Psalm 4 → 34
Reasoning: 9792 Output: 5853 Total: 15645
Argument
Thesis: Psalm 34 reads like the “next step” after Psalm 4: the plea of 4 (evening lament/trust) is answered and then turned into public thanksgiving and instruction in 34. This is supported by shared and developed vocabulary, motifs, and forms—often using the same roots or even identical forms—and by a very typical lament → deliverance → thanksgiving/wisdom sequence known in Israelite life and liturgy. 1) Direct Q→A links and repeated call/answer verbs (high-significance: same roots, often identical forms) - Call/answer/hear: - Ps 4:2,4 בקרָאִי עֲנֵנִי … יְהוָה יִשְׁמַע בְּקָרְאִי אֵלָיו - Ps 34:5 דָרַשְׁתִּי אֶת־יְהוָה וְעָנָנִי; 34:7 זֶה עָנִי קָרָא וַיהוָה שָׁמֵעַ; 34:18 צָעֲקוּ וַיהוָה שָׁמֵעַ - Same roots קרא/ענה/שמע recur, turning the expectation of Ps 4:4 into realized testimony in Ps 34. - Distress → deliverance (צ־ר vs ר־ח־ב): - Ps 4:2 בַּצָּר הִרְחַבְתָּ לִּי - Ps 34:7–8,18–20 וּמִכָּל־צָרוֹתָיו/צָרוֹתָם הוֹשִׁיעוֹ/הִצִּילָם … יַצִּילֶנּוּ יְהוָה - Ps 4’s “narrowness → wideness” (בצר/הרחיב) is matched by Ps 34’s repeated “rescue from troubles” (צָרוֹת). 2) “Who will show us good?” in Ps 4 is answered and expanded in Ps 34 (very strong, same lemmas) - Ps 4:7 מִי יַרְאֵנוּ טוֹב; immediately: נְסָה עָלֵינוּ אוֹר פָּנֶיךָ יְהוָה - Ps 34 centers on the answer: - 34:9 טַעֲמוּ וּרְאוּ כִּי־טוֹב יְהוָה - 34:11 דּוֹרְשֵׁי יְהוָה לֹא־יַחְסְרוּ כָל־טוֹב - 34:13 מִי־הָאִישׁ … לִרְאוֹת טוֹב - The rare pair “see good” (לִרְאוֹת טוֹב) and the cluster of טוֹב directly resolve Ps 4:7’s question. 3) Face/light → seeing/brightness (motif continuity; rare vocabulary strengthens the link) - Ps 4:7 נְסָה עָלֵינוּ אוֹר פָּנֶיךָ יְהוָה - Ps 34 responds with a face/seeing/radiance complex: - 34:6 הִבִּיטוּ אֵלָיו וְנָהָרוּ (וְנָהָרוּ “were radiant” is rare and fits the “light of face” motif) - 34:6 וּפְנֵיהֶם אַל־יֶחְפָּרוּ - 34:17 פְּנֵי יְהוָה בְּעֹשֵׂי רָע - Ps 4 asks for the light of God’s face; Ps 34 shows those who look to Him becoming radiant and details how God’s face is turned toward/against different groups. 4) Trust/refuge/safety → security/praise (same semantic field; some identical roots) - Ps 4:6 וּבִטְחוּ אֶל־יְהוָה; 4:9 לָבֶטַח תּוֹשִׁיבֵנִי - Ps 34:9 אַשְׁרֵי הַגֶּבֶר יֶחֱסֶה־בּוֹ; 34:23 לֹא יֶאְשְׁמוּ כָּל־הַחֹסִים בּוֹ - Ps 4 culminates in safe rest; Ps 34 generalizes it into the theology of refuge and unashamed trust. 5) Peace and community: from personal nighttime peace to communal pursuit of peace - Ps 4:9 בְּשָׁלוֹם יַחְדָּו אֶשְׁכְּבָה וְאִישָׁן - Ps 34:15 בַּקֵּשׁ שָׁלוֹם וְרָדְפֵהוּ - Identical adverb יַחְדָּו occurs in both (Ps 4:9; Ps 34:4 וּנְרוֹמְמָה שְׁמוֹ יַחְדָּו), shifting from “I lie down in peace together” to “let us exalt together” and “pursue peace.” 6) Joy vocabulary (same root in different forms) - Ps 4:8 נָתַתָּה שִׂמְחָה בְלִבִּי - Ps 34:3 יִשְׁמְעוּ עֲנָוִים וְיִשְׂמָחוּ - The same שׂמח root moves from individual inner joy to shared joy among the humble. 7) Righteousness lexeme cluster (same root צ־ד־ק across both) - Ps 4:2 אֱלֹהֵי צִדְקִי; 4:6 זִבְחֵי־צֶדֶק - Ps 34:16 עֵינֵי יְהוָה אֶל־צַדִּיקִים; 34:20 רַבּוֹת רָעוֹת צַדִּיק; 34:22 שֹׂנְאֵי צַדִּיק - Ps 34 enlarges Ps 4’s “righteousness” into a theological frame about the righteous’ afflictions and deliverance. 