Outline of Chapter 20:

         Introduction         An Introduction to Psalm 20

         Inscription            Psalm 20 Inscription

         vv.     1–3           God Takes Care of Those at Home

         v.       4–5           Chorus

         vv.     6–9           God Delivers in Battle

         Addendum          Psalm 20 Addendum

         Addendum          An Alternate Outline and Translation of Psalm 20

Charts, Short Doctrines and Maps:

         Introduction         Barnes Outlines Psalm 20

         Introduction         Spurgeon’s Outline of Psalm 20

Inscription

         v.       6              God Answers Prayer from His Holy Place

         v.       6              God’s Right Hand in the Life of David

         v.       7              Zâkar and the Name of Jehovah

         v.       9              God Hears Us and Answers our Prayers

         v.       9              The 6 Approaches to Psalm 20:9

         v.       9              The Kingship of Jesus Christ

         Addendum          A Complete Translation of Psalm 20

         Addendum          An Alternate Outline and Translation of Psalm 20

An Introduction to Psalm 20

I ntroduction: Very often, a Davidic Psalm tends to be very well organized, and often, organized in a very complex way. Psalm 20 does not appear to have a complex organization (although, it could be too complex for me to discern). David spent much of his time at war. Being a man after God’s own heart, Satan inspired many enemies to rise up against him and against Israel. There are two sets of people of any country during any war, and this psalm addresses these two sets. There are those who are noncombatants, who are at home, and they pray for their soldiers and for their country. Vv. 1–4 is about those at home. V. 5 is a chorus, which applies to both those at home and those in the battlefield. Finally, vv. 6–9 speak directly to those soldiers who are at war. At the very end of this psalm, I alter this outline somewhat. You may find it beneficial to go to the end of this psalm first where there is an alternate outline for the psalm, according to those who would sing what verses. If read through it, along with the outline, and that may help you to get an overall understanding of it. God is in all and over all; and He may be depended upon during times of trouble. The word which we find used the most often is the word to save, to deliver. God delivers His people in war; God delivers His soldiers in war.

It is not unusual for a psalm to carry parallel meanings. We are caught up in a world at war—the Angelic Conflict. In fact, we are sometimes in the very midst of this war. However, God will be ultimately victorious, and we with Him. Perhaps this psalm speaks to this.

There is also the reasonable possibility that this psalm looks forward to the Messiah-to-come, and that there may be an interpretation which applies to Jesus Christ directly.

David is the author of Psalm 20, which will be discussed in greater detail when we come to the inscription.

Most commentators association this psalm with 2Sam. 10, where David defeats Ammon and Syria; and some with 2Sam. 8 (where David’s many wars are summarized). R. B. Thieme Jr. associates this chapter with David’s defeat of the Philistines at the end of 2Sam. 5 and then later suggests in 2Samuel 8:4 that this psalm may have been written by David after the defeat of the Syrians. In any case, there is nothing in this psalm which can be directly connected to a specific war, battle or conflict. V. 8, where those who trusted in horses and chariots are either bowed down or fallen, yet we have risen up and we stand upright indicates victory on the battlefield. The complete victory found in v. 8 suggests that this was written after all of Israel’s enemies have been vanquished. However, if David wrote this psalm to comfort those left behind during war, as well as to those at war, then it would make sense that this psalm was written part way through David’s destruction of Israel’s enemies.

Spurgeon writes: We have before us a National Anthem fitted to, be sung at the outbreak of war, when the monarch was girding on his sword for the fight. If David had not been vexed with wars, we might never have been favoured with such Psalms as this.

The NET Bible notes: 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.

The pronouns, suffixes and person are important in this psalm. In vv. 1–5, this psalm appears to be addressed to the hearer. We find the 2^nd person masculine singular suffix in twice each of those verses (3 times in v. 4). The psalmist speaks in the 1^st person plural in vv. 5, 7–9 (drawing in the hearer, and making statements which apply to both the psalmist and his hearer). David, in v. 6, uses the 1^st person singular; and all of his references to God are in the 3^rd person (although, there may be some discussion of this in v. 9a). So, in general, David is directing this psalm toward the hearer (2^nd person masculine singular suffix), yet he speaks to him as an equal (1^st person plural). It is doubtful that you will appreciate this now, but I believe that these suffixes and pronouns are key to the interpretation ot this psalm.

Keil and Delitzsch suggest that this psalm is sung during a public sacrifice, and perhaps this is true; and perhaps this may have been a psalm sung during a public sacrifice at a time of war.

Although war and conflict between nations may have been the impetus which caused David to write this psalm (see vv. 7–8, and possibly v. 5), David does not deal with the battlefield specifically throughout most of this psalm. The issue is God’s grace. The issue is our relationship with God. The issue is God’s ability and willingness to deliver us in a time of trouble. War is just a detail. It is something which we are enduring in life. Therefore, even though this psalm was probably written specifically with war in mind, and was sung during times of war, Psalm 20 has a wider application than human conflict on the battlefield.

Psalm 20 Inscription

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:                       Note: I compare the Hebrew text to English translations of the Latin, Syriac and Greek texts (using the Douay-Rheims translation; George Lamsa’s translation, and Sir Lancelot Charles Lee Brenton’s—or the Complete Apostles’ Bible—translation, respectively). When there are serious disparities between my translation and Brenton’s, I look at the Greek text of the Septuagint (the LXX) to see if a substantive difference actually exists (and I reflect these changes in the English rendering of the Greek text). I often update these texts with non-substantive changes (e.g., you for thou, etc.).

The Masoretic text is the Hebrew text with all of the vowels (vowel points) inserted (the original Hebrew text lacked vowels). We take the Masoretic text to be the text closest to the original. However, differences between the Masoretic text and the Greek, Latin and Syriac are worth noting and, once in a great while, represent a more accurate text possessed by those other ancient translators.

In general, the Latin text is an outstanding translation from the Hebrew text into Latin and very trustworthy (I say this as a non-Catholic). Unfortunately, I do not read Latin—apart from some very obvious words—so I am dependent upon the English translation of the Latin (principally, the Douay-Rheims translation).

The Septuagint was the earliest translation of a book ever made (circa 200 b.c.),and, since this was before the textual criticism had been developed into a science and because different books appear to be translated by different men, the Greek translation can sometimes be very uneven. I often use the Complete Apostles’ Bible, which is an update of Brenton’s English translation of the LXX, although I will often refer back to the Greek itself (there is a Greek LXX with Strong’s numbers and morphology available for e-sword).

Underlined words indicate differences in the text.

Latin Vulgate                          Unto the end. A psalm for David.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        To the preeminent one; a psalm to David.

Septuagint (Greek)                For the end, a Psalm of David.

Significant differences:           Instead of having to the preeminent one, both the Greek and Latin have to the end. This is also the case with Psalm 4 5 6 etc. Although I have not checked each and every psalm where this word occurs, I would be surprised if the Greek or Latin translated this word differently elsewhere in the psalms. However, whereas the KJV and the Hebrew maintain some continuity in passages outside the psalms, the Greek and Latin do not. For this reason, the Hebrew is likely correct in every instance of this word (although, as we will see below, this does not automatically give us the English meaning for this word).

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       (A psalm by David for the music leader.)

Easy English (Churchyard)    (This is) a Psalm of David for the music leader

The Message                         A David psalm.

The New Life Bible                 Prayer To Be Kept Safe

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

God’s Word™                         For the choir director; a psalm by David.

New American Bible              To the director; A Psalm of David.

NIRV                                      For the director of music. A psalm of David.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Bible in Basic English             To the chief music-maker. A Psalm. Of David.

Complete Apostles’ Bible      For the end, A Psalm of David.

HCSB                                     For the choir director. A Davidic psalm.

JPS (Tanakh—1917)               For the Leader. A Psalm of David.

NET Bible®                             For the music director; a psalm of David. When it comes to making an actual material change to the text, the NET Bible® is pretty good about indicating this. Since most of these corrections will be clear in the more literal translations below and within the Hebrew exegesis itself, I will not continue to list every NET Bible® footnote.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Concordant Literal Version    A Davidic Psalm.

Updated Emphasized Bible    To the Chief Musician. A Melody of David.

English Standard Version      To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

exeGeses companion Bible   To His Eminence; A Psalm by David.

MKJV                                     To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

Young's Updated LT              To the Overseer. A Psalm of David.

The gist of this verse:          This psalm is written by David and handed over to the chief musician.

Translation: To the Preeminent One;... As we have seen with the numerous translations above, no one is clear as to who this person is. This psalm could be dedicated to God, which is essentially how I have translated it; however, it could be designed to be conducted by the chief musician, which is how Rotherham understands it. Most translators assume that this is given over to the choir director or the conductor or the one in charge of those who sang.

