Psalm 20 in the Book of Tehillim is one of the most familiar chapters. Each of us recites it at least once a day: according to the Sephardic custom on days when Tachanun is said, and according to the Ashkenazic custom even on days without Tachanun, with the exception of days on which Hallel is recited. This is the psalm we recite between "Ashrei" and "U'va LeTzion."
לַמְנַצֵּחַ מִזְמוֹר לְדָוִד׃ יַעַנְךָ יְהֹוָה בְּיוֹם צָרָה יְשַׂגֶּבְךָ שֵׁם אֱלֹהֵי יַעֲקֹב׃ - For the conductor, a psalm of David: May Hashem answer you on a day of distress; may the Name of the God of Jacob protect you.
In this psalm there is a striking difficulty: it begins with "A psalm of David," and suddenly the text shifts to speaking in the second person. If this is David's psalm, we would have expected: "May Hashem answer me on a day of distress, may the Name of the God of Jacob protect me." Whom, then, is David addressing here? Who is the "you" whom Hashem will answer?
For this reason, several of the commentators explain differently. Ibn Ezra writes: "One of the poets composed it about David" - meaning one of the poets, such as Asaph or the sons of Korah, composed this psalm about David. "Of David" (le-David) is meant in the sense of "about David," rather than David having sung it himself. A proof for this is: "A psalm, a song for the Sabbath day" - does the Sabbath day sing? Rather, it is a song about the Sabbath day. According to this, it is well understood: the poet prays on David's behalf, telling him that Hashem will answer you, protect you, send your help from the sanctuary, and so forth.
A second possibility brought by Ibn Ezra: "David composed it, addressing his prince" - David is indeed the author, and he addresses his prince, simply understood as Solomon, the king who would succeed him, praying for him that Hashem will answer him on a day of distress and save him.
A third possibility: "Or he is speaking to himself" - David is speaking to himself in the second person, as we often find that a person addresses himself in the direct second person.
A fourth possibility in Ibn Ezra: this is a prayer for Mashiach. "May Hashem answer you on a day of distress" - during a time of war, possibly referring to the war of Gog and Magog, which is a day of distress, and he prays for Mashiach that Hashem will answer him and rescue him. And when speaking of Mashiach, it may very well refer to Mashiach ben Yosef, of whom it is written that he is destined to die at the hands of the wicked Armilus, and concerning this we pray in the blessing of "Boneh Yerushalayim" - anyone who pays attention will notice there a passage from the holy Arizal, where one should have in mind for Mashiach ben Yosef that he should not be killed by the wicked Armilus. If so, it is possible that David recited this psalm regarding Mashiach ben Yosef, praying that Hashem answer him on a day of distress and save him during the battle.
Rashi explains that David recited this psalm to Yoav. When David would send Yoav and all of Israel out to battle, he would stand in Jerusalem and pray for them. This was not meant exclusively for Yoav; rather, Yoav was the commander of the army, and "May Hashem answer you on a day of distress" is directed toward all of Klal Yisrael. This parallels what is related in II Samuel chapter 21: after David fought with Yishbi-Benov and came close to death, his men said to him: You shall no longer go out with us to battle, so that you do not extinguish the lamp of Israel. "You will be an illuminator to help us" - it is better that you help us from within Jerusalem by praying for us, rather than descending into battle where Heaven forbid the lamp of Israel might be extinguished. And Chazal taught: Were it not for David, Yoav could not have waged war. What do we learn from this? That David would pray in Jerusalem, and without his prayer, Yoav would not have been victorious in battle. Therefore, according to Rashi, David recited this psalm on behalf of the nation and Yoav as they went out to war.
Let us turn to the commentary of the Malbim. Here, in a manner quite unusual for his typical approach, he offers two complete commentaries on the psalm: one long and detailed, and at the end of the psalm another commentary, shorter and following a different direction.
