Grant thee according to thine own heart ,.... Which is to see his seed, the travail of his soul, and to have the pleasure of the Lord prosper in his hand; to have all his people called, preserved, and glorified; and fulfil all thy counsel ; whatever was agreed upon in the council and covenant of peace between him and his Father, relating to his own glory, and the salvation of his people. read more
We will rejoice in thy salvation ,.... That is, "so will we", &c.; or "that we may" F16 So Ainsworth; נרננה "ovemus", Vatablus, Piscator, Michaelis; "cantemus", Gejerus. , &c.; or "let us"; these words, with what follow, point at the end of the church's requests, and what she resolved to do upon the accomplishment of the above things; for instance, she would rejoice in the salvation of the Messiah; meaning either the salvation and deliverance from death and the grave, and all... read more
Grant thee according to thine own heart - May God give thee whatsoever thou art setting thy heart upon, and accomplish all thy desires! This was probably the prayer of the high priest. read more
We will rejoice in thy salvation - We expect help from thee alone; it is in thy cause we engage; and to thee, as our war is a just one, we consecrate our banners, inscribed with thy name. It is said that the Maccabees had their name from the inscription on their banners; which was taken from Exodus 15:11 , יהוה באלם כמכה מי mi camochah baelim Yehovah , "Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods?" The word being formed from the initial letters מ M , כ C , ב B , י I ,... read more
Verse 5 5.That we may rejoice in thy salvation. This verse may be explained in two other ways, besides the sense it bears according to the translation which I have given. Some consider it to be a prayer, as if it had been said, Lord, make us to rejoice. Others think that the faithful, after having finished their prayer, encourage themselves to entertain good hope; (474) or rather, being already inspired with an assured hope of success, they begin to sing, so to speak, of the victory, even as it... read more
The psalm divides into two portions—the first of five, and the second of four verses. In the first part, the people chant the whole. In the second, the high priest takes the word, and initiates the strain ( 2 Samuel 10:6 ), while the people join in afterwards ( 2 Samuel 10:7-9 ). read more
Prayer for Israel's king when going forth to battle: a national sermon. In this psalm, as indeed in the rest, there are most suggestive verses, which might be elaborated into useful discourses. £ But in this division of the Commentary we refrain from dealing with isolated texts. We desire rather to show how the whole psalm may be used by the expositor of Scripture as the basis of a national sermon in a time of impending war. No doubt, as Mr. Spurgeon remarks, it has been used by court... read more
Help from the sanctuary for the battle of life. A liturgical psalm, which was sung on behalf of the king, who was about to go forth to battle. It was chanted in alternate voices by the congregation and the priest or Levite who led the choir. As the king stands within the sanctuary, offering his sacrifice, the crowd of worshippers in the spacious courts lift up their voices in the prayer of the first five verses; then the answering chant of the priest or leader from Psalms 20:6 to 8;... read more
Grant thee according to thine own heart ; i.e. whatever thy heart desireth "in connection with this expedition, all that thou hopest from it, all that thou wouldst have it accomplish." And fulfil all thy counsel; i.e. make all thy plans to prosper. read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Psalms 20:1-5
This prayer for David is entitled a psalm of David; nor was it any absurdity at all for him who was divinely inspired to draw up a directory, or form of prayer, to be used in the congregation for himself and those in authority under him; nay it is very proper for those who desire the prayers of their friends to tell them particularly what they would have to be asked of God for them. Note, Even great and good men, and those that know ever so well how to pray for themselves, must not despise,... read more