Psalm 4 → 35

Reasoning: 12608 Output: 6607 Total: 19215

Argument

Here are several, complementary ways to argue that Psalm 35 can be read as a logical sequel to Psalm 4.

1) Form and rhetoric: the same song-type, but “scaled up”
- Both are individual laments with the same basic moves: direct imperatives to God; speech about/against opponents; confidence/praise.
  - Psalm 4: appeal to God (4:2), address to adversaries (4:3–6), confidence/joy/rest (4:7–9).
  - Psalm 35: appeals (35:1–3), curses against enemies (35:4–8), praise vow (35:9–10), second complaint/appeal (35:11–18), further curses (35:19–26), praise vow (35:27–28).
- Psalm 35 thus looks like an expanded, courtroom-and-battlefield version of Psalm 4’s more intimate “evening prayer” lament. In narrative terms: Psalm 4 is the quiet, pastoral counsel and trust; Psalm 35 is the ensuing day of litigation and combat when the same conflict intensifies and goes public.

2) “How long?” carried forward
- Psalm 4:3: “בְנֵי אִישׁ עַד־מֶה” (Sons of man, how long…?) – the question is leveled at humans.
- Psalm 35:17: “אֲדֹנָי כַמָּה תִרְאֶה” (Lord, how long will you look on?) – the “how long?” is now pressed upon God.
- This is a strong rhetorical bridge: what began in Psalm 4 as a rebuke aimed at people becomes, in Psalm 35, a plea aimed at heaven when the situation has not improved.

3) The “righteousness/justice” spine
Highly weighty because it is the same noun (צֶדֶק) across both psalms.
- Psalm 4:2 “אֱלֹהֵי צִדְקִי” (God of my righteousness), 4:6 “זִבְחֵי־צֶדֶק”.
- Psalm 35 clusters the same noun: 35:24 “שָׁפְטֵנִי כְצִדְקֶךָ”; 35:27 “חֲפֵצֵי צִדְקִי”; 35:28 “תֶּהְגֶּה צִדְקֶךָ”.
- The lexical hook is unusually dense: Psalm 4 introduces צֶדֶק as the axis of the prayer; Psalm 35 picks it up repeatedly in legal/judicial context (רִיב, מִשְׁפָּט, שָׁפְטֵנִי), turning Psalm 4’s private confidence in God’s righteousness into a formal plea for courtroom vindication.

4) Shame vocabulary carried forward (same root and same noun)
- Psalm 4:3 “כְבוֹדִי לִכְלִמָּה” (my honor to shame).
- Psalm 35:4 “וְיִכָּלְמוּ” (let them be confounded/ashamed), 35:26 “וּכְלִמָּה” (disgrace).
- Same lexeme (כְלִמָּה) and verbal forms (יכלמו), now redirected: in Psalm 4 the psalmist suffers shame; in Psalm 35 he asks that shame fall on the shamers.

5) Silence vs. not-silence: rare verb דמ”ם in both, and the hearing/silence motif
- Identical root, near-identical form:
  - Psalm 4:5 “וְדֹמּוּ” (be still/silent; imperative plural).
  - Psalm 35:15 “וְלֹא דָמּוּ” (they did not keep silent/cease).
- Thematically extended by the hearing/silence frame:
  - Psalm 4:2,4 “וּשְׁמַע תְּפִלָּתִי… יְהוָה יִשְׁמַע” (hear my prayer; the Lord hears).
  - Psalm 35:22 “יְהוָה אַל־תֶּחֱרַשׁ” (do not be silent).
- Psalm 35 thus reads as what happens when the audience of Psalm 4 refuses the command to be silent (4:5)—they “did not be still” (35:15)—and the psalmist must ask God not to be silent either (35:22).

6) “In the heart” speech repeats (same words, very similar phrase)
- Psalm 4:5 “אִמְרוּ בִלְבַבְכֶם” (say in your heart).
- Psalm 35:25 “אַל־יֹאמְרוּ בְלִבָּם” (let them not say in their heart).
- Essentially the same collocation (‘אמר’ + ‘בלב’), shifting from exhortation to prohibition.

7) “Together” (יַחְדָּו) recurs identically
- Psalm 4:9 “בְשָׁלוֹם יַחְדָּו אֶשְׁכְּבָה” (in peace, together, I will lie down).
- Psalm 35:26 “וְיַחְפְּרוּ יַחְדָּו” (let them be confounded together).
- The same adverb links Psalm 4’s quiet “togetherness” of peace/rest to Psalm 35’s wish that the hostile coalition be shamed “together.”

