Psalm 4 is the fourth psalm of the

Book of Psalms The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived f ...

, beginning in the English of the

King James Version The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version, is an Bible translations into English, English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, which was commissioned in 1604 and publis ...

: "Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress." In Latin, it is known as "Cum invocarem". The psalm is traditionally attributed to

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

, but his authorship is not accepted by modern scholars. The message in the psalm is that the victories of sinners are only temporary, and that only

repentance Repentance is reviewing one's actions and feeling contrition or regret for past wrongs, which is accompanied by commitment to and actual actions that show and prove a change for the better. In modern times, it is generally seen as involving a co ...

can bring true happiness. The psalm forms a regular part of

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

and other Protestant liturgies. It has often been set to music, including works in Latin by

Michel Richard Delalande Michel Richard Delalande e Lalande'' (; 15 December 1657 – 18 June 1726) was a French Baroque composer and organist who was in the service of King Louis XIV. He was one of the most important composers of grands motets. He also wrote orch ...

, Henry Desmarest and

Marc-Antoine Charpentier Marc-Antoine Charpentier (; 1643 – 24 February 1704) was a French Baroque composer during the reign of Louis XIV. One of his most famous works is the main theme from the prelude of his ''Te Deum'', ''Marche en rondeau''. This theme is still us ...

Text

Hebrew Bible version

The following is the Hebrew text of Psalm 4:

King James Version

# Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer. # O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing? Selah. # But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the LORD will hear when I call unto him. # Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah. # Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD. # There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? LORD, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us. # Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased. # I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.

Context

Psalm 4 is traditionally atttibuted to

, but his authorship is not accepted by modern scholars. The psalm's

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

title is ''Cum invocarem''.Church of England
Book of Common Prayer: The Psalter
as printed by

John Baskerville John Baskerville (baptised 28 January 1707 – 8 January 1775) was an English businessman, in areas including japanning and papier-mâché, but he is best remembered as a printer and type designer. He was also responsible for inventing "wov ...

in 1762 The psalm's text is a reflection of David speaking to all sinners while addressing himself to

Absalom Absalom ( he, ''ʾAḇšālōm'', "father of peace") was the third son of David, King of Israel with Maacah, daughter of Talmai, King of Geshur. 2 Samuel 14:25 describes him as the handsomest man in the kingdom. Absalom eventually rebelled ag ...

. The message in the psalm is that the victories of sinners are only temporary and meaningless, and that only

can bring true happiness. It is a request to God for deliverance from past distresses. This is the first psalm with a musical instrument, strings, mentioned in the title. There also was a '

selah (; hbo, סֶלָה, selā) is a word used 74 times in the Hebrew Bible. Its etymology and precise meaning are unknown, though various interpretations are given. It is probably either a liturgical-musical mark or an instruction on the reading ...

' ending the previous psalm,

Psalm 3 Psalm 3 is the third psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "Lord, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me". In Latin, it is known as "Domine quid multiplicati sunt". The ...

. There is, however, no agreement what 'selah' meant. Popular modern views might include a pause, a reflection or a lifting. Poetically, if selah is a connection, it is as if David recited his Psalm 3, then paused and began to sing, continuing with his harp. The themes will be false and true worship, but also false and true satisfaction. 'They long for prosperity', David sings, but David has it and is more satisfied 'than when their grain and new

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

abound'. Many see a

chiastic In rhetoric, chiasmus ( ) or, less commonly, chiasm (Latin term from Greek , "crossing", from the Greek , , "to shape like the letter Χ"), is a "reversal of grammatical structures in successive phrases or clauses – but no repetition of wo ...

structure in the layout of this psalm.

Uses

Judaism

* Verse 5 is part of the prayers of the

Bedtime Shema ''Shema Yisrael'' (''Shema Israel'' or ''Sh'ma Yisrael''; he , שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל ''Šəmaʿ Yīsrāʾēl'', "Hear, O Israel") is a Jewish prayer (known as the Shema) that serves as a centerpiece of the morning and evening Jewis ...

. * Verse 7 is part of the Prayer for Sustenance recited on

High Holidays The High Holidays also known as the High Holy Days, or Days of Awe in Judaism, more properly known as the Yamim Noraim ( he, יָמִים נוֹרָאִים, ''Yāmīm Nōrāʾīm''; "Days of Awe") #strictly, the holidays of Rosh HaShanah ("Jew ...

New Testament

* Verse 4 is quoted in

Ephesians The Epistle to the Ephesians is the tenth book of the New Testament. Its authorship has traditionally been attributed to Paul the Apostle but starting in 1792, this has been challenged as Deutero-Pauline, that is, pseudepigrapha written in Pau ...

Book of Common Prayer

In the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

's ''

Book of Common Prayer The ''Book of Common Prayer'' (BCP) is the name given to a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion and by other Christian churches historically related to Anglicanism. The original book, published in 1549 in the reign ...

'', Psalm 4 is appointed to be read on the morning of the first day of the month.

