Psalms 20: Trusting the Name of the LORD

The people ask God to grant victory to their anointed king.

Psalms 20: A Prayer for the King in Battle

Following the personal praise of Psalms 19, this chapter is a communal prayer offered on behalf of the king, asking the LORD to hear him in the day of trouble and remember his offerings and sacrifices before battle.


For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.

May He send you help from the sanctuary and sustain you from Zion.

May He remember all your gifts and look favorably on your burnt offerings. Selah

May He give you the desires of your heart and make all your plans succeed.

May we shout for joy at your victory and raise a banner in the name of our God. May the LORD grant all your petitions.

Now I know that the LORD saves His anointed; He answers him from His holy heaven with the saving power of His right hand.

Some trust in chariots and others in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

They collapse and fall, but we rise up and stand firm.

O LORD, save the king. Answer us on the day we call.

Its most quoted line contrasts trust in chariots and horses with trust in the name of the LORD, an idea reinforced in <a href="/bible/bsb/isaiah/chapter-31/1">Isaiah 31:1</a>, closing with the cry 'Save, LORD' before the victory song of <a href="/bible/bsb/psalms/chapter-21">Psalms 21</a>.