Psalm 4 → 17

Reasoning: 9088 Output: 4603 Total: 13691

Argument

Here are ways to argue that Psalm 17 “follows on” from Psalm 4, by sequence, form, and especially by tightly interlocking Hebrew diction.

Macro-sequence (evening → night → waking/vision)
- Psalm 4 ends at night: “In peace I will both lie down and sleep … you make me dwell in safety” (4:9).
- Psalm 17 explicitly moves through the night and into waking: “You visited me at night; you tested me…” (17:3), and climaxes with “I shall be satisfied when I awake with your likeness” (17:15). Read together, 17 narrates what happens after the sleep of 4—night testing, divine protection, and waking to behold God.

Prayer-heard motif tightened
- Ps 4:2, 4:4: “When I call, answer me… YHWH will hear when I call to him.”
- Ps 17:1,6 answers that hope with the same lexemes: “Hear (שִׁמְעָה)… Give ear… I called to you, for you will answer me.” The promise of 4 (“YHWH will hear”) becomes the operative reality of 17 (“I called because you answer”).

Righteousness/justice thread (צדק/משפט/מֵישָׁרִים)
- Ps 4 concentrates the root צדק: “God of my righteousness” (אֱלֹהֵי צִדְקִי, 4:2); “Offer sacrifices of righteousness” (זִבְחֵי־צֶדֶק, 4:6).
- Ps 17 expands it into a forensic plea: “Hear, YHWH, righteousness” (שִׁמְעָה … צֶדֶק, 17:1); “From before you my judgment goes out” (מִשְׁפָּטִי, 17:2); “Your eyes behold uprightness” (מֵישָׁרִים, 17:2); “In righteousness I shall behold your face” (בְּצֶדֶק אֶחֱזֶה פָנֶיךָ, 17:15). So 17 is the legal outworking of the “righteousness” invoked in 4.

Rare and weighty root-link: פלא (hiphil)
- Ps 4:4: “Know that YHWH has set apart/shown wondrous favor” (הִפְלָה יְהוָה חָסִיד לוֹ).
- Ps 17:7: “Show wondrously your lovingkindness” (הַפְלֵה חֲסָדֶיךָ).
- Same rare root in the same binyan, both collocated with חסד/חסיד. This is a strong, specific connector: in 4 God’s special favor is asserted; in 17 that very favor is urgently requested.

Face/eyes and theophany cluster, moving from petition to fulfillment
- Ps 4:7: “Lift upon us the light of your face” (נְסָה־עָלֵינוּ אוֹר פָּנֶיךָ).
- Ps 17:2,15: “Your eyes behold uprightness” (עֵינֶיךָ תֶּחֱזֶינָה מֵישָׁרִים); “In righteousness I shall behold your face” (בְּצֶדֶק אֶחֱזֶה פָנֶיךָ) and the rare “your form/likeness” (תְּמוּנָתֶךָ, 17:15; cf. Num 12:8). Psalm 17 thus delivers the “light of face” requested in 4 as an actual vision.

Evening introspection → night examination
- Ps 4:5: “Tremble and do not sin; speak in your heart upon your bed and be silent.”
- Ps 17:3–4 answers that counsel with a report: “You tested my heart at night … my plan will not cross my lips … by the word of your lips I have kept from the paths of the violent.” The inner discipline urged in 4 is verified by God’s nocturnal testing in 17.

Speech ethics: falsehood rejected in both
- Ps 4:3: “You love emptiness, you seek lies (כָזָב).”
- Ps 17:1,3–4,10: “Not with deceitful lips (בְּלֹא שִׂפְתֵי מִרְמָה) … my plan will not cross my mouth … by the word of your lips … their mouth speaks in pride.” The psalmist in 17 stands over against the “lies” of 4, claiming clean speech.

Trust/safety imagery intensifies to sanctuary protection
- Ps 4:6,9: “Trust in YHWH… you alone, YHWH, make me dwell in safety.”
- Ps 17:7–8,5: “Savior of those who take refuge (חֹסִים)… Keep me as the pupil of the eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings… Hold up my steps so my feet will not slip.” “Shadow of your wings” resonates with cherubim/temple shelter, a liturgical intensification of the safety of Ps 4.

Socio-economic “good” reframed by satisfaction in God
- Ps 4:7–8: The populace asks, “Who will show us good?” The psalmist’s joy exceeds the time when “their grain and new wine abound.”
- Ps 17:14–15 contrasts the “portion in life” of the wicked—“fill their belly… they are satisfied with children, leave surplus to their infants”—with “As for me… I shall be satisfied (אֶשְׂבְּעָה) when I awake with your likeness.” The rare and pointed play on satisfaction (שבע) and “portion” recasts “good” not as produce but as God’s presence.

Enemies: from “sons of man” loving vanity to violent encirclement
- Ps 4:3 addresses בְּנֵי אִישׁ who “love empty things” and “seek lies.”
- Ps 17:9–12 paints those men fully: “wicked who despoil me… they encircle me… like a lion longing to tear.” Psalm 17 is the developed conflict implied in Psalm 4’s rebuke.

