Psalm 4 Overview

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Welcome to the Overview of Psalm 4

This page will introduce and provide orientation to Psalm 4 as a whole. It includes the following sections:


Introduction to Psalm 4

Author:

Purpose:

To intercede for the people and call them to repentance.

Content:

People, trust in YHWH alone! He has relieved our suffering in the past, and he will help us again when I call to him. YHWH, shine on us!

Message:

YHWH alone gives peace and security in times of distress.

Psalm 4 At-a-Glance

These sections divide the content of the psalm into digestible pieces , and are determined based on information from many of our layers, including Semantics, Poetics, and Discourse. The columns, left to right, contain: the verse numbers; the main title of the section; a brief summary of the content of that section (quote marks indicate the text is taken directly from the English text of the psalm (as per our Close-but-Clear translation); and an icon to visually represent and remember the content. Psalm 4 At-a-Glance.jpg

Background Orientation for Psalm 4

Following are the common-ground assumptionsCommon-ground assumptions include information shared by the speaker and hearers. In our analysis, we mainly use this category for Biblical/Ancient Near Eastern background. which are the most helpful for making sense of the psalm.

  • The king represented the people to YHWH and YHWH to the people.
  • The king, like a prophet, was responsible for encouraging and admonishing the people to follow YHWH.
  • The king, like a priest, was responsible for interceding with YHWH on the people's behalf.
  • Israelite agriculture was dependent upon rain; drought was a frequent and serious problem for Israel.
  • "In the ancient Near East the king was held responsible for the rain" (cf. Pss. 72; 132:15; 144:11-14).
  • In times of crisis, especially drought, the people often turned to other gods (cf. 1Kgs. 17-18; Jer. 5:24; Hos. 2:8-9; Zech. 10:1-2).

Background Situation for Psalm 4

The background situation is the series of events leading up to the time in which the psalm is spoken. These are taken from the story triangle – whatever lies to the left of the star icon. Psalm 4 - Background Situation.jpg

Participants in Psalm 4

This resource is forthcoming.