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PSALM 4

1. In my cry, answer me, O god of my justice: in my straitness set me at large: have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.
2. O you sons of man, how long shall my glory be to you shame? How long will you love vanity, will you seek a lie? Selah?
3. Know you that jehovah has set apart him that is godly for himself: jehovah will hear when I cry to him.
4. Tremble you, and sin not: commune with your own heart on your bed, and be still. Selah.
5. Sacrifice the sacrifices of justice, and put your trust in jehovah.
6. Many are they who say. Who will show us good? Lift you up the light of your faces upon us, O jehovah.
7. You have put joy in my heart, more than at the time when their corn and new wine are multiplied.
8. In peace I lie down and sleep together: for you, O jehovah, alone make me dwell secure.

Title. On Neginoth. Inasmuch as instruments of every kind, by correspondence, signified the delights and pleasantnesses of spiritual and celestial affections; hence also they are mentioned in the titles of several of the Psalms of David, and it is indicated how they were to be played as upon Neginoth, upon Nechiloth, upon the Octave, Schigjon, Githith Muthlabean, Sheminith, Schuschannin, Machaleth. AC 8337.

Verse 1. In my cry, answer me, etc. The expression, to answer, frequently occurs in the Word, and when predicated of the lord, it signifies influx, inspiration, perception, and information, likewise mercy and aid, as in the following passages: "In an acceptable time I answered you, and in the day of salvation I helped you;" (Isaiah 49:8) "Answer me when I cry, O god of my Justice" Psalm 4:2, AE 471.

Verse 2. How long shall my glory, etc. The glory of jehovah is the internal of the Word, of the church, and of worship, because it is predicated of light in heaven, which is divine truth. AC 10574.

Verse 2. Love vanity-seek a lie. Vanity denotes falsity of doctrine or of religion, and a lie, falsity of life. AC 9248.

Verse 4. Commune with your own heart. In the Word throughout mention is made of heart and soul, and by heart is there signified the life of love, and by soul, the life of faith. Man has two faculties receiving life from the lord, one is called will, the other understanding; to the faculty which is called will appertains love, for the goods of love constitute its life: these two lives belonging to man are, however, one, and when they are one, then the things which are of faith are also of love, for they are loved; and on the other hand, the things which are of love are also of faith, because they are believed; such is the life of all in heaven.

From these considerations it may be manifest, what is properly meant in the Word by the heart, and what by the soul, as in the following passages:-" You shall love jehovah your god with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength;" (Deut 6:5) "You shall keep the statutes and the judgements, and shall do them, with all your heart, and with all your soul," (Deut 26:16) and in the Evangelists, "jesus said, you shall love the lord your god with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your thought;" (Matt 22:35, Mark 12:30, 32, Luke 10:27) heart denotes the life of love, and soul denotes the life of faith; strength denotes those things which proceed from the life of love, thus, which are from the heart or will; and thought denotes those things which proceed from the life of faith, thus, which are from the soul, or from an enlightened understanding. AC 9050.

Verses 6, 7, 8. Who will show us good? Lift you up the light of your faces upon us, O jehovah. You have put joy in my heart, more than at the time when their corn and new wine are multiplied. In peace I lie down and sleep together: for you, O jehovah, alone make me dwell secure. In these words is described the peace which appertains to those who are in conjunction with the lord, by the reception of Divine Good and Truth from him; and that peace is the principle in, and from which is heavenly joy. Divine Good is meant by Who will show us good; and Divine Truth by Lift you up the light of your faces upon us. The light of the lord's faces is the divine light proceeding from him as the sun in the angelic heaven, which in its essence is Divine Truth; as may be seen in the work concerning heaven and hell, HH 128-140. The heavenly joy thence derived is meant by putting joy in the heart. The multiplication of Good and Truth is meant by their corn and new wine being multiplied: corn signifies good, and new wine truth. Since peace is in and from those principles, therefore it is said, In peace I lie down and sleep together: for you, O jehovah, alone make me dwell secure. By peace is signified the internal delight of heaven, by security the external delight, and by lying down and sleeping, and by dwelling, is signified to live. AE 365.

See the exposition at verse 5 of the foregoing chapter, where a state of tranquillity is described from AC 3696.

The Translator's Notes and Observations

Verse 6. Lift you up the light of your faces upon us, O jehovah. In the common English version of the Psalms, what is here rendered faces in the plural number, is rendered countenance in the singular. But the original Hebrew is in the plural, because the almighty has many faces, or aspects, according to the temper and characters of those who view him; agreeably to the Divine Testimony where it is written, "With the merciful you will show yourself merciful; with an upright man you will show yourself upright; with the pure you will show yourself pure, and with the perverse you will show yourself perverse." Psalm 18:25, 26. Nevertheless, though the aspect of the divine majesty thus varies, according to the optics through which it is viewed, yet his real aspect is always the same, presenting itself under the two-fold character of Love and Wisdom, or, what is the same thing, of the good and the true, and thus manifesting itself to the two faculties in man, namely the will and the understanding, created to receive it.