Psalms
Psalm 20
KJV
The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee;
Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion;
Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice; Selah.
Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy counsel.
We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the Lord fulfil all thy petitions.
Now know I that the Lord saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand.
Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.
They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright.
Save, Lord: let the king hear us when we call.
Overview
Psalm 20 is a communal prayer for the king in a time of danger. The worshipers ask God to answer, protect, remember worship, guide the king’s desires and plans, and grant salvation; then the psalm shifts to confidence that the LORD saves his anointed and is more trustworthy than chariots and horses. The final cry returns everything to dependence on God rather than military strength, ritual transaction, or human power.
Setting and context
The superscription calls Psalm 20 “A Psalm of David.” Its language fits a royal prayer, plausibly associated with a time of military danger or preparation, but no precise battle is named. The congregation speaks to or about the king, invokes sanctuary and Zion, refers to offerings, and contrasts trust in the LORD with chariots and horses. Verse 9 has a well-known syntactic ambiguity across translations, so the commentary should preserve that uncertainty rather than pretend only one punctuation is possible.
Themes
Prayer in the day of trouble · The name of the God of Jacob · Sanctuary, Zion, and covenant worship · Desire and counsel under God · Communal joy in salvation · The LORD saves his anointed · Trust in God rather than military power · Falling, rising, and steadfast dependence · The final plea for saving royal help
Reflection
Read this verse as part of a communal royal prayer that entrusts crisis, leadership, worship, plans, and victory to God without turning the psalm into a guarantee of military success, prosperity, nationalism, or magical protection.
Reading notes
Sanctuary, Zion, and covenant worship Desire and counsel under God Trust in God rather than military power The final plea for saving royal help
Key passages
Psalm 20:1: The congregation asks the LORD to answer the king in a day of trouble and for the name of the God of Jacob to protect him; God’s “name” expresses God’s revealed character and authority, not a magical formula. Read this verse as part of a communal royal prayer that entrusts crisis, leadership, worship, plans, and victory to God without turning the psalm into a guarantee of military success, prosperity, nationalism, or magical protection. Psalm 20:4: The request that God grant the king’s heart’s desire and fulfill his counsel belongs inside a God-directed royal prayer; it is not a blank check for every private ambition or plan. Read this verse as part of a communal royal prayer that entrusts crisis, leadership, worship, plans, and victory to God without turning the psalm into a guarantee of military success, prosperity, nationalism, or magical protection. Psalm 20:6: The speaker expresses confidence that the LORD saves his anointed and answers from holy heaven with saving strength; “anointed” refers immediately to the Davidic king in the psalm’s royal setting, while later Christian reading can see a messianic trajectory without erasing that first context. Read this verse as part of a communal royal prayer that entrusts crisis, leadership, worship, plans, and victory to God without turning the psalm into a guarantee of military success, prosperity, nationalism, or magical protection. Psalm 20:7: Some boast or trust in chariots and horses, but the worshipers remember the name of the LORD; the contrast rejects ultimate reliance on military power, not every prudent use of human means, technology, planning, or public protection. Read this verse as part of a communal royal prayer that entrusts crisis, leadership, worship, plans, and victory to God without turning the psalm into a guarantee of military success, prosperity, nationalism, or magical protection. Psalm 20:9: The final line asks for saving royal help, but its Hebrew syntax allows more than one punctuation and translation: “LORD, save the king” or “Save, LORD; may the King answer us.” The theological center is dependence on God rather than certainty about one English punctuation. Read this verse as part of a communal royal prayer that entrusts crisis, leadership, worship, plans, and victory to God without turning the psalm into a guarantee of military success, prosperity, nationalism, or magical protection.
Questions readers ask
What is the setting of Psalm 20? It is a royal communal prayer for the king in a time of danger, likely connected with warfare or preparation for conflict, although the psalm does not identify one specific battle. Does Psalm 20:4 promise that God will give me whatever I want? No. The request for the king’s heart’s desire and counsel is embedded in covenant prayer and the wider psalm’s dependence on God. It is not a universal guarantee for every private ambition. What does Psalm 20:7 mean about chariots and horses? It contrasts ultimate trust in military power with trust in the LORD. It does not forbid responsible planning, technology, professional expertise, or prudent protective measures. Why do translations differ in Psalm 20:9? The Hebrew can be punctuated and construed in more than one way. Some translations read a plea for the LORD to save the king; others read “Save, LORD” followed by a request that the King answer. Both keep the closing emphasis on dependence on God.