Psalms 20:6 Meaning and Explanation
“Now know I that the LORD saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Assurance often arrives in the middle of praying rather than at the end of it. Something shifts in this psalm at verse 6, where petition turns into announcement and a lone speaker says that he now knows. Watching how that confidence is reached, and what it rests on, helps anyone who has prayed without feeling anything change.
Partway through the liturgy a single voice announces certainty. The LORD rescues the king he has anointed, answering from heaven itself with a right hand strong enough to save.
The Context of Psalms 20:6
The psalm has moved through five verses of petition for the king, spoken by the congregation, with a Selah after the mention of sacrifice. At verse 6 the grammar changes to first person singular, and many readers hear the voice of a priest or leader speaking once the offering has been made. What follows in verses 7 and 8 draws the conclusion for everyone. Some place their trust in chariots and horses, while this people remembers the name of the LORD their God and stands upright. Verse 9 closes with a short cry for salvation.
What Does Psalms 20:6 Mean?
Three things anchor the announcement. First the title. The LORD saves his anointed, a man marked out by oil poured over him at God's direction, which makes the king's rescue a matter of God's own commitment. Second the location. God hears from his holy heaven, a phrase reaching beyond the sanctuary and Zion named in verse 2 to the throne behind them. Third the instrument. The saving strength of his right hand names the working hand, the hand of action and skill. Each element moves the ground of confidence away from the king's own resources and onto God's character and power.
The verse turns the psalm on its hinge. Everything before it is request, and everything after it is testimony and resolve. That order matters for understanding how Israel prayed. Offerings were brought, petitions were spoken, and then assurance was given, with the answer treated as something received within worship. An anointed king is a public figure, so his rescue is never a private affair. Verse 8 describes a whole people risen and standing upright together, and the psalm ends with a plea for salvation and a request to be heard when the nation calls. Ruler and people are bound into one bundle.
The word behind anointed is the word that comes into English as Messiah, and the royal psalms carry that title forward. Psalm 2 speaks of rulers taking counsel against the LORD and against his anointed, and Psalm 18 ends with mercy shown to the anointed, to David and to his seed for ever. So the confidence expressed here widens over time. God's commitment to save the one he anoints reaches its fullest expression in the Son of David, whom Acts describes as raised and exalted by the right hand of God, the very hand this psalm names as saving strength.
Psalms 20:6 in the Original Language
mashiach (מָשִׁיחַ), 'anointed' -- one set apart by having oil poured over him at God's direction. In the Old Testament it describes kings and priests, and it is the word that comes into English as Messiah.
Bible Verses Related to Psalms 20:6
“The LORD is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed.”
- Psalm 28:8
“The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,”
- Psalm 2:2
“Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.”
- 1 Samuel 16:13
“The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.”
- Acts 4:26
Where Psalms 20:6 Echoes in Scripture
The title used here becomes a thread the New Testament follows. Acts 4:26 quotes Psalm 2 about rulers gathering against the LORD's anointed, and the believers praying in that scene apply the line to what had just happened to Jesus in Jerusalem. Set beside Psalm 20:6, the pattern holds together. Opposition gathers against the anointed one, and God answers from heaven with saving strength. Acts goes on to describe the resurrection as the work of God's right hand, the same image this verse uses.
How to Apply Psalms 20:6 Today
Assurance in prayer usually grows in the company of other people's faith. This psalm shows a congregation praying while one voice names what has become clear, and that is worth imitating. We can say out loud, in a small group or across a kitchen table, what we have come to know about God's faithfulness, since spoken confidence steadies everyone who hears it. The verse also lifts our attention when the visible supports look thin. Chariots and horses have modern equivalents in savings, contacts, and credentials, and this psalm keeps them firmly in their place.
Reflection & Prayer
When did we last move from asking to knowing, and what helped that shift happen? A prayer: Lord, I have brought my requests and I am waiting still. Grant me the settled confidence of this psalm, that you hear from heaven and act with a strong hand, and let that confidence show in the way I speak to others today.