Overview

Participant mini-story

There are three participants/characters, in Psalm 4:

David
YHWH
The people

Some interpreters have identified a fourth participant in the "many" who speak in v. 7a.^[1] But this is unnecessary, since the "many" of v. 7 can be identified as the same people whom David addresses in vv. 3-6.^[2] Their question of "who...?" suggests their openness to divine benefactors other than YHWH (cf. v. 3).^[3]

Participant Relations

The relationships among the three participants may be abstracted from the psalm and summarised visually as follows:

David calls out to YHWH (vv. 2a, 4b; see v. 7b), and he rebukes and exhorts the people (vv. 3-6).
YHWH hears David (v. 4b; see v. 2), and he blesses him with joy, peace, and security (vv. 8-9).
The people dishonor David (v. 3) and question YHWH's ability to provide. When the psalm comes to an end, the people have a choice to make: will they continue in on their path to destruction, or will they trust in YHWH and so experience his blessing?

Participants in the Psalm

With respect to participants, the psalm divides into three sections:
- David addresses YHWH (v. 2)
- David addresses the people (vv. 3-6)
- David addresses YHWH (vv. 7-9)
There is a possible fourth participant hinted at in v. 3 and v. 7: idols. The words "vanity" and "falsehood" may be euphemisms for false gods. These other gods may also stand behind the people's question in v. 7, "who will show us good?" (i.e. YHWH and his king? Or some other god?). David answers the question in the next line: "Cause the light of your face to shine on us, YHWH."

Participant Analysis Diagram

Legend

Diagram

Chart

References

↑ Perowne is typical of many commentators when he claims that "the reference may be to the friends and companions of David, whose heart failed them in the day of trouble; or more widely, to the general proneness of men to walk by sight rather than by faith" (1878:129).
↑ "The hypothesis that they are a totally different group is unnecessary and falls to Occam's razor ('entities are not to be multiplied')" (John Goldingay, “Psalm 4: Ambiguity and Resolution,” Tyndale Bulletin 57, no. 2, 2006: 161–172.). Cf. Ross: "But there is no compelling reason to say this; they still could be the same antagonists that the psalmist has been dealing with in the psalm" (Ross 2011:238).
↑ "This question reveals a rather crass pragmatism that led at the beginning of this psalm to the callous disregard of covenant obligations and the pursuit of false hopes among the fertility deities" (Wilson 2002:158). If this interpretation is correct, then the GNT translation of this verse ("Give us more blessings, O LORD") which specifies YHWH as the addressee of the people's wish/prayer, is misleading.

[1] Perowne is typical of many commentators when he claims that "the reference may be to the friends and companions of David, whose heart failed them in the day of trouble; or more widely, to the general proneness of men to walk by sight rather than by faith" (1878:129).

[2] "The hypothesis that they are a totally different group is unnecessary and falls to Occam's razor ('entities are not to be multiplied')" (John Goldingay, “Psalm 4: Ambiguity and Resolution,” Tyndale Bulletin 57, no. 2, 2006: 161–172.). Cf. Ross: "But there is no compelling reason to say this; they still could be the same antagonists that the psalmist has been dealing with in the psalm" (Ross 2011:238).

[3] "This question reveals a rather crass pragmatism that led at the beginning of this psalm to the callous disregard of covenant obligations and the pursuit of false hopes among the fertility deities" (Wilson 2002:158). If this interpretation is correct, then the GNT translation of this verse ("Give us more blessings, O LORD") which specifies YHWH as the addressee of the people's wish/prayer, is misleading.

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Psalm 4 Participant analysis