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Wisdom & Poetry · Old Testament

Psalms 20

Psalm 20: a prayer for the king in the day of trouble

General context

The psalm addresses a person in the second person with a series of wishes: that the Lord hear him in the day of trouble, that the name of the God of Jacob defend him, that help be sent from the sanctuary and strength out of Zion, that all his offerings be remembered and his burnt sacrifice accepted, marked by Selah, and that he be granted his heart's desire and all his counsel fulfilled. A plural voice says we will rejoice in his salvation and set up banners in the name of our God, and asks the Lord to fulfil all his petitions. A single voice then says that now he knows the Lord saves his anointed and will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand. The plural voice contrasts those who trust in chariots and horses with we who remember the name of the Lord our God: they are brought down and fallen, but we are risen and stand upright. The psalm ends, Save, Lord: let the king hear us when we call.

Cited passages: Psalms 20:1, Psalms 20:2, Psalms 20:3, Psalms 20:4, Psalms 20:5, Psalms 20:6, Psalms 20:7, Psalms 20:8, Psalms 20:9

Psalms 20 (KJV)

1The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee;

2Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion;

3Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice; Selah.

4Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy counsel.

5We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the Lord fulfil all thy petitions.

6Now know I that the Lord saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand.

7Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.

8They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright.

9Save, Lord: let the king hear us when we call.

This page shows the King James Version. In the app, reading opens in the Berean Standard Bible unless you have chosen another translation. The reader includes five translations: the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), the King James Version (KJV), the World English Bible (WEB), the Bible in Basic English (BBE), and the American Standard Version (ASV). Search covers three of them: Berean Standard, King James, and World English. Basic English and American Standard readers search the King James words.

Historical context

The text as printed carries no heading, so no author or instrument is stated in this source. The person addressed as "thee" in verses 1-5 is not named there; verse 6 calls him "his anointed" and verse 9 says "the king", so the text identifies him as a king without giving his name. Two voices are present, a "we" (verses 5, 7-8, 9) and an "I" (verse 6), and the psalm does not say who they are. "The sanctuary" and "Zion" are named as the sources of help; "the God of Jacob" is the divine title used. The "day of trouble" and the chariots and horses suggest conflict, but no battle, enemy or outcome is narrated; verse 8 states a result ("They are brought down") in a psalm whose other verses are still wishes. Selah stands after verse 3. Whether the final line asks the king to hear or asks the Lord to hear on the king's behalf is not settled by the English wording.

Cited passages: Psalms 20:6, Psalms 20:9, Psalms 20:1, Psalms 20:2, Psalms 20:7, Psalms 20:8

Literary context

The poem is a set of wishes followed by a declaration and a contrast. Verses 1-4 are a run of wishes joined without connectives, each with "thee" or "thy": hear, defend, send, strengthen, remember, accept, grant, fulfil. Verse 5 shifts to "we" and to the future, rejoicing and banners, and verse 6 shifts again to "I" and to certainty, "Now know I". Hearing frames the psalm: "The Lord hear thee" opens it, "he will hear him" is the assurance, and "hear us when we call" closes it. Verses 7-8 are a matched contrast, they and we, chariots and horses against the name, fallen against standing upright. Petitions and "the name" recur: the name of the God of Jacob, banners in the name of our God, remembering the name of the Lord. The closing "Save, Lord" is the shortest petition in the poem. Psalm 21 continues with the king rejoicing in the strength and salvation asked for here.

Cited passages: Psalms 20:1, Psalms 20:4, Psalms 20:5, Psalms 20:6, Psalms 20:8, Psalms 20:9, Psalms 21:1

Key moments

  1. Hear thee in trouble (Psalms 20:1). The psalm wishes that the Lord hear the addressed one in the day of trouble.
  2. Help from Zion (Psalms 20:2). Help is asked from the sanctuary and strength out of Zion.
  3. Banners in God's name (Psalms 20:5). The plural voice will rejoice in his salvation and set up banners.
  4. The Lord saves his anointed (Psalms 20:6). A single voice declares certainty that the Lord saves his anointed.
  5. Chariots and horses (Psalms 20:7). Some trust in chariots and horses, but we remember the Lord's name.
  6. Save, Lord (Psalms 20:9). The psalm closes with a short plea to be saved and heard.

For reflection

The many who pray for the king say they will remember the name of the Lord rather than trust in chariots and horses; what does remembering a name involve in the psalm, given that they are still calling to be saved?

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