The Malbim's approach, as is well known, is always to examine the background against which the psalm was uttered. Every psalm was spoken against a specific backdrop, and the Malbim reads the psalm and seeks to understand the underlying story. As is often observed: when seeing how someone answers his friend, one can deduce what was asked, even without having heard the question itself. So too here: by examining the themes of the psalm, we understand what the challenges were and what needed to be addressed, and the psalm itself reveals its background to us.
The Malbim explains: from the flow of the psalm's words and its subject matter, it becomes clear that it was composed regarding a war David fought against a nation far from Jerusalem, where David was in mortal danger. When word reached Zion, they did two things: they prayed for him, and they also dispatched an army to assist him in his battle. While on their way to help him, they learned that David had been miraculously saved - he had won the war not by physical might, but through divine assistance, in the Name of Hashem.
The Malbim adds: if one looks for a historical parallel, it is the incident mentioned earlier - the battle with Yishbi-Benov. There it states that when David fought the descendant of the giant (the Raphah), "Avishai the son of Tzeruyah came to his aid and struck down the Philistine," and then "David's men swore to him, saying: You shall no longer go out with us to battle" - because it was perilous, and there was a fear of losing the king, an immeasurable loss. Indeed, we see from there that subsequent battles took place in Gob where they were victorious; David had faced grave danger, they prayed for Hashem to save him, and from then on David no longer went out to battle.
To summarize the background: in this psalm there is a prayer offered on David's behalf, divided into three parts. The first part is the prayer of those who set out from Jerusalem to help him; it is not David praying, but those marching from Jerusalem who pray for him and go to assist him physically as well. The second part is when they hear on the road that David has already been delivered, and they sing and give thanks to Hashem. The third part is the statement of the chief musician (and later we will see why it must be the chief musician rather than the entire group), declaring that they won the war not by sword and spear, but through a miracle.
יַעַנְךָ יְהֹוָה בְּיוֹם צָרָה יְשַׂגֶּבְךָ שֵׁם אֱלֹהֵי יַעֲקֹב׃ - May Hashem answer you on the day of distress; may the Name of the God of Jacob fortify you.
This is the prayer of the troops who set out from Zion to aid David: first, that Hashem answer him on the day of distress and rescue him - David is currently in dire straits, messengers arrive with the news, and they pray for him and march out toward him. And even though David is now far from the Holy Land, fighting a war abroad, nevertheless, "may [He] fortify you" - who will exalt you and save you from the enemy? "The Name of the God of Jacob."
And why specifically "the God of Jacob," rather than the God of Abraham or the God of Isaac? The Malbim explains: Jacob received a unique promise when he was outside the Land of Israel - "Behold, I am with you and will protect you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land." You too, David, are currently outside the Land and need that very same promise. The God Who answered and promised Jacob in exile - He will answer you as well, protect you, be with you, and bring you safely back to Jerusalem and the Land of Israel.
יִשְׁלַח עֶזְרְךָ מִקֹּדֶשׁ וּמִצִּיּוֹן יִסְעָדֶךָּ׃ - May He send your help from the Sanctuary, and support you from Zion.
Even though you are far from Zion right now, "May He send your help from the Sanctuary" - from Heaven, Hashem will send His help to you. And in addition, "and support you from Zion" - this refers to us, the army now marching out from Zion to aid you. For alongside divine assistance, human effort (hishtadlut) is also required.
Notice the precise wording: true help comes "from the sanctuary" - from Heaven. From Zion comes only "support." What is support (sa'ad)? Merely an aid and assistance to the divine salvation. Divine assistance is the primary factor, but human effort (hishtadlut) is required, and therefore the army goes forth from Zion to support - to serve as support for the divine help.
יִזְכֹּר כָּל מִנְחֹתֶךָ וְעוֹלָתְךָ יְדַשְּׁנֶה סֶלָה׃ - "May He remember all your meal offerings, and accept your burnt offering as ashes, Selah."
Even though right now you cannot offer sacrifices, as was their custom before going out to battle - as we saw with Shmuel sending Shaul to battle and telling him to wait for him to offer the burnt offering - may Hashem remember for you the meal offerings that you have offered until today. And likewise, "and accept your burnt offering as ashes": may Hashem remember the ashes of the burnt offerings - that which was consumed by fire and turned to ash; may He remember this before Him.
