Psalms 20:1

Psalm 20 ¹ 

For the music director; a psalm of David.

20:1 May the Lord answer ²  you ³  when you are in trouble; ⁴ 

may the God of Jacob ⁵  make you secure!

Psalms 46:7

46:7 The Lord who commands armies is on our side! ⁶ 

The God of Jacob ⁷  is our protector! ⁸  (Selah)

Psalms 46:11

46:11 The Lord who commands armies is on our side! ⁹ 

The God of Jacob ¹⁰  is our protector! ¹¹  (Selah)

Psalms 47:4

47:4 He picked out for us a special land ¹² 

to be a source of pride for ¹³  Jacob, ¹⁴  whom he loves. ¹⁵  (Selah)

Psalms 81:1

Psalm 81 ¹⁶ 

For the music director; according to the gittith style; ¹⁷  by Asaph.

81:1 Shout for joy to God, our source of strength!

Shout out to the God of Jacob!

Psalms 84:8

84:8 O Lord, sovereign God, ¹⁸ 

hear my prayer!

Listen, O God of Jacob! (Selah)

Psalms 85:1

Psalm 85 ¹⁹ 

For the music director; written by the Korahites, a psalm.

85:1 O Lord, you showed favor to your land;

you restored the well-being of Jacob. ²⁰ 

[20:1]  ¹ sn Psalm 20. The people pray for the king’s success in battle. When the king declares his assurance that the Lord will answer the people’s prayer, they affirm their confidence in God’s enablement.

[20:1]  ² tn The prefixed verbal forms here and in vv. 1b-5 are interpreted as jussives of prayer (cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV). Another option is to understand them as imperfects, “the Lord will answer,” etc. In this case the people declare their confidence that the Lord will intervene on behalf of the king and extend to him his favor.

[20:1]  ³ sn May the Lord answer you. The people address the king as they pray to the Lord.

[20:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “in a day of trouble.”

[20:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “the name of the God of Jacob.” God’s “name” refers metonymically to his very person and to the divine characteristics suggested by his name, in this case “God of Jacob,” which highlights his relationship to Israel.

[46:7]  ⁶ tn Heb “the Lord of hosts is with us.” The title “Lord of hosts” here pictures the Lord as a mighty warrior-king who leads armies into battle (see Ps 24:10). The military imagery is further developed in vv. 8-9.

[46:7]  ⁷ tn That is, Israel, or Judah (see Ps 20:1).

[46:7]  ⁸ tn Heb “our elevated place” (see Pss 9:9; 18:2).

[46:11]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the Lord of hosts is with us.” The title “Lord of hosts” here pictures the Lord as a mighty warrior-king who leads armies into battle (see Ps 24:10). The military imagery is further developed in vv. 8-9.

[46:11]  ¹² tn That is, Israel, or Judah (see Ps 20:1).

[46:11]  ¹³ tn Heb “our elevated place” (see Pss 9:9; 18:2).

[47:4]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “he chose for us our inheritance.” The prefixed verbal form is understood as a preterite (see “subdued” in v. 3).

[47:4]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “the pride of.” The phrase is appositional to “our inheritance,” indicating that the land is here described as a source of pride to God’s people.

[47:4]  ¹⁸ tn That is, Israel.

[47:4]  ¹⁹ sn Jacob whom he loves. The Lord’s covenantal devotion to his people is in view.

[81:1]  ²¹ sn Psalm 81. The psalmist calls God’s people to assemble for a festival and then proclaims God’s message to them. The divine speech (vv. 6-16) recalls how God delivered the people from Egypt, reminds Israel of their rebellious past, expresses God’s desire for his people to obey him, and promises divine protection in exchange for obedience.

[81:1]  ²² tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew term הַגִּתִּית (haggittit) is uncertain; it probably refers to a musical style or instrument. See the superscription to Ps 8.

[84:8]  ²⁶ tn Heb “Lord, God, hosts.” One expects the construct form אֱלֹהֵי before צְבָאוֹת (tsÿva’ot, “hosts”; see Ps 89:9) but יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים (yehvah ’elohim) precedes צְבָאוֹת in Pss 59:5 and 80:4, 19 as well.

[85:1]  ³¹ sn Psalm 85. God’s people recall how he forgave their sins in the past, pray that he might now restore them to his favor, and anticipate renewed blessings.

[85:1]  ³² tn Heb “you turned with a turning [toward] Jacob.” The Hebrew term שְׁבוּת (shÿvut) is apparently a cognate accusative of שׁוּב (shuv). See Pss 14:7; 53:6.