Psalms 4:6 (ASV)

Passage

Many there are that say, Who will show us [any] good? Jehovah, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.

Nearby Context

Psalms 4:4 Stand in awe, and sin not: Commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah

Psalms 4:5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, And put your trust in Jehovah.

Psalms 4:6 Many there are that say, Who will show us [any] good? Jehovah, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.

Psalms 4:7 Thou hast put gladness in my heart, More than [they have] when their grain and their new wine are increased.

Psalms 4:8 In peace will I both lay me down and sleep; For thou, Jehovah, alone makest me dwell in safety. Psalm 5 For the Chief Musician; with the Nehiloth. A Psalm of David.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "light", "show", "good", "jehovah", "lift", "thou", "countenance", and "upon". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "light" and "show", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 5's "Offer the sacrifices of righteousness And put..." into verse 7's "Thou hast put gladness in my heart...", so "light" and "show" belong inside that flow. In Psalms context, the local focus is worship, trust, the LORD's kingship, and covenant mercy.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "light" and "show" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.