Psalms 20:1

The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble,.... All the days of Christ were days of trouble; he was a brother born for adversity; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with griefs; he had his own sorrows,

The LORD hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee; Israel's prayer for its anointed king in battle. So the Church's prayer for her Messiah's triumph.

Psalms 20 THE This Psalm contains a prayer to be used by the people, both now on the behalf of king David, when he was undertaking some great expedition, going forth, as is supposed, against the Ammonites and Syrians, 2 Samuel 10, or some other potent enemies, and hereafter in like cases. The church prayeth God to hear and defend the king, ; and for a blessing on all his designs, ; and showeth wherein the confidence of some is; but theirs is in God, . In the day of trouble; in this time of war and danger. Name of the God of Jacob, i.e. God himself; for names are oft put for persons, as 4:12; and the name of God for God, as ,20 Proverbs 18:10, and oft elsewhere. He calls him the God of Jacob, or Israel, partly to distinguish him from false gods; and partly as an argument to enforce the prayer, because God had made a league or covenant with Jacob and his posterity, who are called by the name of Jacob, ,20 Isaiah 44:2, and whose cause David was now pleading against their enemies.

Psalms 20:1 « To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. » The LORD hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee;A Psalm of David] Or, concerning David; so Kimchi. Or, for and on the behalf of David; so Aben Ezra. David, as a prophet, dictated this form of prayer to be made by the people for himself, their king; when he went forth to fight their battles, probably, against the Ammonites and Syrians; or, when he fled from Absalom, and was to help them from the city by his prayers, 2 Samuel 18:3, as Aben Ezra thinketh. Ver. 1. The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble] Great men, though gracious, as David, have their distresses, and must pray for themselves then; not trusting to the prayers of others for them; as did that profane Earl of Westmoreland, who said he had no need to pray, since he had tenants enough to pray for him (Camden). The name of the God of Jacob defend thee] Heb. set thee in a high place, such as God’ s name is, Proverbs 18:10, the righteous run thereto and are safe, as in a tower of brass or town of war. By the name of God is meant, Deus nominatissimus, the most renowned God, saith Junius, and worthy to be praised, as Psalms 18:3. And he is called the God of Jacob here, saith another; first, because Jacob was once in the like distress, Genesis 32:6-7; secondly, because he prayed to the like purpose, Genesis 35:3; thirdly, because he prevailed with God as a prince; and there God spake with us, Hosea 12:5; fourthly, because God of Jacob is the same with God of Israel; and so the covenant is pleaded.

(1) Day of trouble . . . God of Jacob.—This certainly recalls the patriarch’s words (Genesis 35:3), “I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress.” The “name” alone of the God of Jacob was a safeguard to the people, called after their great forefather “Israel. So even under the shadow of the greatness of human monarchs and heroes whole peoples have often felt secure and strong, using no other weapon but his name. Defend thee.—Better, set thee up on high (comp. Psalms 69:29; Psalms 91:14) as in a fortress, out of the reach of foes.

PSALM XX A prayer for the king in his enterprises, that his prayers may be heard, his offerings accepted, and his wishes fulfilled, 1-4. Confidence of victory expressed, 5, 6. Vain hopes exposed; and supplication made for the king. 7-9. NOTES ON PSALM XX It is most likely that this Psalm was penned on the occasion of David's going to war, and most probably with the Ammonites and Syrians, who came with great numbers of horses and chariots to fight with him. See 2 Samuel 10:6-8; 1 Chronicles 19:7. It is one of the Dialogue Psalms, and appears to be thus divided: Previously to his undertaking the war, David comes to the tabernacle to offer sacrifice. This being done, the people, in the king's behalf, offer up their prayers; these are included in the three first verses: the fourth was probably spoken by the high priest; the fifth, by David and his attendants; the last clause, by the high priest; the sixth, by the high priest, after the victim was consumed; the seventh and eighth, by David and his men; and the ninth, as a chorus by all the congregation. Verse 1. The Lord hear thee] David had already offered the sacrifice and prayed. The people implore God to succour him in the day of trouble; of both personal and national danger. The name of the God of Jacob] This refers to Jacob's wrestling with the Angel; Genesis 32:24, &c. And who was this Angel? Evidently none other than the Angel of the Covenant, the Lord Jesus, in whom was the name of God, the fulness of the Godhead bodily. He was the God of Jacob, who blessed Jacob, and gave him a new name and a new nature. See the notes on the above place in Genesis.

1–5. The people’s prayer for their king’s success.

The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble - According to the view expressed in the introduction to the psalm, this is the language of the people praying for their king, or expressing the hope that he

1. The Lord hear thee, etc.—Literally, Jehovah shall answer thee in the day of distress. A prayer for the king as he enters the battle. See introduction.