Catholic

The psalm forms part of the

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

rite of the daily evening prayer

Compline Compline ( ), also known as Complin, Night Prayer, or the Prayers at the End of the Day, is the final prayer service (or office) of the day in the Christian tradition of canonical hours, which are prayed at fixed prayer times. The English wo ...

. After the

Reform of the Roman Breviary by Pope Pius X The reform of the Roman Breviary by Pope Pius X was promulgated by that Pope with the apostolic constitution ''Divino afflatu'' of 1 November 1911. The Roman Breviary is the title of the book obligatorily used for celebrating the Roman Rite ...

it was only used on Sundays and Solemnities. In the

Liturgy of the Hours The Liturgy of the Hours (Latin: ''Liturgia Horarum'') or Divine Office (Latin: ''Officium Divinum'') or ''Opus Dei'' ("Work of God") are a set of Catholic prayers comprising the canonical hours, often also referred to as the breviary, of the ...

it is part of Compline on the eve of Sunday and Solemnities.

Musical settings

While several composers set the whole Psalm 4, some writers and composers focused on the aspect of sleeping in peace, as a base for evening music.

Fanny Crosby Frances Jane van Alstyne (née Crosby; March 24, 1820 – February 12, 1915), more commonly known as Fanny J. Crosby, was an American mission worker, poet, lyricist, and composer. She was a prolific hymnist, writing more than 8,000 hymns ...

wrote a hymn based on verse 8 in 1853, titled “An Evening Hymn", which she described as her first published hymn.

Heinrich Schütz Heinrich Schütz (; 6 November 1672) was a German early Baroque composer and organist, generally regarded as the most important German composer before Johann Sebastian Bach, as well as one of the most important composers of the 17th century. He ...

composed a setting of a metred version in German, "Erhör mich, wenn ich ruf zu dir",

SWV SWV (Sisters with Voices) is an American R&B vocal trio from New York City whose members are Cheryl (Coko) Gamble, Tamara (Taj) Johnson, and Leanne (Lelee) Lyons. Formed in 1988 as a gospel group, SWV became one of the most successful R&B g ...

100, published in 1628 in the ''

Becker Psalter The ''Becker Psalter'' is a German metrical psalter authored by the Leipzig theologian Cornelius Becker and first published by Jakob Apel in Leipzig in 1602 under the title ''Der Psalter Davids Gesangweis''. Several composers set the psalms contai ...

''.

wrote a great

motet In Western classical music, a motet is mainly a vocal musical composition, of highly diverse form and style, from high medieval music to the present. The motet was one of the pre-eminent polyphonic forms of Renaissance music. According to Margar ...

(S41) in Latin in 1692 for services celebrated in the royal chapel of

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...

. Henry Desmarest also wrote a great motet on the psalm.

composed around 1689 ''Cum invocarem exaudivit me'', H. 198, for soloists, choir, flutes, strings and continuo. Desmarest, Nicolas Bernier,

André Campra André Campra (; baptized 4 December 1660 – 29 June 1744) was a French composer and conductor of the Baroque era. The leading French opera composer in the period between Jean-Baptiste Lully and Jean-Philippe Rameau, Campra wrote several '' tra ...

, wrote a great motet ''Cum invocarem exaudivit me''. A

plainsong Plainsong or plainchant (calque from the French ''plain-chant''; la, cantus planus) is a body of chants used in the liturgy, liturgies of the Western Church. When referring to the term plainsong, it is those sacred pieces that are composed in La ...

version was included in H. B. Briggs and W. H. Frere's ''Manual of Plainsong'' published in 1902.Stone, D.
Psalm 4: Cum invocarem''
''from ''A Manual of

Plainsong Plainsong or plainchant (calque from the French ''plain-chant''; la, cantus planus) is a body of chants used in the liturgy, liturgies of the Western Church. When referring to the term plainsong, it is those sacred pieces that are composed in La ...

for Divine Service containing the Canticles Noted ndthe Psalter Noted to Gregorian Tones together with the Litany and Responses'', edited by H. B. Briggs and W. H. Frere, Novello and Company, London, 1902

Max Drischner Max Drischner (31 January 1891 – 25 April 1971) was a German composer, Kantor, organist, and harpsichordist. Life and work Max Drischner was born in Prieborn (now Przeworno), Silesia. After completing his A-levels at the grammar school in Zül ...

composed a setting of verses 7 and 9, combined with

Psalm 74 Psalm 74 is the 74th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "O God, why hast thou cast us off for ever?". In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate translation ...

:16, as the final movement of his ''Tübinger Psalmen'' for voice, violin and organ, or choir, melody instrument and keyboard instrument, in 1948, titled "Ich liege und schlafe ganz mit Frieden".

References

External links

* * * in Hebrew and English - Mechon-mamre * Text of Psalm 4 according to th
1928 Psalter

A psalm of David, when he fled from his son Absalom. / How many are my foes, LORD! / How many rise against me!
(text and footnotes) United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

(introduction and text) biblestudytools.com
Psalm 4 – Talking to God and Men
enduringword.com
Psalm 4 / Refrain: In peace I will lie down and sleep.

Psalm 4
at biblegateway.com
Hymns for Psalm 4
hymnary.org {{Psalms 004 Works attributed to David