Translation & Sermon by Nate Wilson for Christ The Redeemer Church, Manhattan KS, 8 Mar 2015
1. For the concertmaster; a psalm belonging to David.
Yahweh will answer you during a day of crisis.
The Name of the God of Jacob will set you on high.
2. He will send your help from [His] holy place, and from Zion He will sustain you.
3. He will remember all your grain offerings,
and your whole-burnt offering will satisfy Him.
Selah.
4. He will give to you along [the lines of what is on] your heart,
and every plan of yours He will fulfill.
5. We will really sing out with your salvation
and display a banner with the Name of our God.
Yahweh will fulfill all of your requests.
6. Now I know that Yahweh causes to save His anointed
one; He will answer
him from the heavens of His holiness with the saving mightinesses of His right
hand.
7. These keep in mind the chariots and these the
horses,
but as for us, we [keep] in [mind] the name of Yahweh our God.
8. They bent over and fell. But we? We rose up and renewed ourselves!
9. Yahweh, please cause to save! The King Himself will answer us during the day that we call out.
· With Psalm 20 we delve into a new genre of psalms called the royal/kingly psalms.
· God’s answering of prayer is the theme of Psalm 20.
· Now, this theme of God answering prayers for salvation is common in the Psalms; we’ve already seen it in:
· But one of the first questions that anybody translating this psalm has to deal with is how to interpret all the Hebrew Imperfect-tense verbs in it.
o There are several ways a translator could go – Hebrew isn’t as precise a language as English – and the two most likely interpretations are as Jussives or as Future tense,
o in other words, we have to decide if this Psalm is a prayer for blessing over somebody (“May the LORD do this and that for you”) or is it a reassuring psalm to strengthen the faith of someone who is waiting on the Lord by reminding them that “The LORD will do this and that for you.”
o Most English translations opt for the Jussives expressing wishes or prayers, although I have not seen any commentators give a reason for that based on the grammar. I went the other way in my translation, but just realize it could be interpreted either way.
· Next, we need to understand who the speaker is and who the speaker is addressing:
·
So here’s a clue: Who in the history
of David’s lifetime trusted in chariots and horses?
Well, I did a search for “chariots” and “horses” throughout the Old Testament,
and I found something interesting: David had to comply with God’s law which
forbade collecting horses and chariots for the Israelite army[1],
but David still had to fight multiple times against armies that had the advantage
of lots of horses and chariots which gave armies a strategic advantage over footsoldiers.
· When I searched for the words “chariots” and “horses” I also discovered another interesting clue to this psalm: Back in Deuteronomy 20:1, God had commanded the priests to give the following reminder to the Israelite army before every battle they fought: “When you go out to battle against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the LORD your God is with you, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.” (NKJV) (And Pharoah of Egypt, by the way, had lots of chariots and horses, but God drowned them all in the Red Sea.)
· The literal meaning of the last verb in verse 1 is to be “high,” and it is often translated “exalted.”
· David might be reflecting on Job 5:8-12 here, which says, “...as for me, I will seek God, And to God I will commit my cause – 9 Who does great things... 11 He sets on high those who are lowly, And those who mourn are lifted to safety... He catches the wise in their own craftiness, And the counsel of the cunning comes quickly upon them.” (NKJV)
· In Psalm 59:1, David gives an example of God setting him on high/defending him, and the story is related in detail in 1 Samuel 19: David had retired to King Saul’s palace after another great military victory against the Philistines, but Saul was so jealous of David’s success that he tried to kill David with a spear, so David escaped through a window in the castle and went to live with the prophet Samuel. Three times, Saul sent bands of soldiers to capture David, but each time the soldiers came to Samuel’s house, they just starting singing praise songs and came home without David, so Saul decided to capture David himself, but he too ended up harmlessly praising God and left David alone.
· God had protected David by keeping him out of harm’s way, and David wanted to be reminded that God would continue to do so, and David wanted his spiritual leaders and fellow soldiers to keep praying to that end.
· This word “help” always refers to God in the Psalms (e.g. Ps. 121:1 “I will lift up my eyes to the hills, from whence comes my help”)
· and God’s work is characterized by “help” and “sustenance”: (e.g. Deut. 33:26 "There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, Who rides the heavens to help you...”)
· When I think of God being a Helper, I am reminded of Jesus’ words, “I will pray to the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever” (John 14:16) “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.” (John 15:26, NKJV) The Holy Spirit carries on God’s work of helping us today.