"Selah" - the commentators tend to explain this as forever, but the Malbim consistently explains that it signifies that the matter is concluded. According to his explanation, "May He remember" applies to both clauses: may Hashem remember all your meal offerings, as well as your burnt offering and its ashes, and then "Selah" - here this statement comes to an end.
Radak notes that yedashneh is not the expected pronunciation - for it refers to the burnt offering (olah, feminine), so it would have been expected to say "yedashnah." However, at times a segol replaces a kamatz, as in "ve'ekre'ah lach." Radak explains "yedashneh" to mean: He will turn it into ashes, meaning He will send fire from heaven and accept your burnt offering with favor.
Notice a common error: some read "yedashneh" with a silent sheva (sheva nach). This is a mistake. Although there is a sheva under the shin, this sheva is vocal (sheva na) - and how do we know this? Because there is a dagesh in the shin. Had the shin lacked a dagesh, since it follows a short vowel (the patach under the dalet), it would indeed be read as a sheva nach. But the dagesh in the shin makes the sheva a sheva na. According to Sephardic tradition, a sheva na is pronounced somewhat like a tzere, and according to Yemenite tradition, like a patach. That is, the sheva must be vocalized: "Yedash-e-neh, Selah." It has become common among Ashkenazim to pronounce all shevas as silent, but strictly speaking this is inaccurate - a sheva is sometimes silent and sometimes vocal.
יִתֶּן לְךָ כִלְבָבֶךָ וְכָל עֲצָתְךָ יְמַלֵּא׃ - "May He grant you according to your heart's desire, and fulfill your every counsel."
Since the Malbim has already explained that "Selah" marks a conclusion, a new section begins here: the choir of singers enters. Up to this point was a prayer, for they had departed from Jerusalem and heard about David's dire situation. But at this stage, they have already heard that, thank God, there was salvation, and when there is salvation, one must give thanks. Therefore they say: "May He grant you according to your heart's desire" - David's heartfelt desire was for salvation, and behold, Hashem has granted you your heart's desire, just as you yearned to be saved. And likewise, "and fulfill your every counsel" - the counsel, resolve, and will that you had to be delivered, this Hashem has fulfilled.
Here the Radak cites a wonderful explanation from Midrash Shocher Tov: Because David was wholehearted before his Creator and prayed to Him with a complete heart, people would say to him, "May He grant you according to your heart." But to an ordinary person one does not say this, for sometimes a person has in his heart to steal, or commit a sin, or do something improper. What, then, does one say to him? "May Hashem fulfill all your requests."
This is a wonderful explanation. For even a wicked person - at least the wicked of past generations - would not explicitly ask: Master of the Universe, help me steal! He might make requests, and on the surface the request would sound positive, but "inwardly he lays his ambush" - the intent in his heart is negative. For example: he knows an evil person whose death he desires, but his true intention is to marry the man's wife. Outwardly, the prayer seems pious: "Master of the Universe, let sins cease from the earth!" He might even be meticulous and say "let sinners cease" - this man is wicked and causes trouble, take him! Yet what is in his heart is simply that he wants to marry his widow. In other words, at most, a person might harbor a negative motive in his heart, but he would never utter it with his mouth. David HaMelech was unique in that one could say concerning him: Master of the Universe, attend even to his innermost thought, for with David, even the thought was pure, and there was never any flawed thought in his mind.
Let us take a less extreme example. A person prays: Master of the Universe, help me win the lottery! Is that good for you? Most likely not. And what does he say? "I want so much to build up the Torah world; I want so much to support yeshivos!" - this is supposedly his entire aim. But what is truly in his heart? "I am stuck in a three-room apartment, and I haven't replaced my car in ages."
