Psalm 20:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with the saving might of his right hand.

NIV: Now this I know: The LORD gives victory to his anointed. He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary with the victorious power of his right hand.

NASB: Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven With the saving strength of His right hand.

CSB: Now I know that the Lord gives victory to his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with mighty victories from his right hand.

NLT: Now I know that the Lord rescues his anointed king. He will answer him from his holy heaven and rescue him by his great power.

KJV: 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.

NKJV: Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven With the saving strength of His right hand.

David responded to the congregation's prayers for him (Psalm 20:1–5) by assuring the people that God delivers His anointed. As Israel's anointed king, David knew the Lord would answer him from heaven and reach down with His mighty right hand to deliver David from the enemy. God would send help from the sanctuary and Zion (Psalm 20:2), but He would also send help from heaven, His dwelling place.

In His covenant with David the Lord told David, "I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you" (2 Samuel 7:9). The Lord also guaranteed David that he would have rest from all his enemies (2 Samuel 7:11). As a man of faith, David took the Lord's words at face value. He was sure the Lord would grant him victory in the upcoming battle.

The Lord's right hand would protect and save David. The right hand, in ancient writing, is a symbol of strength and power. When Moses extolled the Lord for delivering the Israelites from Egypt's cavalry, he exclaimed, "Your right hand, O LORD, glorious in power, your right hand, O LORD, shatters the enemy" (Exodus 15:6).

Psalm 20:6–9 assures the congregation that the Lord will grant David victory over the enemy. His words express strong confidence in the Lord. The passage reminds us of the confidence in the Lord that Daniel's three friends had when they were threatened with the fiery furnace (Daniel 3:16–18), and it reminds us of the victory over the lions that God gave to Daniel, who consistently prayed (Daniel 6:19–24). Psalm 91 similarly expresses confidence in the Lord in treacherous times.

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.