· Now, the source of this help is “Zion” and God’s “holy place.” Does this mean that we will see this big hand reaching out of the sky to help us?
o Verse 6 speaks of God saving “from His holy heaven,” and the parallelism in verse 2 would also favor translating it in terms of God helping from heaven, especially since there was no temple in Jerusalem in David’s time,
o but throughout the history books of David’s time, “Zion” always meant Jerusalem[2], so there is a real possibility that David saw this help as coming through his fellow Israelites in some form[3].
o Because there is a mystical union between God and His people, I don’t think we have to shut out one or the other possibility: God can help directly, and God can help through His people, and He often does both.
o When the elders pray for the sick and anoint them with oil (James 5), that’s God’s people coming around you to help, but we’re also looking for God to intervene supernaturally.
o It also happens in more mundane ways: Just this weekend, I was talking with an international student who shared about how lonely life was for him away from his extended family and childhood friends since moving to our town half a year ago, but he also shared how God was starting to connect him with good friends who were filling that need he had for fellowship. That is one way that God sends help from among His people.
· It was common for the kings of Israel to make burnt offerings and hold a worship service before a battle. Some of what was offered was in the form of grain products, but the centerpiece was the whole animal burned on the altar as a sacrifice for sin.
· Since this was what God had instructed the Old Testament believers to do, then when they did this out of faithfulness to Him, He accepted that with favor.
· By this point in time, I imagine that the king has already had his council of war and made his plans. The army is already mustered and they are going to go into battle on the morrow, so these “plans/purposes” which David wants his men to pray for “fulfillment” over are probably his battle plans. Now that he has offered his sacrifice before the LORD and has been renewed in his covenant relationship with Him, David has every reason to expect God’s blessing on his plans.
· Now, this doesn’t mean that every improper desire will be fulfilled – some desires are in line with God’s will and some aren’t. The ones that aren’t receive a “No” as their fulfillment, but the ones that are get a positive answer.
o Elsewhere, the Psalms explain that “the desire (tavah) of the wicked will perish” (Psalm 112:10b)
o but to the one who delights in Him, the LORD will give the desire (meshalah) of their heart (Psalm 37:4).
· What about your plans? What is on your heart? Do you believe that God fulfills all your prayers?
o Have you been made right with God through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross?
o Are you delighting in Jesus and being conformed to His image so that your desires line up with His own desires?
o Then you can pray and expect God to fulfill those desires!
· Now, I think, the whole army joins in at this point in the liturgy, pledging to praise God when they win and reassuring King David that God is going to answer their prayers.
· The Hebrew word for “sing/shout/rejoice” here is in the intensive Piel stem, indicating they aren’t just singing quietly to themselves, they “really/enthusiastically singing out!”
· Is that something you can say of yourself? Do you often find yourself so enthusiastic about God’s salvation that you sing or shout it out loud?
· Psalm 5:11-12 says that it should characterize ALL who take refuge in Jesus: “Meanwhile, all refugees in You will be happy, they will sing out forever... and lovers of Your name will exult in You! Because You yourself really bless a righteous [person]; like a big shield, Yahweh, you encircle him with favor.” (NAW)
· It is also God’s character to “rejoice” over saving people and to invite others to share His joy, just like the good shepherd in Jesus’ parable: “...when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!' I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents...” (Luke 15:6-7, NKJV)
· Likewise, the banner-waving was a mark of family identity and pride. There are only two places in the Bible (outside of this Psalm) where we see this kind of banner/flag called a dagal:
1. In the Exodus (Numbers 2 & 10), where each of the 12 family-tribes of Israel camped around a flag with the symbol of their tribe,
2. and then later on in the Song of Solomon, where the wife identifies with her new husband and considers him superior to all other men (Canticles 2:4; 5:10; cf. 6:4,10).
o This banner in Psalm 20, which has written on it – not the name of a man or a tribe, but – the name of the LORD Our God, can you see how it represents the people of God taking pride in Jesus and considering Him the most important relationship they have – more important than family or tribe, and publicly identifying themselves as His?
o We do this physically in the New Testament in Christian baptism – which is an outward display of identifying with the “Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit,” (Mt. 28:19)
o but we can also lift up our banners in the Name of the LORD with the way we decorate our homes and our offices – and in the way we talk to other people about God. How do we identify ourselves as God’s and show our pride in Him?
o How do you think God feels about answering the prayer requests of people who are enthusiastic about what He is doing and proud to identify with Him? You bet He wants to answer those petitions!
