וַי לִי אַרוּם אִתּוֹתְבִית עִם אוֹסָאֵי שְׁרֵית עִם מַשְׁכְּנֵיהוֹן דַעֲרָבָאֵי.
1. Woe to me | אוֹיָה לִי – This appears to be a variation of the more common interjection "אוי" (woe). Cf. R. Hirsch who connects the word to the root "אוה", to want. According to him the psalmist is not complaining about living in the countries mentioned, but is expressing a desire to do so: "How I wish that I lived in Meshekh and Kedar". R. Hirsch assumes that these two sites are in the desolate wilderness and that the psalmist prefers to dwell in solitude rather than live among liars.
2. Meshekh… Kedar | מֶשֶׁךְ... קֵדָר – Meshekh is one of the descendants of Yefet whose country is located to the northwest of Israel in Asia minor, while Kedar is a descendant of Yishmael whose country is located to the southeast, in the Arabian peninsula. As such, according to those commentators who assume the psalmist is bemoaning the fate of the nation in exile, the sites might be chosen as they represent the two poles of exilic lands. [Compare the opinion brought by Radak that Meshekh might represent Rome while Kedar symbolizes Yishmael, the two main oppressors of the exile.] Cf. Hoil Moshe who posits that the two countries must have been known for their deceit; as such, when the psalmist complains about his lying fellows, he says, "[It is as if] I live in Meshekh and Kedar". See also Radak who raises the possibility that "מֶשֶׁךְ" is not a place name but rather means "drawn out", with the psalmist bemoaning the lengthy, drawn out exile.