8) “Peace” (שָׁלוֹם) as a deliberate progression from 4 to 35
- Psalm 4 closes on the priestly-blessing cluster: “נְסָה… אוֹר פָּנֶיךָ” (lift up the light of your face) and “בְשָׁלוֹם… לָבֶטַח” (in peace… in safety) – strongly evoking Num 6:24–26.
- Psalm 35 explicitly plays the “shalom” theme forward:
  - 35:20 “כִּי לֹא שָׁלוֹם יְדַבֵּרוּ” (they do not speak peace).
  - 35:27 “יְהוָה… הֶחָפֵץ שְׁלוֹם עַבְדּוֹ” (YHWH delights in the peace/welfare of his servant).
- The trajectory: Psalm 4 prays the Aaronic-face-and-peace; Psalm 35 laments that opponents won’t speak peace, and asks that God’s delight in his servant’s peace be publicly magnified.

9) Joy language develops from private to public
- Psalm 4:8 “נָתַתָּה שִׂמְחָה בְלִבִּי” (you gave joy in my heart).
- Psalm 35:9 “וְנַפְשִׁי תָּגִיל… תָּשִׂישׂ” (my soul shall exult/rejoice), 35:27 “יָרֹנּוּ וְיִשְׂמְחוּ” (may they shout and rejoice).
- Joy moves from inward (בְלִבִּי) to shared assembly (35:18 “א֭וֹדְךָ בְּקָהָל רָב”), matching the escalation from a personal night prayer to public vindication.

10) The “many” (רַבִּים) motif turns from doubt to doxology
- Psalm 4:7 “רַבִּים אֹמְרִים מִי־יַרְאֵנוּ טוֹב” (many say, “Who will show us good?”).
- Psalm 35:18 “בְּקָהָל רָב” (in a great assembly) – the “many” who doubted in Ps 4 become the “many” among whom the psalmist vows to thank and praise once vindicated.

11) “See” (ראה) knit across both
- Psalm 4:7 “מִי־יַרְאֵנוּ טוֹב” (who will show us good?).
- Psalm 35:21 “רָאֲתָה עֵינֵינוּ” (our eyes have seen—said by enemies), 35:22 “רָאִיתָה יְהוָה” (you have seen, O YHWH).
- Psalm 35 answers Psalm 4’s “who will show us?” by countering false claims “we have seen” with the crucial confession “You have seen.”

12) “Enlarge/widen” (ר–ח–ב) in ironic counterpoint
- Psalm 4:2 “בַּצָּר הִרְחַבְתָּ לִּי” (in distress you enlarged me).
- Psalm 35:21 “וַיַּרְחִיבוּ עָלַי פִּיהֶם” (they widened their mouth against me).
- The same root: God grants spaciousness to the psalmist; the enemies use “spaciousness” to open wide their mouths in mockery. Psalm 35 reads like the backlash to the grace of Psalm 4.

13) Prayer language (תְּפִלָּה) is the same noun and person
- Psalm 4:2 “וּשְׁמַע תְּפִלָּתִי”.
- Psalm 35:13 “וּתְפִלָּתִי עַל־חֵיקִי תָשׁוּב”.
- Same noun with 1cs suffix in both; Ps 35 shows the intensified, ascetic form of the piety Psalm 4 had advocated (fasting, sackcloth, mourning as for kin: 35:13–14).

14) Life-setting sequence in ancient Israel
- Psalm 4 reads like an evening hymn of trust after a day of slander and social pressure, with cultic overtones (“זִבְחֵי־צֶדֶק”) and priestly-blessing imagery (face/peace).
- It is natural that the “next day” could be the court or battlefield: Psalm 35 shifts to legal and martial imagery (רִיב, מִשְׁפָּט, עֵדֵי חָמָס; מָגֵן, צִנָּה, חֲנִית), and to public vindication in the assembly. That sequence—private devotion by night, public contention and plea for judgment by day—fits the social-religious rhythms of ancient Israel.

15) Stylistic fingerprints
- Dense imperative chains and vocatives in both (ענה/שְׁמַע in Ps 4; רִיבָה/לְחַם/הַחֲזֵק/וְקֻמָה/אֱמֹר/הָעִירָה/וְהָקִיצָה/שָׁפְטֵנִי in Ps 35).
- Compact wisdom-admonition in Ps 4 (4:5–6) becomes narrative-complaint and legal indictment in Ps 35 (35:11–16, 20–21), i.e., the same “quarrel” is now formalized.

