Psalm 20 Overview

From Psalms: Layer by Layer
Psalm 20/Overview
Jump to: navigation, search

Choose a PsalmNavigate Psalm 20

Guardian: Mari Strube


  How to Use This Page


Welcome to the Overview of Psalm 20

This page will introduce and provide orientation to Psalm 20 as a whole. It includes the following sections:


Introduction to Psalm 20

Author

David

Book

Book 1 of the Psalter (Chapters 1–41)

Psalm 20: A Brief Summary

Psalm 20 beautifully illustrates an ideal relationship between YHWH, the king, and the people. The people trust the king is righteous and joyously take up their own role of interceding on his behalf before YHWH, confident that YHWH will answer. The king does not stand alone, for his people join with him in petitioning YHWH for favor.

"May YHWH Answer You!" This title is a memorable phrase that helps remember the unique character and content of this psalm.

A way to remember this Psalm is with the phrase, “May YHWH answer you!” This psalm is distinctive as the people pray for victory on behalf of the king.

Purpose The Purpose was the psalmist's probable intent or reason for writing this psalm.

To intercede on behalf of YHWH's anointed king before battle.

Content The Content is a concise summary of the whole psalm's content.

May YHWH answer you and give you victory.
You can depend on him—he will answer!

Message The Message is the main idea the psalmist probably wanted the audience to remember upon or after hearing the psalm.

God is the only dependable source of victory.

Psalm 20 At-a-Glance

These sections divide the content of the psalm into digestible pieces , and are determined based on information from many of our layers, including Semantics, Poetics, and Discourse. The columns, left to right, contain: the verse numbers; the main title of the section; a brief summary of the content of that section (quote marks indicate the text is taken directly from the English text of the psalm (as per our Close-but-Clear translation); and an icon to visually represent and remember the content. Psalm 020 - AAG Updated.jpg

Background Orientation for Psalm 20

Following are the common-ground assumptionsCommon-ground assumptions include information shared by the speaker and hearers. In our analysis, we mainly use this category for Biblical/Ancient Near Eastern background. which are the most helpful for making sense of the psalm.

  • Help on the day of trouble - The root עזר (help) commonly denotes military aid (cf. 2 Chron 14:10; 18:31; 32:8; Pss 109:26; 124:8), so its presence in Ps 20 suggests that the king needs divine assistance in battle.
  • YHWH made a covenant with David and his descendants, promising to rescue them from their enemies when they called to him for help (cf. 2 Sam 7; Pss 2:8; 4:4; etc.).
  • The "anointed one" was afforded special favor and protection from God (1 Sam 2:10; Ps 28:8; Hab 3:13). Because kings were typically anointed with oil for the task of ruling over Israel (Pss 2:2; 45:7), the designation "anointed one" is often used to refer to the king.
  • Victory belongs to YHWH ((Pss 3:9; 33:16-17; Deut 20:1), not to the army with the strongest military. "The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord" (Prov 21:31, ESV).
  • The king is supposed to trust in YHWH, not in chariots and horses (cf. Deut 17:14-18; Isa 30:16; 31:1-3).

Background Situation for Psalm 20

The background situation is the series of events leading up to the time in which the psalm is spoken. These are taken from the story triangle – whatever lies to the left of the star icon. Psalm 020 - Backgroun Situation Updated.jpg

Participants in Psalm 20

There are 4 participants/characters in Psalm 20:

YHWH's anointed
King


YHWH
"God"
"God of Jacob"
YHWH's name
YHWH's right hand

The people

"Those who boast in chariotry and horses"

  • YHWH's anointed is identified as the king in v.10. However, the psalm does not present an explicit reference to the king's name.
  • V. 10: “Unnamed King:” Although Psalm 20 does not reveal the name of the king, the superscription suggests king David as a plausible candidate. Additionally, Psalm 20 presents similar language to passages related to David:
    • Psalm 18 closes with a statement about God's love to David, the anointed king (cf. Ps 18:50 and 2 Sam 7). Psalm 20 mentions YHWH's anointed king (cf. vv. 7 and 10). In Psalm 18:6, David called YHWH in his trouble, distress. In Psalm 20:1, the people prayed on behalf of YHWH's anointed king asking YHWH to answer him on the day of trouble. In addition, Villanueva noted that "as David declared that God was his 'stronghold' (misgab) (18:2), so they pray God will 'protect' (sagab) (20:1) their king."[1] Moreover, both psalms mention God's right hand as well as God's answer coming from heaven.[2]
    • In Ps 20:8, we read about some people who go to battle trusting in their military weapons (horses and chariots). God's people, however, go to battle trusting in the name of YHWH. "According to the law Israel was to have no standing army; and the law that was laid down for the king speaks warmly against his multiplying horses to himself (Deut. xvii. 16). Both during the time of the Judges and also in the reign of David these regulations were observed; but under Solomon, who acquired for himself a vast number of horses and chariots (1 Kings x. 26-29), matters already became different. It is therefore a confession, which harmonises with the time of David, that is made here in v. 8, that, as compared with their enemies, more especially the Syrians, Israel’s glory is solely the sure defence and weapon of the name of their God. David speaks in the same way to Goliath (1 Sam. xvii. 45)."[3]
    • In conclusion, the king to whom Psalm 20 refers was likely David. However, he remains unnamed so that the psalm's message would not be exclusive to David. Instead, the message of Psalm 20 would be suitable for other kings and perhaps even other addressees who may find themselves facing a day of trouble.[4]
  • From Story Behind: The anointed one is a person who was chosen and empowered by YHWH to accomplish a certain task. He was afforded special blessing and protection from God.[5] Often, God's blessing was affirmed by anointing the chosen one with oil. Since kings were typically anointed with oil for the task of ruling over Israel,[6] the designation "anointed one" became synonymous with "king."[7]
  • The people are those under the king's authority. They pray on behalf of the king and trust YHWH's power to grant victory.
  • Those who boast in chariotry and horses": They were opponents of the king and his people, although their exact identity is unknown. Israelite kings were forbidden from accumulating horses just as Israel was forbidden from having a standing army.[8] Rather than trusting in weapons of war and soldiers, the Israelites were to trust in God's power to win victory. In fact, overconfidence in military might was considered just as impious as reliance on foreign nations.[9]


  1. ↑ Villanueva 2016, 125; cf. also Goldingay 2006, 302 and Ps 18: 50.
  2. ↑ Pss 18:9,13, 35, 50; 20:2, 6.
  3. ↑ Delitzsch 1883, 363.
  4. ↑ Cf. Ross 2011, 491.
  5. ↑ 1 Sam 2:10; 2 Sam 22:51; Pss 28:8; 105:5; Hab 3:13; NIDOTTE.
  6. ↑ Pss 2:2; 45:7.
  7. ↑ Bratcher and Reyburn 1991, 250; Silva and Tenney 2009, 196.
  8. ↑ Cf. Deut 17:14-20; Isa 30:16, 31: 1-3.
  9. ↑ Ps 33:17, Hos 1:7, Isa 31:4. DBI 1998, 140, 1620; Waltner 2006, 113.