Once, someone came to Rav Shteinman accompanied by a wealthy philanthropist and said: "Kevod HaRav, this wealthy man asks for a blessing for abundant livelihood so that he can support the Torah world and sustain yeshivos." The Rav said to him: "Is that really the entire motive? Is that what is missing? Pray that Hashem sustain the yeshivah world; why pray that He give wealth specifically to you?" The man replied: "No, Rebbe, he wants the merit of being the conduit through which it flows. Hashem can sustain the yeshivah world in a thousand and one ways, but why shouldn't it pass through me, so that I merit being the supporter and receive reward for it?" Rav Shteinman replied: "To me, it seems that he is asking for this precisely because he wants to enjoy the leftovers." You understand? Let the wealth pass through me to support the Torah world, and along the way some leftovers will remain for a villa, flights abroad, and a few other indulgences.
In short: a person may ask for something proper with his mouth, but what is in his heart? Concerning David, who was wholehearted before his Creator and prayed to Him with a complete heart, one can say, "May He grant you according to your heart" - not only according to what you express with your mouth, but even what you think in your heart. But to an ordinary person we say, "May Hashem fulfill all your requests": may Hashem fulfill the requests uttered by your mouth, but that you should be able to carry out your negative thoughts - that we do not wish for you.
נְרַנְּנָה בִּישׁוּעָתֶךָ וּבְשֵׁם אֱלֹהֵינוּ נִדְגֹּל יְמַלֵּא יְהֹוָה כָּל מִשְׁאֲלוֹתֶיךָ׃ - We will sing for joy at your salvation, and in the name of our God we will raise our banners; may Hashem fulfill all your requests.
What was the desire of David's heart? Salvation. And not just any salvation, but that by the time others arrive to help him, their aid will already be superfluous, because Hashem has already delivered him. A crude person expects help to come from here and reinforcements to be sent from there; a more perfected person asks: Master of the Universe, You save me, so that by the time they arrive, it will already be clear that it is all over. This is "We will sing for joy at your salvation" - you pray that when they arrive, they will have nothing left to do except give thanks to Hashem for the salvation.
"And in the name of our God we will raise our banners" - this was your counsel: that when we go out to battle, our banner and the power with which we come will be the Name of our God. Not "my power and the might of my hand," but that Hashem will be the Commander of the host marching before them, and the banner will be called by His Name while we follow after His banner. And because Hashem fulfilled the desire of your heart and your counsel, from this we know that "May Hashem fulfill all your requests" - for such a person, whatever he asks for, the Holy One, Blessed be He, will grant him.
עַתָּה יָדַעְתִּי כִּי הוֹשִׁיעַ יְהֹוָה מְשִׁיחוֹ יַעֲנֵהוּ מִשְּׁמֵי קָדְשׁוֹ בִּגְבֻרוֹת יֵשַׁע יְמִינוֹ׃ - Now I know that Hashem has saved His anointed; He answers him from His holy heavens with the saving mighty acts of His right hand.
Already at this stage we face a difficulty: earlier it said "We will sing for joy at your salvation" - the singers were speaking in the plural - yet here suddenly it says "Now I know" in the singular. It should have said, "Now we know."
The Radak explains that now every single person in Israel will say, "For Hashem has saved His anointed." For David's enemies were numerous - "Those who hate me without cause are more numerous than the hairs of my head" - and they always claimed against him: David is a sinner, David is wicked, Hashem hates him. "Those who sit at the gate talk about me, and I am the taunt of drunkards." The most famous among them were Achitophel and Doeg the Edomite, but David says there were many. And they would say, "There is no salvation for him in God, Selah" - as we learned in Psalm 3: he has no salvation at all, he is unworthy, he is a mamzer, he descends from an Edomite and a Moabite. And now, when they see salvation from Hashem - "Now I know that Hashem has saved His anointed": everyone will admit and say that Hashem has saved His anointed, that David is the anointed of Hashem, and not as you spoke and thought before. "He answers him from His holy heaven with the mighty salvations of His right hand" - behold, with the few men who were with him he struck down tens of thousands, and how could this be if not that the hand of Hashem was with him? And this was a resounding slap in the face to all those who rose up against David.
