Psalm 20 Participant Analysis

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Guardian: Mari Strube

Participant Analysis

  What is Participant Analysis?

Participant Analysis focuses on the characters in the psalm and asks, “Who are the main participants (or characters) in this psalm, and what are they saying or doing? It is often helpful for understanding literary structure, speaker identification, etc.

For a detailed explanation of our method, see the Participant Analysis Creator Guidelines.

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]
Hebrew Verse English
לַמְנַצֵּ֗חַ מִזְמ֥וֹר לְדָוִֽד׃ 1 For the director. A psalm by David.
יַֽעַנְךָ֣ יְ֭הוָה בְּי֣וֹם צָרָ֑ה 2a May YHWH answer you on the day of trouble!
יְ֝שַׂגֶּבְךָ֗ שֵׁ֤ם ׀ אֱלֹהֵ֬י יַעֲקֹֽב׃ 2b May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!
יִשְׁלַֽח־עֶזְרְךָ֥ מִקֹּ֑דֶשׁ 3a May he send you help from the sanctuary
וּ֝מִצִּיּ֗וֹן יִסְעָדֶֽךָּ׃ 3b and sustain you from Zion!
יִזְכֹּ֥ר כָּל־מִנְחָתְךָ 4a May he remember every offering of yours
וְעוֹלָתְךָ֖ יְדַשְּׁנֶ֣ה סֶֽלָה׃ 4b and accept your burnt offering! Selah.
יִֽתֶּן־לְךָ֥ כִלְבָבֶ֑ךָ 5a May he give you that which is according to your heart’s desire,
וְֽכָל־עֲצָתְךָ֥ יְמַלֵּֽא׃ 5b and may he fulfill your whole plan!
נְרַנְּנָ֤ה ׀ בִּ֘ישׁ֤וּעָתֶ֗ךָ 6a May we shout for joy over your victory,
וּבְשֵֽׁם־אֱלֹהֵ֥ינוּ נִדְגֹּ֑ל 6b and in the name of our God may we array ourselves with banners!
יְמַלֵּ֥א יְ֝הוָ֗ה כָּל־מִשְׁאֲלוֹתֶֽיךָ׃ 6c May YHWH fulfill all your requests!
עַתָּ֤ה יָדַ֗עְתִּי כִּ֤י הוֹשִׁ֥יעַ ׀ יְהוָ֗ה מְשִׁ֫יח֥וֹ 7a Now, I know that YHWH has granted victory to his anointed.
יַ֭עֲנֵהוּ מִשְּׁמֵ֣י קָדְשׁ֑וֹ 7b He will answer him from his holy heaven
בִּ֝גְבֻר֗וֹת יֵ֣שַׁע יְמִינֽוֹ׃ 7c with the saving mighty deeds of his right hand.
אֵ֣לֶּה בָ֭רֶכֶב וְאֵ֣לֶּה בַסּוּסִ֑ים 8a Some [boast] in chariotry and others [boast] in horses,
וַאֲנַ֓חְנוּ ׀ בְּשֵׁם־יְהוָ֖ה אֱלֹהֵ֣ינוּ נַזְכִּֽיר׃ 8b but we will boast in the name of YHWH our God.
הֵ֭מָּה כָּרְע֣וּ וְנָפָ֑לוּ 9a They have collapsed and fallen,
וַאֲנַ֥חְנוּ קַּ֝֗מְנוּ וַנִּתְעוֹדָֽד׃ 9b but we have risen and stood upright.
יְהוָ֥ה הוֹשִׁ֑יעָה הַ֝מֶּ֗לֶךְ 10a YHWH, grant victory to the king!
יַעֲנֵ֥נוּ בְיוֹם־קָרְאֵֽנוּ׃ 10b May he answer us on the day of our calling!

vv. 2-6: The identity of the addressee: You (second-person singular)

  • In the context of Psalm 20, the personal pronoun "you" refers to YHWH's anointed, that is, the king (cf. vv. 7 and 10).

2-6 and 8-10: The identity of the speaker: The people

  • vv. 2-6: The speaker is unspecified but likely the people, that is, the congregation gathered to pray for the king.[10]
  • 2 Chronicles 20 presents a similar setting. In a time of war, King Jehoshaphat proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah and assembled the people in the temple area to seek help from God. As Wilson noted: "It seems that at the time of an impending military campaign, it was not unusual for king, people, and army to seek divine assistance through prayer, fasting, and temple liturgy."[11]
  • vv. 8-10: The speaker is unspecified but likely the people. Vv. 6, 8-10 present communal voice ("we" / "us") which could indicate "the people" as the speaker.
  • However, some commentators propose that Psalm 20 is a liturgical psalm which was intended to be sung by the congregation or by the Levites.[12] Moreover, Oesterley suggested vv. 2-5 contain a prayer for the king voiced by the priest.[13]
  • Perhaps this psalm is historically non-specific so that the prayers, especially vv. 2–6 and 10, "may be appropriately prayed in secondary usage on behalf of any sufferer who sits in need of intercession."[14]

v. 7: The identity of the singular subject: YHWH's anointed King, Priest, Prophet or Levite?

