Psalm 4
Text: CM (Sing Psalms; alt. 2009)
1 Respond, God of my righteousness, my comfort in distress.
Display your mercy to me now, and answer my request.
2 The glory of my name, O men, how long will you despise?
How long will you delude yourselves, still searching after lies?
3 Then know the LORD has set apart the godly as his own;
the LORD will hear me when I call and my request make known.
4 In anger do not break God’s law; consider and be still.
5 Present a righteous sacrifice and wait upon his will.
6 “O who can show us any good?” I hear so many say.
O LORD, shine on us with your light; reveal your face, I pray.
7 You filled my heart with greater joy than others may have found
as they rejoiced at harvest time, when grain and wine abound.
8 In peace I will lie down and sleep; my heart will rest secure,
for you alone, O gracious LORD, will keep me safe and sure.
Tune: Dunfermline (Scottish Psalter, 1615)
Commentary
Psalm 4 is titled, “To the Choirmaster; with Stringed Instruments. A Psalm of David.” Psalms 3-4 are connected by the language of “lying down and sleeping” in 3:5 and 4:8. Psalm 4 is often sung as an evening song because of its emphasis on beds and sleeping. There is an aspect of lament in Psalm 4 — particularly in the complaint in verse 2 against the “men” who love vain words and seek after lies — but even that darker tone is taken up into his confidence in verse 3, “the LORD has set apart the godly for himself.”
Therefore, the overall tone of the Psalm is one of quiet confidence.
Structure:
There were no structural issues that concerned us. All the metrical translations that we considered did well at this.
Translation Notes:
We were generally satisfied with the Sing Psalms text, and made only a couple of minor changes to improve inflection. The connection with the Aaronic benediction in verse 6 is important. “Lift up the light of your face upon us, O LORD” (ESV) should be seen in connection with verse 7’s comment on how God has given me more joy than “they have when their grain and wine abound.” The Aaronic benediction would have intersected with the worship of God’s people especially when they came to the temple, bringing their tithe for the Feast of Booths. Psalm 4 helps us remember that the joy of the Lord provides greater safety and satisfaction than all of human riches.
Tune Notes:
Dunfermline is an old Scottish Psalm tune that deserves a place in all Psalters. It fits particularly well with the tone of quiet confidence in Psalm 4. The melody moves mostly in seconds and thirds, creating gently flowing arcs in the first, third, and fourth musical lines — the only exception being in the second line, where the interval of a fourth is followed by the least movement in the melody — creating a contrast with the gentle flow of the rest of the tune, and highlighting this particular phrase. This works especially well in stanza 1 “my comfort in distress” — stanza 2 “how long will you despise?” — stanza 4 “consider and be still” — and stanza 7 “my heart will rest secure.”
Dunfermline is found in the BPS (8), BPW (8, 111), Trinity Psalter (131), Sing Psalms (9), the CBPS (35, 95), 1959 Psalter Hymnal (60), and is used with hymn 383 in the Trinity Hymnal.
Conclusion
I have not yet preached on Psalm 4.
— Peter J. Wallace