· The word “save” is key in verses 5-6. Unfortunately, the NASB and NIV translate the word “victory” in v.5 and then “saves/saving” in v.6, but all three are the same Hebrew root.
o In verse 5, God’s people promise to celebrate the “salvation” of the anointed one,
o and in v.6a, David expresses confidence that God will “save” the anointed one
o and that “salvation” characterizes the purpose of what God does – or anthropomorphically, “his hand.”
· God may be in heaven, but He is not aloof to the needs of His people on earth. This Psalm pictures a God who is actively engaged in salvation in this world.
· and so we circle back around to verse 7:
· One thing this salvation is not, and that’s self-reliant fighting, merely with physical weapons.
· Horses and chariots were what gave advantage to an army to win in David’s time,
· but God can save and deliver no matter how many resources the enemy has, because God has more and bigger resources.
· Every man of you who is a soldier, I hope that this is not lost on you. You will be tempted to trust the tanks and air support, but you must remember that ultimately it is the LORD who saves.
· You can face real, modern-day warfare with the same kind of trust in God to deliver you and your men that David had.
· The verb in verse 7 is zakir – literally “cause to remember” – “We will bring to mind the name of the LORD” when faced with enemies. Will you do that? Will you “bring to mind” God’s character and trust Him when you face adversity – whether you are a soldier on the field or a civilian on the job or a student at school or a homemaker at home? “We will bring to mind the name of the LORD – Jesus!”
· Now, the disaster of trusting in something besides God to deliver is highlighted in v.8:
· The ones who “remain standing” after the battle are the victors who “boasted” in the name of the LORD, not the ones who trusted in their chariots and horses.
· This too is an answer to prayer. The “bending/bowing” of David’s enemies is in answer to David’s previous prayer in Psalm 17:13, “Please arise, Yahweh; please get in front of his face; bend him; please deliver my soul from the wicked man [with] Your sword” (NAW).
· Certainly David fought and killed enemies in battle, but he gave the credit to God afterwards: Psalm 147:6 “Yahweh renews lowly ones; He throws down the wicked to the ground.” (NAW)
· The final verb in v.8 has a unique form not found anywhere else in the Bible:
o Its root meaning has to do with “repeating” an action, so, in context, it could mean “we rose up, and we will rise up again and again.”
o As a verb, however, about 38 out of 40 times it is used in the sense of “testifying” or “witnessing” to something, “repeating out loud” what happened for all to hear, so there could be an additional connotation here that “we rose up, and we will testify to the faithfulness of God, repeating to everyone we can the story of God’s salvation.”
o It is Perfect tense here, so I think that the KJV and NAS did best to render the events described in the past tense in English.
o The uniqueness of this verb, however, is that it is reflexive, with the subject acting upon himself, so most versions render the verb with some sense of standing one’s self firm/ straightly upright,
o but I think the meanings at the root of this verb of “repetition” and of “bearing witness” should also be considered together with that meaning of “standing upright.” We will stand and keep standing, and we will do so in order to testify that God saved us.
· There is disagreement among translators as to whether this verse should read “LORD save the King” (as the NIV and ESV read) or “Save, LORD; let the King answer us...” (as the KJV and NAS read).
o Both sides have a reasonable case. Basically those that follow the Jewish tradition lean with the KJV and NAS, and those that follow the ancient Greek and Latin translations lean with the NIV and ESV.
o But it doesn’t make a huge difference because, whether you throw the word “king” into the first sentence or make it the subject of the second sentence, it is still David and God’s other people that are asking for salvation, and it is still the LORD, the King of the Universe who will answer when we call.
· It is interesting to me that Jesus’ disciples used this opening phrase twice during storms on the sea of Galilee, “Save us, Lord!” (Matt. 8:25) “Save me, Lord!” (Matt. 14:30).
o And, of course, Jesus did save them, because that is what He was there for: “for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).
o Also, because Jesus is the eternal God, He had the power to save: Hebrews 7:25 “...He is able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” (NKJV)
· And, indeed the whole psalm can be interpreted in terms of Jesus and the crisis He faced of saving us from our sin:
o The book of Hebrews (5:10) mentions Jesus praying as our high priest in the garden of Gethsemane and being heard by God (v.1)[4].
o God even sent Jesus help from heaven in the form of angels who ministered to Him on that dark night (v.2).
