Psalm 120 – A Cry from Exile “In my distress I cried to Yahuah, and He answered me…”

This song begins the journey of the fifteen Songs of Ascents—a spiritual climb from alien lands back toward the presence of Yahuah. Psalm 120 opens not on the steps of the temple, but in a far-off place. A place of sorrow. Of conflict. Of falsehood.
“Woe to me, for I have sojourned in Meshek; I have dwelt among the tents of Qedar.”
Meshek was a distant nation, often associated with violent tribes north of Yisra’ĕl, possibly in the region of modern-day Turkey or beyond. Qedar refers to nomadic tribes descended from Yishma’ĕl, known for their dark tents and desert ways—dwelling in the Arabian wilderness.
The psalmist isn’t just speaking geographically—he’s describing the spiritual condition of being surrounded by those who hate peace, by slanderers and warmongers. He feels like a stranger in a foreign land, exiled not just from Yahuah’s city, but from the very values he holds dear.
“I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for fighting.”
These words hit home for many today who walk in Torah, who speak truth and seek peace, yet are met with ridicule, mockery, or even persecution.
Let this be your cry, too, if you’ve ever felt surrounded by those who twist your words, who lie without shame, who reject peace for war. Yahuah hears. He answers. And this song is the first step toward His presence.
Sung exactly as written in Psalm 120, BYNV text.
No additions. No filters. Just the ancient voice crying out from exile.