Property: Text
From Psalms: Layer by Layer
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* The Septuagint according to Rahlfs' edition has a slightly different reading for the second half of this verse: "speak in your hearts, ''and'' (καὶ) on your beds be pricked" (trans. NETS). Instead of having a conjunction before the verb "be pricked" (κατανύγητε, cf. MT וְדֹ֣מּוּ), it has a conjunction before the phrase "on your beds" (καὶ ἐπὶ ταῖς κοίταις ὑμῶν, cf. MT עַֽל־מִשְׁכַּבְכֶ֗ם). But most Septuagint manuscripts actually lack this conjunction before "on your beds," including manuscripts from all of the major text groups (see apparatus in Rahlfs). It seems likely, then, that the original translation lacked a conjunction before "on your beds." Perhaps it originally included a conjunction before "be pricked," as in the MT, and this conjunction fell out very early on in the Greek tradition due to the similar-looking beginnings of the conjunction καὶ and the following word κατανύγητε.
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* See %5B%5BThe Morphology of נסה in Ps 4:7b%5D%5D.
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* The verse makes the most sense if the prepositional phrase "how long" in v. 3a (עַד־מֶה) is elided in the clauses of v. 2b as well. So e.g., NLT: "How long will you people ruin my reputation? ''How long'' will you make groundless accusations? ''How long'' will you continue your lies?" (cf. NIV, KJV, ESV, NRSV, GNT, NET, NJPS, EÜ).
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* Most translations interpret the prepositional phrase לוֹ as adverbial, modifying the clause: "set apart ''for himself''" (NIV, KJV, ESV, NRSV, NLT, NJPS; cf. Peshitta, Targum). Some of the ancient translations, however, understood the לוֹ as adjectival, modifying the word חָסִיד, e.g., LXX: "his devout one" (τὸν ὅσιον αὐτοῦ); Jerome (iuxta Hebr.): "his holy one" (''sanctum suum''). The Masoretic accents, which group חָסִ֣יד ל֑וֹ as a unit, might also reflect this interpretation. The word order, in which לוֹ occurs at the end of the clause after חָסִיד rather than earlier in the clause, further supports this interpretation (cf. BHRG §46.1.3.1). Perhaps the psalm uses חָסִיד לוֹ instead of חֲסִידוֹ to avoid the definiteness required by חֲסִידוֹ, and/or perhaps לוֹ indicates the recipient of the acts of חֶסֶד (cf. Ps 18:51—עֹשֶׂה חֶסֶד לִמְשִׁיחֹו): "anyone who is loyal to him" (חָסִיד לוֹ) vs "his loyal one" (חֲסִידוֹ).
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* Most modern interpreters understand the prepositional phrase at the beginning of v. 8b (מֵעֵת, lit.: "from the time") as comparative: "greater than" (NLT, cf. NGÜ, HFA) or "more than" (KJV, NRSV, ESV, CEV, CEB, GNT, CSB, NEB; cf. LUT, ELB, GNB, ZÜR; so Baethgen 1904, 11; Staszak 2024, 188). This view requires a significant amount of elision (see v. 8 diagram). Yet, as BDB notes concerning this verse (and others), "sometimes in poetry the idea on which מִן is logically dependent, is unexpressed, and must be understood by the reader." GKC, citing several passages, notes similarly that "the attributive idea, on which מִן logically depends, must sometimes... be supplied from the context" (§133e). Psalm 4:8 is regarded as a "still bolder pregnant construction" (GKC §133e).
* A simpler interpretation of מֵעֵת—one that involves less elision and better accords with the normal usage of מֵעֵת—is to interpret it in a temporal sense: "''when'' their grain and new wine abound" (NIV, cf. NJPS; so Ibn Ezra, Radak, Ho'il Moshe; Goldingay 2006, 168-172). Bruce Waltke makes a strong argument for the temporal interpretation. He notes the following:
# "Elsewhere מֵעֵת is always temporal, never comparative (1 Chr 9:25; 2 Chr 25:27; Isa 48:16; Ezek 4:10, 11; Dan 12:11).
# "מִן by itself after שִׂמְחָה has a temporal meaning in Deut 28:47.
# "If the מִן is comparative, then the psalmist gives no reason for any joy apart from God answering his request. In contrast, by taking it temporally, his joy, or festive mirth, is connected with the increase of crops, a common motif in the Old Testament (Deut 28:47; 29:22; Neh 8:12; Esther 9:17-19; Prov 14:10; Eccl 9:7; Isa 9:3%5B2%5D; 16:10; 22:13; 24:11; Jer 25:10; 33:11-12)" (Waltke 2010, 240).
: The temporal interpretation might be reflected in the Septuagint: "from their season (ἀπὸ καιροῦ)..." See also Jerome's Hebrew-based translation: "in the time (''in tempore'')..." Cf. Mannati 1970 for the similar view that the מִן prepositional phrase indicates source.
