Psalm 120

Psalm 120
Psalms 120 to 134 are 15 “songs of degrees;” four were written under inspiration by David, and one by Solomon; the others have no author’s name; we are not told of the particular circumstances under which they were written. The word translated “drees” means “going up” or “ascent;” it is translated “steps” as steps to a throne in 1 Kings 10:1919The throne had six steps, and the top of the throne was round behind: and there were stays on either side on the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the stays. (1 Kings 10:19); and as steps to an altar in Exodus 20:2626Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon. (Exodus 20:26); but in 2 Kings 20 the word is translated “degrees” in connection with a sun dial.
The sun dials of the ancients were however not the clock-like dials which most of us have seen, but probably a series of steps arranged so that the shadow cast by a pillar nearby would fall on them, and so with the passage of the sun across the sky, the time of day could be told. Evidently therefore the songs of degrees are really “songs of ascent,” and it is thought that they were written to be sung on the way up to Jerusalem, and that they will be sung again when redeemed Israelites go there to worship. We shall find the theme of these psalms to ascend gradually from the low ground of distress to the high elevation, of Jerusalem’s walls.