Psalm 4 is a prayer psalm of an individual in distress (v. 1), which is either caused or exacerbated by men who “turn my glory into shame” (v. 2). But like the preceding psalm, its concerns are not merely individual: “Many are asking, ‘Who can show us any good?’ Let the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD.” In fact, aside from the general, introductory petitions, this is the only other petition. It is possible the speaking “I” is a liturgist (perhaps a priest; see below) speaking on behalf of a group. The opening and closing verses (vv. 1, 6–8) are clearly a prayer to God, but after the opening “hear my prayer” (v. 1) we should expect to hear one. Instead, the middle section (vv. 2–5) contains instruction addressed to these troublesome men. They may have been physically present to hea…