Sojourning in a Foreign Land Among the Deceitful and Warlike

Psalms 120–134 comprise the Psalms of Ascent, as noted in the superscription of each. The precise meaning of this title is debated, though it probably refers to the pilgrims’ “ascent” to Jerusalem (cf. 24:3; 122:4; Isa. 2:3). In these psalms we see a concerted interest in Zion and its sacred temple, so much so that good and evil are virtually determined by one’s attitude toward Zion. They stand apart from most other psalms because they are brief and do not follow the typical patterns of the psalmic genres (e.g., prayer psalms, hymnic praise). They reflect public usage, with a liturgist and some kind of assembly (marked by the alternation of “I” and “we” forms and by direct address of a group), but there are no ritual allusions (wi…