Summary
- Lexically, the most probative bridges are the shared and repeated צֶדֶק cluster; the shame lexicon including the identical noun כְלִמָּה; the rare verb דמ”ם appearing in near-identical form; the repeated adverb יַחְדָּו; the “in the heart” formula; the ironic reuse of ר–ח–ב; and the “shalom” motif.
- Rhetorically and structurally, Psalm 35 reads like the public, litigated, militarized continuation of the same conflict Psalm 4 treats privately and devotionally. The unanswered “how long?” of Psalm 4 reappears sharpened in Psalm 35, until the psalmist vows praise “in the great congregation.”

On these grounds—form, key-words (especially rarer/shared forms), and plausible life-setting progression—one can defend the claim that Psalm 35 logically follows Psalm 4.

Evaluation

No evaluation has been recorded for this pair yet.

Prompt

Consider Psalm 4 and Psalm 35 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 35 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 35:
Psalm 35
1. לְדָוִ֨ד ׀
        רִיבָ֣ה
        יְ֭הוָה
        אֶת־
        יְרִיבַ֑י
        לְ֝חַ֗ם
        אֶת־
        לֹֽחֲמָֽי׃
2. הַחֲזֵ֣ק
        מָגֵ֣ן
        וְצִנָּ֑ה
        וְ֝ק֗וּמָה
        בְּעֶזְרָתִֽי׃
3. וְהָ֘רֵ֤ק
        חֲנִ֣ית
        וּ֭סְגֹר
        לִקְרַ֣את
        רֹדְפָ֑י
        אֱמֹ֥ר
        לְ֝נַפְשִׁ֗י
        יְֽשֻׁעָתֵ֥ךְ
        אָֽנִי׃
4. יֵבֹ֣שׁוּ
        וְיִכָּלְמוּ֮
        מְבַקְשֵׁ֢י
        נַ֫פְשִׁ֥י
        יִסֹּ֣גוּ
        אָח֣וֹר
        וְיַחְפְּר֑וּ
        חֹ֝שְׁבֵ֗י
        רָעָתִֽי׃
5. יִֽהְי֗וּ
        כְּמֹ֥ץ
        לִפְנֵי־
        ר֑וּחַ
        וּמַלְאַ֖ךְ
        יְהוָ֣ה
        דּוֹחֶֽה׃
6. יְֽהִי־
        דַרְכָּ֗ם
        חֹ֥שֶׁךְ
        וַחֲלַקְלַקּ֑וֹת
        וּמַלְאַ֥ךְ
        יְ֝הוָ֗ה
        רֹדְפָֽם׃
7. כִּֽי־
        חִנָּ֣ם
        טָֽמְנוּ־
        לִ֭י
        שַׁ֣חַת
        רִשְׁתָּ֑ם
        חִ֝נָּ֗ם
        חָפְר֥וּ
        לְנַפְשִֽׁי׃
8. תְּבוֹאֵ֣הוּ
        שׁוֹאָה֮
        לֹֽא־
        יֵ֫דָ֥ע
        וְרִשְׁתּ֣וֹ
        אֲשֶׁר־
        טָמַ֣ן
        תִּלְכְּד֑וֹ
        בְּ֝שׁוֹאָ֗ה
        יִפָּל־
        בָּֽהּ׃
9. וְ֭נַפְשִׁי
        תָּגִ֣יל
        בַּיהוָ֑ה
        תָּ֝שִׂישׂ
        בִּישׁוּעָתֽוֹ׃
10. כָּ֥ל
        עַצְמוֹתַ֨י ׀
        תֹּאמַרְנָה֮
        יְהוָ֗ה
        מִ֥י
        כָ֫מ֥וֹךָ
        מַצִּ֣יל
        עָ֭נִי
        מֵחָזָ֣ק
        מִמֶּ֑נּוּ
        וְעָנִ֥י
        וְ֝אֶבְי֗וֹן
        מִגֹּזְלֽוֹ׃
11. יְ֭קוּמוּן
        עֵדֵ֣י
        חָמָ֑ס
