Psalm 4 Text
From Psalms: Layer by Layer
Psalm 4/Text
Choose a PsalmNavigate Psalm 4
The Light of Your Face
Psalm 4
Please note: Resources for Psalm 4 are in the process of being reformatted for visual consistency and improved functionality.
Listen & Read: Psalm 4
Read along and listen to our audio recordings for Psalm 4. Choose between simple, unaffected audio recordings (in Hebrew or English), or a dramatized reading that takes into account our emotional, discourse, and poetic analyses. You can also choose between a text-only view, or a view overlaid with our summary At-a-Glance, Expanded Paraphrase, or Participant Analysis tracking.
Listen
| Simple Reading (Hebrew) |
Simple Reading (English) |
| Dramatic Reading (Hebrew) |
Dramatic Reading (English) |
Read
Text Only (Hebrew and English) The text below is divided according to the psalm's poetic lines. For additional information, see our Poetic Structure layer.
| Text (Hebrew) | Verse | Text (CBC) |
|---|---|---|
| לַמְנַצֵּ֥חַ בִּנְגִינ֗וֹת מִזְמ֥וֹר לְדָוִֽד׃ | 1a | For the director. With stringed instruments. A psalm. By David. |
| בְּקָרְאִ֡י *עָנָנִי* ׀ אֱלֹ֘הֵ֤י צִדְקִ֗י | 2a | When I called out, the God who makes things right for me answered me. |
| בַּ֭צָּר הִרְחַ֣בְתָּ לִּ֑י | 2b | In the distress, you granted me relief. |
| *חַנַּנִי וְשָׁמַע* תְּפִלָּתִֽי׃ | 2c | He was merciful to me and heard my prayer. |
| בְּנֵ֥י אִ֡ישׁ עַד־מֶ֬ה *כִבְדֵי לֵב* | 3a | Mortal humans, how long [will you be] heavy-hearted? |
| *לָמָּה* תֶּאֱהָב֣וּן רִ֑יק תְּבַקְשׁ֖וּ כָזָ֣ב סֶֽלָה׃ | 3b | Why would you love what is worthless, seek what is false? Selah. |
| וּדְע֗וּ כִּֽי־הִפְלָ֣ה יְ֭הוָה חָסִ֣יד ל֑וֹ | 4a | But know that YHWH has set apart one who is loyal to him. |
| יְהוָ֥ה יִ֝שְׁמַ֗ע בְּקָרְאִ֥י אֵלָֽיו׃ | 4b | YHWH hears when I call out to him. |
| רִגְז֗וּ וְֽאַל־תֶּ֫חֱטָ֥אוּ | 5a | Tremble and do not sin! |
| אִמְר֣וּ בִ֭לְבַבְכֶם עַֽל־מִשְׁכַּבְכֶ֗ם וְדֹ֣מּוּ סֶֽלָה׃ | 5b | Think to yourselves on your beds and be silent! Selah. |
| זִבְח֥וּ זִבְחֵי־צֶ֑דֶק | 6a | Sacrifice right sacrifices |
| וּ֝בִטְח֗וּ אֶל־יְהוָֽה׃ | 6b | and trust in YHWH! |
| רַבִּ֥ים אֹמְרִים֮ מִֽי־יַרְאֵ֪נ֫וּ ט֥וֹב | 7a | Many are saying, "Who shows us good? |
| *נְסֵה*־עָ֭לֵינוּ א֨וֹר פָּנֶ֬יךָ יְהוָֽה׃ | 7b | Lift up the light of your face as a banner over us, YHWH!" |
| נָתַ֣תָּה שִׂמְחָ֣ה בְלִבִּ֑י | 8a | You have put joy in my heart since the time |
| מֵעֵ֬ת דְּגָנָ֖ם וְתִֽירוֹשָׁ֣ם רָֽבּוּ׃ | 8b | their grain and their new wine multiplied. |
| בְּשָׁל֣וֹם יַחְדָּו֮ אֶשְׁכְּבָ֪ה וְאִ֫ישָׁ֥ן | 9a | In peace, I can both lie down and fall asleep, |
| כִּֽי־אַתָּ֣ה יְהוָ֣ה לְבָדָ֑ד | 9a | because you alone, YHWH, |
| לָ֝בֶ֗טַח תּוֹשִׁיבֵֽנִי׃ | 9a | make me dwell securely. |
Structure Overlay Below, the text has been overlaid with our summary structural analysis. For details on the structure, see the Structure At-a-Glance here.
