Psalms 20 (KJV)

Chapter Text

20:1 The LORD hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee;

20:2 Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion;

20:3 Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice; Selah.

20:4 Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy counsel.

20:5 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.

20:6 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.

20:7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.

20:8 They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright.

20:9 Save, LORD: let the king hear us when we call.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "lord", "hear", "thee", "trouble", "name", "jacob", and "defend". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "lord" and "hear", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The local KJV text gives this verse as the immediate unit, so "lord" and "hear" carries the first interpretive weight. In The LORD as Shepherd, the local focus is trust, covenant mercy, guidance, and worship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "lord" and "hear" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.