Bible Strands
Psalms 120:1
A song of ascents. In my distress I cried to the LORD, and He answered me.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — An individual in acute distress addresses Yahweh directly, within the Song of Ascents sung on pilgrimage to Jerusalem. The next verse specifies the source: lying lips and a deceitful tongue.
The words — צָרָה (tsarah) carries the sense of a narrow place, a strait — not merely emotional pain but a physical tightness of circumstance. עָנָה ('anah) is the specific verb for God's responsive answer to prayer, distinct from general hearing.
The thread — The formula "in my distress I called to the LORD, and He answered me" recurs in Psalms 18:6, Jonah 2:2, and Psalms 118:5, each time pairing human cry with divine response.
Why it lands — The verse does not promise the distress will be pleasant or the answer will be what was requested; it asserts only that the call is not lost. It asks the reader to hold the pattern — cry, then wait for the answer — without substituting their own timeline for God's.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
A Song of degrees. In my distress I cried unto the Lord, and he heard me.
Cross-references
- Psalms 18:6 In my distress I called upon the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From His temple He heard my voice, and my cry for His help reached His ears.
- Jonah 2:2 saying: “In my distress I called to the LORD, and He answered me. From the belly of Sheol I called for help, and You heard my voice.
- Psalms 118:5 In my distress I called to the LORD, and He answered and set me free.
- Hebrews 5:7 During the days of Jesus’ earthly life, He offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the One who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverence.
- Psalms 50:15 Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me.”
- Psalms 130:1 A song of ascents. Out of the depths I cry to You, O LORD!
- Psalms 107:13 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress.
- Psalms 125:1 A song of ascents. Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion. It cannot be moved; it abides forever.
- Psalms 131:1 A song of ascents. Of David. My heart is not proud, O LORD, my eyes are not haughty. I do not aspire to great things or matters too lofty for me.
- Isaiah 37:3 to tell him, “This is what Hezekiah says: Today is a day of distress, rebuke, and disgrace; for children have come to the point of birth, but there is no strength to deliver them.