Psalm 4/Story Behind/Assumptions
From Psalms: Layer by Layer
| V. | Text (Hebrew) | Text (CBC) | Proposition (Story Behind) | common ground | local ground | playground |
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| 1 | לַמְנַצֵּ֥חַ בִּנְגִינ֗וֹת מִזְמ֥וֹר לְדָוִֽד׃ | For the director. With stringed instruments. A psalm. By David. | ||||
| 2 | בְּקָרְאִ֡י *עָנָנִי* ׀ אֱלֹ֘הֵ֤י צִדְקִ֗י | When I called out, the God who makes things right for me answered me. | David calls out.
The God who makes things right for David answers David. |
• YHWH's relationship to the people was, in some ways, mediated by the king (cf. Eaton 1975, 165–168, 172–177), and so the king was held responsible for the land's fertility (cf. Pss 72; 144; 2 Sam 23:3–4; KAI 26 = COS 2.31; cf. Eaton 1975, 30, 165–168). A righteous king meant blessing for the land.
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| בַּ֭צָּר הִרְחַ֣בְתָּ לִּ֑י | In the distress, you granted me relief. | YHWH grants David relief in distress. | ||||
| *חַנַּנִי* | He was merciful to me | YHWH is merciful to David. | ||||
| *וְשָׁמַע* תְּפִלָּתִֽי׃ | and heard my prayer. | YHWH hears David's prayer. | ||||
| 3 | בְּנֵ֥י אִ֡ישׁ עַד־מֶ֬ה *כִבְדֵי לֵב* | Mortal humans, how long [will you be] heavy-hearted? | Humans are heavy-hearted. | • In the Exodus plagues, Pharaoh hardened his heart and stubbornly refused to obey YHWH (see note on phrase-level semantics).
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| *לָמָּה* תֶּאֱהָב֣וּן רִ֑יק | Why would you love what is worthless, | Humans love what is worthless. | • On the references to idolatry in this verse, see lexical semantics.
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| תְּבַקְשׁ֖וּ כָזָ֣ב סֶֽלָה׃ | seek what is false? Selah. | Humans seek what is false. | ||||
| 4 | וּדְע֗וּ כִּֽי־הִפְלָ֣ה יְ֭הוָה חָסִ֣יד ל֑וֹ | But know that YHWH has set apart one who is loyal to him. | YHWH sets apart one who is loyal to him. | • In the Exodus plagues, YHWH "set apart" his people for special treatment (see notes on Lexical semantics).
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| יְהוָ֥ה יִ֝שְׁמַ֗ע בְּקָרְאִ֥י אֵלָֽיו׃ | YHWH hears when I call out to him. | YHWH hears when David calls out to him. | ||||
| 5 | רִגְז֗וּ | Tremble | Humans tremble. | • YHWH's kingship inspires fear in those who do not serve him (Exod 15:14–16; Pss 2:12; 99:1).
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| וְֽאַל־תֶּ֫חֱטָ֥אוּ | and do not sin! | Humans sin. | ||||
| אִמְר֣וּ בִ֭לְבַבְכֶם עַֽל־מִשְׁכַּבְכֶ֗ם | Think to yourselves on your beds | Humans think to themselves on their beds. | • "The bedroom is the place of the most personal, secret thoughts... • " (DBI, "Bed, Bedroom;" cf. Ps 36:5; Eccl. 10:20; Mic 2:1). • Pagan rituals for getting the gods' attention and winning their favor included wailing on beds and cutting oneself (cf. Hos 7:14; 1 Kgs 18:28). " I long to redeem them but they speak about me falsely (כְּזָבִים). They do not cry out to me from their hearts (בְּלִבָּם) but wail on their beds (עַל־מִשְׁכְּבוֹתָם). They slash themselves, appealing to their gods for grain and new wine (עַל־דָּגָן וְתִירוֹשׁ), but they turn away from me" (Hos 7:14, NIV). >> "They don't really pray to me; they just howl in their beds. They have rejected me for Baal and slashed themselves, in the hope that Baal will bless their crops" (CEV). "This line refers to ritual wailing for the deceased Baal as part of fertility rites. Details of the rituals of the cults are lost to us, but they certainly included both prostitution at the shrines and ceremonial lamentation (see Ezek 8:14). The cultic setting for this verse is implied by the yearning for the products promised by the fertility cult, grain and wine, and by the self-laceration the text describes (see 1 Kgs 18:28)" (Garrett 1997, 174).
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| וְדֹ֣מּוּ סֶֽלָה׃ | and be silent! Selah. | Humans are silent. | ||||
| 6 | זִבְח֥וּ זִבְחֵי־צֶ֑דֶק | Sacrifice right sacrifices | Humans sacrifice right sacrifices. | |||
| וּ֝בִטְח֗וּ אֶל־יְהוָֽה׃ | and trust in YHWH! | Humans trust in YHWH. | • "Trust in the Lord so that He will bestow blessings • upon you" (Rashi)
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| 7 | רַבִּ֥ים אֹמְרִים֮ מִֽי־יַרְאֵ֪נ֫וּ ט֥וֹב | Many are saying, "Who shows us good? | Many say, "Who shows us good?" | • In the land of Canaan, successful harvests are dependent upon right amounts of rain at the right times (cf. Deut 11:11–12; Lev 26:4). Rain was regarded as the "good" (טוֹב) par excellence (Jer 5:25; Ps 85:13; cf. Dahood 1965, 25). • Rain comes from God (cf. Deut 11:11–12; Lev 26:4; 1 Kgs 17:1), or, in the mind of other nations, from their "gods" (cf. Jer 14:22). People would worship other gods to gain their favor and secure rainfall for their crops (cf. Jer 14:22; Zech 10:1–2; Hos 2:7; 7:14).
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| *נְסֵה*־עָ֭לֵינוּ א֨וֹר פָּנֶ֬יךָ יְהוָֽה׃ | Lift up the light of your face as a banner over us, YHWH!" | YHWH lifts up the light of his face as a banner over his 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). See the banner imagery chart.
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| 8 | נָתַ֣תָּה שִׂמְחָ֣ה בְלִבִּ֑י מֵעֵ֬ת דְּגָנָ֖ם וְתִֽירוֹשָׁ֣ם רָֽבּוּ׃ | You have put joy in my heart since the time their grain and their new wine multiplied. | YHWH puts joy in David's heart. | |||
| The grain and new wine of the people multiply. | ||||||
| 9 | בְּשָׁל֣וֹם יַחְדָּו֮ אֶשְׁכְּבָ֪ה וְאִ֫ישָׁ֥ן | In peace, I can both lie down and fall asleep, | David lies down and falls asleep in peace. | |||
| כִּֽי־אַתָּ֣ה יְהוָ֣ה לְבָדָ֑ד לָ֝בֶ֗טַח תּוֹשִׁיבֵֽנִי׃ | because you alone, YHWH, make me dwell securely. | YHWH alone makes David dwell securely. |