Psalm 4 Academics
The Light of Your Face
Psalm 4
Academic Resources
Explore our academic Psalms resources for Psalm 4, including our Layer-by-Layer analysis, select Exegetical Issues, and Overview Videos.
Overview 
- This page will introduce and provide orientation to Psalm 4 as a whole. It covers the message, structure, background and participants of the psalm.
Layer-by-Layer Analysis 
- The heart of our process is our layer-by-layer exegetical analysis, where we unfold the semantics, story behind, discourse, and poetics of each psalm.
Grammar & Semantics
Semantics is the study of how language is used to represent meaning. The goal of semantic analysis is to understand the meaning of words and how they relate to each other in context. Our Semantics analysis consists of the following sub-layers:
- Grammar & Textual Criticism
- Lexical Semantics
- Phrase-Level Semantics
- Verbal Semantics
Story Behind
The Story Behind the Psalm shows how each part of the psalm fits together into a single coherent whole. Here, we analyze the meaning of sentences and larger units of discourse, up to and including the entire psalm. This also include historical background and figurative imagery.
Discourse
Our Discourse Layer moves beyond semantic-level meaning, and analyzes features of the text dependent on the speaker, addressee, and macrosyntax.
Poetics
Exploring the Psalms as poetry is crucial for understanding and experiencing the psalms and thus for faithfully translating them into another language.
Verse-by-Verse Notes 
- Explore the psalm verse-by-verse and section-by-section.
Psalm 4 Exegetical Issues 
- These issues examine the top three tough questions for each psalm, explaining different scholarly interpretations, and offering our perspective.
- According to the MT, the verbs in the first and third lines are imperatives, while the verb in the second line is qatal (הִרְחַבְתָּ). Modern translations disagree on how to render this qatal verb. The most common options for this verb are: (1) past-tense indicative ("you have given relief"); or (2) the so-called "precative qatal" (i.e., a qatal functioning like an imperative, "give me relief"). In addition, it is possible that the other verbs in verse 2 should be vocalized as qatal forms.
- The NIV's translation "my glory into shame" is a translation of the MT: כְבוֹדִי לִכְלִמָּה. The NJB's translation is a translation of the supposed Hebrew text underlying the Septuagint's translation: כִבְדֵי לֵב לָמָּה. This reading differs from the MT's reading in four ways: (1) it redivides the words (לֵב לָמָּה vs לִכְלִמָּה); (2) it has a bet instead of a kaf (לֵב vs לִכְ); (3), it has a defective spelling for כבדי (vs כבודי in MT); and (4) it has a different vocalization.
- Translations disagree on how to interpret the word נסה. Is this verb (1) an orthographic variant of נְשָׂא ("lift" > "cause to shine," so most translations); (2) a 3fs qatal form of נוס ("has fled"); or (3) a denominative verb from the noun נֵס ('"banner," so Symmachus, Rashi, cf. LXX)?
