Psalm 20:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: May he remember all your offerings and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah

NIV: May he remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings.

NASB: May He remember all your meal offerings And accept your burnt offering! Selah

CSB: May he remember all your offerings and accept your burnt offering. Selah

NLT: May he remember all your gifts and look favorably on your burnt offerings. Interlude

KJV: Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice; Selah.

NKJV: May He remember all your offerings, And accept your burnt sacrifice. Selah

David had presented offerings and burnt sacrifices in the tabernacle. The congregation asked the Lord to accept the offerings and burnt sacrifices favorably. It was customary for the king to offer sacrifices before going into battle (1 Samuel 7:9–11). Burnt sacrifices were offered voluntarily in devotion to the Lord. They represented the worshiper's complete submission to the Lord.

Romans 12:1–2 summons every believer to present his body to God as a living sacrifice and to resist the lure of the world to conform his thinking to its ungodly philosophy. The apostle James, too, urges believers to submit ourselves to God and resist the Devil (James 4:7). He promises that the Devil will then flee from us. We can present a financial offering to God, but first we ought to offer ourselves to Him.

Paul commended the churches of Macedonia for the way they gave to Paul and his missionary team. He wrote in 2 Corinthians 8:5: "They gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us."

This verse includes the term se'lāh, which is among the most obscure in all of Hebrew Scripture. It's likely related to terms which mean "pause," as well as those which imply "praise." Another possibly-related word implies weighing something, as on scales. The term, transliterated as "selah" in English, may also be used as a musical term. This may mean an interlude without instruments, a pause, or some other transition.

Psalm 20:1–5 expresses the tabernacle's congregational prayer for David as he prepares for battle. Deuteronomy 20:1–4 calls upon the people of Israel to rely on the Lord when they go to battle. The opening of this psalm demonstrates the people's positive response to this call. These words reveal Israel's love and admiration for King David.

David prepares for battle. He offers prayer and sacrifices in the tabernacle and trusts in the Lord for victory. His army is ready to march into battle, and it is organized into groups, each with its banner. The congregation voices its invocation, asking the Lord to protect, help, support, and give David success. King David responds by assuring the congregation that the Lord answers prayer and will grant him victory over the enemy. He is certain the enemy will fall while he and his men will stand. Finally, the congregation calls upon the Lord to answer their prayer to save the king.

This psalm was written by David as a prayer before he went into battle. Psalm 21 offers praise for victory. It seems David had entered the tabernacle to pray before going to battle. The tone of the psalm is somber and urgent, whereas the tone of the next psalm (Psalm 21:1) is joyful. Perhaps our Lord's prayer in the garden of Gethsemane resembles the prayer in Psalm 20. At Gethsemane Jesus struggled with the prospect of suffering and dying and prayed for deliverance (Luke 22:39–44).

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.