'''v. 3''' – עַד־הָעוֹלָם is a variation of עַד־עוֹלָם, with little to no difference in meaning (see, e.g., Ps 106:31, 48; 1 Chr 17:14, which attest to both constructions). Nevertheless, עַד־הָעוֹלָם is much less frequent—occurring only seven times—and is highly concentrated in passages belonging to Transitional Biblical Hebrew (exilic) and Late Biblical Hebrew (post-exilic), as attested in Ps 106:48 (%3D 1 Chr 16:36); Neh 9:5 and 1 Chr 17:14, with the possible exceptions of Pss 28:9 and 41:14. +
'''v. 36''' – We have preferred to gloss וַיְפַתּ֥וּהוּ as ''try to deceive'' as shedding light on the nature of the people's confession in v. 35, since YHWH was not, in fact, deceived (cf. HALOT's %5B985%5D ''attempt to persuade'' and DCH's %5B798%5D ''attempt to deceive''). +
'''v. 15''' – Due to the lack of object suffix on וַ֝יַּ֗שְׁקְ, instead of "give %5Bthem%5D water to drink," the simpler gloss "provide drinking water" has been preferred (cf. "serve drinks" %5BDCH, 548%5D for the similarly object-less וְהַשְׁקוֹת֙ in Esth 1:7). Notice the variation between Jerome's Hebr. ''potum dedit'' "he gave a drink" and the supplied object of the LXX and Syr.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000014-QINU`"' +
* The word '''granted relief''' (הִרְחַבְתָּ) means "literally: to enlarge (for someone); hence: %3D causative action by which humans or deities grant relief to (other) humans by alleviating difficult circumstances" (SDBH). See e.g., Gen 26:22—"Now YHWH has made room for us (הִרְחִיב יְהוָה לָנוּ)." Similarly, the word '''distress''' (צַר) is associated with "narrowness." See e.g., Num 22:26—"He stood in a narrow place (בְּמָקֹום צָר)." SDBH defines it as "a process by which humans go through extremely difficult circumstances, resulting in severe anxiety, ◄ as if one were confined to a narrow and cramped space from which there is no escape." The poet is playing with a spatial conceptual metaphor: "you gave me space when I was in a tight place." Cf. NET: "Though I am hemmed in, you will lead me into a wide, open place."
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* To '''hear''' (שׁמע) someone's '''prayer''' (תְּפִלָּה) means not only to perceive the sounds that someone is saying, but to listen favorably and to grant their request (cf. HALOT: "to hear and accept a request").
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* Many interpreters have understood the phrase '''mortal humans''' (בְּנֵי אִישׁ, lit.: "sons of a man") as a reference to "men of rank." HALOT, for example, glosses the phrase as "distinguished people," the CSB has "exalted ones," and the GWT has "important people" (cf. NAB, REB; Radak: "the great ones of Israel %5Bגדולי ישראל%5D who were with Absalom"). The main evidence for this view is in Pss 49:3 and 62:10, where "men of high degree (בְּנֵי אִישׁ) are contrasted with those of no rank (בְּנֵי אָדָם)" (Dahood 1965, 23). But in Pss 49:3 and 62:10 the phrase "exalted ones" (בְּנֵי אִישׁ) is paired and contrasted with the phrase "common ones" (בְּנֵי אָדָם). In Ps 4, however, there is no contrast to "common ones." Instead, the usage in Ps 4:3 is more similar to the usage of the phrase in Lam 3:33, where the same phrase "sons of man" (בְּנֵי אִישׁ) stands on its own and "refers to people or mankind in general" (Reyburn 1992, 90), with a focus on their frail humanness and mortality: "For he is not predisposed to afflict or to grieve people (בְּנֵי אִישׁ)" (Lam 3:33). The word אִישׁ by itself is often used in this sense (see DCH). E.g., Num 23:19—"God is not human (אִישׁ), that he should lie, not a human being (בֶן־אָדָם), that he should change his mind" (NIV). It seems likely, therefore, that the psalmist identifies those to whom he speaks as "mortal as distinct from God" (DCH; so Spieckerman 2023, 123). The NEB accurately translates the phrase as "mortal men."
