EXPOSITION
THIS psalm seems to have been composed for a special occasion, when David was about to proceed on an expedition against a foreign enemy. It is liturgical, and written to be recited in the court of the tabernacle by the high priest and people. The date of its composition is after the transfer of the ark from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David (2 Samuel 6:12-19), as appears from Psalms 20:2. The conjecture which attaches it to the Syrian War described in 2 Samuel 10:17-19, is probable. There is no reason to doubt the authorship of David, asserted in the title, and admitted by most critics.
The psalm divides into two portions—the first of five, and the second of four verses. In the first part, the people chant the whole. In the second, the high priest takes the word, and initiates the strain (2 Samuel 10:6), while the people join in afterwards (2 Samuel 10:7-9).