Psalm 20 Discourse

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Psalm Overview

About the Discourse Layer

Our Discourse layer includes four analyses: macrosyntax, speech act analysis, emotional analysis, and participant analysis. (For more information, click 'Expand' to the right.)

Discourse Visuals for Psalm 20

Macrosyntax

Psalm 020 - Macrosyntax.jpg

Notes

Paragraph Divisions

  • vv. 7-9:
    • There is a shift from a series of modal verbs to indicative statements.
    • There is also a person shift, from addressing YHWH's anointed (i.e., the king) in 2nd person to referring to YHWH's anointed in 3rd person.
    • The discourse marker עַתָּ֤ה (now) indicates the beginning of a new paragraph.
    • The perspective shifts to the 1st person.
    • The occurrence of YHWH in vv. 2 and 6 marks the beginning and end of the paragraph.
  • v. 10:
    • The vocative of direct address introduces a new paragraph.
    • There is a shift in modality (from a series of indicative to imperative and jussive).
    • This verse concludes with a final petition that corresponds to the introductory petition (v. 2).

Word Order

  • The fronting in vv. 3-6 is most likely the result of structural symmetry. In vv. 3-6, the clauses (A-line and B-line) are waw-conjoined, and the first constituent of the B-line is structurally similar to the last constituent of the A-line (מ–preposition, ךָ-suffix, ךָ-suffix, ב–preposition). This pattern can be explained poetically as structural chiasm. The fronting of מִצִּיּ֗וֹן (v. 3), עוֹלָתְךָ֖ (v. 4), כָל־עֲצָתְךָ֥ (v. 5), בְשֵֽׁם־אֱלֹהֵ֥ינוּ (v. 6) results in chiastic structures. Therefore, the fronting of these words are for poetic structure.
    • v. 3: (a) May he send you help (b) from the sanctuary, (b') and from Zion (a') sustain you.
    • v. 4: (a) May he remember (b) every offering of yours, (b') and your burnt offering (a') may he accept.
    • v. 5: (a) May he give you (b) that which is according to your heart’s desire, (b') and your whole plan (a') may he fulfill.
    • v. 6: (a) May we shout for joy (b) over your victory, (b') and in the name of our God (a') may we array ourselves with banners!
Lunn refers to the structural symmetry in vv. 3-6 as a phenomenon of defamiliarised word order in parallel B-lines. Parallelism in Hebrew poetry can feature an "defamiliarisation" in word order between A lines and B lines. Therefore, if an A line follows the standard verb-subject-object word order, its parallel B line will frequently diverge from that word order. (cf. Lunn 2004: 96).
Possible additional reading for vv. 5b and 6b
Although the fronting in vv. 3-6 are for poetic structure, there are two cases in which the poetic fronting may coincide with a focus reading. These cases are:
1. v. 5b: "all your plan>>your whole plan" (כָל־עֲצָתְךָ֥). Before going into battle, the king sought to know YHWH's will. Hence, the petition in Ps. 20:5 is for God's favorable response concerning the plan for battle (Jacobson and Tanner 2014: 217). Verse 5b would be rendered as "and May YHWH fulfil (even) your whole plan!"
2. v. 6b: "in the name of our God" (בְשֵֽׁם־אֱלֹהֵ֥ינוּ). YHWH is the one who wins victory. Setting up a banner was a sign of victory in battle (NIDOTTE; Bratcher and Reyburn 1991: 200; Jacobson and Tanner 2014: 216; Dahood 1966: 128). Therefore, the people prayed that they would shout for joy and raise banners in celebration of the victory YHWH will win for the king. Verse 6b would be rendered as "and in the name of our God (and no one else), may we array ourselves with banners!"
  • The fronting in vv. 8-9:
    • vv. 8-9: The fronting of the pronouns in vv. 8 (אֵ֣לֶּה , וְאֵ֣לֶּה ,וַאֲנַ֓חְנוּ) and 9 (הֵ֭מָּה, וַאֲנַ֥חְנוּ) are for topic. Topical participants are usually expressed by means of pronouns (cf. Lunn 2006: 77). In this case, the pronouns represent contrasting groups, namely, those who put their confidence in their military and those who put their confidence in YHWH. Likewise, the former group will suffer defeat in battle while the latter group will emerge victorious by God's hand.

Vocatives

  • v. 10 contains a clause-initial vocative (YHWH) of direct address. Psalm 20:1-6 records an intercessory prayer "directed rhetorically to the king, and thus only implicitly directed to God" (Jacobson and Tanner 2014: 216). Then, in v. 10, the Psalm addresses God directly through the use of a vocative.

Discourse Markers

  • v. 4: Although the use for the term סֶֽלָה (Selah) in this psalm is uncertain, we can infer that it does not indicate the end of a paragraph because vv. 3-6 are bound together by a symmetrical pattern (cf. note below under word order). According to Alexander, one potential use for the term סֶֽלָה (Selah) in this psalm could be to mark "the pause in the performance of the psalm, during which the sacrifice was actually offered" (Alexander 1864: 100-101). Therefore, the music may pause while the sacrifices are being made and then resume at the conclusion of the burnt offering.
  • v. 7: The discourse marker עַתָּ֤ה (now) acts as a rhetorical turning point signaling a shift in the speaker's frame of mind (from hopefulness to confidence in YHWH's answer) (cf. also Ps 39:7, in which עַתָּה signals the speaker shifting his attention to YHWH in desperate prayer) (Jacobson and Tanner 2014: 218).
  • v. 7: The particle כִּ֤י acts as a complementizer to the verb יָדַ֗עְתִּי (I know); therefore, it is translated as "that" (cf. BHRG, §40.29.2, page 434).