8) Speech ethics: from “seeking lies” to a full didactic on guarding speech (clear thematic development; some identical roots) - Ps 4:3 תֶּאֱהָבוּן רִיק תְּבַקְשׁוּ כָּזָב - Ps 34:14 נְצֹר לְשׁוֹנְךָ מֵרָע וּשְׂפָתֶיךָ מִדַּבֵּר מִרְמָה - Both address community behavior; Ps 34 expands Ps 4’s charge against “lies” into wisdom instruction on the tongue. Note also the shared seek-root בקשׁ: Ps 4:3 תְבַקְשׁוּ (seek) vs Ps 34:15 בַּקֵּשׁ שָׁלוֹם. 9) “Sons” addressed → “children” taught (form-level continuity of public exhortation) - Ps 4:3 בְּנֵי אִישׁ … rhetorical rebuke - Ps 34:12 לְכוּ־בָנִים שִׁמְעוּ־לִי … wisdom instruction - The stance shifts from confrontation to catechesis, consistent with moving from crisis to instruction after deliverance. 10) Food/feast imagery: from grain and wine to “taste” and “no lack” (semantic development, same tov cluster) - Ps 4:8 מֵעֵת דְּגָנָם וְתִירוֹשָׁם רָבּוּ - Ps 34:9 טַעֲמוּ; 34:10–11 אֵין מַחְסוֹר לִירֵאָיו … לֹא־יַחְסְרוּ כָל־טוֹב - Ps 4 contrasts inner joy with others’ agricultural plenty; Ps 34 reframes provision in covenantal terms: fearing and seeking YHWH removes lack and supplies “every good.” 11) Protective rest → encamped protection (motif coherence) - Ps 4:9 לָבֶטַח תּוֹשִׁיבֵנִי; bed and sleep - Ps 34:8 חֹנֶה מַלְאַךְ־יְהוָה סָבִיב לִירֵאָיו וַיְחַלְּצֵם - Both use “dwelling/surrounding” protection imagery to explain why the suppliant can rest securely. 12) Stylistic/formal similarities - Both are Davidic; both mix direct address to YHWH with address to the community. - Both employ plural imperatives to the audience (Ps 4: רִגְזוּ … אִמְרוּ … זִבְחוּ … וּבִטְחוּ; Ps 34: גַּדְּלוּ … טַעֲמוּ … יְרְאוּ … לְכוּ־בָנִים … and then imperatives נְצֹר, סוּר, עֲשֵׂה, בַּקֵּשׁ, רָדְפֵהוּ). - Psalm 4 looks like an evening lament/trust; Psalm 34 is a thanksgiving acrostic with a wisdom section. Lament → praise/wisdom is a standard liturgical arc. 13) Life-setting and liturgical logic - Many individual laments include or imply a vow of praise that will be paid upon deliverance. Ps 34 opens with exactly that vow realized: אֲבָרֲכָה אֶת־יְהוָה בְּכָל־עֵת; תָּמִיד תְּהִלָּתוֹ בְּפִי, and then invites communal praise (גַּדְּלוּ … יַחְדָּו). - The superscription of Ps 34 situates it in a concrete deliverance episode (David before Abimelech/Achish), fitting as a narrative sequel to the kind of distress voiced in Ps 4. - A daily pattern recognizable in Israelite piety is also plausible: Ps 4 (evening trust: lying down in peace), followed by Ps 34 (public thanksgiving and instruction after rescue), with the ethical catechesis (“guard your tongue … seek peace”) issuing from the experience of answered prayer. Most weighty links (rarer or tighter matches) - The explicit Q→A on “good”: Ps 4:7 מִי יַרְאֵנוּ טוֹב answered by Ps 34:9,11,13 (טוֹב; לִרְאוֹת טוֹב; כָּל־טוֹב). - The face/light→radiance sequence: אוֹר פָּנֶיךָ (Ps 4:7) answered by הִבִּיטוּ … וְנָהָרוּ; פְּנֵי יְהוָה (Ps 34:6–7,17). The rare וְנָהָרוּ heightens the connection. - Identical form יַחְדָּו (Ps 4:9; Ps 34:4). - Repetition of core lament verbs/roots קרא/ענה/שמע across both psalms, moving from petition to testimony. - Shared צ־ד־ק lexemes (צִדְקִי; זִבְחֵי־צֶדֶק vs צַדִּיק/צַדִּיקִים) anchoring the theology of righteous sufferers and God’s vindication. Conclusion: On linguistic, thematic, and form-critical grounds, Psalm 34 can be read as a deliberate sequel to Psalm 4. It answers the questions, fulfills the expectations, and expands the motifs of Psalm 4: the call is heard, distress is relieved, the light of God’s face produces radiance, the community is instructed how to “see good,” and the individual’s nighttime trust becomes communal praise and wisdom.
Evaluation
No evaluation has been recorded for this pair yet.
