Wisdom & Poetry · Old Testament
Psalms 123
Psalm 123: eyes lifted like servants waiting for mercy
General context
The speaker lifts his eyes to the one who dwells in the heavens. He compares the eyes of servants looking to the hand of their masters and the eyes of a maiden looking to the hand of her mistress with the eyes of the group, which wait upon the Lord our God until he has mercy on them. The group then asks twice for mercy, because they are exceedingly filled with contempt. The psalm ends by saying their soul is exceedingly filled with the scorning of those who are at ease and with the contempt of the proud.
Cited passages: Psalms 123:1, Psalms 123:2, Psalms 123:3, Psalms 123:4
Psalms 123 (KJV)
1Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens.
2Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, until that he have mercy upon us.
3Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us: for we are exceedingly filled with contempt.
4Our soul is exceedingly filled with the scorning of those that are at ease, and with the contempt of the proud.
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Historical context
The source prints no heading for this psalm; verse 1 begins with "Unto thee lift I up mine eyes", so no title, author or occasion is given and none is asserted. The first verse is spoken by a single "I"; from verse 2 the voice is "our" and "we", and the text does not say who the group is beyond "the Lord our God" being theirs. The trouble is contempt and scorning, coming from "those that are at ease" and "the proud"; no name, nation or event is given, and the psalm does not say what form the contempt took. The Lord is addressed as one who "dwellest in the heavens" in verse 1 and is otherwise called "the Lord our God" and "O Lord". The comparison to servants and a maiden looking to a master's or mistress's hand is the only picture the psalm gives, and it does not say what the hand will do. No Selah occurs.
Cited passages: Psalms 123:1, Psalms 123:2, Psalms 123:3, Psalms 123:4
Literary context
Four verses carry one posture, lifted and waiting eyes, and one request, mercy. Verse 1 states the posture in the first person; verse 2 expands it with a double simile, servants to masters and maiden to mistress, and widens the voice to "our eyes". Verse 3 repeats "have mercy upon us" twice in one line, and the word "exceedingly filled" is used in verse 3 and again in verse 4, once with "contempt" and once with "scorning" and "contempt" together. The psalm ends on the contempt rather than on relief, so the waiting described in verse 2 is still in progress at the last word. The contrast is between eyes turned up and scorners who are "at ease".
Cited passages: Psalms 123:1, Psalms 123:2, Psalms 123:3, Psalms 123:4
Key moments
- Eyes lifted to heaven (Psalms 123:1). The speaker lifts his eyes to the one who dwells in the heavens.
- Servants watching the hand (Psalms 123:2). The group's eyes wait on the Lord like servants and a maiden watching a master's hand.
- Mercy asked twice (Psalms 123:3). The group asks twice for mercy because it is filled with contempt.
- Scorn of those at ease (Psalms 123:4). The psalm closes on the scorning of those at ease and the contempt of the proud.
For reflection
The group compares itself to servants watching a master's hand and waits until mercy comes, while saying it is already filled with contempt. What does the psalm suggest that waiting looks like when the scorn has not stopped?