Call-answer parallelism with matching lexemes
- קרא/ענה/שמע appear prominently in both:
  - 4:2,4 “בְּקָרְאִי עֲנֵנִי… יְהוָה יִשְׁמַע בְּקָרְאִי.”
  - 17:1,6 “שִׁמְעָה… הַאֲזִינָה… אֲנִי־קְרָאתִיךָ כִּי־תַעֲנֵנִי… שְׁמַע אִמְרָתִי.”

Shared heart vocabulary
- 4:5,8: “in your heart” (בִּלְבַבְכֶם); “You gave joy in my heart” (בְלִבִּי).
- 17:3,10: “You examined my heart” (לִבִּי); “Their fat [=calloused heart] they have shut” (חֶלְבָּמוֹ סָּגְרוּ). Both center on inner disposition.

Legal-liturgical progression
- 4:6: “Offer sacrifices of righteousness” hints at cultic setting.
- 17:2,7–8: Forensic appeal (“my judgment from before you”) joined to sanctuary shelter (“shadow of your wings”). Read together: sacrifice (4) → court appeal and temple protection (17).

The “sleep/wake—face/light” arc (a compact “plot”)
- Psalm 4 asks for the “light of your face,” then lies down to sleep in peace.
- Psalm 17 reports night examination and hostile pressure, cries for wondrous loyal-love, takes refuge under wings, and finally “awakes” satisfied by beholding the divine face/likeness. That is a coherent next movement.

In short: Psalm 17 can be read as the next stanza to Psalm 4—stylistically (same Davidic prayer idiom), formally (individual plea moving into forensic language), lexically (notably the rare hiphil פלא with חסד/חסיד; the face/eye complex; shared roots קרא/ענה/שמע/צדק/לב; night/sleep/awake), and thematically (evening trust → night testing → morning vision; earthly “good” relativized by the satisfaction of God’s presence; admonition against deceit → claim of clean speech; general safety → temple refuge).

Evaluation

No evaluation has been recorded for this pair yet.

Prompt

Consider Psalm 4 and Psalm 17 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 17 logically follows on from Psalm 4? Consider stylistic similarities, similarities of form, similarities of vocab or ideas, shared roots (if you're doing the search in Hebrew), connections to sequences of events common in ancient Israelite life, mythology or history shared by the two psalms.

Rarer words are more significant than commoner words. Identical forms are more significant than similar forms. The same word class is more significant than different word classes formed from the same root. Identical roots are more significant than suppletive roots.

Psalm 4:
Psalm 4
1. לַמְנַצֵּ֥חַ
        בִּנְגִינ֗וֹת
        מִזְמ֥וֹר
        לְדָוִֽד׃
2. בְּקָרְאִ֡י
        עֲנֵ֤נִי ׀
        אֱלֹ֘הֵ֤י
        צִדְקִ֗י
        בַּ֭צָּר
        הִרְחַ֣בְתָּ
        לִּ֑י
        חָ֝נֵּ֗נִי
        וּשְׁמַ֥ע
        תְּפִלָּתִֽי׃
3. בְּנֵ֥י
        אִ֡ישׁ
        עַד־
        מֶ֬ה
        כְבוֹדִ֣י
        לִ֭כְלִמָּה
        תֶּאֱהָב֣וּן
        רִ֑יק
        תְּבַקְשׁ֖וּ
        כָזָ֣ב
        סֶֽלָה׃
4. וּדְע֗וּ
        כִּֽי־
        הִפְלָ֣ה
        יְ֭הוָה
        חָסִ֣יד
        ל֑וֹ
        יְהוָ֥ה
        יִ֝שְׁמַ֗ע
        בְּקָרְאִ֥י
        אֵלָֽיו׃
5. רִגְז֗וּ
        וְֽאַל־
        תֶּ֫חֱטָ֥אוּ
        אִמְר֣וּ
        בִ֭לְבַבְכֶם
        עַֽל־
        מִשְׁכַּבְכֶ֗ם
        וְדֹ֣מּוּ
        סֶֽלָה׃
6. זִבְח֥וּ
        זִבְחֵי־
        צֶ֑דֶק
        וּ֝בִטְח֗וּ
        אֶל־
        יְהוָֽה׃
7. רַבִּ֥ים
        אֹמְרִים֮
        מִֽי־
        יַרְאֵ֢נ֫וּ
        ט֥וֹב
        נְֽסָה־
        עָ֭לֵינוּ
        א֨וֹר
        פָּנֶ֬יךָ
        יְהוָֽה׃
8. נָתַ֣תָּה
        שִׂמְחָ֣ה
        בְלִבִּ֑י
        מֵעֵ֬ת
        דְּגָנָ֖ם
        וְתִֽירוֹשָׁ֣ם
        רָֽבּוּ׃
9. בְּשָׁל֣וֹם
        יַחְדָּו֮
        אֶשְׁכְּבָ֢ה
        וְאִ֫ישָׁ֥ן
        כִּֽי־
        אַתָּ֣ה
        יְהוָ֣ה
        לְבָדָ֑ד
        לָ֝בֶ֗טַח
        תּוֹשִׁיבֵֽנִי׃

