Psalms 20
Old Testament · Brenton Septuagint with Greek parallel
Psalms chapter 20 is given here in full, verse by verse, in Sir Lancelot Brenton's classic English translation of the Septuagint (LXX), with the Greek text of the Septuagint set beneath each verse. The text follows the Septuagint tradition received throughout the Orthodox Church.
13 patristic excerpts are attached to this chapter, from Saint Augustine of Hippo.
Psalms 20
1(21) For the end, a Psalm of David.Εἰς τὸ τέλος, ψαλμὸς τῷ Δαυίδ.
2O Lord, the king shall rejoice in your strength; and in your salvation he shall greatly exult.Κύριε, ἐν τῇ δυνάμει σου εὐφρανθήσεται ὁ βασιλεὺς, καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ σωτηρίῳ σου ἀγαλλιάσεται σφόδρα.
3You have granted him the desire of his soul, and have not withheld from him the request of his lips. Pause.Τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ ἔδωκας αὐτῷ, καὶ τὴν δέησιν τῶν χειλέων αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἐστέρησας αὐτόν· διάψαλμα.
4For you have prevented him with blessings of goodness: you have set upon his head a crown of precious stone.Ὅτι προέφθασας αὐτὸν ἐν εὐλογίαις χρηστότητος, ἔθηκας ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ στέφανον ἐκ λίθου τιμίου.
5He asked life of you, and you gave him length of days for ever and ever.Ζωὴν ᾐτήσατό σε, καὶ ἔδωκας αὐτῷ μακρότητα ἡμερῶν εἰς αἰῶνα αἰῶνος.
6His glory is great in your salvation: you will crown him with glory and majesty.Μεγάλη ἡ δόξα αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ σωτηρίῳ σου, δόξαν καὶ μεγαλοπρέπειαν ἐπιθήσεις ἐπʼ αὐτόν.
7For you will give him a blessing for ever and ever: you will gladden him with joy with your countenance.Ὅτι δώσεις αὐτῷ εὐλογίαν εἰς αἰῶνα αἰῶνος, εὐφρανεῖς αὐτὸν ἐν χαρᾷ μετὰ τοῦ προσώπου σου.
8For the king trusts in the Lord, and through the mercy of the Highest he shall not be moved.Ὅτι ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐλπίζει ἐπὶ Κύριον, καὶ ἐν τῷ ἐλέει τοῦ ὑψίστου οὐ μὴ σαλευθῇ.
9Let your hand be found by all your enemies: let your right hand find all that hate you.Εὑρεθείη ἡ χείρ σου πᾶσι τοῖς ἐχθροῖς σου, ἡ δεξιά σου εὕροι πάντας τοὺς μισοῦντάς σε.
10You shall make them as a fiery oven at the time of your presence: the Lord shall trouble them in his anger, and fire shall devour them.Θήσεις αὐτοὺς ὡς κλίβανον πυρὸς εἰς καιρὸν τοῦ προσώπου σου, Κύριος ἐν ὀργῇ αὐτοῦ συνταράξει αὐτοὺς, καὶ καταφάγεται αὐτοὺς πῦρ.
11You shall destroy their fruit from the earth, and their seed from among the sons of men.Τὸν καρπὸν αὐτῶν ἀπὸ γῆς ἀπολεῖς, καὶ τὸ σπέρμα αὐτῶν ἀπὸ υἱῶν ἀνθρώπων.
12For they intended evils against you; they imagined a device which they shall by no means be able to perform.Ὅτι ἔκλιναν εἰς σὲ κακὰ, διελογίσαντο βουλὴν, ἣν οὐ μὴ δύνωνται στῆσαι.
13For you shall make them turn their back in your latter end, you will prepare their face.Ὅτι θήσεις αὐτοὺς νῶτον ἐν τοῖς περιλοίποις σου, ἑτοιμάσεις τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτῶν.
14Be you exalted, O Lord, in your strength: we will sing and praise your mighty acts.Ὑψώθητι Κύριε ἐν τῇ δυνάμει σου· ᾄσομεν καὶ ψαλοῦμεν τὰς δυναστείας σου.
The Fathers on Psalms 20
Saint Augustine of Hippo comments on this chapter. Each excerpt below is drawn from the full text held in the Fathers Library; follow the link on any entry to read the whole work.
On Psalms 20:2Saint Augustine of Hippo2. “O Lord, the King shall rejoice in Thy strength” (ver. 1). O Lord, in Thy strength, whereby the Word was made flesh, the Man Christ Jesus shall rejoice. “And shall exult exceedingly in Thy salvation.” And in that, whereby Thou quickenest all things, shall exult exceedingly.
