span><br>…<span class="reftext">4</span>Sharp arrows will come from the warrior, with burning coals of the broom tree! <span class="reftext">5</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/190.htm" title="190: ’ō·w·yāh- (Interjection) -- Woe! Feminine of 'owy.">Woe</a> <a href="/hebrew/lî (Prep:: 1cs) -- ">to me</a> <a href="/hebrew/3588.htm" title="3588: kî- (Conj) -- That, for, when. ">that</a> <a href="/hebrew/1481.htm" title="1481: ḡar·tî (V-Qal-Perf-1cs) -- A primitive root; properly, to turn aside from the road, i.e. Sojourn; also to shrink, fear; also to gather for hostility.">I dwell</a> <a href="/hebrew/4902.htm" title="4902: me·šeḵ (N-proper-ms) -- The same in form as meshek, but probably of foreign derivation; Meshek, a son of Japheth, and the people descended from him.">in Meshech,</a> <a href="/hebrew/7931.htm" title="7931: ḵan·tî (V-Qal-Perf-1cs) -- A primitive root (by transmission) to shakab through the idea of lodging; compare cikluwth, shakam); to reside or permanently stay.">that I live</a> <a href="/hebrew/5973.htm" title="5973: ‘im- (Prep) -- From amam; adverb or preposition, with, in varied applications; specifically, equally with; often with prepositional prefix.">among</a> <a href="/hebrew/168.htm" title="168: ’ā·ho·lê (N-mpc) -- A tent. From 'ahal; a tent.">the tents</a> <a href="/hebrew/6938.htm" title="6938: qê·ḏār (N-proper-fs) -- Perhaps swarthy, a son of Ishmael, also his desc. From qadar; dusky; Kedar, a son of Ishmael; also Bedouin.">of Kedar!</a> </span><span class="reftext">6</span>Too long have I dwelt among those who hate peace.…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/9-2.htm">Jeremiah 9:2</a></span><br />If only I had a traveler’s lodge in the wilderness, I would abandon my people and depart from them, for they are all adulterers, a crowd of faithless people.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/genesis/19-30.htm">Genesis 19:30</a></span><br />Lot and his two daughters left Zoar and settled in the mountains—for he was afraid to stay in Zoar—where they lived in a cave.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/ezekiel/27-13.htm">Ezekiel 27:13</a></span><br />Javan, Tubal, and Meshech were your merchants. They exchanged slaves and bronze utensils for your merchandise.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/21-16.htm">Isaiah 21:16-17</a></span><br />For this is what the Lord says to me: “Within one year, as a hired worker would count it, all the glory of Kedar will be gone. / The remaining archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be few.” For the LORD, the God of Israel, has spoken.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_samuel/25-10.htm">1 Samuel 25:10</a></span><br />But Nabal asked them, “Who is David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants these days are breaking away from their masters.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/2_kings/17-6.htm">2 Kings 17:6</a></span><br />In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and carried away the Israelites to Assyria, where he settled them in Halah, in Gozan by the Habor River, and in the cities of the Medes.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/2_kings/18-11.htm">2 Kings 18:11</a></span><br />The king of Assyria exiled the Israelites to Assyria and settled them in Halah, in Gozan by the Habor River, and in the cities of the Medes.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/33-19.htm">Isaiah 33:19</a></span><br />You will no longer see the insolent, a people whose speech is unintelligible, who stammer in a language you cannot understand.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/hosea/9-3.htm">Hosea 9:3</a></span><br />They will not remain in the land of the LORD; Ephraim will return to Egypt and eat unclean food in Assyria.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/amos/1-9.htm">Amos 1:9</a></span><br />This is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions of Tyre, even four, I will not revoke My judgment, because they delivered up a whole congregation of exiles to Edom and broke a covenant of brotherhood.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/11-21.htm">Matthew 11:21-24</a></span><br />“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. / But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. / And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/luke/10-13.htm">Luke 10:13-15</a></span><br />Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. / But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. / And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/acts/2-9.htm">Acts 2:9</a></span><br />Parthians, Medes, and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/acts/7-2.htm">Acts 7:2-4</a></span><br />And Stephen declared: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, / and told him, ‘Leave your country and your kindred and go to the land I will show you.’ / So Abraham left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. After his father died, God brought him out of that place and into this land where you are now living.