We find this word as a Piel infinitive in 1Chron. 15:21 23:4 2Chron. 34:12 Ezra 3:8–9. 1Chron. 23:4 indicates that this does not have to be a supervisory position, as it reads: Of these [38,000 Levites], 24,000 were to oversee the work of the house of Yahweh; and 6000 were officers and judges. Quite obviously, you cannot have 24,000 chiefs and no Indians, these were all of the Levites assigned to work on the Temple (Ezra 3:8–9 finds this word used in this same way). However, the supervisory nature of this word seems to be clear in 1Chron. 15:21 2Chron. 34:12.

Unfortunately, the exact meaning of the lâmed preposition is also hard to determine. We find several psalms which are ascribed to David written to David; but the idea is, the psalm belongs to David. The lâmed preposition is used more often when something is given to someone else or something is for someone else, the chief meanings of the lâmed preposition. Despite the use of the lâmed preposition with David throughout the book of Psalms, I have taken this to me that this psalm is written for whomever this Preeminent person is.

Barnes comments on this portion of the inscription: This phrase in the title, “To the chief Musician,” occurs at the beginning of 53 psalms, and at the close of the hymn in Habak. 3:19. It is uniformly rendered “to the chief Musician,” and means that the psalm was intended for him, or was to be given to him, probably to regulate the manner of performing it. In no one instance does the title imply that he was the author. The word rendered “Chief Musician” is derived from [ a Hebrew word] properly meaning “to shine,” but not used in the Qal. In the Piel form it means to be conspicuous; to be over anything; to be chief; to be superintendent (2Chron. 2:2, 18 34:12) and then it means to lead in music. The meaning of the form used here, and in the other places where it occurs as a title to a psalm, is “Chief Musician,” or precentor; and the idea is, that the psalm is to be performed under his direction; or that the music is to be directed and adapted by him.

Even though we have the same preposition used here as we find used with David, when he is the author, the many times that this phrase is found in combination with the author’s name suggests more that there is a musical organization and that this song was delivered over to the Choirmaster (or conductor) of that organization to be sung and performed at various functions.

The NIV Study Bible has its opinion on this matter: [For the director of music is] probably a liturgical notation, indicating either that the psalm was to be added to he collection of works to be used by the director of music in Israel’s worship services, or that when the psalm was used in the temple worship, it was to be spoke [or, sung?] by the leader of the Levitical choir—or by the choir itself (see 1Chron. 23:4–5, 30 [Of the overseers over the works of the house of the Lord there were twenty-four thousand, and there were six thousand scribes and judges; and four thousand gatekeepers, and four thousand to praise the Lord with instruments which he made to praise the Lord...to stand in the morning to praise and give thanks to the Lord, and so in the evening] 25 [assignments are given to the sons of Korah, among others]). In this liturgical activity the Levites functioned as representatives of the worshiping congregation. Following their lead the people probably responded with “Amen” and “Praise the Lord” (Hallelujah); see 1Chron. 16:36 Neh. 5:13; compare 1Cor. 14:16 Rev. 5:14 7:12 19:4.

Translation: ...a psalm of David. There are three words translated psalm; this is one of them which is found a little less than a third of the time. I’m not yet ready to differentiate between these three words, nor am I confident that there is an important lesson hidden in differentiating them.

What I would have expected to find, but have never found, is by David, where the bêyth preposition is used.

Perhaps the idea here is, this psalm is both written by David and it is for David, as a gift from God.

——————————

God Takes Care of Those at Home

Many translators have chosen to render the first five verses as jussives (e.g., May Jehovah answer you in the day of adversity...). This can have quite an impact on the overall affect of the psalm, as well as on the outline of the psalm itself. When it comes to studying the concepts in this psalm, verse-by-verse, our conclusions and applications will be about the same. However, when we take the psalm and view it as a whole, one can take away another (and possibly better) vision of how it was sung in the congregation of Israel.

At the very end of this psalm, I will organize it slightly differently and translate these first 5 or so verses as jussives.

Here is how others have handled this verse:

Ancient texts:                       Note: I compare the Hebrew text to English translations of the Latin, Syriac and Greek texts (using the Douay-Rheims translation ; an excellent English translation from the Syriac found at http://www.peshitta.org/pdf/ot/Psalms.pdf, and Sir Lancelot Charles Lee Brenton’s translation, respectively). When there are serious disparities between my translation and Brenton’s, I look at the Greek text of the Septuagint (the LXX) to see if a substantive difference actually exists (and I reflect these changes in the English rendering of the Greek text). Now and again, I update these texts with non-substantive changes (e.g., you for thou, etc.).

The Septuagint was the earliest translation of a book ever made (circa 200 b.c.),and, since this was before the textual criticism had been developed into a science and because different books appear to be translated by different men, the Greek translation can sometimes be very uneven. I often use the Complete Apostles’ Bible, which is an update of Brenton’s English translation of the LXX, although I will often refer back to the Greek itself (there is a Greek LXX with Strong’s numbers and morphology available for e-sword).

The Masoretic text is the Hebrew text with all of the vowels (vowel points) inserted (the original Hebrew text lacked vowels). We take the Masoretic text to be the text closest to the original. However, differences between the Masoretic text and the Greek, Latin and Syriac are worth noting and, once in a great while, represent a more accurate text possessed by those ancient translators.

In general, the Latin text is an outstanding translation from the Hebrew text into Latin and very trustworthy (I say this as a non-Catholic). Unfortunately, I do not read Latin—apart from some very obvious words—so I am dependent upon the English translation of the Latin (principally, the Douay-Rheims translation).

Latin Vulgate                          May the Lord hear you in the day of tribulation: may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.

Masoretic Text                       Answers you Y^ehowah in a day of adversity;

sets you on high [for protection] a name of Elohim of Jacob.

Septuagint                              May the Lord hear you in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend you.

Significant differences:           In many of the translations, you will notice the verb may. This is because they are interpreting this as a jussive. A jussive expresses the speaker’s desire, wish or command. We often add into the translation may or let. The jussive involves only the imperfect form of a verb and may be used in the 2^nd or 3^rd persons (although the latter is the most common). A strong verb is identified as a jussive by context, as it is no different than the imperfect form. A weak verb as a jussive is generally a shortened form of the imperfect. Therefore, the jussive here is by interpretation (and we see that in many English translations of the Bible agree with this interpretation as well).

The final verb, in the Hebrew, means to set on high [in order to protect]; so the Latin and Greek verbs are similar.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       I pray that the LORD will listen when you are in trouble, and that the God of Jacob will keep you safe.

Easy English (Churchyard)    We are praying that:

the LORD will answer you when trouble comes

the name of the God of Jacob will make you safe.

Easy-to-Read Version            May the Lord answer your call for help

when you have troubles.

May the God of Jacob protect you.

The Message                         GOD answer you on the day you crash, The name God-of-Jacob put you out of harm's reach,...

New Life Bible                        May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob keep you safe.

New Living Translation           In times of trouble, may the Lord answer your cry.

May the name of the God of Jacob keep you safe from all harm.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          In times of trouble you should turn to Jehovah. Let the Name of Jacob's God be your shield..

New American Bible              The LORD answer you in time of distress;

the name of the God of Jacob defend you!

Revised English Bible            May the Lord answer you in time of trouble,

May the name of Jacob’s God by your tower of strength.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Bible in Basic English             May the Lord give ear to you in the day of trouble; may you be placed on high by the name of the God of Jacob;...

Judaica Press Complete T.    May the Lord answer you on a day of distress; may the name of the God of Jacob fortify you.

NET Bible®                             May the LORD answer [translation note: 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] you when you are in trouble;

may the God of Jacob [translation note: Hebrew "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.] make you secure!

When it comes to making an actual material change to the text, the NET Bible® is pretty good about indicating this. Since most of these corrections will be clear in the more literal translations below and within the Hebrew exegesis itself, I will not continue to list every NET Bible® footnote.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

American KJV                        The LORD hear you in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend you;...

The Amplified Bible                MAY THE Lord answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob set you up on high [and defend you];...

Concordant Literal Version    May Yahweh answer you in a day of distress; May the Name of Jacob's Elohim be your impregnable retreat.

English Standard Version      May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!

exeGeses companion Bible   Yah Veh answers you in the day of tribulation;

the name of Elohim of Yaaqov lofts you;.

Hebrew Names Version         May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble. May the name of the God of

Ya`akov set you up on high,...

MKJV                                     May Jehovah hear you in the day of trouble, the name of the God of Jacob set you on high,...

Thieme                                   Jehovah/God will answer you

in the day of pressure.

A Voice in the Wilderness      May Jehovah answer you in the day of distress, and the name of the God of Jacob set you securely on high,...

Young’s Updated LT             Jehovah will answer you, in a day of adversity. The name of the God of Jacob will set You on high.

The gist of this verse:          Jehovah will answer us in a time of difficulty; and He will protect us in that day. .

