What does Psalms Chapter 122 say, and which statements belong to its speaker?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

Eyes are lifted to God dwelling in heaven. Servant and handmaid eyes illustrate waiting until mercy. Repeated mercy requests remain amid contempt of rich and proud.

Chapter breakdown

Ad te levavi is the incipit, with a heading naming prayer in affliction and confidence in God, and a gradual-canticle inscription. The speaker lifted eyes to the One dwelling in heaven; an enthronement scene is not specified.

As servants’ eyes are on masters’ hands and the handmaid’s on her mistress’s hands, our eyes are to the Lord our God until He has mercy. The comparison does not specify provisioning gestures or an outcome already granted.

Have mercy is repeated because we are greatly filled with contempt. Their soul is greatly filled; they are a reproach to the rich and contempt to the proud. The prayer ends in that distress, without a diagnosed psychological condition or demonstrated emotional healing.

The story inside

Opening: Eyes are lifted to God dwelling in heaven. Development: Servant and handmaid eyes illustrate waiting until mercy. Conclusion: Repeated mercy requests remain amid contempt of rich and proud.

Lessons worth keeping

1
Eyes are lifted to God dwelling in heaven.
2
Servant and handmaid eyes illustrate waiting until mercy.
3
Repeated mercy requests remain amid contempt of rich and proud.

Test your recall

Which images and requests does the speaker use, and what does the chapter leave unresolved?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 66033–66037
122:1. To thee have I lifted up my eyes, who dwellest in heaven. 122:2. Behold as the eyes of servants are on the hands of their masters, As the eyes of the handmaid are on the hands of her mistress: so are our eyes unto the Lord our God, until he have mercy on us.
Lines 66039–66043
122:3. Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us: for we are greatly filled with contempt. 122:4. For our soul is greatly filled: we are a reproach to the rich, and contempt to the proud.