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On Psalms 20:3Saint Augustine of Hippo3. “Thou hast given Him the desire of His soul” (ver. 2). He desired to eat the Passover, and to lay down His life when He would, and again when He would to take it; and Thou hast given it to Him. “And hast not deprived Him of the good pleasure of His lips.” “My peace,” saith He, “I leave with you:” and it was done.
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On Psalms 20:4Saint Augustine of Hippo4. “For Thou hast presented Him with the blessings of sweetness” (ver. 3). Because He had first quaffed the blessing of Thy sweetness, the gall of our sins did not hurt Him. “Diapsalma. Thou hast set a crown of precious stone on His Head.” At the beginning of His discoursing precious stones were brought, and compassed Him about; His disciples, from whom the commencement of His preaching should be made.
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On Psalms 20:5Saint Augustine of Hippo5. “He asked life; and Thou gavest Him:” He asked a resurrection, saying, “Father, glorify Thy Son;” and Thou gavest it Him, “Length of days for ever and ever” (ver. 4). The prolonged ages of this world which the Church was to have, and after them an eternity, world without end.
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On Psalms 20:6Saint Augustine of Hippo6. “His glory is great in Thy salvation” (ver. 5). Great indeed is His glory in the salvation, whereby Thou hast raised Him up again. “Glory and great honour shalt Thou lay upon Him.” But Thou shalt yet add unto Him glory and great honour, when Thou shalt place Him in heaven at Thy right hand.
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On Psalms 20:7Saint Augustine of Hippo7. “For Thou shalt give Him blessing for ever and ever.” This is the blessing which Thou shalt give Him for ever and ever: “Thou shalt make Him glad in joy together with Thy countenance” (ver. 6). According to His manhood, Thou shalt make Him glad together with Thy countenance, which He lifted up to Thee.
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On Psalms 20:8Saint Augustine of Hippo8. “For the King hopeth in the Lord.” For the King is not proud, but humble in heart, he hopeth in the Lord. “And in the mercy of the Most Highest He shall not be moved” (ver. 7). And in the mercy of the Most Highest His obedience even unto the death of the Cross shall not disturb His humility.
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On Psalms 20:9Saint Augustine of Hippo9. “Let Thy hand be found by all Thine enemies.” Be Thy power, O King, when Thou comest to judgment, found by all Thine enemies; who in Thy humiliation discerned it not. “Let Thy right hand find out all that hate Thee” (ver. 8). Let the glory, wherein Thou reignest at the right hand of the Father, find out for punishment in the day of judgment all that hate Thee; for that now they have not found it.
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On Psalms 20:10Saint Augustine of Hippo10. “Thou shalt make them like a fiery oven:” Thou shalt make them on fire within, by the consciousness of their ungodliness: “In the time of Thy countenance:” in the time of Thy manifestation. “The Lord shall trouble them in His wrath, and the fire shall devour them” (ver. 9). And then, being troubled by the vengeance of the Lord, after the accusation of their conscience, they shall be given up to eternal fire,…
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On Psalms 20:11Saint Augustine of Hippo11. “Their fruit shalt Thou destroy out of the earth.” Their fruit, because it is earthly, shalt Thou destroy out of the earth. “And their seed from the sons of men” (ver. 10). And their works; or, whomsoever they have seduced, Thou shalt not reckon among the sons of men, whom Thou hast called into the everlasting inheritance.
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On Psalms 20:12Saint Augustine of Hippo12. “Because they turned evils against Thee.” Now this punishment shall be recompensed to them, because the evils which they supposed to hang over them by Thy reign, they turned against Thee to Thy death. “They imagined a device, which they were not able to establish” (ver. 11). They imagined a device, saying, “It is expedient that one die for all:” which they were not able to establish, not knowing what they said.
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On Psalms 20:13Saint Augustine of Hippo13. “For Thou shalt set them low.” For Thou shalt rank them among those from whom in degradation and contempt Thou wilt turn away. “In Thy leavings Thou shalt make ready their countenance” (ver. 12). And in these things that Thou leavest, that is, in the desires of an earthly kingdom, Thou shalt make ready their shamelessness for Thy passion.
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On Psalms 20:14Open Psalms 20 in the interactive reader Switch translations, hear the chapter read aloud, tap any verse for its patristic commentary, and study the Greek word by word.Saint Augustine of Hippo14. “Be Thou exalted, O Lord, in Thy strength” (ver. 13). Be Thou, Lord, whom in humiliation they did not discern, exalted in Thy strength, which they thought weakness. “We will sing and praise Thy power.” In heart and in deed we will celebrate and make known Thy marvels.
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