Translation: Y^ehowah answers you in the day of adversity;... As you may have noticed, many translators understand this to be a jussive, and thus translating it May Jehovah answer you in the day of adversity. In case you did not read this earlier, a jussive expresses the speaker’s desire, wish or command. We often add into the translation may or let. The jussive involves only the imperfect form of a verb and may be used in the 2^nd or 3^rd persons (although the latter is the most common). A strong verb is identified as a jussive by context, as it is no different than the imperfect form. A weak verb as a jussive is generally a shortened form of the imperfect. The first 4 verses are interpreted by some as jussive.

The NET Bible comments: 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.

God pays attention to what is happening in our lives and when adversity strikes, He answers us. The verb used here presupposes that we are praying to Him. If God answers us, obviously, we had to be first speaking to Him. But without faith it is impossible to please God. For it is right that the one drawing near to God should believe that He is, and that He becomes a rewarder to the ones seeking Him out (Heb. 11:6). When you are in a jam, and you exercise some faith toward God, He will hear you and He will answer you. This does not mean that you are saved, but it could be the first step. Although we often think of this as the soldier in the foxhole, this could refer to any person in any difficult situation.

By way of interpretation for this psalm, I take these first few verses to refer to those who are at home while war rages on nearby, outside the gates or in an adjacent country. There is an uncertainty in the air; danger which threatens to suddenly burst into the lives of believers, and God the Holy Spirit comforts them and tells them not to worry. Quite obviously, these words can be equally applied to those who are at war, but I see these words as first and foremost comfort for those at home during a time when wars rage on all around them.

Translation: ...[and] the name of the Elohim of Jacob sets you on high [for protection]. The title, God of Jacob, is used here to indicate grace. If anyone was ever unworthy of anything, it was Jacob. His name is based upon the verb which means to cheat, to defraud, to chisel. Most of the stories that we find of Jacob’s young life are about how he cheated his brother Esau out of this or that. You cannot objectively look at Jacob and his twin brother and think that Jacob is the better man; he simply is not. However, he believed in Jehovah Elohim (Jesus Christ); and when we see this title, the God of Jacob, we should think grace—Jacob did not earn or deserve anything, but to him and through him are the promises of God, by the grace of God.

Jacob’s name was later changed to Israel, which means prince of God. This is, again, strictly the grace of God. The chiseler was remade into the prince of God. I should quickly add that, this does not mean that Jacob went from being a lousy person to being this great human being. We do not observe many things in his life which are exemplary. But, before God, he was cleansed, and despite his lousy life and many mistakes, he received the promises of God (Gen. 28:11–15), and these promises continued on to his progeny (Gen. 28:14). Again, it is all grace. J. Vernon McGee made the point that, God is not ashamed to be called the God of Jacob. We might be because of some of the things which Jacob did, but God is not. This is because God is a God of grace.

Application: God is not going to be ashamed of any believer, including you. It does not matter what kind of a mess you have made of your life and of your Christian testimony, He is still the God of ____ (whatever your name is). This is because, we are in Christ and when God looks at us—the failures that we are—He sees His Son.

There is an analogy, however, of the chiseler Jacob being transformed into a prince of God. This is the potential for all believers. We begin in a fallen state, as did Jacob. Yet, when we are saved, we are elevated to being in Christ (Rom. 8:1 1Cor. 1:30 15:22 2Cor. 5:19 Ga. 3:26 2Thess. 1:1). Being placed in Christ, means we share all things with Him, e.g., His heirship (Rom. 8:17 Gal. 3:29 Titus 3:7). This also allows us to advance spiritually, as we share His assets (Rom. 8:2 2Cor. 2:14 Eph. 1:3 Philip 2:5). This is potential (hence, the imperatives associated with growing in grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ—Philip. 2:5 Col. 1:28 2Tim. 2:1 2Peter 3:18). Not every believer grows in grace, but we all have the means by which we may grow in grace (2Cor. 5:17 Eph. 2:10).

Again, by interpretation, I first apply these words to those not directly involved in war, but their country is. God assures them that He has placed them in a high place, out of harm’s way. This does not mean that these words have application only in that narrow realm, but that these words are given to comfort those at home during a great war.

Application: As Americans, particularly in the past century, have been blessed to have very little by direct attack against our country. Japan bombed Pearl Harbor (before Hawaii was a state; but we had a substantial naval base there) and some terrorists banded together to kill people in New York City; but, for the most part, we have lived in a remarkably blessed nation, most of us having no direct contact with war beyond the evening news. We have been lifted up and set on high for our protection. God, working through our brave men and women in uniform, have allowed us this blessed position of safety, as well as blessing.

Part of the answer—particularly for the person who cries out, “God help me!” is to pull a person out from their difficulty. For the unbeliever, this may be the first step in positive volition; and for the believer, this is the application of faith under pressure. Again, this could be a jussive, in which case it would read: [and] may the name of the God of Jacob set you on high [in order ot protect you].

God takes the believer (or, in some cases, the unbeliever) out of the situation; or puts him in place of safety. There have been millions of men throughout human history, caught up in war, in dangerous circumstances, where they finally, in all desperation, call out to God—perhaps for the first time ever—and God hears them and answers them. He lifts them up and puts them into a place of safety. Later, for such a one, I can pretty much guarantee that he will then hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. “Do you remember that God you called out to? Well, here I am,” may be the sense of his hearing of the gospel. God uses such circumstances of a temporal rescue to illustrate His eternal deliverance.

There are many Scriptures dealing with God delivering us in times of great difficulty. Blessed is he who acts wisely toward the poor; Jehovah will deliver him in the day of evil. Jehovah will watch over him and keep him alive; he shall be blessed on the earth (Psalm 41:1–2a). God is our refuge and strength, very much found to be a help in distresses. On account of this we will not fear when the earth changes and when mountains are slipping into the heart of the seas (Psalm 46:1–2). He shall call on Me and I will answer Him; I will be with Him in distress; I will rescue Him and honor Him. I will satisfy him with length of days, and will make Him see My salvation (Psalm 91:15–16). If I walk in the midst of distress, You give me life; You send out Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and Your right hand delivers me (Psalm 138:7). The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from my enemies (Psalm 18:2–3).

Application: For the growing and mature believer, these things are a given. During great difficulties, God will hear and answer us; He will pull us from the fray and be placed on high; or, He will make us fray-adjacent. This does not mean that we will not encounter difficulties in our lives, mature or not; but God is there at all time monitoring the situation, being careful that we are not tested any more than we can bear.

Application: Depending upon God’s plan, there are times, during great national disaster, where we will remain untouched as believers. Our lives are often no better or no worse than they were in other times. It all depends upon God’s plan for our lives.

——————————

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Latin Vulgate                          May He send you help from the sanctuary: and defend you out of Sion.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        He sends your aid from a holy place

and from Zion He supports you.

Septuagint (Greek)                May He send you help from a sacred place, and aid you out of Zion.

Significant differences:           Again, the use of may indicates a jussive, which is possibly what is found here. In the Greek, you is found as a dative; in the Hebrew it is a suffix of help.

The final verbs in the Latin and Greek are similar to that found in the Hebrew (this particular Greek verb is not found in the New Testament, and, so far, cannot be found on the internet).

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       May the LORD send help from his temple and come to your rescue from Mount Zion.

Easy English (Pocock)           God will send you help from his holy place

he will make you strong from Zion.

Easy-to-Read Version            May God send you help from his Holy Place.

May he support you from Zion.

Good News Bible (TEV)         May he send you help from his Temple and give you aid from Mount Zion.

New Living Translation           May he send you help from his sanctuary

and strengthen you from Jerusalem.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          For, from His Holy Place He'll send help. from Zion He'll send you assistance.

New American Bible              May God send you help from the temple,

from Zion be your support.

NIRV                                      May he send you help from the sacred tent.

May he give you aid from Zion.

Revised English Bible            May he send you help from the sanctuary,

and give you support from Zion.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Bible in Basic English             May he send you help from the holy place, and give you strength from Zion;...

Complete Apostles’ Bible      May He send you help from the sanctuary, and aid you out of Zion.

Context Group Version          Send you help from the special place, And strengthen you out of Zion;...

JPS (Tanakh)                         May He Sennacherib you help from the sanctuary,

and sustain you from Zion.

The NET Bible                       May he send you help from his temple; [Hebrew "from [the] temple." The third masculine singular pronominal suffix (?, nun) has probably been accidentally omitted by haplography. Note that the following word begins with a prefixed vav (?). See P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 (WBC), 184.]

from Zion may he give you support!

The Scriptures 1998              He does send you help from the set-apart place, And does uphold you from Tsiyon!.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

American KJV                        Send you help from the sanctuary, and strengthen you out of Zion;...

The Amplified Bible                Send you help from the sanctuary and support, refresh, and strengthen you from Zion;...

Concordant Literal Version    May He send to your help from the Sanctuary, And from Zion, may He brace you."

English Standard Version      May he send you help from the sanctuary and give you support from Zion!

exeGeses companion Bible   ...he sends you help from the holies

and supports you from Siyon;...

MKJV                                     ...sending you help from the sanctuary, and upholding you out of Zion.