o Then Jesus died on the cross, providing the fulfillment of the Old Testament sacrificial system. God poured out all His wrath against our sin upon Jesus until He was satisfied (v.3),
o and then raised Jesus from the dead and set Him securely on high at His right hand in heaven (v.1b)
o Now Jesus is getting what He wanted – He wanted a bride; He wanted us to live with Him forever, and God’s plan made in eternity past to save a people for Himself will be fulfilled! (v.4)
o We respond by praising Jesus for this salvation and accepting baptism in the name of the triune God and joining with our Lord in prayer – even as He taught us to pray in the Lord’s Prayer! (v.5)
o Do you see how Jesus’ life was an echo of fulfillment of David’s psalm here?
· And since we are united with Christ by faith in Him too, these very things that characterized David’s life and Jesus’ life can also be recapitulated in our life when we face sin in our lives and when we face sinful people who hate us because they hate God:
o The LORD will answer you during a day of crisis.
o The Name of the God of Jacob will set you on high.
o He will send help from [His] holy place, and from Zion He will sustain you.
o
He will remember all your
offerings,
and Jesus’ offering for your sin will satisfy God’s wrath against you.
o He will give to you along [the lines of what is on] your heart,
o and every plan of yours He will fulfill.
o We will really sing out with your salvation
o The LORD will answer you from the heavens of His holiness with the saving mightinesses of His right hand.
o
Some keep in mind the chariots and some
the horses,
but as for us, we [keep] in [mind] the name of Jesus our God.
o They bent over and fell. But we? We rose up and renewed ourselves!
o The Lord Himself will answer us during the day that we call out to Him!
|
Psalm 20 |
NAW |
KJV |
NKJV |
ESV |
NASB |
NIV |
LXX (19) |
Brenton |
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א לַמְנַצֵּחַ מִזְמוֹר לְדָוִד. ב יַעַנְךָ יְהוָה בְּיוֹם צָרָה יְשַׂגֶּבְךָ שֵׁם אֱלֹהֵי יַעֲקֹב. |
1. For the concertmaster; a psalm belonging to David. Yahweh will answer you during a stressful day. The Name of the God of Jacob will set[5] you on high. |
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; |
1 To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble; May the name of the God of Jacob defend you; |
1 To 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! |
1 For the choir director. A Psalm of David. May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob set you securely on high! |
1 For the director of music. A psalm of David. May the LORD answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you. |
1 Εἰς τὸ τέλος· ψαλμὸς τῷ Δαυιδ. (2) Ἐπακούσαι σου κύριος ἐν ἡμέρᾳ θλίψεως, ὑπερασπίσαι σου τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ θεοῦ Ιακωβ. |
1 For the end, a Psalm of David. The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee. |
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ג יִשְׁלַח עֶזְרְךָ מִקֹּדֶשׁ וּמִצִּיּוֹן יִסְעָדֶךָּ. |
2. He will send your help from [His] holy place, and from Zion He will sustain[6] you. |
2 Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion; |
2 May He send you help from the sanctuary, And strengthen you out of Zion; |
2 May he send you help from the sanctuary and give you support from Zion! |
2 May He send you help from the sanctuary And support you from Zion! |
2 May he send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion. |
3) ἐξαποστείλαι σοι βοήθειαν ἐξ ἁγίου καὶ ἐκ Σιων ἀντιλάβοιτό σου. |
2 Send thee help from the sanctuary, and aid thee out of Sion. |
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ד יִזְכֹּר כָּל מִנְחֹתֶ[7]ךָ וְעוֹלָתְךָ יְדַשְּׁנֶה סֶלָה. |
3. He will remember all your grain offerings and your whole-burnt offering will satisfy Him[8]. Selah. |
3 Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice; Selah. |
3 May He remember all your offerings, And accept your burnt sacrifice. Selah |
3 May he remember all your offerings and regard with favor your burnt
sacrifice |
3 May He remember all your meal offerings And find your burnt offering acceptable! Selah. |
3 May he remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt
offering |
4)
μνησθείη
πάσης θυσί |
3 Remember all thy sacrificeX, and enrich thy whole-burnt-offering. Pause. |
|
ה יִתֶּן[9] לְךָ כִלְבָבֶךָ וְכָל עֲצָתְךָ יְמַלֵּא. |
4. He will give to you along [the lines of what is on] your heart, and every plan of yours He will fulfill[10]. |
4 Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy counsel. |
4 May He grant you according to your heart's desire, And fulfill all your purpose. |
4 May he grant you X your heart['s desire]
and fulfill all your plan |
4 May He grant you X your heart['s desire] And fulfill all your counsel! |
4 May he give you X [the desire of] your
heart and make all your plan |
5) δῴη σοι κατὰ τὴν καρδίαν σου καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν βουλήν σου πληρώσαι. |
4 Grant thee according to thy heart, and fulfill all thy desire. |
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ו נְרַנְּנָה בִּישׁוּעָתֶךָ וּבְשֵׁם אֱלֹהֵינוּ נִדְגֹּל יְמַלֵּא יְהוָה כָּל מִשְׁאֲלוֹתֶיךָ. |
5. We will really sing out[11] with your salvation and display a banner with the Name of our God. Yahweh will fulfill all of your requests.
