Bible Strands
Psalms 4:1
For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments. A Psalm of David. Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved my distress; show me grace and hear my prayer.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — David appeals to God while under attack from enemies who maligned his honor (v. 2). He addresses God not by a title of power but as the ground of his own righteousness.
The words — צִדְקִי (ṣidqî, "my righteousness") is possessive, making God the source of David's standing rather than an attribute he possesses. הִרְחַבְתָּ (hirḥaptā, "you have made wide") is a hiphil perfect asserting a completed act of relief, not a request.
The thread — The pattern of past deliverance grounding a present plea recurs in Psalms 40:1 ("He inclined to me and heard my cry") and 2 Corinthians 1:10 ("He has delivered us… He will deliver us"). Exodus 34:6 supplies the character behind the appeal: compassion and grace as God's self-declared nature.
Why it lands — The verse refuses to let the plea float free of evidence: David cites what God has already done before asking for what he needs next. It asks the reader to check whether their own prayers are anchored in God's track record or in their own urgency.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
To the chief Musician on Neginoth, A Psalm of David. 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.
Cross-references
- 2 Corinthians 1:10 He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He will deliver us. In Him we have placed our hope that He will yet again deliver us,
- Exodus 34:6 Then the LORD passed in front of Moses and called out: “The LORD, the LORD God, is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness,
- Psalms 40:1 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. I waited patiently for the LORD; He inclined to me and heard my cry.
- Psalms 18:18 They confronted me in my day of calamity, but the LORD was my support.
- Psalms 119:132 Turn to me and show me mercy, as You do to those who love Your name.
- Psalms 25:16 Turn to me and be gracious, for I am lonely and afflicted.
- 2 Corinthians 5:20 Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ: Be reconciled to God.
- Psalms 17:6 I call on You, O God, for You will answer me. Incline Your ear to me; hear my words.
- Jeremiah 23:6 In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is His name by which He will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.
- Habakkuk 3:19 GOD the Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like those of a deer; He makes me walk upon the heights! For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments.