There are 5 participants/characters in Psalm 4:
Profile List
| David
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| "David" (v. 1)
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| "loyal one" (v. 4)
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| YHWH
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| "YHWH" (vv. 4, 6, 7, 9)
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| "God of my prosperity" (v. 2)
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| Humanity
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| "Mortal humans" (v. 3)
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| "many" (v. 7)
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| Idols
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| "Vanity" (v. 3)
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| "Falsehood" (v. 3)
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Profile Notes
- David is the king and representative of YHWH's people. Because he is YHWH's "loyal one" (v. 4), YHWH listens to him when he calls out (vv. 2, 4) and blesses him (vv. 2, 7–9).
- YHWH is "the God who makes things right" for David (v. 2). He has set apart his people and his king for special treatment (v. 4), and so the light of his face is like a banner over them (v. 7), signaling to all people what true blessing looks like and inviting them to participate (cf. vv. 3–6).
- YHWH's people are those who are loyal to him (v. 4) and thus experience his favor and blessing—"the light of his face" manifested in an abundance of grain and new wine (vv. 7–8).
- About half of the psalm is addressed to humanity, referred to as "mortal humans" or "human beings" (v. 3). These are people (whether Israelites or non-Israelites) who seek blessing from gods other than YHWH (vv. 3, 7). David summons them to repent and trust in YHWH for true blessing.
- Lurking in the background of this psalm are idols, or gods that people worship other than YHWH. The psalmist derisively calls these idols "what is vain" and "what is false" (see notes on lexical semantics).