I. (4:1) Confident Prayer. Two urgent requests (“answer me when I call . . . be gracious to me and hear my prayer”) enclose a recollection of past experience (“You have given me relief”). The rhetoric here is similar to that of Psalm 3:7: past experience emboldens the faithful to confident prayer.

The pair of words “answer” and “call” expresses the prayer situation: the faithful call to God, who answers with his help (cf. 3:4; 17:6; fifteen times in the Psalms). The request “be gracious” occurs twenty-one times in the Psalms and is sometimes rendered “be merciful”; it has the force of “Since you have declared yourself merciful and gracious (Ex. 34:6), please put that on display in this particular case.”

II. (4:2–3) Words to the Faithless. The singer turns from his prayer to address those who slander the pious; such people should know that the Lord has set his favor upon the faithful and will listen to their prayers.

The Hebrew word “set apart” (hiplah; Ps. 4:3) appears in Exodus 8:22; 9:4; 11:7; 33:16 (sometimes rendered “make a distinction”). The idea is that God sets his special attention and affection on a person or people in order to distinguish him or them. The “godly” person (Hb. khasid; variously rendered “godly,” “saint,” “faithful one,” or “holy one” in the Psalms) is the one who has genuinely and from the heart laid hold of God’s steadfast love (khesed) offered in his covenant. The singular here stresses that each faithful member of the people may have this confidence.

III. (4:4–5) Words to the Faithful. Next the singer turns to tell the godly not to give in to the anger that would lead them to take revenge; instead, they must remain steadfast in their worship and trust.

The opening clauses of Psalm 4:4 (“Be angry, and do not sin”) can be taken as a conditional sentence: “If you feel anger at those who slander you [which you may well do], then nevertheless do not sin [by seeking revenge against them].” The way to prevent sin is to “ponder” and “be silent”; that is, to reflect on the ways in which the Lord has shown himself trustworthy. This does not discourage the faithful from using legal recourse when necessary; instead, it speaks against personal revenge that circumvents the law and consumes the lives of the vengeful. Paul employs this verse in Ephesians 4:26, probably in the same sort of conditional manner. He supplies the necessary middle step: “Do not let the sun go down on your anger.” This is how people can properly “ponder” on their beds in a silence that is healthy, not sullen.97

The term “right sacrifices” (Ps. 4:5) appears also in Deuteronomy 33:19; Psalm 51:19. It refers to sacrifices that follow the rules of the Pentateuch and express a heart of sincere “trust in the Lord.” In the OT, ceremonies and liturgies rightly conducted and earnestly carried out are divinely given aspects of a genuine life of godliness.98

IV. (4:6–8) Words to the Lord. The singer finishes by offering a plea to the Lord. When God seems absent, even the faithful may be tempted to wonder (v. 6), “Who will show us some good?” The proper response to such feelings is prayer: “Lift up the light of your face upon us!” This prayer echoes the words of the Aaronic benediction (Num. 6:24–26); the priestly pronouncement has been turned into a personal request.

Psalm 4:7 shows that joy in the OT is not focused on materialistic prosperity on its own and reflects well the values of Psalms 37:16; 73:28; Proverbs 15:16; 16:8. The prayers can thus lead to the peaceful conclusion of Psalm 4:8 (reminding us of 3:5–6).