Psalm 17:
Psalm 17
1. תְּפִלָּ֗ה
        לְדָ֫וִ֥ד
        שִׁמְעָ֤ה
        יְהוָ֨ה ׀
        צֶ֗דֶק
        הַקְשִׁ֥יבָה
        רִנָּתִ֗י
        הַאֲזִ֥ינָה
        תְפִלָּתִ֑י
        בְּ֝לֹ֗א
        שִׂפְתֵ֥י
        מִרְמָֽה׃
2. מִ֭לְּפָנֶיךָ
        מִשְׁפָּטִ֣י
        יֵצֵ֑א
        עֵ֝ינֶ֗יךָ
        תֶּחֱזֶ֥ינָה
        מֵישָׁרִֽים׃
3. בָּ֘חַ֤נְתָּ
        לִבִּ֨י ׀
        פָּ֘קַ֤דְתָּ
        לַּ֗יְלָה
        צְרַפְתַּ֥נִי
        בַל־
        תִּמְצָ֑א
        זַ֝מֹּתִ֗י
        בַּל־
        יַעֲבָר־
        פִּֽי׃
4. לִפְעֻלּ֣וֹת
        אָ֭דָם
        בִּדְבַ֣ר
        שְׂפָתֶ֑יךָ
        אֲנִ֥י
        שָׁ֝מַ֗רְתִּי
        אָרְח֥וֹת
        פָּרִֽיץ׃
5. תָּמֹ֣ךְ
        אֲ֭שֻׁרַי
        בְּמַעְגְּלוֹתֶ֑יךָ
        בַּל־
        נָמ֥וֹטּוּ
        פְעָמָֽי׃
6. אֲנִֽי־
        קְרָאתִ֣יךָ
        כִֽי־
        תַעֲנֵ֣נִי
        אֵ֑ל
        הַֽט־
        אָזְנְךָ֥
        לִ֝֗י
        שְׁמַ֣ע
        אִמְרָתִֽי׃
7. הַפְלֵ֣ה
        חֲ֭סָדֶיךָ
        מוֹשִׁ֣יעַ
        חוֹסִ֑ים
        מִ֝מִּתְקוֹמְמִ֗ים
        בִּֽימִינֶֽךָ׃
8. שָׁ֭מְרֵנִי
        כְּאִישׁ֣וֹן
        בַּת־
        עָ֑יִן
        בְּצֵ֥ל
        כְּ֝נָפֶ֗יךָ
        תַּסְתִּירֵֽנִי׃
9. מִפְּנֵ֣י
        רְ֭שָׁעִים
        ז֣וּ
        שַׁדּ֑וּנִי
        אֹיְבַ֥י
        בְּ֝נֶ֗פֶשׁ
        יַקִּ֥יפוּ
        עָלָֽי׃
10. חֶלְבָּ֥מוֹ
        סָּגְר֑וּ
        פִּ֝֗ימוֹ
        דִּבְּר֥וּ
        בְגֵאֽוּת׃
11. אַ֭שֻּׁרֵינוּ
        עַתָּ֣ה
        סבבוני
        סְבָב֑וּנוּ
        עֵינֵיהֶ֥ם
        יָ֝שִׁ֗יתוּ
        לִנְט֥וֹת
        בָּאָֽרֶץ׃
12. דִּמְיֹנ֗וֹ
        כְּ֭אַרְיֵה
        יִכְס֣וֹף
        לִטְר֑וֹף
        וְ֝כִכְפִ֗יר
        יֹשֵׁ֥ב
        בְּמִסְתָּרִֽים׃
13. קוּמָ֤ה
        יְהוָ֗ה
        קַדְּמָ֣ה
        פָ֭נָיו
        הַכְרִיעֵ֑הוּ
        פַּלְּטָ֥ה
        נַ֝פְשִׁ֗י
        מֵרָשָׁ֥ע
        חַרְבֶּֽךָ׃
14. מִֽמְתִ֥ים
        יָדְךָ֨ ׀
        יְהוָ֡ה
        מִֽמְתִ֬ים
        מֵחֶ֗לֶד
        חֶלְקָ֥ם
        בַּֽחַיִּים֮
        וצפינך
        וּֽצְפוּנְךָ֮
        תְּמַלֵּ֢א
        בִ֫טְנָ֥ם
        יִשְׂבּ֥עוּ
        בָנִ֑ים
        וְהִנִּ֥יחוּ
        יִ֝תְרָ֗ם
        לְעוֹלְלֵֽיהֶם׃
15. אֲנִ֗י
        בְּ֭צֶדֶק
        אֶחֱזֶ֣ה
        פָנֶ֑יךָ
        אֶשְׂבְּעָ֥ה
        בְ֝הָקִ֗יץ
        תְּמוּנָתֶֽךָ׃