What does Psalm 123:4 mean?
Rejection and disrespect are never easy to endure. The Hebrew word translated "scorn" here implies this kind of mocking ridicule. When Israel returned from exile (2 Chronicles 36:17–20), their efforts to rebuild were opposed by enemies who laughed at their efforts (Nehemiah 4:1–5). It doesn't take long for a person to have had "more than enough" of that sort of abuse. The psalmist's reaction is to appeal to God (Psalm 123:1–2) with a confident assurance that He will answer.Similarly, Christians can ease their souls when mocked. Writing to severely persecuted believers, the apostle Peter writes that we can take all our worries to Christ because of His great love for us (1 Peter 5:7).
Psalm 123:3–4 begs for relief from disrespect and sneering from others. The guilty ones here are described as "the proud" and those "at ease." This seems to suggest those who were wealthy and powerful looking down on the poor. It may also allude to the way foreign nations looked at Israel with derision.
This is one of the fifteen songs "of ascents" (Psalm 120—134) used as Israelites climbed towards Jerusalem and Mount Zion (2 Samuel 5:7; 1 Kings 8:1) for annual feasts (Deuteronomy 16:16). The psalmist mourns the sneering and insults of those who look down on him. This might mean hatred for Jewish people, but it seems to be more about the wealthy scoffing at the poor. The song ends with a prayer for relief from that burden.