The Malbim explains that here begins the third section of the psalm, the speech of the chief musician. Notice that the text shifts to the singular, because the chief musician is an individual. And he says: Now I know with certainty that "He answers him from His holy heaven," that the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself saved His anointed, and Himself sent his help from the sanctuary.
And how is this known? Did they hear a heavenly voice (a bat kol)? No. This was manifest in "the mighty salvations of His right hand." One must understand that whenever the "right" is mentioned, it represents the chessed (lovingkindness) of Hashem; and whenever the "left" is mentioned, it indicates the natural order and the governance of nature. Here, I have witnessed that the salvation came through the mighty salvations of His right hand - that is, a salvation transcending the laws of nature. Thus an answer came to him from heaven demonstrating that Hashem Himself saved His anointed, for He saved him through the power of the right, and the power of the right signifies Hashem's individual divine providence (hashgachah pratit).
אֵלֶּה בָרֶכֶב וְאֵלֶּה בַסּוּסִים וַאֲנַחְנוּ בְּשֵׁם יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ נַזְכִּיר׃ הֵמָּה כָּרְעוּ וְנָפָלוּ וַאֲנַחְנוּ קַּמְנוּ וַנִּתְעוֹדָד׃ - Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we invoke the Name of Hashem our God. They bowed down and fell, but we arose and stood firm.
Some come to attack with chariots - that is, horse-drawn chariots - and others fight on horseback. And we do nothing of the sort, but rather "invoke the Name of Hashem our God." And even though we took no military initiative, nonetheless, "they bowed down and fell." What do you see from this? That the salvation here was supernatural, directly from Hashem - "Hashem saved His anointed" with the mighty salvations of His right hand, a salvation belonging to the realm of the right hand.
The Malbim notes that the contrast between us and them was twofold - both in the means and in the outcome. In the means: the tools they chose for success were crude and material - chariots and horses; whereas we chose far loftier, spiritual tools - "we invoke the Name of Hashem our God." And in the outcome as well: "they bowed down and fell," whereas "we arose and stood firm." The Malbim explains that vanit'odad ("stood firm") denotes rising with renewed strength, as in "Hashem encourages the humble (me'oded anavim Hashem)," an expression of encouragement and uplifting. Thus, both in the means and in the results, the difference is vast: they chose physical means and their outcome was a downfall, while we chose spiritual means and our outcome was "we arose and stood firm."
יְהֹוָה הוֹשִׁיעָה הַמֶּלֶךְ יַעֲנֵנוּ בְיוֹם קָרְאֵנוּ׃ - Hashem, save! May the King answer us on the day we call.
The Malbim explains that this verse is the theme of the entire composition, serving as a summary of the whole matter: on the day we called, the king answered us, "Hashem, save!" When we cried out in prayer on David's behalf, as soon as we were informed that the king was engaged in battle and that we had to come to his aid - that was the first stage, when they prayed that Hashem save David. Then David answered us, saying: "Hashem, save!" You come with troops and military strength to assist me, but know that I rely neither on chariots nor on horses, but solely on the salvation of Hashem. And so it was in the end: Hashem was the One Who saved David.
This concludes the primary explanation. At this point, the Malbim does something rare in his commentary: he presents an alternative explanation through which he interprets the entire psalm, this time in a more concise manner. This explanation revolves around a single axis: salvation from God versus salvation from flesh and blood, and the contrast between them. Come and see how the entire psalm speaks of the superiority of salvation from God compared to the deficiency of salvation from flesh and blood.
"May Hashem answer you in the day of trouble; may the Name of the God of Jacob set you up on high": Here are several differences. First - "May Hashem answer you": salvation from Hashem does not come through emissaries, but from Hashem Himself. Second - the salvation is immediate: "in the day of trouble" - on the very day you are in distress, Hashem answers you, without delay and without interruption. Third - "may the Name of the God of Jacob set you up on high": the Name of Hashem that is proclaimed upon you renders you exalted and strong. In other words, Hashem does not merely grant you salvation; He also endows you with fortitude, strength, and power.