Thieme                                   He {God} will send you help from the tabernacle {mi qodesh - 'from doctrine resident in your soul},

and therefore, sustain/aid/refresh/strengthen {ca`ad} you out of Zion {David's Pentagon - his military headquarters}.

A Voice in the Wilderness      ...sending you help from the sanctuary, and sustaining you out of Zion.

Young’s Updated LT             He sends your help from the sanctuary, and from Zion He supports you.

The gist of this verse:          God sends us help from where He is. He sustains us from Zion (which will require some explanation).

Translation: He sends your help from a holy place... There is a fascinating thing to notice here. The 2^nd person masculine singular suffix is not on the verb. If it was, it would read, He sends you help from a holy place. What God sends is your help. In eternity past, God knew everything that we would face. He knew every choice we would make and every problem which would be set before us. In eternity past, God determined what He would do on our behalf. He already knows and has made provision for the help that He would send us. This is why it is called our help. This is the help which God designed for us in eternity past.

The word translated holy place is not necessarily a reference to the Tabernacle. In fact, during the time of David, the Tabernacle was in Gibeon (1Chron. 16:39) and the Ark was in Jerusalem (2Sam. 6). So David did not envision God to be confined to either place, or to split time between the Tabernacle and the Ark.

With regards to the holy place, wherever God is, is a holy place. This is, to some extent, and anthropomorphism. God is omnipresent and omniscient. He is right with us at all time. However, the writer of this psalm suggests that, from wherever God is, He will send help to us. It is difficult for us to imagine God not being confined to a place (the humanity of Jesus Christ is confined to one place at one time; but not so with His deity). Therefore, the psalmist treats God according to place. Deity cannot be confined to one place in time, but it is often easier for us to grasp when we see Him as being in one place at a time. An anthropomorphism simply brings God to our level in order to understand what He does. An anthropomorphism simply assigns human actions or characteristics to non-human things and events (in this case, God) in order to better explain something (in this case, God’s sustenance and faithfulness).

Translation: ...and He supports [and sustains] you from Zion. God has everything under control. He sustains, props up, supports, refreshes, assists and comforts us.

From Zion is an interesting phrase. Generally speaking, Zion is the mountain upon which Jerusalem lies (there are actually 4 mountains on which Jerusalem sits). However, this probably has another meaning here. My guess is, given that David wrote this, is he associates God with the Ark of God, which is in Jerusalem, possibly on Mount Zion.

We have to be careful at this point—believers in Jesus Christ did not ever worship the Ark. It was treated as a religious artifact, and it revealed information about God, but it was never worshiped. David did not understand, as a reality, God popping out of the Ark and coming to support and sustain us, and then returning to the Ark. The idea is this: we do not see God. Only a small number of men in time ever saw the God-man. So, it may appear to us at times that God is not with us, simply because we cannot see Him. So David draws us a picture, which, again, brings God down to our level. We are in difficulties and we look around, and we do not see God. However, God will come to support and sustain us from wherever He is. David is simply presenting God from a human perspective. It is as if God has come to us from Zion to sustain and support us.

Let me give you a for instance: a Jewish army is doing poorly on the battlefield. David might send them a detachment from Jerusalem in order to assist them. That is what is in view here. In colloquial terms, we might say God has our back. Or, less colloquially, if we are in need, God will send us backup troops.

——————————

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Latin Vulgate                          May He be mindful of all Your sacrifices: and may Your whole burnt offering be made fat.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        He remembers all your tribute [bloodless] offerings

and your burnt offering He makes fat [or, turns to ashes].

Peshitta (Syriac)                    Let the LORD remember all your offerings, and make acceptable your burnt sacrifices.

Septuagint (Greek)                May He remember all your sacrifice, and fulfill your whole-burnt-offering. Pause.

Significant differences:           The Hebrew text has bloodless offering rather than sacrifice. Sacrifice is, however, one of the translations for this Hebrew word.

The second verb in the Hebrew means to make fat, to turn to ashes. Barnes suggests the additional meaning to regard favorably, to accept. This excuses the Syriac translation. The Latin is in line with the Hebrew as well. The 2^nd Greek verb, however, does not match up with the 2^nd Hebrew verb.

Neither the Latin or the Syriac includes the selah at the end.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       May he remember your gifts and be pleased with what you bring.

Easy English (Pocock)           God will remember all your gifts

he will like all your burnt offerings SELAH.

Easy-to-Read Version            May God remember all the gifts you offered.

May he accept all your sacrifices.

(SELAH)

Good News Bible (TEV)         May he accept all your offerings and be pleased with all your sacrifices.

The Message                         Exclaim over your offerings, Celebrate your sacrifices,...

New Life Bible                        May He remember all your gifts of grain given on the altar in worship. And may He be pleased with your burnt gifts.

New Living Translation           May he remember all your gifts

and look favorably on your burnt offerings.

Interlude

New Simplified Bible              He will remember all your grain offerings and look with favor on your burnt offerings.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          May He remember all the sacrifices that you've offered, and all of your fattened burnt offerings..

God’s Word™                         He will remember all your grain offerings and look with favor on your burnt offerings. Selah

New American Bible              May God remember your every offering,

graciously accept your holocaust, Selah

New Jerusalem Bible             May he remember all your sacrifices and delight in your burnt offerings! Pause

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Bible in Basic English             May he keep all your offerings in mind, and be pleased with the fat of your burned offerings; Selah.

JPS (Tanakh)                         May He receive the tokens [Reference to azkara, “token portion” of meal offering; Lev. 2:2, 9, 10 etc.] of all your meal offerings,

and approve [Hebrew meaning uncertain] your burnt offerings.

NET Bible®                             May he take notice of your offerings;

may he accept your burnt sacrifice! (Selah)

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

The Amplified Bible                Remember all your offerings and accept your burnt sacrifice. Selah [pause, and think of that]!

Concordant Literal Version    May He remember all your approach presents, And upon your ascent offerings, may He confer richness. Interlude".

Updated Emphasized Bible    Remember Your every present, and, Your ascending-sacrifice, esteem. Selah.

English Standard Version      May he remember all your offerings and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah.

exeGeses companion Bible   he remembers all your offerings

and fattens your holocausts.

Selah.

LTHB                                     He will remember all your offerings and make fat your burnt sacrifices. Selah.

NASB                                     May He remember all your meal offerings,

And find your burnt offering acceptable [lit., fat]!

Thieme                                   He {God} will remember all of your {food} offerings

and accept your burnt offerings

Selah.

WEB                                      Remember all your offerings, And accept your burnt sacrifice. Selah.

Young’s Updated LT             He remembers all your presents, And Your burnt-offering He reduces to ashes. Selah.

The gist of this verse:          God will recall our bloodless offerings and He reduces our burnt offerings to ashes (which means, He accepts them as propitious).

Translation: He will remember all of your tribute [bloodless] offerings... Two of the salvation offerings are presented in this verse. The first is the tribute or bloodless offering. Although there are several types of bloodless offerings, this particular one speaks of the humanity of Jesus Christ. It is flour, oil and frankincense mixed together. The flour speaks of His deity, the oil of the filling of the Holy Spirit, and the frankincense is the sweet savor which both propitiates God and draws men to Him.

John Calvin associates remembering with having regard for, just as forgetting would imply neglect. There must be something in our offerings which causes God to have regard for us—and that something is our faith in Jehovah Elohim.

Translation: ...and He turns your burnt offerings to ashes. A burnt offering is an animal without spot or blemish which is sacrificed, and represents the judgement of Jesus Christ on the cross for our sins. Wood is burned in order to make this a burnt offering. Our Lord died on the wood (the cross). The burning refers to judgment for our sins. Even though there have been a few instances of this referring to a miraculous burning of a sacrifice (Lev. 9:24 1Chron. 21:26 2Chron. 7:1), that is not what is in view here. Being turned to ashes refers to the efficacy of our Lord’s death on our behalf. The word used here, to turn to ashes also means to make abundantly satisfied. God the Father is abundantly satisfied with the sacrifice of God the Son. God the Father accepted as propitious the sacrifice of God the Son.

From Theopedia: Propitiation means satisfaction or appeasement, specifically towards God. Propitiation is the work of Jesus Christ on the cross by which He appeases the wrath of God who would otherwise be offended by our sin and demand that we pay the penalty for it. The concept of propitiation is often associated with the idea of a substitutionary atonement.

In the previous two verses, God is answering the call of those in trouble; He is setting them on a high place for safety; He is sending help and support from His holy place. However, v. 3 connects this to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. This is why God the Father treats us in this way; this is why God the Father protects us and sustains us; because of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. A sacrifice is necessary in order for us to gain the grace of God. God does not simply look down and remark, “That Charley Brown—now he’s a heck of a nice fellow; I like him! I’ll take care of him.” God is propitiated or satisfied by the offering of Jesus Christ, by Jesus Christ taking upon Himself the penalty for our sins. This is the basis for our relationship with God. Eph. 5:2 reads: And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us, and has given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling fragrance.

God is perfectly righteous. He is just. In Him is no sin at all. Sin is abhorrent to God and all sin must be paid for. If we only look at God’s justice and righteousness, then realize that our sins must be judged and a penalty mete out, which penalty is death. However, God is also love, and because of His love, He sent His Son to die for our sins.

Translation: [Musical] Pause [or, musical interlude; lit., Selah!] As described in the exegesis, this word çelâh comes from a verb which means to lift up. It is reasonable to assume that those who are playing musical instruments are to lift up these instruments and play during a pause in the singing. I believe that this is called the bridge in modern music?

Keil and Delitzsch suggest: The music, as Sela directs, here becomes more boisterous; it gives intensity to the strong cry for the judgment of God; and the first unfolding of thought of this Michtam is here brought to a close.

R. B. Thieme Jr: Selah means singers rest and instruments play on - it is a picture of you resting while the grace of God continues on.

What we are to do is to stop and to think about what David has said, particularly about the bloodless and the burnt offerings, as well as about God’s willingness to help us in all circumstances, and how closely these things are related.

David calls for a musical break here so that we can think about what has been said so far: God hears and answers us and He will protect us from His holy place; but, this is tied directly to the sacrifice of His Son. God’s care and the tribute offering and the blood offering must be seen as associated together. So, we think about these words and these first 3 verses.

The selah here is the primary reason that I concluded that this was the end of the first section.

——————————

Chorus

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Latin Vulgate                          May He give you according to your own heart; and confirm all your counsels.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        He gives to you as your heart

and all your counsel He fulfills.

Septuagint (Greek)                May He grant you according to your heart, and fulfill all your desires.

Significant differences:           We have already discussed the jussive concept in previous verses. The English translation of the Latin Vulgate has confirm rather than fulfill; but the Greek is in agreement with the Hebrew. What is being fulfilled is counsel, advice, wisdom, purpose; plan; which is in line with the Greek and Latin.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       May God do what you want most and let all go well for you.

Easy English (Pocock)           We want God to give you all that you really want

to make all your plans work well

Easy-to-Read Version            May God give you what you really want.

May he make all your plans successful.

Good News Bible (TEV)         May he give you what you desire and make all your plans succeed.

The Message                         Give you what your heart desires, Accomplish your plans.

New Century Version             May he give you what you want

and make all your plans succeed.

New Life Bible                        May He give you the desire of your heart, and make all your plans go well.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          May God give you all the things in your heart, and fulfill whatever you have planned.

New American Bible              Grant what is in your heart,

fulfill your every plan.

NIRV                                      May he give you what your heart longs for.

May he make all of your plans succeed.

New Jerusalem Bible             May he grant you your heart's desire and crown all your plans with success!

Revised English Bible            May he give you your heart’s desire,

and grant success to all your plans.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Bible in Basic English             May he give you your heart's desire, and put all your purposes into effect.

HCSB                                     May He give you what your heart desires and fulfill your whole purpose.

JPS (Tanakh)                         May He grant you your desire,

and fulfill your every plan.

NET Bible®                             May he grant your heart's desire [Hebrew: "may he give to you according to your heart." This probably refers to the king's prayer for protection and victory in battle. See vv. 5-6.];

may he bring all your plans to pass [This probably refers to the king's strategy for battle]!

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

LTHB                                     He will give you according to your heart and He will fulfill all your plans.

MKJV                                     May He grant you according to your own heart, and fulfill all your plans.

Thieme                                   He {God} will give to you

according to your 'right lobe'/heart {the real YOU - 'what you think, so you are'},

and fulfil your plan {of attack}.

Young’s Updated LT             He gives to you according to your heart, And all your counsel He fulfils.

The gist of this verse:          God gives us an inner compartment for spiritual information (the human spirit) and He fills this compartment up with wisdom.

Translation: He gives to you according to your heart... I believe that many of the translators just missed the boat on this one. We have a mind prior to salvation; however, after salvation, God gives to us a human spirit, in which we store doctrine. The human spirit contains all of the information which relates us to God. Our ability to relate to people is in our souls; our ability to relate to God is in our spirits. We do not have a human spirit when born, as we are born spiritually dead. We acquire one when we believe in Christ (or, in the Old Testament, when they believe in Jehovah Elohim). Here, this human spirit given, according to our heart, which refers to man’s inner being. The One doing the giving here is God; therefore, what He gives is our ability to perceive and understand Him. Our thinking was limited—we had a soul only—now He gives us the human spirit, according to our hearts, according to our inner beings.

We are born as dichotomus beings, with a body and soul. Our souls allow us to interact with one another, and our souls are a repository for our thinking, norms and standards, beliefs and ideas. When Adam and Eve sinned, they both lost their human spirits, so that they no longer thought about God. So, after they sinned, their first thoughts were not about “What is God going to think? What is God going to do to us?” Their first thoughts are about one another and how they are naked; and they first act to correct that. They do not think about God until God calls out to them in the garden.

When we are saved, God gives to us a human spirit, according to our mind, inner man, inner being, heart. Here, this word specifically refers to the unseen part of man. God gives us according to this inner man, which is lacking before salvation; and He completes it after salvation. When we are saved, which is noted back in v. 3, with the tribute offering and the burnt offering (representing the life and then substitutionary death of Jesus Christ), then God gives us the ability to have a relationship with Him, which finds its basis in the human spirit. In the human spirit, we begin to fill it up with divine viewpoint, divine norms and standards, divine establishment thinking, and a knowledge of Who and What God is.

This can also be seen as God giving us, as a response to our thinking, which, as we grow spiritually, becomes more attuned to Him. That is, we have a better idea of what to ask for; we have a better idea as to what God has for us. We become more interested in wisdom than we do in things. Prov. 11:23 reads: The desire of the righteous is only good. The expectation of the wicked is wrath.

Translation: ...and He fills up all of your wisdom [or, He fulfills your plans]. God will fill our human spirit with wisdom, one of the meanings of ʿêtsâh. Counsel is often seen as advice, as it relates to interaction between yourself and someone else who is doing the counseling. However, here, the One doing the counseling is God the Holy Spirit; He allows for the thinking of the believer to be filled up with the Word of God, which is wisdom. In this, we learn God’s plan and purpose.

Sow what we have here, although not apparent at first, is salvation (v. 3) and spiritual growth (v. 4). The first is an accomplished event; the second is a continued experience. What follows is living the Christian life (since Christ had not yet come, this would be the life of the believer in Jehovah Elohim). This life is what will follow.

As in previous verses, we can understand this to refer to that which David prays for on our behalf. He prays for our salvation; he prays for God to place within us the human spirit; he prays for us to grow, that God may give us according to our thinking; he prays that God may fill up our soul and spirit with wisdom.

——————————

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Latin Vulgate                          We will rejoice in Your salvation; and in the name of our God we will be exalted. The Lord fulfil all your petitions. The Latin Vulgate reasonably places the last phrase in the next verse.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        Let us shout for joy in Your deliverance,

and in a name of our Elohim we raise banners.

Fulfills Y^ehowah all your requests.

Peshitta (Syriac)                    We will be glorified in Your salvation, and in the name of our God we will be exalted; the LORD fulfil all your petitions.

Septuagint (Greek)                We will exult in Your salvation, and in the name of our God will we be magnified: the Lord fulfil all Your petitions.

Significant differences:           Interestingly enough, the ancient translations render the previous verses as jussives (it could go either way); and yet in this verse, which is a cohortative, they do not. Although the Latin and the Greek appear to agree with the first Hebrew verb, the Syriac does not (I operate only from the English translation of the Peshitta).

The second verb seems to enjoy agreement among the Greek, Latin and Syriac, but not with the Hebrew. The NET Bible suggests that the Hebrew letter yodh (י) dropped out of the text (it is the smallest consonant in the Hebrew), and that to rejoice is the proper meaning of the second verb. Given the agreement of the ancient translations, one would be hard-pressed to disagree with this assertion. However, many spot-on translations go with the verb which means to raise up a banner. Furthermore, I do not find that other Hebrew word to which the NET Bible refers in my BDB lexicon. What I do find, however, is a verb gâdal (גָּדַל) [pronounced gaw-DAHL], which means to magnify, where the two first letters are transposed. That is certainly a possibility. The only reason why I am spending any time with this is because the ancient translations seem to almost speak with once voice here (two are translated to exalt and the Greek is to magnify).

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       Then you will win victories, and we will celebrate, while raising our banners in the name of our God. May the LORD answer all of your prayers!.

Easy English (Pocock)           We will shout for joy when you win the war.

We will lift up our banners in the name of our God.

We want the LORD to answer all that you pray.

Easy-to-Read Version            We will be happy when God helps you.

Let’s praise God’s name.

May the Lord give you

everything that you ask for!

Good News Bible (TEV)         Then we will shout for joy over your victory and celebrate your triumph by praising our God. May the LORD answer all your requests.