| Text (Hebrew) | Verse | Text (CBC) |
|---|---|---|
| לַמְנַצֵּ֥חַ בִּנְגִינ֗וֹת מִזְמ֥וֹר לְדָוִֽד׃ | 1a | For the director. With stringed instruments. A psalm. By David. |
| בְּקָרְאִ֡י *עָנָנִי* ׀ אֱלֹ֘הֵ֤י צִדְקִ֗י | 2a | When I called out, the God who makes things right for me answered me. |
| בַּ֭צָּר הִרְחַ֣בְתָּ לִּ֑י | 2b | In the distress, you granted me relief. |
| *חַנַּנִי וְשָׁמַע* תְּפִלָּתִֽי׃ | 2c | He was merciful to me and heard my prayer. |
| בְּנֵ֥י אִ֡ישׁ עַד־מֶ֬ה *כִבְדֵי לֵב* | 3a | Mortal humans, how long [will you be] heavy-hearted? |
| *לָמָּה* תֶּאֱהָב֣וּן רִ֑יק תְּבַקְשׁ֖וּ כָזָ֣ב סֶֽלָה׃ | 3b | Why would you love what is worthless, seek what is false? Selah. |
| וּדְע֗וּ כִּֽי־הִפְלָ֣ה יְ֭הוָה חָסִ֣יד ל֑וֹ | 4a | But know that YHWH has set apart one who is loyal to him. |
| יְהוָ֥ה יִ֝שְׁמַ֗ע בְּקָרְאִ֥י אֵלָֽיו׃ | 4b | YHWH hears when I call out to him. |
| רִגְז֗וּ וְֽאַל־תֶּ֫חֱטָ֥אוּ | 5a | Tremble and do not sin! |
| אִמְר֣וּ בִ֭לְבַבְכֶם עַֽל־מִשְׁכַּבְכֶ֗ם וְדֹ֣מּוּ סֶֽלָה׃ | 5b | Think to yourselves on your beds and be silent! Selah. |
| זִבְח֥וּ זִבְחֵי־צֶ֑דֶק | 6a | Sacrifice right sacrifices |
| וּ֝בִטְח֗וּ אֶל־יְהוָֽה׃ | 6b | and trust in YHWH! |
| רַבִּ֥ים אֹמְרִים֮ מִֽי־יַרְאֵ֪נ֫וּ ט֥וֹב | 7a | Many are saying, "Who shows us good? |
| *נְסֵה*־עָ֭לֵינוּ א֨וֹר פָּנֶ֬יךָ יְהוָֽה׃ | 7b | Lift up the light of your face as a banner over us, YHWH!" |
| נָתַ֣תָּה שִׂמְחָ֣ה בְלִבִּ֑י | 8a | You have put joy in my heart since the time |
| מֵעֵ֬ת דְּגָנָ֖ם וְתִֽירוֹשָׁ֣ם רָֽבּוּ׃ | 8b | their grain and their new wine multiplied. |
| בְּשָׁל֣וֹם יַחְדָּו֮ אֶשְׁכְּבָ֪ה וְאִ֫ישָׁ֥ן | 9a | In peace, I can both lie down and fall asleep, |
| כִּֽי־אַתָּ֣ה יְהוָ֣ה לְבָדָ֑ד | 9a | because you alone, YHWH, |
| לָ֝בֶ֗טַח תּוֹשִׁיבֵֽנִי׃ | 9a | make me dwell securely. |
Expanded paraphrase The expanded paraphrase seeks to capture the implicit information within the text and make it explicit for readers today. It is based on the CBC translation and uses italic text to provide the most salient background information, presuppositions, entailments, and inferences.
