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Psalm 20 Bible study: Some trust in chariots
The WEB's trust in "we trust in the name of the LORD our God" (20:7) is, in Hebrew, zakhar, the verb of "remember all your offerings" (20:3). And answer carries the psalm from "May the LORD answer you" (20:1) through "He will answer him" (20:6) to "Let the King answer us when we call!" (20:9).
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“Some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.”
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“Psalm 20's first verse and its last verse both pray to be answered.”
Is that in Psalm 20, or not? Make your call.
What's really going on
A prayer for someone else
The title reads "For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David" (20:1). Then the psalm prays, and not for the one praying: "May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble. May the name of the God of Jacob set you up on high" (20:1) (tap answer, trouble, name, high). In the Hebrew, as the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible tags the Westminster Leningrad Codex, every you and your in the first five verses is singular. The wishes go on: "send you help from the sanctuary, grant you support from Zion" (20:2), "remember all your offerings, and accept your burned sacrifice" (20:3) (tap remember, accept), "May he grant you your heart’s desire, and fulfill all your counsel" (20:4). Then a we speaks to that you: "We will triumph in your salvation. In the name of our God, we will set up our banners. May the LORD grant all your requests" (20:5) (tap banners, requests). The psalm doesn't name the you in these verses, and it doesn't say what the trouble is.
Honest questions
Questions people ask about Psalm 20
That was a taste
The rest of Psalm 20 is waiting in Favor
- "Now I know"
- Chariots, horses, and a name
- The God of Jacob, in the day of distress
- A name that sets on high
- 6 questions as you read
- 13 more Hebrew words
- A short check at the end
- Your notes, saved as you go
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The Hebrew word behind it
שֵׁםshemsay SHEM
Brown-Driver-Briggs: "name". Strong's: "an appellation, as a mark or memorial of individuality; by implication honor, authority, character". The psalm has it three times, each time the name of God: "May the name of the God of Jacob set you up on high" (20:1), "In the name of our God, we will set up our banners" (20:5), and "we trust in the name of the LORD our God" (20:7). David said to the Philistine, "I come to you in the name of the LORD of Armies" (1 Samuel 17:45), with this word.
For your group
Psalm 20 Bible study questions
- 1The psalm prays for someone else: "May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble" (20:1). Who has prayed for you in a day of trouble, and what did it mean to you?
- 2"Some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God" (20:7). When trouble comes, what do you find yourself leaning on first?
- 3In the middle of the psalm one voice says, "Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed" (20:6), before the psalm describes any answer. Have you ever been sure of God's help before you saw it? What was that like?
Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads Psalm 20 during the week and answers these questions privately. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together, and you can print the week's sheet.
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Questions
What is Favor?
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.
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Can I read Psalm 20 straight away?
Favor takes the Bible as one story, in order, so you'll reach Psalm 20 with everything that leads up to it in view. Start from Genesis, or meet Jesus first in the Gospels. You can read the text of any chapter in Favor's Look up whenever you like.
Do I need a group?
No. Many people read on their own. If you'd like to read with others, start a Bible study and share one link. Everyone's answers stay private until you meet.
I've never really read the Bible. Is this for me?
Yes. Favor starts where you are and explains as it goes. The questions along the way aren't marked right or wrong: you answer, then see what the text shows.
Which Bible does Favor use?
The World English Bible, a modern, readable translation in the public domain. God's name appears as "the LORD", as in most English Bibles.
Is Favor tied to a church?
No. Favor is non-denominational. Where Christians read a passage differently, it shows the main views side by side and doesn't pick one.
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Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Hebrew and Greek words are checked against the original-language texts and public-domain lexicons. What we believe · Favor home