|
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. |
5 We will rejoice in your salvation, And in the name of our God we will set up our banners! May the LORD fulfill all your petitions. |
5 May we shout for joy over your salvation, and in the name of our God set up our banners! May the LORD fulfill all your petitions! |
5 We will sing for joy over your victory, And in the name of our God we will set up our banners. May the LORD fulfill all your petitions. |
5 We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in
the name of our God. May the LORD |
6) ἀγαλλιασόμεθα
ἐν τῷ
σωτηρίῳ σου
καὶ ἐν
ὀνόματι θεοῦ
ἡμῶν |
5 We will exult in thy salvation, and in the name of our God shall we |
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ז עַתָּה יָדַעְתִּי כִּי הוֹשִׁיעַ יְהוָה מְשִׁיחוֹ יַעֲנֵהוּ מִשְּׁמֵי קָדְשׁוֹ בִּגְבֻרוֹת[12] יֵשַׁע יְמִינוֹ. |
6. Now I know that Yahweh causes to save His anointed one; He will answer him from the heavens of His holiness with the saving mightinesses of His right hand. |
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. |
6 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. |
6 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. |
6 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. |
6 Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed; he answers him from his holy heaven with the saving power of his right hand. |
7) νῦν ἔγνων ὅτι ἔσωσεν κύριος τὸν χριστὸν αὐτοῦ· ἐπακούσεται αὐτοῦ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ ἁγίου αὐτοῦ· ἐν δυναστείαις ἡ σωτηρία τῆς δεξιᾶς αὐτοῦ. |
6 Now I know that the Lord has saved his
Christ: he shall hear him from his holy heaven: X the salvation of his right
hand |
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ח אֵלֶּה בָרֶכֶב וְאֵלֶּה בַסּוּסִים וַאֲנַחְנוּ בְּשֵׁם יְהוָה[13] אֱלֹהֵינוּ נַזְכִּיר. |
7. These keep in mind the chariots and these the horses, but as for us, we [keep] in [mind] the name of Yahweh our God. |
7 Some trust in X chariots, and some in X horses: but X we will remember X the name of the LORD our God. |
7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the LORD our God. |
7 Some [trust] in X chariots and some in X horses, but X we trust in the name of the LORD our God. |
7 Some boast in X chariots and some in X horses, But X we will boast in the name of the LORD, our God. |
7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. |
8) οὗτοι ἐν ἅρμασιν καὶ οὗτοι ἐν ἵπποις, ἡμεῖς δὲ ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου θεοῦ ἡμῶν μεγαλυνθησόμεθα. |
7 Some glory in chariots, and some in horses: but we will glory in the name of the Lord our God. |
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ט הֵמָּה כָּרְעוּ וְנָפָלוּ וַאֲנַחְנוּ קַּמְנוּ וַנִּתְעוֹדָד. |
8. They bent over and fell. But we? We rose up and renewed ourselves. |
8 They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright. |
8 They have bowed down and fallen; But we have risen and stand upright. |
8 They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright. |
8 They have bowed down and fallen, But we have risen and stood upright. |
8 They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm. |
9) αὐτοὶ συνεποδίσθησαν καὶ ἔπεσαν, ἡμεῖς δὲ ἀνέστημεν καὶ ἀνωρθώθημεν. |
8 They are overthrown and fallen: but we are risen, and have been set upright. |
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י יְהוָה הוֹשִׁיעָה הַמֶּלֶךְ יַעֲנֵנוּ בְיוֹם קָרְאֵנוּ. |
9. Yahweh, please cause to save! [14] The King Himself will answer us during the day that we call out. |
9 Save, LORD: let the king hear us when we call. |
9 Save, LORD! May the King answer us when we call. |
9 O LORD, save the king! May he answer us when we call. |
9 Save, O LORD; May the King answer us in the day we call. |
9 O LORD, save the king! Answer us when we call! |
10)
κύριε, σῶσον
τὸν βασιλέα
σου |
9 O Lord, save the king: |
[1] Deut. 17:16 “But he [the king of Israel] shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses...” (NKJV)
[2] See 2 Samuel 5:7; 1 Kings 8:1; 2 Kings 19:21,31; 1 Chronicles 11:5; 2 Chronicles 5:2
[3] Gerald Wilson and Matthew Henry asserted in their commentaries that this help out of Zion was the ark of the covenant being carried by the priests out of the temple in Jerusalem into battle, but the temple wasn’t in Jerusalem during David’s time.
