Psalm 20/Notes/Verbal.v. 9.265570

• We understand the qatal verbs in v. 9 to refer to a general maxim. The people’s confidence is well founded. They have seen this happen, when those who trusted in horses and chariots nonetheless collapsed and fell, but those who trusted in YHWH rose up and were still standing after the battle. The paradigmatic example in Israel’s history is the battle against the Egyptians, when the Egyptian army, vast, professional and arrayed against the Israelite people with no army at all, nonetheless collapsed and fell. The people were protected by YHWH and rose again. This is not just history: this is the pattern the people have come to fully expect for the people of YHWH.
• We have stood upright (וַנִּתְעֹודָֽד): Wayyiqtol derives its values from the preceding conjugation (i.e. qatal).
• The hithpael form of the verb עוּד is a hapax legomenon, and it means to stand upright or straighten up. This form of the verb is reflexive, so it has the sense of "standing oneself upright" or "straightening oneself up." Delitzsch suggested the verb עוּד in the hithpael carries the nuance of showing one’s self firm, strong, courageous. Hence, in Psalm 20:9, the posture of God's people is contrasted with that of their enemies. The Psalmist declares that they are brought down to their knees, but God's people are able to stand upright; God's people are able to show themselves firm, strong.