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* The phrases '''love vanity''' (תֶּאֱהָבוּן רִיק) and '''seek falsehood''' (תְּבַקְשׁוּ כָזָב) in v. 3b probably refer to the worship of false gods. Cf. Chrysostom (trans. Hill 1998, 55): "%5Bthe psalmist%5D seems... to be speaking of idols." The words "vanity" (רִיק) and "falsehood" (כָזָב) are euphemisms for idols. The REB, for example, says, "setting your hearts on empty idols and resorting to false gods?" Similarly, the NIV has "love delusions and seek false gods." Most translations, however, interpret "vanity" and "falsehood" as a reference to false accusations which the people are bringing against the psalmist. The NLT, for example, says "How long will you make groundless accusations? How long will you continue your lies?" (cf. NRSV, ESV, HFA, NGÜ, GNB, NFC. For this interpretation). But if "falsehood" (כָזָב) refers to "groundless accusations" (NLT), then we would not expect it to be the object of the verb "seek" (תְּבַקְשׁוּ). As Wilson notes, "elsewhere in the OT, humans are said to 'speak' lies, never to 'seek' them" (Wilson 2002, 154). The word "seek" (בּקשׁ) is used, however, for seeking after a god (e.g., Deut 4:9; Isa 45:19), and so is the verb "love" (אהב, e.g., Deut 6:5; Hos 4:18; Jer 8:2). Likewise, the word "falsehood" (כָזָב) is elsewhere used to refer to false gods. The prophet Amos, for example, says that the people "have been led astray by false gods (כִּזְבֵיהֶם), the gods their ancestors followed" (Amos 2:4, NIV). Although the word "vanity" (רִיק) does not elsewhere refer to idols, some of its synonyms (other words belonging to the same semantic domain of 'emptiness') are used in this sense (e.g., אָוֶן: Isa 41:29, Hos 12:12, 1 Sam 15:23, Isa 1:13, 66:3, Zech 10:2; אֱלִֹיל: Lev 19:4, 26:1, Isa 2:8, 18, 20bis, Ps 96:5 %3D 1 Chron 16:26, Ps 97:7; הֶבֶל, plural: Jer 10:15, 16:19, 51:18, Deut 32:21, 1 Kgs 16:13, 26, Jer 8:19, 10:8, 14:22, Ps 31:7, Jon 2:9; singular: 2 Kgs 17:15, Jer 2:5, cf. Jer 10:15, 16:19, and 51:18); שָׁוְא: Jer 18:15, Jon 2:9, Ps 31:7). Thus, the "mortal humans" appear to be engaging in idolatry, "a perversion of pious Israelite practice — namely, 'to love Yahweh' and 'to seek Yahweh'" (Barré 1995; cf. Goldingay 2006).
* The phrase "heavy of heart" (כִבְדֵי לֵב) (cf. the common phrase יִשְׁרֵי לֵב) is an idiom that means '''stubborn.''' The collocation "heavy"-"heart" is always elsewhere associated with the Exodus event and with the plagues in particular (Exod 7:14; 8:11, 28; 9:7, 34; 10:1; 1 Sam 6:6). The Pharaoh of the Exodus is the prototypical example of what it means to be "heavy of heart:" "Pharaoh’s heart is stubborn (כָּבֵד לֵב פַּרְעֹה), and he still refuses to let the people go" (Exod 7:14, NLT).
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* The word translated '''loyal one''' (חָסִיד) is not merely someone who is pious or "godly" (cf. KJV, NLT, ESV, NASB, NET), but "someone who practices חֶסֶד, who is committed towards fulfilling his/her (covenant) obligations" (SDBH, cf. HALOT; Ho'il Moshe: אִישׁ חֶסֶד). Thus, the translation "faithful" (NIV, CSB, CEV) might be more accurate. John Eaton translates the term as "covenant fellow," noting that, in the biblical world, "the king is God's preeminent covenant fellow (''hasid'')" (Eaton 1976). In this context, the reference could be to David the king in particular (cf. Pss 16:10; 86:2; so e.g., Radak, Ho'il Moshe) or to the nation of Israel as a whole (cf. Ps 43:1—מִגּוֹי לֹא־חָסִיד).
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* The word הִפְלָה means to '''set apart''' for special, preferential treatment (SDBH; cf. Rashi: %3D הבדיל; Radak %3D הפריש והבדיל). As with the phrase "heavy of heart," this word is associated especially with the Exodus plagues (Exod 8:18; 9:4; 11:7), where it referred to YHWH's special treatment of the Israelites: "But on that day I will deal differently with (וְהִפְלֵיתִי) the land of Goshen, where my people live; no swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know that I, the Lord, am in this land. I will make a distinction between my people and your people" (Exod 8:18-19 %5BEng: 22-23%5D, NIV).
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* See %5B%5BThe Meaning of רגזו in Ps. 4:5%5D%5D.
