Worthy.Bible » STRONG » Psalms » Chapter 123 » Verse 3

Psalms 123:3 King James Version with Strong's Concordance (STRONG)

- Read this chapter

3 Have mercy H2603 upon us, O LORD, H3068 have mercy H2603 upon us: for we are exceedingly H7227 filled H7646 with contempt. H937

Cross Reference

Luke 18:11-13 STRONG

KJV ASV YLT DARBY WEB BBE

The Pharisee G5330 stood G2476 and prayed G4336 thus G5023 with G4314 himself, G1438 God, G2316 I thank G2168 thee, G4671 that G3754 I am G1510 not G3756 as G5618 other G3062 men G444 are, extortioners, G727 unjust, G94 adulterers, G3432 or G2228 even G2532 as G5613 this G3778 publican. G5057 I fast G3522 twice G1364 in the week, G4521 I give tithes G586 of all G3956 that G3745 I possess. G2932 And G2532 the publican, G5057 standing G2476 afar off, G3113 would G2309 not G3756 lift up G1869 so much as G3761 his eyes G3788 unto G1519 heaven, G3772 but G235 smote G5180 upon G1519 his G846 breast, G4738 saying, G3004 God G2316 be merciful G2433 to me G3427 a sinner. G268

Nehemiah 4:2-4 STRONG

KJV ASV YLT DARBY WEB BBE

And he spake H559 before H6440 his brethren H251 and the army H2428 of Samaria, H8111 and said, H559 What do H6213 these feeble H537 Jews? H3064 will they fortify H5800 themselves? will they sacrifice? H2076 will they make an end H3615 in a day? H3117 will they revive H2421 the stones H68 out of the heaps H6194 of the rubbish H6083 which are burned? H8313 Now Tobiah H2900 the Ammonite H5984 was by him, H681 and he said, H559 Even that which they build, H1129 if a fox H7776 go up, H5927 he shall even break down H6555 their stone H68 wall. H2346 Hear, H8085 O our God; H430 for we are despised: H939 and turn H7725 their reproach H2781 upon their own head, H7218 and give H5414 them for a prey H961 in the land H776 of captivity: H7633

Psalms 44:13-16 STRONG

KJV ASV YLT DARBY WEB BBE

Thou makest H7760 us a reproach H2781 to our neighbours, H7934 a scorn H3933 and a derision H7047 to them that are round about H5439 us. Thou makest H7760 us a byword H4912 among the heathen, H1471 a shaking H4493 of the head H7218 among the people. H3816 My confusion H3639 is continually H3117 before me, and the shame H1322 of my face H6440 hath covered H3680 me, For the voice H6963 of him that reproacheth H2778 and blasphemeth; H1442 by reason H6440 of the enemy H341 and avenger. H5358

Psalms 56:1-2 STRONG

KJV ASV YLT DARBY WEB BBE

[[To the chief Musician H5329 upon Jonathelemrechokim, H3128 Michtam H4387 of David, H1732 when the Philistines H6430 took H270 him in Gath.]] H1661 Be merciful H2603 unto me, O God: H430 for man H582 would swallow me up; H7602 he fighting H3898 daily H3117 oppresseth H3905 me. Mine enemies H8324 would daily H3117 swallow H7602 me up: for they be many H7227 that fight H3898 against me, O thou most High. H4791

Psalms 69:13-16 STRONG

KJV ASV YLT DARBY WEB BBE

But as for me, my prayer H8605 is unto thee, O LORD, H3068 in an acceptable H7522 time: H6256 O God, H430 in the multitude H7230 of thy mercy H2617 hear H6030 me, in the truth H571 of thy salvation. H3468 Deliver H5337 me out of the mire, H2916 and let me not sink: H2883 let me be delivered H5337 from them that hate H8130 me, and out of the deep H4615 waters. H4325 Let not the waterflood H4325 H7641 overflow H7857 me, neither let the deep H4688 swallow me up, H1104 and let not the pit H875 shut H332 her mouth H6310 upon me. Hear H6030 me, O LORD; H3068 for thy lovingkindness H2617 is good: H2896 turn H6437 unto me according to the multitude H7230 of thy tender mercies. H7356

Psalms 89:50-51 STRONG

KJV ASV YLT DARBY WEB BBE

Remember, H2142 Lord, H136 the reproach H2781 of thy servants; H5650 how I do bear H5375 in my bosom H2436 the reproach of all the mighty H7227 people; H5971 Wherewith thine enemies H341 have reproached, H2778 O LORD; H3068 wherewith they have reproached H2778 the footsteps H6119 of thine anointed. H4899

Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Psalms 123

Commentary on Psalms 123 Matthew Henry Commentary

John Gill   Keil & Delitzsch   Robert Jamieson: Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible  

Psalm 123

This psalm was penned at a time then the church of God was brought low and trampled upon; some think it was when the Jews were captives in Babylon, though that was not the only time that they were insulted over by the proud. The psalmist begins as if he spoke for himself only (v. 1), but presently speaks in the name of the church. Here is,

  • I. Their expectation of mercy from God (v. 1, 2).
  • II. Their plea for mercy with God, (v. 3, 4).

In singing it we must have our eye up to God's favour with a holy concern, and then an eye down to men's reproach with a holy contempt.

A song of degrees.

