Psalm 4/Sections

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Superscription (v. 1)

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AAG Summary

Unspecified.

Prose Summary

Probably by David.


Relief (v. 2)

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AAG Summary

The God who makes things right for me relieved my distress.

Prose Summary

The psalm opens with a celebratory recounting of YHWH's help. The psalmist, it appears, was in some kind of "distress" (v. 2b), but he called out to YHWH (v. 2a), and YHWH graciously answered him and gave him relief. YHWH has thus proven himself to be "the God who makes things right" for him.

The nature of the distress and the relief, described in vague, general terms in v. 2, will become clear in vv. 7–9. These final verses describe YHWH's recent blessing in the harvest: "you have put joy in my heart since the time their grain and their new wine multiplied." It appears, then, that the "relief" YHWH gave (v. 2) is related to his gift of rain (cf. "good" in v. 7) and an abundant harvest (v. 8), which resulted in peaceful and secure living in the land (v. 9). The "distress," therefore, must have been some kind of threat to a successful harvest, perhaps a drought. In the land of Canaan, successful harvests were dependent on the right amounts of rain at the right times (cf. Deut 11:11–12; Lev 26:4).

We can imagine the "Story behind the psalm" as something like the following: Psalm 004 - background events.jpg

The identity of the psalmist as "David," the king, is signficant. The king represented the people, yet he was also distinct from them (cf. the "I" and "they" language in vv. 7–9). The people's relationship to YHWH was, in some ways, mediated by their king,[1] and so the king was held responsible for the land's fertility, for securing divine blessing on the land (cf. Pss 72; 144; 2 Sam 23:3–4).[2] When the people needed a good harvest and the land needed rain, the king called out to YHWH for help (v. 2).


Invitation (vv. 3-6)

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AAG Summary

Everyone, stop seeking false gods! They will not satisfy.

Sacrifice right sacrifices and trust in YHWH!

Prose Summary

The psalm divides into three parts based on shifts in the addressee.[3] Whereas v. 2 (or, at least, the central part of it) was addressed to YHWH ("you gave me relief"), vv. 3-6 are addressed to "mortal humans," i.e., to the mass of humanity who love and seek worthless and false gods (v. 3).

YHWH's blessing on Israel has implications for these people. Israel was meant to be an example, showing others what it looks like to live under YHWH's blessing (cf. Deut 4:6–7; 1 Kgs 8:41–43; Zech 8:20–23; cf. Gen 12:1–3). In this sense, YHWH's blessing on Israel was like a "banner" (נֵס), which is "used to identify a particular group" (SDBH) and point the way to a place of security and rest (cf. Isa 11:10–12; Jer 4:6; Ps 60:6).[4] If idol-worshippers repent and trust in YHWH (v. 6), then they can enjoy his blessing, too. The psalmist's speech to humanity in vv. 3–6 is rhetorically harsh (see esp. v. 3), but it is ultimately aimed at their repentance and flourishing.

The poetic structure groups the address to humanity into three parts.

  1. Initial rebuke in the form of a question (v. 3)
  2. Call to fearful, silent reflection (vv. 4–5)
  3. Call to repentance and trust (v. 6)

Psalm 004 - vv. 3–6.jpg

The exhortation to "sacrifice right sacrifices" in v. 6 is especially noteworthy. The phrase comes from Moses' blessing in Deut 33, to which Psalm 4 has many connections. In this blessing, Moses prophesied that Israel would be blessed with abundant harvests in the land (Deut 33:28), and that they would "invite foreigners to their mountain and offer the right sacrifices there" (Deut 33:19, GNT). In vv. 3–6, the psalmist does exactly that: invite foreigners to "offer right sacrifices" to YHWH (v. 6).

The following visual summarizes the relationships among the characters, or participants, in this psalm, including the relationship between the psalmist and the "mortal humans." Psalm 004 - participant relations.jpg


Blessing (vv. 7-9)

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AAG Summary

Many are celebrating your blessing and saying, "Lift up the light of your face as a banner over us, YHWH!"