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/romans/15-19.htm">Romans 15:19</a></span><br />by the power of signs and wonders, and by the power of the Spirit of God. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">Woe is me, that I sojourn in Mesech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar!</p><p class="hdg">woe</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/jeremiah/9-2.htm">Jeremiah 9:2,3,6</a></b></br> Oh that I had in the wilderness a lodging place of wayfaring men; that I might leave my people, and go from them! for they <i>be</i> all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men… </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/jeremiah/15-10.htm">Jeremiah 15:10</a></b></br> Woe is me, my mother, that thou hast borne me a man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth! I have neither lent on usury, nor men have lent to me on usury; <i>yet</i> every one of them doth curse me.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/micah/7-1.htm">Micah 7:1,2</a></b></br> Woe is me! for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grapegleanings of the vintage: <i>there is</i> no cluster to eat: my soul desired the firstripe fruit… </p><p class="hdg">Mesech</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/genesis/10-2.htm">Genesis 10:2</a></b></br> The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/ezekiel/27-13.htm">Ezekiel 27:13</a></b></br> Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, they <i>were</i> thy merchants: they traded the persons of men and vessels of brass in thy market.</p><p class="hdg">the tents</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/genesis/25-13.htm">Genesis 25:13</a></b></br> And these <i>are</i> the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/1_samuel/25-1.htm">1 Samuel 25:1</a></b></br> And Samuel died; and all the Israelites were gathered together, and lamented him, and buried him in his house at Ramah. And David arose, and went down to the wilderness of Paran.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/songs/1-5.htm">Song of Solomon 1:5</a></b></br> I <i>am</i> black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.</p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/psalms/113-9.htm">Dwell</a> <a href="/psalms/107-10.htm">Dwelt</a> <a href="/psalms/107-36.htm">Inhabited</a> <a href="/1_chronicles/1-29.htm">Kedar</a> <a href="/psalms/119-175.htm">Live</a> <a href="/1_chronicles/1-17.htm">Meshech</a> <a href="/psalms/61-4.htm">Sojourn</a> <a href="/psalms/119-28.htm">Sorrow</a> <a href="/psalms/119-54.htm">Strange</a> <a href="/psalms/118-15.htm">Tents</a> <a href="/1_samuel/4-8.htm">Wo</a> <a href="/job/10-15.htm">Woe</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/psalms/132-14.htm">Dwell</a> <a href="/psalms/120-6.htm">Dwelt</a> <a href="/proverbs/8-31.htm">Inhabited</a> <a href="/songs/1-5.htm">Kedar</a> <a href="/psalms/128-6.htm">Live</a> <a href="/ezekiel/27-13.htm">Meshech</a> <a href="/isaiah/16-4.htm">Sojourn</a> <a href="/psalms/139-24.htm">Sorrow</a> <a href="/psalms/137-4.htm">Strange</a> <a href="/proverbs/14-9.htm">Tents</a> <a href="/proverbs/23-29.htm">Wo</a> <a href="/proverbs/23-29.htm">Woe</a><div class="vheading2">Psalm 120</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/psalms/120-1.htm">David prays against Doeg</a></span><br><span class="reftext">3. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/psalms/120-3.htm">Reproves his tongue</a></span><br><span class="reftext">5. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/psalms/120-5.htm">Complains of his necessary conversation with the wicked</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/psalms/120.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/psalms/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/psalms/120.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div><b>Woe to me</b><br>This expression of lament sets the tone for the psalmist's distress. It reflects a deep sense of sorrow and dissatisfaction with their current circumstances. The use of "woe" is common in biblical literature to express grief or a cry for help, often seen in prophetic writings (e.g., <a href="/isaiah/6-5.htm">Isaiah 6:5</a>). It indicates a longing for deliverance and a recognition of the fallen state of the world.<p><b>that I dwell in Meshech</b><br>Meshech is a region often associated with distant lands and peoples, mentioned in <a href="/genesis/10-2.htm">Genesis 10:2</a> as a descendant of Japheth. It is generally located in the area of modern-day Turkey or the southern part of Russia. The mention of Meshech symbolizes living among foreign, possibly hostile, peoples who do not share the psalmist's values or faith. This can be seen as a metaphor for the believer's experience in a world that is often at odds with God's ways.<p><b>that I live among the tents of Kedar!</b><br>Kedar refers to a nomadic tribe descended from Ishmael, as noted in <a href="/genesis/25-13.htm">Genesis 25:13</a>. They were known for their tent-dwelling lifestyle in the Arabian desert. The tents of Kedar symbolize a transient, unsettled life among people who may be seen as adversaries or those who do not follow the God of Israel. This phrase highlights the psalmist's feeling of alienation and longing for a spiritual home. The imagery of tents suggests impermanence and a lack of stability, echoing the believer's journey through a world that is not their ultimate home (<a href="/hebrews/11-13.htm">Hebrews 11:13-16</a>).