"May He send your help from the sanctuary, and support you out of Zion": Fourth - He does not save you through help from the kings of the nations, as we saw when Israel turned to the salvation of Egypt and Assyria, concerning which it is said, "Assyria shall not save us, we will not ride upon horses." From where, then, will salvation come? "May He send your help from the sanctuary [kodesh]" - from your own holiness [kedushah] salvation will sprout: your virtue, your service of Hashem, is what will bring forth your salvation. "And support you out of Zion" - Zion refers to those who come to offer physical assistance, like the troop that went out to support David; this is merely support [sa'ad] for the salvation, assistance alone. Yet he does not rely upon it, for the essence of the salvation comes through the holiness of your deeds.
"May He remember all your offerings, and accept your burnt-sacrifice. Selah": When a person is saved by flesh and blood and gives his rescuer a gift for saving him, we have never seen the rescuer give him a gift in return. For example: someone did you a great favor, and you went to give him a gift, a box of chocolates. Would he now take out his wallet and pay you for it? The gift was given in return for the favor, and you do not expect him to reimburse your expenses. But with the Holy One, blessed be He, this is not so: "May He remember all your offerings" - after all, for the salvation we offered a meal-offering to Hashem, we gave Him thanks, we brought sacrifices and burnt-offerings; yet the verse says that Hashem remembers even this for your benefit, credits it to your merit, and rewards you even for your thanksgiving.
There is another example of this, no less wondrous: "Whoever delights in the Shabbat is given a heritage without boundaries." If you had been told that demanding requirements were imposed upon you on Shabbat - to fast, to exert yourself, to roll in the snow - and as a reward for this you would merit an unbounded heritage, one could say: it is worthwhile to suffer in order to earn it. But the Holy One, blessed be He, comes and says: I command you to take delight, and if you take delight and enjoy yourself properly - I will give you a heritage without boundaries. The mitzvah itself is a reward, and for receiving this reward, you receive yet another reward! It is a wonder of wonders: I grant you salvation, you express gratitude for the salvation, and for the thanksgiving itself you receive a reward. From here we see the immense kindness of Hashem toward man.
"May He grant you according to your heart's desire, and fulfill all your counsel": The manner in which salvation arrives is also different. When salvation is from Hashem, it is "according to your heart's desire" and your counsel. Often we need help with a certain matter; you turn to someone and he promises to help, but then it turns out that the way he helped is not at all what you wanted. For example, you came to ask for a loan, and seeing that your situation is dire, he decides to hold a collection in the synagogue tomorrow: "We have a congregant with us, Yaakov Cohen, his situation is very difficult, we must help him!" Who asked you to do that? He replies: You wanted me to help, so I helped. When you ask flesh and blood for help, he may well help according to his own thinking rather than yours, and often the help is entirely unsuitable for you. But with Hashem's salvation - "May He grant you according to your heart's desire": just as you wished in your heart, so will Hashem save you, according to the plan you devised and your heart's desire, "and fulfill all your counsel" - unlike flesh and blood, who rescues according to his own counsel and wishes, without considering your counsel or your heart.
"We will shout for joy in your salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banner; may Hashem fulfill all your petitions": Another difference. When a person is saved through the power of flesh and blood, there is no great honor in it; he does not sing for joy over it nor does he announce that so-and-so rescued him, for doing so reveals that you cannot stand on your own and require helpers and assistants, which is a sign of weakness. But when one is saved by Hashem, there is no disgrace at all; the King of kings came to your assistance, and there is no loss of dignity whatsoever. Therefore, when a person helps me, it is better not to speak of it or publicize that I needed help; but when Hashem helps me - "We will shout for joy in your salvation", I rejoice, sing, and take pride in it. "And in the name of our God we will set up our banner" - I raise the Name of Hashem as a banner and proclaim that Hashem has saved me, holding it high and publicizing it.
