Woe to me that I dwell in Meshech, that I live among the tents of Kedar!
Parallel translations
- WEB Woe is me, that I live in Meshech, that I dwell among the tents of Kedar!
- KJV Woe is me, that I sojourn in Mesech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar!
- NKJV Woe is me, that I dwell in Meshech, That I dwell among the tents of Kedar!
- NASB ¶Woe to me, for I reside in Meshech, For I have settled among the tents of Kedar!
- NLT How I suffer in far-off Meshech. It pains me to live in distant Kedar.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The psalmist laments living among hostile peoples like Meshech and Kedar. Dwelling among those opposed to God is a heavy burden.
Overview
Meshech (far north) and Kedar (Arabian desert) represent fierce, distant peoples; together they picture being surrounded by hostility, whether literally or as a figure for alien company. The psalmist grieves over life among those who reject peace and God. This sense of exile resonates with believers who are 'strangers and pilgrims' awaiting their true home.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- Gen 10:2The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.
- Gen 25:13These are the names of the sons of Ishmael in the order of their birth: Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael, then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,
- Ezek 27:13Javan, Tubal, and Meshech were your merchants. They exchanged slaves and bronze utensils for your merchandise.
- Song 1:5I am dark, yet lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem, like the tents of Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon.
- Rev 2:13I know where you live, where the throne of Satan sits. Yet you have held fast to My name and have not denied your faith in Me, even in the day when My faithful witness Antipas was killed among you, where Satan dwells.
- Jer 9:2–3If only I had a traveler’s lodge in the wilderness, I would abandon my people and depart from them, for they are all adulterers, a crowd of faithless people.
- Mic 7:1–2Woe is me! For I am like one gathering summer fruit at the gleaning of the vineyard; there is no cluster to eat, no early fig that I crave.
- 2 Pet 2:7–8and if He rescued Lot, a righteous man distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless
- Ezek 39:1“As for you, O son of man, prophesy against Gog and declare that this is what the Lord GOD says: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.
- Ezek 38:2–3“Son of man, set your face against Gog of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. Prophesy against him
- Isa 60:6–7Caravans of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah, and all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and frankincense and proclaiming the praises of the LORD.
- Ezek 27:21Arabia and all the princes of Kedar were your customers, trading in lambs, rams, and goats.
- Jer 49:28–29Concerning Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon defeated, this is what the LORD says: “Rise up, advance against Kedar, and destroy the people of the east!
- Jer 15:10Woe to me, my mother, that you have borne me, a man of strife and conflict in all the land. I have neither lent nor borrowed, yet everyone curses me.
- 1 Sam 25:1When Samuel died, all Israel gathered to mourn for him; and they buried him at his home in Ramah. Then David set out and went down to the Wilderness of Paran.
- Jer 9:6You dwell in the midst of deception; in their deceit they refuse to know Me,” declares the LORD.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 120:5 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.