<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <b><a href="/topical/m/meshech.htm">Meshech</a></b><br>A region often associated with distant lands and peoples, possibly located in modern-day Turkey or Russia. In biblical times, it was known for its warrior-like inhabitants and was considered a remote and foreign place.<br><br>2. <b><a href="/topical/k/kedar.htm">Kedar</a></b><br>A nomadic tribe descended from Ishmael, known for their tents and often associated with the Arabian desert. They were known for their hostility and were considered a symbol of living among those who do not know God.<br><br>3. <b><a href="/topical/p/psalmist.htm">Psalmist</a></b><br>The author of the psalm, traditionally believed to be David, expressing a sense of alienation and distress from living among those who do not share his faith or values.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><b><a href="/topical/l/living_as_strangers_in_the_world.htm">Living as Strangers in the World</a></b><br>Just as the psalmist felt out of place in Meshech and Kedar, Christians today may feel like strangers in a world that does not share their values. This sense of alienation can remind us of our true citizenship in heaven.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_challenge_of_cultural_differences.htm">The Challenge of Cultural Differences</a></b><br>The psalmist's lament highlights the difficulty of living among those with different beliefs and practices. Christians are called to be in the world but not of it, navigating cultural differences with grace and truth.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/s/seeking_god's_peace_amidst_hostility.htm">Seeking God's Peace Amidst Hostility</a></b><br>The psalmist's cry for help is a reminder to seek God's peace and guidance when surrounded by hostility or misunderstanding. Prayer and reliance on God are crucial in such times.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_importance_of_community.htm">The Importance of Community</a></b><br>Feeling isolated like the psalmist can drive us to seek fellowship with other believers. The church community provides support and encouragement in a world that often feels foreign.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_psalm_120.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Psalm 120</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/why_mention_meshek_and_kedar_in_psalm_120_5.htm">Psalm 120:5 – Why does the psalmist mention living in Meshek and among Kedar if there is limited historical or geographical data to support this claim? </a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/is_a_woman_unclean_during_her_period.htm">Who was Kedar in the Bible?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/does_song_1_5-6_show_cultural_inconsistencies.htm">Song of Solomon 1:5–6 emphasizes the speaker’s dark complexion and social status. Does this suggest cultural or ethnic inconsistencies with known historical contexts? </a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/who_was_kedar_in_the_bible.htm">Who was Kedar in the Bible?</a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/psalms/120.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(5) <span class= "bld">Mesech.</span>--This name is generally identified with <span class= "ital">Moschi, </span>mentioned by Herodotus (iii. 94), a tribe on the borders of Colchis and Armenia. It appears again in the prophet <a href="/ezekiel/27-13.htm" title="Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, they were your merchants: they traded the persons of men and vessels of brass in your market.">Ezekiel 27:13</a>; <a href="/ezekiel/38-3.htm" title="And say, Thus said the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:">Ezekiel 38:3</a>; <a href="/ezekiel/39-1.htm" title="Therefore, you son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus said the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:">Ezekiel 39:1</a>. The only reason for suspecting the accuracy of this identification is the remoteness from <span class= "ital">Kedar, </span>who were a nomad tribe of Arabia. (See <a href="/genesis/25-13.htm" title="And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,">Genesis 25:13</a>; <a href="/songs/1-5.htm" title="I am black, but comely, O you daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.">Song of Solomon 1:5</a>.) But in the absence of any other indication of the motive for the mention of these tribes here, this very remoteness affords a sufficiently plausible one; or they may be types of savage life, selected the one from the north, and the other from the south, as poetry dictated. It is quite possible that the circumstances amid which the poet wrote made it necessary for him to veil in this way his allusion to powerful tribes, from whose violence the nation was suffering. At all events, the two concluding verses leave no doubt that some troubled state of affairs, in which the choice of courses was not easy, and affecting the whole nation. not an individual, is here presented.