Psa 123:1-4

We have here,

  • I. The solemn profession which God's people make of faith and hope in God, v. 1, 2. Observe,
    • 1. The title here given to God: O thou that dwellest in the heavens. Our Lord Jesus has taught us, in prayer, to have an eye to God as our Father in heaven; not that he is confined there, but there especially he manifests his glory, as the King in his court. Heaven is a place of prospect and a place of power; he that dwells there beholds thence all the calamities of his people and thence can send to save them. Sometimes God seems to have forsaken the earth, and the enemies of God's people ask, Where is now your God? But then they can say with comfort, Our God is in the heavens. O thou that sittest in the heavens (so some), sittest as Judge there; for the Lord has prepared his throne in the heavens, and to that throne injured innocency may appeal.
    • 2. The regard here had to God. The psalmist himself lifted up his eyes to him. The eyes of a good man are ever towards the Lord, Ps. 25:15. In every prayer we lift up our soul, the eye of our soul, to God, especially in trouble, which was the case here. The eyes of the people waited on the Lord, v. 2. We find mercy coming towards a people when the eyes of man, as of all the tribes of Israel, are towards the Lord, Zec. 9:1. The eyes of the body are heaven-ward. Os homini sublime dedit-To man he gave an erect mien, to teach us which way to direct the eyes of the mind. Our eyes wait on the Lord, the eye of desire and prayer, the begging eye, and the eye of dependence, hope, and expectation, the longing eye. Our eyes must wait upon God as the Lord, and our God, until that he have mercy upon us. We desire mercy from him, we hope he will show us mercy, and we will continue our attendance on him till the mercy come. This is illustrated (v. 2) by a similitude: Our eyes are to God as the eyes of a servant, and handmaid, to the hand of their master and mistress. The eyes of a servant are,
      • (1.) To his master's directing hand, expecting that he will appoint him his work, and cut it out for him, and show him how he must do it. Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?
      • (2.) To his supplying hand. Servants look to their master, or their mistress, for their portion of meat in due season, Prov. 31:15. And to God must we look for daily bread, for grace sufficient; from him we must receive it thankfully.
      • (3.) To his assisting hand. If the servant cannot do his work himself, where must he look for help but to his master? And in the strength of the Lord God we must go forth and go on.
      • (4.) To his protecting hand. If the servant meet with opposition in his work, if he be questioned for what he does, if he be wronged and injured, who should bear him out and right him, but his master that set him on work? The people of God, when they are persecuted, may appeal to their Master, We are thine; save us.
      • (5.) To his correcting hand. If the servant has provoked his master to beat him, he does not call for help against his master, but looks at the hand that strikes him, till it shall say, "It is enough; I will not contend for ever.' The people of God were now under his rebukes; and whither should they turn but to him that smote them? Isa. 9:13. To whom should they make supplication but to their Judge? They will not do as Hagar did, who ran away from her mistress when she put some hardships upon her (Gen. 16:6), but they submit themselves to and humble themselves under God's mighty hand.
      • (6.) To his rewarding hand. The servant expects his wages, his well-done, from his master. Hypocrites have their eye to the world's hand; thence they have their reward (Mt. 6:2); but true Christians have their eye to God as their rewarder.
  • II. The humble address which God's people present to him in their calamitous condition (v. 3, 4), wherein,
    • 1. They sue for mercy, not prescribing to God what he shall do for them, nor pleading any merit of their own why he should do it for them, but, Have mercy upon us, O Lord! have mercy upon us. We find little mercy with men; their tender mercies are cruel; there are cruel mockings. But this is our comfort, that with the Lord there is mercy and we need desire no more to relieve us, and make us easy, than the mercy of God. Whatever the troubles of the church are, God's mercy is a sovereign remedy.
    • 2. They set forth their grievances: We are exceedingly filled with contempt. Reproach is the wound, the burden, they complain of. Observe,
      • (1.) Who were reproached: "We, who have our eyes up to thee.' Those who are owned of God are often despised and trampled on by the world. Some translate the words which we render, those that are at ease, and the proud, so as to signify the persons that are scorned and contemned. "Our soul is troubled to see how those that are at peace, and the excellent ones, are scorned and despised.' The saints are a peaceable people and yet are abused (Ps. 35:20), the excellent ones of the earth and yet undervalued, Lam. 4:1, 2.
      • (2.) Who did reproach them. Taking the words as we read them, they were the epicures who lived at ease, carnal sensual people, Job 12:5. The scoffers are such as walk after their own lusts and serve their own bellies, and the proud such as set God himself at defiance and had a high opinion of themselves; they trampled on God's people, thinking they magnified themselves by vilifying them.
      • (3.) To what degree they were reproached: "We are filled, we are surfeited with it. Our soul is exceedingly filled with it.' The enemies thought they could never jeer them enough, nor say enough to make them despicable; and they could not but lay it to heart; it was a sword in their bones, Ps. 42:10. Note,
        • [1.] Scorning and contempt have been, and are, and are likely to be, the lot of God's people in this world. Ishmael mocked Isaac, which is called persecuting him; and so it is now, Gal. 4:29.
        • [2.] In reference to the scorn and contempt of men it is matter of comfort that there is mercy with God, mercy to our good names when they are barbarously used. Hear, O our God! for we are despised.