Skip to content

Psalms 20

Chapter Text

A Prayer for the King

Summary

Psalm 20 is a prayer for the king before battle. The people ask that the Lord hear the king in the day of trouble, send help from the sanctuary, and remember all his offerings. They pray that God would grant the desires of his heart and fulfill all his plans.

The psalm expresses confidence that God saves His anointed and will answer from heaven with the saving strength of His right hand. While some trust in chariots and horses, the people of God trust in the name of the Lord.

Meaning

This psalm teaches the vital distinction between trusting in human resources and trusting in God. Military power, represented by chariots and horses, offers false security, while the name of the Lord provides true and lasting strength.

The corporate nature of this prayer reveals that intercession for leaders is a sacred responsibility. The nation's welfare depends not merely on political and military strategy but on the king's relationship with God and the people's faithful prayers.

Background

Attributed to David and directed to the chief musician. This is a royal psalm, likely used liturgically before military campaigns. The congregation would pray for the king's success, and the king would offer sacrifices.

Its structure suggests antiphonal recitation between the people and a worship leader, reflecting the communal worship practices of ancient Israel.

Chapter Outline

  1. vv. 1-4Intercessory Blessing for the King
  2. vv. 5The People's Pledge of Rejoicing
  3. vv. 6Confident Assurance of God's Saving Power
  4. vv. 7-8Trust in God Versus Trust in Arms
  5. vv. 9Closing Cry for Salvation

Key Verses

“Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.”— 20:7

One of the most quoted verses in the Psalter, contrasting human military might with reliance on God. It encapsulates the biblical theme that true strength comes not from weapons or wealth but from covenant trust in the LORD.

“The LORD hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee;”— 20:1

A foundational benediction prayed over kings and believers alike, invoking God's covenant name as protector. It echoes throughout Jewish and Christian liturgy as a model intercessory blessing.

“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.”— 20:6

The pivot of the psalm, expressing confident assurance that God delivers his 'anointed' (Hebrew: mashiach), a term carrying messianic resonance pointing ultimately to Christ.

People & Places

People

  • David — King of Israel and traditional author of this royal psalm, addressed to the chief Musician for liturgical use.
  • Jacob — Patriarch whose name represents the covenant people of Israel, invoked here as 'the God of Jacob.'

Places

  • Zion — The temple mount in Jerusalem, the dwelling place of God's presence and source of divine help.
  • The sanctuary — The holy place of worship in Jerusalem, from which God's aid is petitioned to flow.

Prophecy & Fulfillment

The reference to the LORD saving 'his anointed' in verse 6 uses the Hebrew term mashiach, which the New Testament applies definitively to Jesus Christ (John 1:41, Acts 4:26-27). While the immediate context concerns the Davidic king going to battle, early Christian interpreters saw this royal psalm as foreshadowing the greater Son of David whose petitions the Father always hears (John 11:42). The contrast in verse 7 between earthly power and divine name anticipates the kingdom Christ inaugurates 'not of this world' (John 18:36).

Devotional

Psalm 20 is a prayer the community offers over someone facing battle. It teaches us how to intercede for others — not with vague well-wishing but by naming God's character and past faithfulness as the ground of our hope.

Verse 7 confronts a quiet question: where do we actually place our confidence? Chariots and horses have modern equivalents — savings accounts, credentials, connections, contingency plans. None are evil, but none can bear the weight of ultimate trust. When trouble comes, the steady soul is the one who has practiced remembering the name of the LORD long before the crisis arrived.

Literary Style

A royal psalm and liturgical prayer composed in classic Hebrew parallelism, likely sung antiphonally before battle. It moves from congregational intercession (vv. 1-5) through a prophetic affirmation (v. 6) to a creedal contrast (vv. 7-8) and final petition, exhibiting clear chiastic symmetry.