Unspecified.
  • Although the text does not specify the identity of the subject of יָדַעְתִּי (I know), the king is a plausible candidate. One reason for this view is that the speaker represented by "I" probably denotes the voice of the person addressed in vv. 2-6, that is, the king.[15] Additionally, the words of the speaker in v. 7 express confidence ("I know") that YHWH will answer (i. e., grant victory to) his anointed. This expression of confidence would be natural coming from the mouth of the king for three main reasons. First, the king, as YHWH's anointed (cf. Ps 20:7), was afforded special favor and protection from God (cf. 1 Sam 2:10; Ps 28:8; Hab 3:13). Second, kings would seek YHWH's aid in battle by offering sacrifices before the battle (cf. 1 Sam 7:9-10; 13:8-10; Ps 20:4). Third, this king also obeyed the divine command to not accumulate horses (cf. Deut 17:14-20 and Ps 20:8-9). Rather than trusting in weapons of war (e.g., chariots and horses), the Israelites were to trust in God's power to win victory. As a result of his obedience and YHWH's faithfulness, the king could be confident that God would answer him in his hour of need.
  • However, some scholars challenge the view that the speaker is the king and propose that he is either a prophet or a priest. Because the king offered sacrifices before the battle (cf. Ps 20:4) and sacrifices were sometimes accompanied by oracles (cf. 1 Sam 28:6; Num 23:1), the speaker would be a prophet who had received a divine oracle of salvation. Because divine communication could also occur through priests (cf. 2 Chron 24:20; Deut 33:8), the speaker may have been a priest. Priests were also responsible for offering sacrifices to God on behalf of the people (Lev 9). Since Psalm 20:4 mentions the offering of sacrifices, the speaker could be a priest announcing God's acceptance of the offerings.
  • Another alternative proposed is a Levite (priests and Levites had distinct roles, e.g. Num 18; 25:1-8) because of the similar context of 2 Chronicles 20. Based on that text, a temple Levite may have received an oracle which he then delivered to the king.
  • Nevertheless, alternatives to the king are weakened when considering that kings could also receive a word from God. For instance, in 2 Sam 23:1-3, David received a divine oracle. Moreover, Psalm 20:4 is referring to the one who brought the sacrifice (i.e., the king) instead of the one who performed the ritual sacrifice (i.e., a priest). Hence, the evidence used in support of identifying the speaker with a priest, prophet or Levite could just as easily support the view that the king is speaking in v. 7.
  • Because the options vary and evidence is scarce, the majority of scholars choose to abstain from identifying the speaker with one particular person, instead they present several combinations of options. For example, Dahood and Bullock suggest the speaker is either a priest or a prophet.[16] Perowne, on the other hand, considered the king or a Levite as options for the speaker in v.7.[17] An additional option is presented by Craigie who affirmed that either a priest, Levite, or prophet would be likely the speaker in v. 7.[18] Moreover, Bratcher and Reyburn along with Kirkpatrick thought that the king, a prophet, or a priest are better candidates for the identity of the speaker.[19]
  • In contrast to the above positions, Villanueva proposes that the shift from first person plural (“we”) to first person singular ("I") "does not necessarily mean a change of speaker. It could be a literary device employed to focus attention on the element of assurance. Having expressed their prayers for the king, the people have gained confidence that the Lord will answer."[20] Villanueva's proposal is novel, but it lacks supporting evidence.
  • In conclusion, although the text does not specify the identity of the subject of יָדַעְתִּי (I know), the king is a plausible candidate. This view has better support and makes the most sense within the context of the psalm.

Participant Relations Diagram

The relationships among the participants may be abstracted and summarized as follows:

Psalm 020 - PA Relations Diagram Updated.jpg

Psalm 020 - PA Mini-Story - Updated.jpg

Participant Analysis Summary Distribution

Psalm 020 Participant Distribution Updated .jpg

  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.
  10. ↑ Cf. Craigie 2004, 185; Davis 2012, 44; Prinsloo 2003, 380; Rogerson and McKay 1977, 91; Villanueva 2016, 124.
  11. ↑ Wilson 2002, 382.
  12. ↑ Kirkpatrick 1916, 106-107; Perowne 1870, 219.
  13. ↑ Oesterley 1959, 171.
  14. ↑ Jacobson and Tanner 2014, 215.
  15. ↑ Goldingay 2006, 301; cf. Ross 2011, 501.
  16. ↑ Dahood 1965, 128 and Bullock 2015, 143 and 144.
  17. ↑ Perowne 1870, 219.
  18. ↑ Craigie 2004, 186.
  19. ↑ Bratcher and Reyburn 1991, 197; Kirkpatrick 1916, 107.
  20. ↑ Villanueva 2016, 126.