<p><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/psalms/120.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 5.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">Woe is me, that I sojourn in Mesech</span>. This is scarcely to be understood literally. Israel never "sojourned in Mesech," <span class="accented">i</span>.<span class="accented">e</span>. among the Moschi, who dwelt in Cappadocia, nor dwelt among the tents of Kedar, a people of Northern Arabia. The writer means that he dwells among hostile and barbarous people, who are to him as Kedar and Mesech. Possibly the Samaritans and Ammonites are intended. <span class="cmt_word">That I dwell in the tents of Kedar</span>; rather, <span class="accented">among the tents</span> (see the Revised Version). <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/psalms/120-5.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word">Woe</span><br /><span class="heb">אֽוֹיָה־</span> <span class="translit">(’ō·w·yāh-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Interjection<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_190.htm">Strong's 190: </a> </span><span class="str2">Lamentation, Oh!</span><br /><br /><span class="word">to me</span><br /><span class="heb">לִ֭י</span> <span class="translit">(lî)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition | first person common singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/.htm">Strong's Hebrew</a> </span><span class="str2"></span><br /><br /><span class="word">that</span><br /><span class="heb">כִּי־</span> <span class="translit">(kî-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunction<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3588.htm">Strong's 3588: </a> </span><span class="str2">A relative conjunction</span><br /><br /><span class="word">I dwell</span><br /><span class="heb">גַ֣רְתִּי</span> <span class="translit">(ḡar·tî)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1481.htm">Strong's 1481: </a> </span><span class="str2">To turn aside from the road, sojourn, to shrink, fear, to gather for, hostility</span><br /><br /><span class="word">in Meshech,</span><br /><span class="heb">מֶ֑שֶׁךְ</span> <span class="translit">(me·šeḵ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - proper - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4902.htm">Strong's 4902: </a> </span><span class="str2">Meshech -- a son of Japheth, also his descendants and their land</span><br /><br /><span class="word">that I live</span><br /><span class="heb">שָׁ֝כַ֗נְתִּי</span> <span class="translit">(ḵan·tî)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_7931.htm">Strong's 7931: </a> </span><span class="str2">To settle down, abide, dwell</span><br /><br /><span class="word">among</span><br /><span class="heb">עִֽם־</span> <span class="translit">(‘im-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5973.htm">Strong's 5973: </a> </span><span class="str2">With, equally with</span><br /><br /><span class="word">the tents</span><br /><span class="heb">אָהֳלֵ֥י</span> <span class="translit">(’ā·ho·lê)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine plural construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_168.htm">Strong's 168: </a> </span><span class="str2">A tent</span><br /><br /><span class="word">of Kedar!</span><br /><span class="heb">קֵדָֽר׃</span> <span class="translit">(qê·ḏār)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - proper - feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_6938.htm">Strong's 6938: </a> </span><span class="str2">Kedar -- perhaps 'swarthy', a son of Ishmael, also his desc</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/psalms/120-5.htm">Psalm 120:5 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/psalms/120-5.htm">Psalm 120:5 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/psalms/120-5.htm">Psalm 120:5 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/psalms/120-5.htm">Psalm 120:5 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/psalms/120-5.htm">Psalm 120:5 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/psalms/120-5.htm">Psalm 120:5 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/psalms/120-5.htm">Psalm 120:5 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/psalms/120-5.htm">Psalm 120:5 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/psalms/120-5.htm">Psalm 120:5 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/psalms/120-5.htm">Psalm 120:5 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/psalms/120-5.htm">OT Poetry: Psalm 120:5 Woe is me that I live (Psalm Ps Psa.) </a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/psalms/120-4.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Psalm 120:4"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Psalm 120:4" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/psalms/120-6.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Psalm 120:6"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Psalm 120:6" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>