EXPOSITION. own hancl, or without the intervention or e. PSALM XX. priest. And accept thy burnt sacrifice; Tms psalm seems to be.vo been composed Bele.h. It is a rcasono.blc conjecture that for e. epecio.l occo.eion, whenDa.vid we.a a.bout the "Sele.h" here marks a "pause," during which special sac,·ifices were offered, with a to proceed on an expedition age.inst a. view of entreatiHg God':i favour o.nd pro- foreign enemy. It is liturgical, and written tection in the coming war (Hcngstenberg). to be recited in the court of the tabernacle Ver. 4.-Grant thee according t(J thine own by the high priest and people. The date heart; i.e. whatever tiiy heart desireth of its composition is after the transfer of "in connection with this expedition, e.11 tho.t thou bopest from it, a.II that thou wouldst the ark from the house of Obed-edom to have it accomplish." And fulfil all thy the city of David (2 Sam. vi. 12-19), e.s counsel; i.e. make a.II thy plane to prosper. appears from ver. 2. The conjecture which Ver. 5,-We will rejoice fa thy salvation. attaches it to the Syrian W e.t· described in David's" ealyation "is here his triumph over 2 Sam. x. 17-19, is probable. There is no his enemies, which the people confidently anticipate, and promise themselves the reason to doubt the o.nthorship of David, satisfaction of speedily celebrating with joy e.eeerted in the title, and admitted by most and rejoicing. And in the Na.ma of our God critics, we will set up our banners. Plant them, The pea.Im divides into two portions-the i.e., on the enemy's forts o.nd strongholds. first of five, o.nd the second of four verses. The Lord fulfil all thy petitions. A com- prehensive prayer, re-echoing the first In the first pa.rt, the people chant the whole. clause of ver. l o.nd the whole of ver. 4, In the second, the high priest takes the but reaching out further to nil that the word, and initiates the st.rain (ver. 6), while monarch may e.t o.ny future time request of the people join in afterwards (vers. 7-9). God, The first part of the psalm here ends, and the people pause for a while. Ver, 1.-The Lord hear thee in the day Ver. 6.-Now know I. The employment of trouble. The people intercede for their of the first person singular mnrks o. change king in a" day of trouble" or "diet1·ess," in the epenker, aud is best explained by when danger impends, and he is a.bout to supposing tho.t either the high priest or affront it. They nre ma.de to o.sk, first of the king himself fakes the word. The nil, that God will hear the king's prayers, offering of the solemn proyer (vers. 1-5) wLioh a.re no doubt being silently offered o.nd of the sncrific~s (see the comment on while they pro.y aloud. The Name of the ver. 3) has been followed by a. full convic- God of J"acob defend thee. (On the force of tion that tho prayer is granted, o.nd the the expressio:i, "the Na.me of God," see the triumph of Do.vicl nssurc,I. What wns eommcnt upon Pe. vii. 17.) "Jacob's God" previously hoped for is "now known." -a. fo.vouritc expression with David-is the That the Lord saveth (or, hath saved) bis God who mnde him the promise, "I will be anointed (comp. Ps. xviii. 50). He will hear with thee, o.nd I will keep thee in o.11 plo.ces him from his holy heaven; literally, from whither thou goeet" (Gen, xxviii. 15). the heaven of his holine••· With the sn.ving " Defend thee" is soo.reely a correct render- strength of his right h:ind. Go, I will henr ing. Translule, e:r.alt thee. him, i.e., and, he.ving l:c,ml him, will help Ver. 2.-Bend thoe help from the se.no- and defend him "with the so.ving strength tuary. "The ee.nctuo.ry" here is un- of his right ho.nd." doubtedly the holy place which David had Ver. 7.-Soma trust in ohariots, and soma esto.bliehed on Mount Zion, ond in which he in horses. 'l'!Je cnemic-e of David towards bad placed the nrk of the ooveno.nt. God'~ the north-Syria.us of Zolillh, n.nd llfoachnh, help wo.e always regarded e.s coming and D~mascus, nnd Iloth-Rchob - were e1pecially from the place where he had especially formiclo.ble ou account of their "set his Name." In the original it ie, co.valry n.n<l their chariots. David on ono 11 Send thy help "-the help thou needest occusion •• took from Hadn.rczer, King of and prayeet for, And strengthen thee out Zobah, n l.house.nd cha.riots, and eevon of Zion; rather, support thee. thouse.nd horsemen" (1 Cl.iron. xviii. 4). Ver. 3.-Bemember all thy oft'urings. On another he '' slew of the Syrians seven (On David's offerings, see 2 Sa_m. vi. 1~, 17; thousand men whioh fought in chariots" xxiv. 25; I Chron. xv. 26; xvi. I; xxi. 28: (1 Chron. xix. 18). His own troops nppeo.r xxix. 21.) It is not to be eu ppoeed, howover, to have consisted entirely of footmen. But that David evor 118,(lrifioed victims with hie we will remember the Name of the Lord our 1 IJ THE BOOK OF PSALMS. (rs. xx. 1-9,
G~d. Our trust, i.e., shall be in the Lord, Alexander, Hengstenberg, and our Rovisers: who has comm1m<lcd our kings "not to but is opposed by Rosenruiiller, Bishop multiply horses" (Deut. xvli. 16). Horsley, Ewald, Hupfeld, Cheyne, n.nd the Yer. 8.-They are brought down and 'Speaker's Commentary.' It has the Hebrew fallJn; but we are risen, and stand upright. l\fosoretic ted iu its favour, tbe Septungint Confi<lcnt of the result, the speaker repre- and Vulgate against it. Authorities are tlius sents it as already achieved. He sees the nearly equally ho.lo.need on the point; and cuemy bowed down to the earth, and fallen; we are at liberty to transl:Lte either, "Save he sees the host of Israel erect an<l trium- Lord: IU?.y the King hear us when we call I" phant. All stands out clearly before his or,'' 0 Lord save the king: may he hear ns vision, as though he were an actual spectator when we call (upou him) I " On tbe whole, of the fight. perhaps, the former is preferable (see the Yer. 9.-Sa.ve, Lord! This punctuation arguments of Prnfessor Al•ixo.nder, • Com- is adopted by Dclitzsch, Kay, Professor meut:1.ry ou the P,mlms,' p. 94).