The Message                         When you win, we plan to raise the roof and lead the parade with our banners. May all your wishes come true!

New Century Version             ...and we will shout for joy when you succeed,

and we will raise a flag in the name of our God.

May the Lord give you all that you ask for.

New Living Translation           May we shout for joy when we hear of your victory

and raise a victory banner in the name of our God.

May the Lord answer all your prayers.

New Simplified Bible              We will rejoice in your salvation. We will wave our flags in the name of our God. Jehovah will fulfill all your petitions.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          Then all will shout about your salvation, and praise the Name of our God. may Jehovah grant all that you ask.

New Jerusalem Bible             So that with joy we can hail your victory and draw up our ranks in the name of our God. May Yahweh grant all your petitions.

Revised English Bible            Let us sing aloud in praise of your victory,

let us do homage to the name of our God!

May the Lord grant your every request!

Today’s NIV                          May we shout for joy over your victory

and lift up our banners in the name of our God.

May the LORD grant all your requests.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Bible in Basic English             We will be glad in your salvation, and in the name of our God we will put up our flags: may the Lord give you all your requests.

Context Group Version          We will triumph in your rescue, And in the name of our God we will set up our banners: YHWH fulfill all your petitions.

JPS (Tanakh)                         May we shout for joy in your victory,

arrayed by standards in the name of our God.

May the Lord fulfill your every wish.

NET Bible®                             Then we will shout for joy over your [Your victory. Here the king is addressed (see v. 1).] victory;

we will rejoice [The Hebrew verb דַגַל (dagal) occurs only here in the Qal. If accepted as original, it may carry the nuance "raise a banner," but it is preferable to emend the form to דגיל ("we will rejoice") which provides better parallelism with "shout for joy" and fits well with the prepositional phrase "in the name of our God" (see Ps 89:16).] in the name of our God!

May the Lord grant all your requests!.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

The Amplified Bible                We will [shout in] triumph at your salvation and victory, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners. May the Lord fulfill all your petitions.

Concordant Literal Version    Let us be jubilant in your salvation, And in the Name of Elohim, may we raise a standard. May Yahweh fulfill all your requests."

A Conservative Version         We will triumph in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners. LORD fulfill all thy petitions.

English Standard Version      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!.

exeGeses companion Bible   We shout in your salvation

and in the name of our Elohim we raise our banners;

Yah Veh fulfills all your requests.

Hebrew Names Version         We will triumph in your yeshu`ah. In the name of our God, we will set up our banners. May the LORD grant all your requests.

MKJV                                     We will rejoice in your salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up banners; may Jehovah fulfill all your prayers..

Thieme                                   We {Jewish Army} will 'shout in celebration' in your {battle} deliverance/salvation {yeshuw`ah}.

And in the Person/Name/Essence of our 'Elohim/Godhead, we will 'plant our colors/banners' {military idiom for victory is to plant the regimental colors}.

Jehovah/God shall fulfil all your {David's} petitions {David's questions on tactical situation in battle}.

WEB                                      We will triumph in your salvation. In the name of our God we will set up our banners: May Yahweh grant all your requests.

Young's Updated LT              We sing of Your salvation, And in the name of our God, we set up a banner. Jehovah fulfils all Your requests.

The gist of this verse:          The believer celebrates God’s deliverance; and flags are raised in His name. The psalmist then asks for the fulfillment of all our requests.

Translation: Let us shout for joy at your salvation [or, deliverance];... In the previous verse, God granted to man the inner being, by which man could have fellowship with God. Now that we have this added dimension, we can celebrate with shouting His deliverance. When I initially translated this phrase, I thought that is might be Let us shout for joy at Your salvation, referring, of course, to God’s deliverance, which may be seen as eternal (we are saved by believing in Him) or as temporal (David was delivered in time by God on many occasions on the battlefield). However, that would require for David to change from speaking to the hearer in vv. 1–4, and 5c; and suddenly speak to God here, in v. 5a (Whom is spoken of in the 3^rd person in vv. 1–8). Therefore, this ought to read, Let us shout for joy at your salvation. The masculine singular suffix affixed to salvation means that this salvation is individual, belonging to each individual who takes it. This is more in keeping with the rest of the psalm, where David appears to be speaking to the hearer (this can be seen in each of the first 5 verses).

Celebrating God’s deliverance, whether of a temporal or an eternal nature, is found throughout the Bible: Isa. 12:2: Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation. Psalm 21:1: O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices, and in Your salvation how greatly he exults! Psalm 35:9: Then my soul will rejoice in the LORD, exulting in His salvation.

Translation: ...we raise up [our] banners [or, we will magnify] in the name of our Elohim. The alternate approach to this verb is noted in the Hebrew exegesis. However, after a victory (a deliverance), which is more natural than to raise up flags. Since they were delivered by Jehovah Elohim, then they will raise up their flags of victory in His name. However, banners are also raised at the beginning of a battle (Jer. 51:27), and the deliverance of v. 5a could be seen as anticipatory.

It is also logical, when celebrating the salvation provided by God or deliverance by God, to magnify [i.e. to make known] His name. In such a situation, the mature believer would certainly want to put Jehovah’s name above all others, having been delivered by Him. The mature believer is not looking to glorify himself; he is expecting that God will be glorified through him.

As is the case, 99% of the time, when we come up to a translation which could have two meanings (in this case, because the verb itself may be suspect in the Masoretic text), the application of either meaning does not cause us any problems with interpreting the verse. That is, here, we can interpret this verse in either way, and it makes sense and it fits with the context.

What we do not have (and this is something which I was originally taught at a fairly impressionable age), is, that some groups came along and changed the Bible here or there in order to suit their own particular doctrines (I was taught, as a young person, that all of the references to reincarnation had been removed). After years of study, it has become clear to me that such assertions are nonsense, and bear no intellectual rigor. In fact, the accuracy of the New Testament of the Bible is greater than the accuracy of the Shakespear plays which we have today. The New Testament, written in the 1^st century a.d., before the invention of the printing press, is far more accurate than the text of the 37 plays written by Shakespear, which were written in the 17^th century, after the invention of the printing press. In every single one of Shakespear’s plays, there are gaps where text ought to be; so scholars have simply tried to fill in the blanks with text which fits the context. On the other hand, there is no indication that any text is missing from the New Testament, written 1600 years previous to Shakespear.

Although the Old Testament is not as accurate, letter-for-letter, it is still a very accurate document, as we have seen by comparing the text of the Masorites to the text of the Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered this past century. We have based the translation of our Old Testament upon texts which were copied between the 9^th and 12^th centuries a.d. These texts were written down nearly 2000 years after the last word was written in Chronicles. However, after many of our translations had been committed to text, the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1947, with text which predated the life of our Lord Jesus Christ by 100 years. These texts were preserved in a climate ideal for the task. The end result is, the text we have been depending upon is quite accurate. The illustration most often given, is a chapter in Isaiah, where there are a number of differences, but these differences have to do with spelling, for the most part, rather than actual differences in the text. The only problem is, the word light is found in the Dead Sea Scrolls in this chapter, and it is missing in the Masoretic text. So, for nearly 2000 years, the Old Testament text has remained relatively uncorrupted; and, in this example, revealing less corruption than we find with Shakespear’s writings.

Back to our verse: We will [shout in] triumph at your salvation and victory, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners. This calls to mind what David shouted out to Goliath: Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied (1Sam. 17:5). Or, Micah 4:5: For all the peoples walk each in the name of its god, but we will walk in the name of the LORD our God forever and ever.

Translation: Y^ehowah will fulfill all of your petitions. A great victory was achieved in vv. 5a–b; so here, just as God fulfilled the petitions of the nation in armed combat, so He would fulfill the requests of our individual prayers. David shows how God’s victory on the battlefield was evidence that we can come to Him with our own petitions. The masculine singular suffix here refers to the petitions of individuals.

——————————

God Delivers in Battle

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Latin Vulgate                          Now have I known that the Lord has saved his anointed. He will hear him from his holy heaven: the salvation of his right hand is in powers.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        Now I know that delivers [or, saves, preserves, helps] Y^ehowah His anointed one [or, Messiah];

He answers him [Him?] from [two] heavens of His holiness.

In mighty deeds, saves His right hand [or, in mighty deeds, a deliverance His right hand (is)].

Peshitta (Syriac)                    Henceforth it is known that the LORD has saved his anointed; and has heard him from his holy heaven and saved with the strength of his right hand.

Septuagint (Greek)                Now I know that the Lord has saved His Christ; He shall hear Him from His holy heaven: the salvation of His right hand is mighty.

Significant differences:           Although the Syriac has it is known rather than I know, that is based upon the English translation. The Latin and Greek are in agreement with the Hebrew text.

The Greek, Latin and Syriac all have to hear as the 3^rd verb rather than to answer. Even the KJV has to hear; however, this word means to answer.

