Psalms 20:4-9

4 May He grant you your ¹heart's desire And ²fulfill all your counsel!

5 We will ³sing for joy over your victory, And in the name of our God we will ⁴set up our banners. May the LORD ⁵fulfill all your petitions.

6 Now ⁶I know that the LORD saves His anointed; He will ⁷answer him from His holy heaven With the ⁸saving strength of His right hand.

7 Some boast in chariots and some in ⁹horses, But ¹⁰we will boast in the name of the LORD, our God.

8 They have ¹¹bowed down and fallen, But we have ¹²risen and stood upright.

9 ¹³Save, O LORD; May the ¹⁴King answer us in the day we call.

Psalms 20:4-9 Meaning and Commentary

To the chief Musician, a Psalm of David. This psalm is thought, by some, to be written by David, on account of himself, and as a form to be used by the people for him, when he was about to go to war; particularly with the Ammonites and Syrians, 2 Samuel 10:6; mention being made of chariots in it, Psalm 20:7; of which there was a great number in that war: Arama thinks it was made by him when he got the victory over the Philistines; others think it was written by one of the singers on David's account, and should be rendered, "a psalm, for David," as Psalm 72:1: but rather it is a psalm concerning David; concerning the Messiah, whose name is David; or a psalm of David concerning the Messiah, since he is expressly mentioned, Psalm 20:6; and Aben Ezra says, there are some that interpret it of the Messiah; and some passages in it are, by Jewish writers {m}, applied unto him, as Psalm 20:6; and our countryman, Mr. Ainsworth, says, the whole psalm is a prophecy of Christ's sufferings, and his deliverance out of them, for which the church with him triumphs. Theodoret takes it to be a prophecy of Sennacherib's invasion of Judea, and of Rabshakeh's blasphemy, and of Hezekiah's distress and prayer on that account.

{m} Shirhashirim Rabba, fol. 18. 1. Tzeror Hammor, fol. 44. 2.

Cross References

• 1. Psalms 21:2
• 2. Psalms 145:19
• 3. Psalms 9:14
• 4. Psalms 60:4
• 5. 1 Samuel 1:17
• 6. Psalms 41:11
• 7. Isaiah 58:9
• 8. Psalms 28:8
• 9. Psalms 33:17
• 10. 2 Chronicles 32:8
• 11. Isaiah 2:11, 17
• 12. Psalms 37:24; Micah 7:8
• 13. Psalms 3:7
• 14. Psalms 17:6

Footnotes

• [a]. Or "purpose"
• [b]. Or "Let us sing"
• [c]. Or "salvation"
• [d]. Or "mighty deeds of the victory of His right hand"
• [e]. Or praise "chariots," or trust, or are strong "through"
• [f]. Lit "make mention of;" or "praise the name"
• [g]. Or "O LORD"," save the king; answer us