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* The expression אמר בלב (and similar expressions) means to "''say in one’s heart, think'', or, without proposition following, ''ponder''" (DCH). Normally, there is a proposition or a direct object following, specifying the content of the internal speech/thought (e.g., Gen 17:17; Deut 7:17; 8:17; 9:4; 18:21; Isa 14:13; 47:8, 10; 49:21; Jer 5:14; Pss 10:6, 11; 35:25; 74:8; etc.). But here, there is no proposition or object (cf. Gen 4:8 %5BMT and 4QGen<sup>b</sup>%5D; Exod 19:25). There is a possible parallel for this omission in the later, non-biblical Hebrew composition Psalm 151: "And I rendered glory to YHWH; I pondered in my soul (אמרתי אני בנפשי)" (11QPs<sup>a</sup> column 28, line 5).
* In light of this difficulty, various emendations to the text have been proposed, e.g., מַר ("bitterly," cf. Kselman 1987, 103-105), הָמֵרוּ ("show bitterness," cf. Barré 1995, 59-60), and מָאֱרוּ ("feel hatred," cf. Driver 1942, 150; NEB). The most plausible of these emendations is הָמֵרוּ ("show bitterness"). "Showing bitterness" (i.e., weeping bitterly) occurs elsewhere in the context of repentance and mourning, and it would be fitting in the context if the following verb דֹמּוּ is understood to mean "wail, lament" (see lexical note). See e.g., Zech 12:10—"When they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly (וְהָמֵר) over him, as one weeps (כְּהָמֵר) over a firstborn" (Zech 12:10, ESV). Reading הָמֵרוּ in Ps 4:5 would also fit with the prepositional phrase "in/with your hearts" (see e.g., Hos 7:14—זָעֲקוּ אֵלַי בְּלִבָּם; Ben Sira 39:35—בכל לב הרנינו; cf. Zeph 3:14).
* Because the MT's reading אִמְרוּ is supported by all of the textual witnesses, Barthélemy et al. 2005, 9-10 give it an A rating, but they do not address the issue of the lack of speech content.
* In light of the grammatical issue with אִמְרוּ (see above), some interpret אִמְרוּ to mean "search" (e.g., Waltke 2010, 236; cf. Dahood 1963, 295-296; cf. NIV: "search your hearts").
* The word וְדֹמּוּ could mean to "be silent, be still" (cf. NIV, NLT, ESV, NRSV, LUT, HFA, NGÜ, ELB EÜ, GNB, ZÜR; see e.g., Ps 37:7) or to "wail, lament" (cf. NET; so HALOT). Evidence for the latter interpretation might come from Isa 23:1-2 and Hos 7:14: "Wail (הֵילִילוּ), you large ships... Lament (דֹּמּוּ), you residents of the coast" (Isa 23:1-2, NET). "They do not cry out to me from their hearts but wail (יְיֵלִילוּ) on their beds (עַל־מִשְׁכְּבֹותָם)" (Hos 7:14, NIV). Together, these two passages show an association between "wailing" (היליל) and "beds" (Hos 7:14; cf. Ps 4:5) as well as an association between the word "wail" (היליל) and the word דמם (Isa 23:1-2; cf. Ps 4:5). These connections might suggest that the verb דֹמּוּ in Ps 4, which is associated with "beds," means "wail" or "lament." Further evidence for this interpretation comes from the Ugaritic cognate דמם, which means "wail" or "lament" (%5Bhttps://archive.org/details/dictionaryofugar0000olmo Olmo Lete and Sanmartín 2004, 274%5D; see e.g., KTU 1.16, I 26—אל תבכן אל תדם לי %3D COS I:339, "Do not weep... do not lament for me"). The LXX might also support this view. It translates דֹמּוּ as "be pricked" (κατανύγητε), a word that "stands for strong emotions, especially pain, grief and dismay" (Bons et al. 2011, 1506; cf. Acts 2:37—κατενύγησαν τὴν καρδίαν). This interpretation, in turn, would support the emendation of אִמְרוּ ("think") to הָמֵרוּ ("weep bitterly") (see grammar note; see further Barré 1995). On the other hand, the interpretation "wail/lament" does not make sense in the psalm. Why would the psalmist exhort the "mortal humans" to wail on their beds, if this practice was associated with pagan worship (cf. Hos 7:14)—precisely the thing that the psalmist is condemning? The interpretation "be silent" is more likely. Perhaps we should see a word-play here. The psalm says, in effect, "You have been ''wailing'' (דמם) on your beds, trying to get the attention of your gods, but you need to be ''silent'' (דמם)."
* In the context of a harvest (see v. 8), the word '''good''' (טוֹב) might be a metonymy for "rain" as, e.g., in Jer 5:25 and Ps 85:13 (cf. DCH). As Dahood notes, "the 'good' par excellence in Palestine is the rain, so that in a number of texts ''tov'' without further modification concretely signifies 'rain'" (Dahood 1965, 25).
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* The word '''peace''' (שָׁלוֹם) refers to a "condition in which there is no conflict, war, danger, sickness, famine, or anything to fear, but where one can live at ease and with confidence" (SDBH).
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