Prompt
Consider Psalm 4 and Psalm 34 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 34 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 34:
Psalm 34
1. לְדָוִ֗ד
בְּשַׁנּוֹת֣וֹ
אֶת־
טַ֭עְמוֹ
לִפְנֵ֣י
אֲבִימֶ֑לֶךְ
וַֽ֝יְגָרֲשֵׁ֗הוּ
וַיֵּלַֽךְ׃
2. אֲבָרֲכָ֣ה
אֶת־
יְהוָ֣ה
בְּכָל־
עֵ֑ת
תָּ֝מִ֗יד
תְּֽהִלָּת֥וֹ
בְּפִֽי׃
3. בַּ֭יהוָה
תִּתְהַלֵּ֣ל
נַפְשִׁ֑י
יִשְׁמְע֖וּ
עֲנָוִ֣ים
וְיִשְׂמָֽחוּ׃
4. גַּדְּל֣וּ
לַיהוָ֣ה
אִתִּ֑י
וּנְרוֹמְמָ֖ה
שְׁמ֣וֹ
יַחְדָּֽו׃
5. דָּרַ֣שְׁתִּי
אֶת־
יְהוָ֣ה
וְעָנָ֑נִי
וּמִכָּל־
מְ֝גוּרוֹתַ֗י
הִצִּילָֽנִי׃
6. הִבִּ֣יטוּ
אֵלָ֣יו
וְנָהָ֑רוּ
וּ֝פְנֵיהֶ֗ם
אַל־
יֶחְפָּֽרוּ׃
7. זֶ֤ה
עָנִ֣י
קָ֭רָא
וַיהוָ֣ה
שָׁמֵ֑עַ
וּמִכָּל־
צָ֝רוֹתָ֗יו
הוֹשִׁיעֽוֹ׃
8. חֹנֶ֤ה
מַלְאַךְ־
יְהוָ֓ה
סָ֘בִ֤יב
לִֽירֵאָ֗יו
וַֽיְחַלְּצֵֽם׃
9. טַעֲמ֣וּ
וּ֭רְאוּ
כִּי־
ט֣וֹב
יְהוָ֑ה
אַֽשְׁרֵ֥י
הַ֝גֶּ֗בֶר
יֶחֱסֶה־
בּֽוֹ׃
10. יְר֣אוּ
אֶת־
יְהוָ֣ה
קְדֹשָׁ֑יו
כִּי־
אֵ֥ין
מַ֝חְס֗וֹר
לִירֵאָֽיו׃
11. כְּ֭פִירִים
רָשׁ֣וּ
וְרָעֵ֑בוּ
וְדֹרְשֵׁ֥י
יְ֝הוָ֗ה
לֹא־
יַחְסְר֥וּ
כָל־
טֽוֹב׃
12. לְֽכוּ־
בָ֭נִים
שִׁמְעוּ־
לִ֑י
יִֽרְאַ֥ת
יְ֝הוָ֗ה
אֲלַמֶּדְכֶֽם׃
13. מִֽי־
הָ֭אִישׁ
הֶחָפֵ֣ץ
חַיִּ֑ים
אֹהֵ֥ב
יָ֝מִ֗ים
לִרְא֥וֹת
טֽוֹב׃
14. נְצֹ֣ר
לְשׁוֹנְךָ֣
מֵרָ֑ע
וּ֝שְׂפָתֶ֗יךָ
מִדַּבֵּ֥ר
מִרְמָֽה׃
15. ס֣וּר
מֵ֭רָע
וַעֲשֵׂה־
ט֑וֹב
בַּקֵּ֖שׁ
שָׁל֣וֹם
וְרָדְפֵֽהוּ׃
16. עֵינֵ֣י
יְ֭הוָה
אֶל־
צַדִּיקִ֑ים
וְ֝אָזְנָ֗יו
אֶל־
שַׁוְעָתָֽם׃
17. פְּנֵ֣י
יְ֭הוָה
בְּעֹ֣שֵׂי
רָ֑ע
לְהַכְרִ֖ית
מֵאֶ֣רֶץ
זִכְרָֽם׃
18. צָעֲק֣וּ
וַיהוָ֣ה
שָׁמֵ֑עַ
וּמִכָּל־
צָ֝רוֹתָ֗ם
הִצִּילָֽם׃
19. קָר֣וֹב
יְ֭הוָה
לְנִשְׁבְּרֵי־
לֵ֑ב
וְֽאֶת־
דַּכְּאֵי־
ר֥וּחַ
יוֹשִֽׁיעַ׃
20. רַ֭בּוֹת
רָע֣וֹת
צַדִּ֑יק
וּ֝מִכֻּלָּ֗ם
יַצִּילֶ֥נּוּ
יְהוָֽה׃
21. שֹׁמֵ֥ר
כָּל־
עַצְמוֹתָ֑יו
אַחַ֥ת
מֵ֝הֵ֗נָּה
לֹ֣א
נִשְׁבָּֽרָה׃
22. תְּמוֹתֵ֣ת
רָשָׁ֣ע
רָעָ֑ה
וְשֹׂנְאֵ֖י
צַדִּ֣יק
יֶאְשָֽׁמוּ׃
23. פּוֹדֶ֣ה
יְ֭הוָה
נֶ֣פֶשׁ
עֲבָדָ֑יו
וְלֹ֥א
יֶ֝אְשְׁמ֗וּ
כָּֽל־
הַחֹסִ֥ים
בּֽוֹ׃