[4] “’And fulfil all Thy counsel,’ not only that whereby Thou didst lay down Thy life for Thy friends (John 15:13), that the corrupted grain might rise again to more abundance (John 12:24); but that also whereby ‘blindness in part hath happened unto Israel, that the fulness of the Gentiles might enter in, and so all Israel might be saved’” (Rom. 11:25-26). ~Augustine
[5] With this verb, the Piel stem seems to be standardly interpreted as causative action.
[6] cf. Psalm 18: 35 You also give me the shield of Your salvation. With Your right hand You sustain me, and Your lowliness makes me great. (NAW)
[7] According to Kittel, several manuscripts (including Cairo) add a yod here and (with the exception of Cairo) in the next noun to make them clearly plural. The Masoretic pointing makes “grain offerings” plural and “burnt offerings” singular, which is followed by the KJV and NAS. The LXX, however, renders both singular, while NIV and ESV, along with the Syriac, Targums, and Arabic versions, render both as plural. However, whether one or many sacrifices were offered is not significant to David’s argument.
[8] Either the “LORD” or the “offering” could be the subject of this verb, and since the noun “offering” is in an emphatic position, I think that can reasonably be interpreted as a new subject. The root of this verb is to be “fat.” It has an extra He suffix which Delitzsch calls “voluntative” and Beall/Banks/Smith call “cohortative.” I have interpreted the suffix as pointing in the direction of God who is “fattened” or “satiated” by the offering.
[9] According to Kittel, the Syriac and Arabic versions, together with some editions of the Septuagint, specify Yahweh as the subject here, but it is already implied.
[10] The intensive Piel stem of this verb both here and at the end of the next verse seems to underscore the fullness of the fulfillment.
[11] The switch to 1st person plural indicates a new direction of the psalm. Most English versions interpret it as a switch away from a prayer to God to being a prediction, but that seems arbitrary to me. If they were consistent, they would translate this imperfect like they did the previous ones, “Let us rejoice...”
[12] Some manuscripts (including Cairo) as well as some ancient versions render this plural as a singular, but it doesn’t change the meaning. The plurality may serve to add to the portrayal of God’s might as great.
[13] A few manuscripts (including Cairo) omit the explicit name, but that is likely explained by the Jewish tradition started in the Intertestamental period of not pronouncing God’s personal name and does not change the gist of what David is saying.
[14] This form of the word is found outside the Psalms only once: 2Kings 6:26. There is a disagreement among translators as to whether the King is the object of salvation and the Lord is the one who will hear and answer us (LXX, Vulgate, Augustine, Ibn Ezra, Delitzsch, NIV, ESV), or whether the LORD and the King are the same person who answers us by saving (MT, KJV, NASB, AJV, Henry). The aetna pause under hoshiy’ah in the Masoretic Hebrew text (which dates back to the 900’s A.D.) does not support the interpretation of “God save the King,” nor does the lack of a direct object indicator before the ha-melek, but the Septuagint translation (which dates a century or two B.C.) clearly puts basilea into the accusative, rather than the nominative case, indicating it is the object of “save” and not the subject of “hear.” Some commentators rule out the possibility that a king could answer us when we call under the assumption that the simple phrase “the king” can’t refers to God, but there are other places in the Old Testament where “the King” is clearly the same as “the LORD” (Psalm 45, 47:7, Isaiah 6:5, 33:17, Jeremiah 46:18; 48:15; 51:57; Zechariah 14:16-17) so that possibility is not ruled out.