Conjunctions

  • Coordinating clauses within a line: vv. 8a, 9b, and 9d.
  • Coordinating lines within a verse: vv. 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9c.
  • In this psalm, waw never coordinates verses; no verse begins with waw.

Speech Act Analysis

Summary Visual

Psalm 020 - Speech Act Summary.jpg

Speech Act Chart

Psalm 020 - Speech Act Table.jpg

Notes

  • Psalm 20:1-6 records an intercessory prayer "directed rhetorically to the king, and thus only implicitly directed to God" (Jacobson and Tanner 2014: 216). Hence, the king is addressed, but YHWH is the recipient of the prayer. The petition in v.10, on the other hand, is addressed directly to YHWH. According to Villanueva, Psalm 20 is unique among the psalms because it contains "the first prayer offered for others which is positive in its content" (Villanueva 2016: 124). Although several psalms offer prayer for others, they tend to be imprecatory in nature (cf. Pss 7:9; 10:15; 12:3; and 17:13). Therefore, Psalm 20 most closely represents the "intercessory" prayer which is so common in the New Testament (cf. 1 Tim. 2:1-2) (Villanueva 2016: 124).
  • vv. 7 and 9: See note on verbal semantics analysis.

Emotional Analysis

Summary visual

Psalm 020 - Emotional summary.jpg

Think-Feel-Do Chart

Psalm 020 - Emotional Analysis.jpg

Participant analysis

There are 4 participants/characters in Psalm 20: Psalm 020 - participants.jpg

Notes

  • 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 an 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" (Villanueva 2016: 125; cf. also Goldingay 2006: 302 and Ps. 18: 50). Moreover, both psalms mention God's right hand as well as God's answer coming from heaven (Pss. 18:9,13, 35, 50; 20:2, 6).
    • 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)." (Delitzsch 1883: 363).
    • 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 (cf. Ross 2011: 491).
  • 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 (1 Sam. 2:10; 2 Sam. 22:51; Ps. 28:8; 105:5; Hab. 3:13; NIDOTTE). 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 (Ps. 2:2; 45:7), the designation "anointed one" became synonymous with "king" (Bratcher and Reyburn, 1991: 250; Silva and Tenney, 2009: 196).
  • 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 (cf. Deut. 17:14-20; Isa. 30:16, 31: 1-3). 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 (Ps. 33:17, Hos. 1:7, Isa. 31:4) (DBI 1998: 140, 1620; Waltner 2006: 113).

Participant Relations Diagram

The relationships among the participants may be abstracted and summarized as follows: Psalm 020 - PA Relations Diagram.jpg Psalm 020 - PA Mini-Story.jpg

Participant Analysis Table

Psalm 020 - Text Table.jpg 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 (cf. Craigie 2004: 185; Davis 2012: 44; Prinsloo 2003: 380; Rogerson and McKay 1977: 91; Villanueva 2016: 124).
  • 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" (Wilson 2002: 382).
  • 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 (Kirkpatrick 1916: 106-107; Perowne 1870: 219). Moreover, Oesterley suggested vv. 2-5 contain a prayer for the king voiced by the priest (Oesterley 1959: 171).
  • 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" (Jacobson and Tanner 2014: 215).

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 (Goldingay 2006: 301; cf. Ross 2011:501). 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 (Dahood 1965: 128 and Bullock 2015: 143 and 144). Perowne, on the other hand, considered the king or a Levite as options for the speaker in v.7 (Perowne 1870: 219). An additional option is presented by Craigie who affirmed that either a priest, Levite, or prophet would be likely the speaker in v. 7 (Craigie 2004: 186). 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 (Bratcher and Reyburn 1991: 197; Kirkpatrick 1916: 107).
  • 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" (Villanueva 2016: 126). 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.

Bibliography

Bratcher, Robert G., and William D. Reyburn. 1991. A Handbook on Psalms. UBS Handbook Series. New York: United Bible Societies.
Bullock, C. Hassell. 2015. Psalms, Volume 1: Psalms 1–72. Vol. 1. Teach the Text Commentary Series. Grand Rapids: Baker.
Craigie, Peter C. 1983. Psalms 1–50. WBC 19. Waco, TX: Word.
Dahood, Mitchell. 1966. Psalms. Vol. 1. Anchor Bible Commentary. New York: Doubleday.
Delitzsch, Franz. 1883. Biblical Commentary on the Psalms: Vol. 1. Translated by Eaton David. Vol. 1. New York: Funk and Wagnalls.
Goldingay, John. 2006. Psalms: Psalms 1–41. Vol. 1. BCOT. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic.
Kirkpatrick, Alexander Francis. 1897. The Book of Psalms. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Lunn, Nicholas P. 2006. Word-Order Variation in Biblical Hebrew Poetry: Differentiating Pragmatics and Poetics. Paternoster Biblical Monographs. Milton Keynes: Paternoster.
Perowne, J. J. Stewart. 1870. [https://archive.org/details/bookofpsalmsnewt00perouoft/page/102/mode/2up?view=theater The Book of Psalms: A New Translation, with Introductions and Notes Explanatory and Critical. London: Bell.
Rogerson, J. W., and J. W. McKay. 1977. 'https://archive.org/details/psalms0001unse_u6t1 Psalms. Vol. 1]. 3 vols. The Cambridge Bible Commentary on the New English Bible. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Ross, Allen. 2012. A Commentary on the Psalms, Volume 1: 1-41. Vol. 1. Kregel Exegetical Library. Grand Rapids: Kregel Academic & Professional.
Villanueva, Federico G. 2016. Psalms 1-72. Carlisle, England: Langham Global Library.
Wilson, Gerald H. 2002. Psalms. Vol. 1. NIVAC. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.