You bless those who trust in you with joy, peace, and security.

Prose Summary

In vv. 7–9, the psalmist turns from addressing humanity (cf. vv. 3–6) back to addressing YHWH and celebrating YHWH's blessing on his people (cf. v. 2). Like the previous section (vv. 3–6), this section begins with a question (v. 7a) and concludes with "trust" or "security" (בטח).[5] By providing an abundant harvest (v. 8b), YHWH has secured his people's joy (v. 8a), peace (v. 9a), and secure dwelling in the land (v. 9). He has also made his blessing a "banner" that identifies his people and invites the nations to rally (v. 7). Now his people celebrate his blessing by saying, "Who [is the one who] shows us good? [YHWH does!] [Continue to] lift up the light of your face as a banner over us, YHWH!" (v. 7).

The celebration of YHWH's blessing in vv. 7–9, with its description of "peace" (v. 9) and YHWH's shining face (v. 7), echoes the blessing of Aaron, the high priest: "The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace" (Num 6:25-26, ESV). Psalm 4 also echoes the blessing of Moses in Deuteronomy 33 (see image below). By drawing on the language of these two historic blessings (Aaronic and Mosaic), the psalm celebrates YHWH's provision in the present moment as the fulfillment of these blessings.

Psalm 004 - Poetic feature 3.jpg

At the same time, vv. 7–9 continue to have the rest of humanity in view (cf. vv. 3–6). This is clear from the "banner" imagery in v. 7 (see below). It is also clear from the poetic repetition of roots in these verses. For example, nearly every root in v. 5b is repeated in this section in the same order in which they first appeared in v. 5b:

  • אמר - v. 7a ("saying") - v. 5b ("think")
  • לבב - v. 8a ("heart") - v. 5b ("yourselves")
  • שכב - v.9a ("lie down") - v. 5b ("beds")

The root בטח at the end of v. 9 also occurred in v. 6. It is also worth noting at this point that the root צדק occurs in both v. 2 and v. 9. Thus, v. 6 repeats roots from the first line of the Psalm (צדק "right") and the last line of the Psalm (בטח "trust/securely") respectively.

Each repeated root in the psalm is used once in relation to YHWH's people and at least once in relation to humanity:

  • "many are saying" (אמרים) (v. 7) // "think" (אמרו) (v. 5)
  • "my heart" (לבי) (v. 8) // "your hearts " (לבב) (v. 5) "heavy of heart" (v. 3)
  • "I will lie down" (שׁכב) (v. 9) // "your beds" (משׁכב) (v. 5)
  • "right for me" (צדק) (v. 2) // "(you) sacrifice right sacrifices" (צדק) (v. 6)
  • "you make me dwell securely" (בטח) (v. 9) // "(you) trust in YHWH" (בטח) (v. 6)

Psalm 004 - Poetic feature 1.jpg David and Israel, whom he represents as king, show the world what it looks like to experience true blessing. YHWH has set David and Israel apart for special treatment (v. 4), and his blessing on them is like a "banner" to which others are called to rally (v. 7b). In contrast, there are many people who worship idols (v. 3) and look for gods who can truly satisfy them (v. 7a). In response, David addresses this mass of idol-worshipping humanity and says, in effect, "Look at how YHWH has blessed us! Come, be like us! The security (בטח), rightly ordered well-being (צדק), joy-filled hearts (לב), and peaceful sleep (שׁכב) that our God gives to us can be yours as well, if you will imitate us and trust in him!"



  1. ↑ Cf. Eaton 1975, 165–168, 172–177.
  2. ↑ KAI 26 = COS 2.31; cf. Eaton 1975, 30, 165–168.
  3. ↑ So e.g., Hossfeld and Zenger 1993, 59–62; Weber 2016, 59-60; Spieckermann 2023, 122.
  4. ↑ See notes on v. 7.
  5. ↑ Cf. Hossfeld and Zenger 1993, 59; Weber 2016, 60.