The final problem is, the verb to save in the Hebrew is treated as a noun in the Latin and Greek. However, there is some disagreement within the Hebrew text itself whether this ought to be a noun or a verb (this will be discussed in greater detail in the Hebrew exegesis).

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       I am certain, LORD, that you will help your chosen king. You will answer my prayers from your holy place in heaven, and you will save me with your mighty arm.

Easy-to-Read Version            Now I know the Lord helps

the king he chose!

God was in his holy heaven,

and he answered his chosen king.

God used his great power to save the king.

Good News Bible (TEV)         Now I know that the LORD gives victory to his chosen king; he answers him from his holy heaven and by his power gives him great victories.

The Message                         That clinches it--help's coming, an answer's on the way, everything's going to work out.

New Living Translation           Now I know that the Lord rescues his anointed king.

He will answer him from his holy heaven

and rescue him by his great power.

New Simplified Bible              Now I know that Jehovah will save his anointed king. He will answer him from his holy heaven with mighty deeds of his powerful hand.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          Now, I have [seen] how Jehovah delivers, for He's heard His anointed from His holy heavens. With His right hand He takes control and brings salvation,...

God’s Word™                         Now I know that the LORD will give victory to his anointed king. He will answer him from his holy heaven with mighty deeds of his powerful hand.

NIRV                                      Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed king.

He answers him from his holy heaven.

The power of God's right hand saves the king.

New Jerusalem Bible             Now I know that Yahweh gives victory to his anointed. He will respond from his holy heavens with great deeds of victory from his right hand.

Revised English Bible            Now I know that the Lord has given victory to his anointed one;

he will answer him from his holy heaven

with the victorious might of his right hand.

Today’s NIV                          Now this I know:

The LORD gives victory to his anointed.

He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary

with the victorious power of his right hand.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Context Group Version          Now I know that YHWH rescues his anointed; He will answer him from his special the skies { or heavens } With the rescuing strength of his right hand.

JPS (Tanakh)                         Now I know that the Lord will give victory to His annoited,

will answer him from His heavenly sanctuary

with the mighty victories of His right arm.

Judaica Press Complete T.    Now I know that the Lord saved His anointed; He answered him from His holy heavens; with the mighty acts of salvation from His right hand.

NET Bible®                             Now I am sure [Or "know." Now I am sure. The speaker is not identified. It is likely that the king, referring to himself in the third person (note "his chosen king"), responds to the people's prayer. Perhaps his confidence is due to the reception of a divine oracle of salvation.] that the LORD will deliver [The perfect verbal form is probably used rhetorically to state that the deliverance is as good as done. In this way the speaker emphasizes the certainty of the deliverance. Another option is to take the statement as generalizing; the psalmist affirms that the Lord typically delivers the king.] his chosen king; [Heb "his anointed one." This title refers to the Davidic king. See Pss 2:2 and 18:50.]

he will intervene for him [Heb "he will answer him."] from his holy heavenly temple, [Heb "from his holy heavens."]

and display his mighty ability to deliver. [Heb "with mighty acts of deliverance of his right hand." The Lord's "right hand" here symbolizes his power to protect and deliver (see Psalm 17:7).]

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Concordant Literal Version    Now I know that Yahweh will save His anointed; He shall answer him from His holy heavens By the saving masterful deeds of His right hand.

Green’s Literal Translation    Now I know that Jehovah saves His anointed; He answers him from His holy Heaven with the saving strengths of His right hand.

MKJV                                     Now I know that Jehovah saves His anointed; He will hear him from His holy Heaven with the saving strengths of His right hand.

NRSV                                     Now I know that the Lord will help his anointed;

he will answer him from his holy heaven

with mighty victories by his right hand.

Thieme                                   At this time {after the victories over the Philistines in 2Samuel 5},

I know/understand {yada`} that Jehovah/God has delivered His anointed {David}.

He {God} will answer him {David} from His 'holy heaven' {'God's Higher headquarters in heaven} with the mighty deeds of the victory of His right hand

{Jesus Christ is God the Father's 'Right Hand' - Jesus Christ controls History - God the Father answers SuperGrace Prayers and He is responsible for the victories}.

Young's Updated LT              Now I have known That Jehovah has saved His anointed, He answers him from His holy heavens, With the saving might of His right hand.

The gist of this verse:          The psalmist knows that God will deliver His anointed. God will answer His anointed from the heavens, delivering him with His right hand. Whether anointed one refers to David or to Jesus is a matter of interpretation, to be discussed in the exegesis of this verse.

Translation: Now, I know that Y^ehowah delivers [or, saves, preserves] His anointed one [or, His Messiah];... There are two ways to understand this verse, and I believe that both are apt: Now I know that Jehovah will deliver His anointed one. David is a believer and he has been chosen by God to rule over Israel. He knows that, in these various conflicts which he is involved in, that God will deliver him. The use of the adverb now perhaps means that David has recently observed God deliver him after a great battle or against some very tough enemies.

The second way to understand this phrase is: Now, I know that Jehovah preserves His Messiah. Jesus Christ, the Messiah of God, will be preserved by God until He completes His mission (which is the cross).

Translation: ...He will answer him [Him?] from the heavens of His holy place. Again, there are two ways to read this: He will answer him, simply means that David will pray to God; David will ask God for deliverance in battle and God will answer David.

The second way to understand this is, He will answer Him. There will be a direct pipeline between Jesus Christ—the Messiah—and God the Father. His prayers will be answered; His requests will be answered (except for, “Let this cup pass from Me”).

Application: Jesus Christ test-drove the spiritual life which we now possess. This direct pipeline which He enjoyed, we also have. When in fellowship, we have a great and powerful and effective prayer; and when operating as a corporate unit (2 or 3 gathered in His name), our prayers are even more effective and powerful.

Translation: With mighty deeds, His right hand [is] deliverance [or, His right hand saves]. As explained in the Hebrew exegesis, most translators understand the second to the last word to be the noun deliverance, salvation. This is how it appears in the Masoretic text. However, Owen suggests that this could be the lone use of the verb to save, to deliver in the Qal stem (it is found in the Hiphil and Niphal stems, but never in the Qal stem in the Old Testament). The greatest problem with the verb is, we would expect His right hand to deliver him; i.e., we would expect to see the 3^rd person masculine singular suffix affixed to this verb; however, we do not find that here.

The alternate translation aside, there are again, two ways to see this verse: With mighty deeds, His right hand [is] deliverance. God’s right hand is His strength, His power; and David has, on many occasions, seen God deliver him in battle and in many situations. David has observed a confluence of mighty deeds, which reveal the right hand of God in his life.

Application: My guess is, most maturing believers can see God’s right hand (His power and strength) in their lives as well. That is, you should be able to see a number of situations where God has directed the events of your life for the good—and, let me add this: you might have sinned, and even sinned greatly, and been under discipline, and you can look back and see God directing that discipline in your life toward your good as well.

The second interpretation does not require a change in the translation: With mighty deeds, His right hand [is] deliverance [or, salvation]. Jesus Christ is the Right Hand of God; and the mighty deeds are: He lived a sinless life, despite a myriad of temptations; and His final deed, His death for our lives on the cross, is our salvation.

Clarke, on God’s right hand: The Hand of God is his power, the Right hand, his almighty power; the Strength of his right hand, his almighty power in action; the Saving strength of his right hand, the miraculous effects wrought by his almighty power brought into action.

——————————

Although most commentators associate this psalm with David’s various wars, this is actually the first place where the implements of war are mentioned. Although I believe that this psalm was written with war and deliverance in mind, only this verse and the next can be clearly associated with war. The intention is, to give a wider application to the psalm to anyone who is having difficulty in their lives.

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Latin Vulgate                          Some [trust] in chariots, and some in horses: but we will call upon the name of the Lord, our God.

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        These in the chariot and these in the horses

and we in a name of Y^ehowah our Elohim remember.

Peshitta (Syriac)                    Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will prevail through the name of the LORD our God.

Septuagint (Greek)                Some [glory] in chariots, and some in horses: but we will glory in the name of the Lord our God.

Significant differences:           The Masoretic text begins with the word these; and the ancient translations begin with the word some, which is not far removed. The only verb, in the second line, varies in all of the texts. In the Greek, it is to make [or declare] great; in the Latin it is to call upon; and in the Syriac, it is to glory in. In Latin and Syriac, I am depending upon the English renderings to be accurate. In the Hebrew, this verb means to remember, to call to mind; and it is suggested by the NET Bible that this verb, when associated with the name of God, means to invoke. We will examine that in more detail in the Hebrew exegesis.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       Some people trust the power of chariots or horses, but we trust you, LORD God.

Easy English (Pocock)           Some people rely on chariots. Others rely on horses.

But we will trust in the name of the LORD our God.

Easy-to-Read Version            Some people trust their chariots.

Other people trust their soldiers.

But we remember the Lord our God.

Good News Bible (TEV)         Some trust in their war chariots and others in their horses, but we trust in the power of the LORD our God.