| Text (Hebrew) | Verse | Expanded Paraphrase |
|---|---|---|
| לַמְנַצֵּ֥חַ בִּנְגִינ֗וֹת מִזְמ֥וֹר לְדָוִֽד׃ | 1 | For the director. With stringed instruments. A psalm. By David the king of Israel, who, as the people's king and representative, was held responsible for the land's fertility. |
| בְּקָרְאִ֡י *עָנָנִי* ׀ אֱלֹ֘הֵ֤י צִדְקִ֗י בַּ֭צָּר הִרְחַ֣בְתָּ לִּ֑י *חַנַּנִי וְשָׁמַע* תְּפִלָּתִֽי׃ | 2 | We were in distress. Our livelihood depends on rain, and, for some time, we did not receive any rain. But then I called out to YHWH, and he answered and blessed us with rain and a bountiful harvest! When I called out, the God who makes things right for me answered me. YHWH, in the narrow straits of distress, you granted me relief and brought me out into a wide-open, peaceful place. He was merciful to me and heard my prayer. |
| בְּנֵ֥י אִ֡ישׁ עַד־מֶ֬ה *כִבְדֵי לֵב* *לָמָּה* תֶּאֱהָב֣וּן רִ֑יק תְּבַקְשׁ֖וּ כָזָ֣ב סֶֽלָה׃ | 3 | YHWH has blessed us, not only for our own sake, but so that others would recognize how good he is and join us in worshiping and trusting in him. And so, I say to people all over the world, to you mortal humans who worship idols, who look to gods other than YHWH for blessing: how long [will you be] stubborn and heavy-hearted and cling to worthless idols? How long will you harden your hearts like Pharaoh and refuse to acknowledge that YHWH is the true God and that he alone can truly bless? Why would you love and devote yourselves to what is worthless, to gods who are nothing more than emptiness and vanity, and why would you seek what is false, idols that do not satisfy or deliver on their promises, but are nothing more than falsehood? Selah. |
| וּדְע֗וּ כִּֽי־הִפְלָ֣ה יְ֭הוָה חָסִ֣יד ל֑וֹ יְהוָ֥ה יִ֝שְׁמַ֗ע בְּקָרְאִ֥י אֵלָֽיו׃ | 4 | But know that YHWH, the one true God, has set apart Israel and Israel's king, one who is loyal to him, for special treatment. See how YHWH has blessed us! It's obvious that, unlike your gods who have ears but cannot hear, YHWH hears when I call out to him. |
| רִגְז֗וּ וְֽאַל־תֶּ֫חֱטָ֥אוּ אִמְר֣וּ בִ֭לְבַבְכֶם עַֽל־מִשְׁכַּבְכֶ֗ם וְדֹ֣מּוּ סֶֽלָה׃ | 5 | You have sinned against YHWH. Tremble in fear before him and do not sin anymore! Instead of wailing on your beds, trying in vain to get your gods' attention and secure their blessing, think quietly to yourselves on your beds about how you have sinned and about YHWH's unique treatment of those who are loyal to him, and be silent! Selah. |
| זִבְח֥וּ זִבְחֵי־צֶ֑דֶק וּ֝בִטְח֗וּ אֶל־יְהוָֽה׃ | 6 | Instead of sacrificing to your worthless gods, Sacrifice right sacrifices to YHWH, according to YHWH's law, and trust in YHWH, so that he will bless you as he has blessed us! |
| רַבִּ֥ים אֹמְרִים֮ מִֽי־יַרְאֵ֪נ֫וּ ט֥וֹב *נְסֵה*־עָ֭לֵינוּ א֨וֹר פָּנֶ֬יךָ יְהוָֽה׃ | 7 | Many people who trust in YHWH are celebrating YHWH's blessing in the recent harvest. They are saying, "Who is the one who shows us good? Who blesses us with rain and good harvests, with peace and security? YHWH does! Lift up the light of your face, your blessing, as a banner over us, YHWH! Like a high banner, make your blessing on us visible to everyone, marking the way to the place where people can rally to find security and rest." |
| נָתַ֣תָּה שִׂמְחָ֣ה בְלִבִּ֑י מֵעֵ֬ת דְּגָנָ֖ם וְתִֽירוֹשָׁ֣ם רָֽבּוּ׃ | 8 | YHWH, you have put joy in my heart since the time you answered my prayer and blessed the people with rain, since the time their grain and their new wine multiplied. |
| בְּשָׁל֣וֹם יַחְדָּו֮ אֶשְׁכְּבָ֪ה וְאִ֫ישָׁ֥ן כִּֽי־אַתָּ֣ה יְהוָ֣ה לְבָדָ֑ד לָ֝בֶ֗טַח תּוֹשִׁיבֵֽנִי׃ | 9 | In peace, I can both lie down and, as soon as I lie down, fall asleep, without worrying about anything, because you alone, YHWH, and no other god, make me dwell securely in the good land that you have given us. This peace that enables me to lie down and sleep peacefully is available to any who will be loyal to YHWH! |
Participant Tracking Text Participant Analysis focuses on the characters in the psalm and asks, “Who are the main participants (or characters) in this psalm, and what are they saying or doing? Our full analysis can be found in the Participant Analysis layer.