Furthermore: beyond the fact that Hashem delivered you from this distress, He will also "fulfill all your petitions" in other matters. As it is written, "This poor man cried, and Hashem heard" - did He hear only what he cried out for? David says: No, but rather "and saved him out of all his troubles." Such is the kindness of Hashem: often you pray for a single matter, and Hashem says, not only this; I know the other things you need as well, and He bestows everything upon you. You prayed concerning one trouble, and Hashem grants everything. By contrast, when you turn to flesh and blood, if you asked for one thing and received it - say thank you! Would you expect him to resolve all your other problems as well? If you tell him, "They are about to evict me from my apartment," he may arrange a loan for a month's rent. What person will say to you: "Come, let me buy you an apartment, clear your bank overdraft, and help you marry off your children"? Only Hashem. "This poor man cried, and Hashem heard, and saved him out of all his troubles" - and this is "may Hashem fulfill all your petitions": when you turn to Him, He grants you everything you need.
"Now know I that Hashem saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven with the mighty acts of the saving power of His right hand": There is natural salvation, which is attributed to the left; and there is supernatural, spiritual salvation, which is attributed to the right. David says: From all the conditions we examined earlier, I know that the salvation here was not natural, but miraculous. Even though I did not see hailstones falling from the sky or "Sun, stand still upon Gibeon," everything we described - "May He send your help from the sanctuary," "May He remember all your offerings," "We will shout for joy in your salvation" - all of this is salvation that transcends nature, proving to me, "Now know I," that salvation is from Hashem. "He will answer him from His holy heaven" - from a realm beyond the celestial system, meaning above the stars and the natural channels of influence. When we speak of Providence from Hashem, we also speak of the concept of *mazal*, and *mazal* refers to a root that descends, flows, and trickles down [*yizal*] from its supernal source, as in "Water shall flow [*yizol*] from his buckets." Here, salvation is from Hashem; abundance descends from above and flows downward, transcending the natural system. And this is "with the mighty acts of the saving power of His right hand" - the salvation of His right hand is attributed to Hashem Himself, "The right hand of Hashem does valiantly," which is always above nature. Here is a unique principle: when you cleave to Hashem, you merit supernatural kindnesses.
"Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will call upon the Name of Hashem our God": And what does David say now? Since I see that my salvation is supernatural, I no longer make preparations for war. Even though some come with chariots and some with horses, we will mention only the Name of Hashem. I no longer look to an army to come to my aid in battle; rather, I trust solely in Hashem, and therein lies our salvation. Nevertheless, "They are bowed down and fallen; but we are risen, and stand upright": Hashem will do two things for us - first, they will bow down and fall; and second, do not suppose that they will fall while we merely remain as we were. Rather, we too will experience elevation: "we are risen, and stand upright" in all other matters, in joy, success, and everything.
"Hashem, save! May the King answer us on the day we call": Therefore, King David says, I pray that salvation will always come from Hashem. "Hashem, save!" - may salvation always be from Him and not from flesh and blood: "we will not ride upon horses, neither will we say any more to the work of our hands: You are our gods" - we will not call the work of our hands our god, for everything is from You, Master of the Universe. And since Hashem rules over all, as soon as we call to Him, "May the King answer us on the day we call."
Psalm 20 is a prayer for the king going out to battle. According to the Malbim in his first explanation, the psalm is divided into three parts: the prayer of those setting out from Zion to David's aid; the song of the singers upon hearing that he had already been saved; and the words of the chief musician testifying that the salvation came "with the saving strength of His right hand" - beyond the natural order. In his second explanation, the entire psalm revolves around the contrast between Hashem's salvation and the salvation of flesh and blood: Hashem answers personally and immediately, grants strength, brings forth salvation from the sanctity of your deeds, rewards even for giving thanks, saves "according to your heart" rather than according to the savior's own discretion, grants a salvation of such honor that one can sing out and raise banners over it, and fulfills all desires rather than just a single request. Moreover, from Midrash Shocher Tov we learn that only of David, who was wholehearted before his Creator and prayed with a complete heart, could it be said, "May He grant you according to your heart," whereas to any other person we say, "May Hashem fulfill all your petitions" - for not everything in the human heart is worthy of fulfillment. Hence the conclusion of the psalm and its enduring declaration: "Hashem, save!" - not through chariots, nor through horses, but in the Name of Hashem our God we call.