The Message                         See those people polishing their chariots, and those others grooming their horses? But we're making garlands for GOD our God.

New Life Bible                        Some trust in wagons and some in horses. But we will trust in the name of the Lord, our God.

New Living Translation           Some nations boast of their chariots and horses,

but we boast in the name of the Lord our God.

New Simplified Bible              Some boast in chariots and others in horses, but we will boast in the name of Jehovah our God.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          With His right hand He takes control and brings salvation, ⁷ from those attacking on chariots and horses. For, when I called on the Name of God Jehovah,... I included a portion of v. 6 because it is uniquely tied to v. 7 in the American English Bible.

God’s Word™                         Some rely on chariots and others on horses, but we will boast in the name of the LORD our God.

New American Bible              Some rely on chariots, others on horses,

but we on the name of the LORD our God.

New Jerusalem Bible             Some call on chariots, some on horses, but we on the name of Yahweh our God.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Bible in Basic English             Some put their faith in carriages and some in horses; but we will be strong in the name of the Lord our God.

Complete Apostles’ Bible      Some glory in chariots, and some in horses: but we will glory in the name of the Lord our God.

Context Group Version          Some [ give trust ] to chariots, and some in horses; But we will make mention of the name of YHWH our God.

JPS (Tanakh)                         They [call] on chariots, they [call] on horses,

but we call on the name of the Lord our God.

NET Bible®                             Some trust in chariots and others in horses, [Heb "these in chariots and these in horses." No verb appears; perhaps the verb "invoke" is to be supplied from the following line. In this case the idea would be that some "invoke" (i.e., trust in) their military might for victory (cf. NEB "boast"; NIV "trust"; NRSV "take pride"). Verse 8 suggests that the "some/others" mentioned here are the nation's enemies.]

but we [The grammatical construction (conjunction + pronominal subject) highlights the contrast between God's faithful people and the others mentioned in the previous line.] depend on [Heb "we invoke the name of." The Hiphil of זָכַר (zakhar), when combined with the phrase "in the name," means "to invoke" (see Josh 23:7; Isa 48:1; Amos 6:10). By invoking the Lord's name in prayer, the people demonstrate their trust in him.] the LORD our God.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Concordant Literal Version    These boast in chariots, and those in horses, But as for us, concerning the Name of Yahweh our Elohim, we are ever mindful.".

LTHB                                     These trust in chariots, and these in horses, but we will make mention in the name of Jehovah our God.

NRSV                                     Some take pride in chariots, and some in horses,

but our pride is in the name of the Lord our God.

Thieme                                   These {the Philistines} . . . by chariots {basis of the strength of their military is the power of their chariots},

and some . . . {depend} in horses

but, in contrast, we {David and his men} have been caused to remember {based on Bible doctrine resident in our souls} the Person/Name/Essence of Jehovah/God our 'Elohiym/Godhead.

WEB                                      Some trust in chariots, and some in horses, But we trust the name of Yahweh our God.

Young's Updated LT              Some of chariots, and some of horses, and we in the name of Jehovah our God remember.

The gist of this verse:          Other nations and kings depend upon chariots and horses, but Israel invokes the name of Jehovah their God.

Translation: These [trust] in chariots and these [trust] in [their] horses,... We do not have a verb here, and it is unclear whether this verb has dropped out or whether we take the verb from the general context. It is clear in the previous verses that David is exercising trust and dependence upon God, although that particular verb is not specifically used. However, we may infer the verb to trust from the general tenor of the psalm (which many translations do).

This is the human viewpoint way of understanding things—we have great chariots or we have great horses, and therefore, our armies will be victorious. This does not argue against having a well-trained army with excellent equipment; however, this should not be when the people depend upon. As Moses told the Jews, “When you go out to war against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and an army larger than your own, you shall not be afraid of them, for the LORD your God is with you, Who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” (Deut. 20:1). Or, as the psalmist tells us in Psalm 33:16–17: The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue.

Barnes gives us an historical perspective of these war chariots: The war-chariot carried armed men into battle. These furnished great advantages in war, by the speed with which they could be driven against an enemy, and by the facilities in fighting from them. They were usually very simple. They consisted of “a light pole suspended between and on the withers of a pair of horses, the after end resting on a light axle tree, with two low wheels. Upon the axle stood a light frame, open behind, and floored for the warrior and his charioteer, who both stood within. On the sides of the frame hung the war-bow, in its case; a large quiver with arrows and darts had commonly a particular sheath. In Persia, the chariots, elevated upon wheels of considerable diameter, had four horses abreast; and in early ages, there were occasionally hooks or scythes attached to the axles.” - Kitto, “Cyclo.” In early ages these constituted a main reliance in determining the result of a battle. Gill also provides us with some background information here: Such chariots as were called "currus falcati", that had scythes at the sides of them, which being drove with fury among the infantry, cut them down as grass is mown with scythes.

The final verb in this verse could mean to call upon, to invoke; and we may use this verb here as well. The meaning of this single verb will require some discussion; and after the discussion, we will pull the verses together.

Application: I write this in the year 2009, in the United States, and there is a very bleak outlook for the U.S. indeed. We are teetering on a depression. Our president, who either has no clue what to do or is so ideologically predisposed to do what he wants to do, is making things worse, spending money that we do not have, increasing the federal government size, which will never help with a recession or a depression; and, although he has made some good decisions with regards to foreign policy, he is a novice in this area as well. Many people in the United States are, understandably, concerned. However, these things must come to pass. Over half of our electorate voted for this man, and many saw him as messianic, able to do great things, despite having the thinnest resume of any previous modern president. Many voted for him because he would simply give them more things without their having to work for it. They put their trust in a man, including many religious types. When a nation of believers begins to depend upon a man for their deliverance, and is willing to take from the state without working, this is problematic to the nation, and the nation must be cleansed. The believer does not have to be concerned about this. We do not depend upon material things. Just as a people may depend upon their chariots or horses for victory is empty; our dependence upon material prosperity as our deliverance is empty. We have to let history take its course. God loves the United States and God is going to preserve the United States. We support the nation Israel; we teach the Word of God here, and we send out missionaries. So God is not going to crush the United States for our many weaknesses. However, God may have to cull out some of our population and get many others pointed in the right direction. This messianic vision of our president is a great problem for the United States, and God must deal with this mistaken vision. Some nations depend upon chariots and horses; others depend too much upon their president.

Translation: ...but we call to mind [or, invoke] the Name of Y^ehowah our Elohim. In war, some depend upon chariots and horses, but we, instead, call upon the Name of Jehovah Elohim. He is the key to our victory in war.

Now, God’s name is not a good luck charm. We do not continually repeat the name Jehovah or Y^ehowah or Jesus. I have known various ministers and Christians, and it seems like every few sentences, they slip in some holy phrase, like, “Jesus be blessed.” This is not how we understand this verse. We need to know the attributes of God. We need to know the essence of God. We need to understand our relationship to Him. We need to have cognitive, reasoned thinking of who we are and Who God is, and our relationship with Him. We have been saved because Jesus Christ died for our sins, which gives us direct access to God, the Creator of the Universe. You might think that, it would be great if you had a direct line to the president, and that he would consider what you have to say and often change his mind and policy because of your advice. What we have is so much greater than that. We have a direct line to the God Who created all that we see. We have a direct line to a God Who loves us and treats us in grace, despite our many shortcomings. The more we are able to mentally enumerate all that this means, the better we are able to string together thoughts which relate God to us, the easier it is to face any disaster or difficulty. All of this is confidence based upon cognitive thought, and our thinking comes from knowledge of Bible doctrine.

We have already studied David and the many wars in which he was engaged in, in 2Sam. 8. Israel was victorious because God made them victorious. Israel was surrounded by vicious nations, some fueled by natural hatred for the Jews, and God gave David victory over these nations.

In modern-day Israel, where these are God’s people living in Israel, even though many of them are unbelievers, God has shown obvious care for this nation. We have seen several wars between Israel and a coalition of nations, and Israel has been victorious again and again. Compared to these other countries, Israel is a postage stamp of a nation. In terms of personal anger and animosity, the Jews cannot compare to the Arab nations around them. Iran, which, for all intents and purposes, has no relationship with Israel, for good or bad, periodically calls for the destruction of Israel, because of the innate hatred in the souls of Iranian leaders and its people. Given these things, it is absolutely amazing that Israel has survived on that tiny plot of land for over 60 years now. But that is God’s grace. They do not earn it; they do not deserve it; but they are God’s people. This same God protects us.

Armed with this new definition, this gives us: These [call upon] [their] chariots and these [call upon] [their] horses, but we call upon the Name of Y^ehowah our Elohim. We take the verb in context and put it back where the verb is lacking. When an army goes against Israel, it is their thinking that their chariots and their horses (their armored division) can deliver them; and when necessary, they call upon these in order to defeat Israel’s army. However, David, instead, calls upon the name of Jehovah Elohim (Jesus Christ), and his army is consistently delivered from defeat.