        אֲשֶׁ֥ר
        לֹא־
        יָ֝דַ֗עְתִּי
        יִשְׁאָלֽוּנִי׃
12. יְשַׁלְּמ֣וּנִי
        רָ֭עָה
        תַּ֥חַת
        טוֹבָ֗ה
        שְׁכ֣וֹל
        לְנַפְשִֽׁי׃
13. וַאֲנִ֤י ׀
        בַּחֲלוֹתָ֡ם
        לְב֬וּשִׁי
        שָׂ֗ק
        עִנֵּ֣יתִי
        בַצּ֣וֹם
        נַפְשִׁ֑י
        וּ֝תְפִלָּתִ֗י
        עַל־
        חֵיקִ֥י
        תָשֽׁוּב׃
14. כְּרֵֽעַ־
        כְּאָ֣ח
        לִ֭י
        הִתְהַלָּ֑כְתִּי
        כַּאֲבֶל־
        אֵ֝֗ם
        קֹדֵ֥ר
        שַׁחֽוֹתִי׃
15. וּבְצַלְעִי֮
        שָׂמְח֢וּ
        וְֽנֶאֱ֫סָ֥פוּ
        נֶאֶסְפ֬וּ
        עָלַ֣י
        נֵ֭כִים
        וְלֹ֣א
        יָדַ֑עְתִּי
        קָֽרְע֥וּ
        וְלֹא־
        דָֽמּוּ׃
16. בְּ֭חַנְפֵי
        לַעֲגֵ֣י
        מָע֑וֹג
        חָרֹ֖ק
        עָלַ֣י
        שִׁנֵּֽימוֹ׃
17. אֲדֹנָי֮
        כַּמָּ֢ה
        תִ֫רְאֶ֥ה
        הָשִׁ֣יבָה
        נַ֭פְשִׁי
        מִשֹּׁאֵיהֶ֑ם
        מִ֝כְּפִירִ֗ים
        יְחִידָתִֽי׃
18. א֭וֹדְךָ
        בְּקָהָ֣ל
        רָ֑ב
        בְּעַ֖ם
        עָצ֣וּם
        אֲהַֽלְלֶֽךָּ׃
19. אַֽל־
        יִשְׂמְחוּ־
        לִ֣י
        אֹיְבַ֣י
        שֶׁ֑קֶר
        שֹׂנְאַ֥י
        חִ֝נָּ֗ם
        יִקְרְצוּ־
        עָֽיִן׃
20. כִּ֤י
        לֹ֥א
        שָׁל֗וֹם
        יְדַ֫בֵּ֥רוּ
        וְעַ֥ל
        רִגְעֵי־
        אֶ֑רֶץ
        דִּבְרֵ֥י
        מִ֝רְמוֹת
        יַחֲשֹׁבֽוּן׃
21. וַיַּרְחִ֥יבוּ
        עָלַ֗י
        פִּ֫יהֶ֥ם
        אָ֭מְרוּ
        הֶאָ֣ח ׀
        הֶאָ֑ח
        רָאֲתָ֥ה
        עֵינֵֽינוּ׃
22. רָאִ֣יתָה
        יְ֭הוָה
        אַֽל־
        תֶּחֱרַ֑שׁ
        אֲ֝דֹנָ֗י
        אֲל־
        תִּרְחַ֥ק
        מִמֶּֽנִּי׃
23. הָעִ֣ירָה
        וְ֭הָקִיצָה
        לְמִשְׁפָּטִ֑י
        אֱלֹהַ֖י
        וַֽאדֹנָ֣י
        לְרִיבִֽי׃
24. שָׁפְטֵ֣נִי
        כְ֭צִדְקְךָ
        יְהוָ֥ה
        אֱלֹהָ֗י
        וְאַל־
        יִשְׂמְחוּ־
        לִֽי׃
25. אַל־
        יֹאמְר֣וּ
        בְ֭לִבָּם
        הֶאָ֣ח
        נַפְשֵׁ֑נוּ
        אַל־
        יֹ֝אמְר֗וּ
        בִּֽלַּעֲנֽוּהוּ׃
26. יֵ֘בֹ֤שׁוּ
        וְיַחְפְּר֨וּ ׀
        יַחְדָּו֮
        שְׂמֵחֵ֢י
        רָעָ֫תִ֥י
        יִֽלְבְּשׁוּ־
        בֹ֥שֶׁת
        וּכְלִמָּ֑ה
        הַֽמַּגְדִּtילִ֥ים
        עָלָֽי׃
27. יָרֹ֣נּוּ
        וְיִשְׂמְחוּ֮
        חֲפֵצֵ֢י
        צִ֫דְקִ֥י
        וְיֹאמְר֣וּ
        תָ֭מִיד
        יִגְדַּ֣ל
        יְהוָ֑ה
        הֶ֝חָפֵ֗ץ
        שְׁל֣וֹם
        עַבְדּֽוֹ׃
28. וּ֭לְשׁוֹנִי
        תֶּהְגֶּ֣ה
        צִדְקֶ֑ךָ
        כָּל־
        הַ֝יּוֹם
        תְּהִלָּתֶֽךָ׃