Bible Strands
Psalms 120:2
Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips and a deceitful tongue.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist, speaking as part of a song of ascents, addresses the LORD in a moment of distress immediately following a previous cry for help.
The words — The plea centers on הַצִּ֣ילָ/ה (ha.Tzi.la/h, deliver) and נַ֭פְשִׁ/י (Naf.sh/i, my soul/self). The text specifies two sources of harm: lips characterized by שֶׁ֑קֶר (She.ker, falsehood) and a tongue marked by רְמִיָּֽה (re.mi.Yah, deceit).
The thread — The request for rescue from deceptive speech aligns with Psalms 140:1, where David asks for protection from violent men, and Proverbs 12:22, which contrasts detestable lying lips with faithful dealing.
Why it lands — The verse demands direct reliance on the LORD for protection against verbal deception rather than human defense. It requires the reader to identify specific sources of harm and bring them explicitly to God.
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
Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue.
Cross-references
- Psalms 140:1 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. Rescue me, O LORD, from evil men. Protect me from men of violence,
- Proverbs 12:22 Lying lips are detestable to the LORD, but those who deal faithfully are His delight.
- Psalms 52:2 Your tongue devises destruction like a sharpened razor, O worker of deceit.
- Psalms 109:1 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O God of my praise, be not silent.
- Psalms 35:11 Hostile witnesses come forward; they make charges I know nothing about.
- Matthew 26:59 Now the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were seeking false testimony against Jesus in order to put Him to death.