Psalms 120:1 «A Song of degrees. » In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he heard me.
A Song of degrees] A most excellent song, Tremellius rendereth it; and so indeed this and the fourteen following are, both for the matter and for the form or manner of expression, which is wondrous short and sweet, as the very epigrams of the Holy Ghost himself, wherein each verse may well stand for an oracle. And in this sense Adam Hammahalah, or a man of degrees, is put for an eminent or excellent man, 1 Chronicles 17:17. Others understand it otherwise; wherein they have good leave to abound in their own sense; since sine periculo hic erratur, an error here is not dangerous.
Ver. 1. In my distress I cried unto the Lord] Oratio sine malis est, ut avis sine alis, Distress addeth wings to our devotions. Our Saviour, being in an agony, prayed more earnestly, Luke 22:44. So do all his members, and especially when they lie under the lash of a lying tongue, as here, Psalms 120:2. "Being defamed, we pray," saith Paul, 1 Corinthians 4:13 .
And he heard me] "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much," Jam 5:16 Zechariah 13:9. He that prayeth ardently speedeth assuredly, Psalms 91:15, and the unmiscarrying return of prayer should be carefully observed and thankfully improved, Psalms 66:20 .