This verse reveals the psalmist’s deep anguish over living in an unsettling environment, highlighting the universal human longing for the place where true peace dwells.
“Woe is me, for I sojourn in Meshech, For I dwell among the tents of Kedar!” (v.5). The psalmist laments his predicament, exclaiming that he is forced to live in a hostile environment where he feels spiritually distant from his true home in God’s presence. The word sojourn implies a temporary stay among strangers, highlighting the psalmist’s discomfort and longing for a place of peace. He expresses deep sorrow at finding himself in a land in which he does not belong—much like believers who describe themselves as “aliens and strangers” in this world (1 Peter 2:11).
It is significant that the psalmist names Meshech and Kedar as places of residence. Meshech was a region in Asia Minor associated with descendants of Japheth and sometimes viewed as representing hostile forces arrayed against God’s people (Ezekiel 38:2-3, 39:1). Kedar was a nomadic community descended from Ishmael, known for their herding of sheep and goats east of the land of Israel (Isaiah 21:16-17; Jeremiah 49:28, 31). By invoking two distant and very different locations, the psalmist poetically underscores how he feels surrounded by conflict in all directions and alienated from fellowship with those who share his devotion to the LORD.
Through Jesus Christ, believers identify with this feeling of exile, awaiting final redemption and perfect peace (John 14:27). Jesus Himself spoke of the tension between belonging to God’s kingdom while living in a fallen world (John 17:14-16). The lament of Psalm 120:5 reminds us that although the faithful may be scattered in places of conflict, God hears their cries and will ultimately bring them home to His enduring peace.
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Psalms 120:5 meaning
“Woe is me, for I sojourn in Meshech, For I dwell among the tents of Kedar!” (v.5). The psalmist laments his predicament, exclaiming that he is forced to live in a hostile environment where he feels spiritually distant from his true home in God’s presence. The word sojourn implies a temporary stay among strangers, highlighting the psalmist’s discomfort and longing for a place of peace. He expresses deep sorrow at finding himself in a land in which he does not belong—much like believers who describe themselves as “aliens and strangers” in this world (1 Peter 2:11).
It is significant that the psalmist names Meshech and Kedar as places of residence. Meshech was a region in Asia Minor associated with descendants of Japheth and sometimes viewed as representing hostile forces arrayed against God’s people (Ezekiel 38:2-3, 39:1). Kedar was a nomadic community descended from Ishmael, known for their herding of sheep and goats east of the land of Israel (Isaiah 21:16-17; Jeremiah 49:28, 31). By invoking two distant and very different locations, the psalmist poetically underscores how he feels surrounded by conflict in all directions and alienated from fellowship with those who share his devotion to the LORD.
Through Jesus Christ, believers identify with this feeling of exile, awaiting final redemption and perfect peace (John 14:27). Jesus Himself spoke of the tension between belonging to God’s kingdom while living in a fallen world (John 17:14-16). The lament of Psalm 120:5 reminds us that although the faithful may be scattered in places of conflict, God hears their cries and will ultimately bring them home to His enduring peace.