A whole nation prays over its king before he ever leaves for battle — not for military genius or superior weapons, but simply that God would hear him. The psalm’s final line names exactly what all this prayer was never actually about.
A study in Psalm 20 · Arthur Baldwin · StandUp4Jesus.Org · 9 min read
The LORD Hear Thee In The Day Of Trouble
“The LORD hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee; send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion; remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice.”
Psalm 20:1-3
The voice speaking here is plural — a whole people praying over their king, most likely before he departs for battle. The specific mention of remembered offerings and accepted sacrifice grounds this prayer in an actual act of worship that came first, not a request made from nowhere.
We Will Rejoice In Thy Salvation
“We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the LORD fulfil all thy petitions. Now know I that the LORD saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand.”
Psalm 20:5-6
The tense shifts from request to certainty mid-psalm, without any described change in outward circumstances — “now know I” is confidence stated before the battle has even happened, the same pattern several of these psalms have already followed.
Some Trust In Chariots, And Some In Horses
“Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God. They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright. Save, LORD: let the king hear us when we call.”
Psalm 20:7-9
Chariots and horses were the ancient world’s most visible, most intimidating military technology — and the psalm names them specifically, only to set them aside. The difference between falling and standing upright, in this psalm’s own accounting, was never about equipment.
“And throughout the songs of David the thought was impressed on his people that Jehovah was their strength and deliverer… ‘Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: But we will remember the name of Jehovah our God.’”
Ellen G. White · Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 716
White places this verse inside a broader pattern running through David’s whole songbook — deliberate, repeated teaching meant to keep an entire nation, at the height of its own military success, from ever crediting its own strength for what only God had actually secured.
