Psalms 4:3 (DRB)

Passage

O ye sons of men, how long will you be dull of heart? why do you love vanity, and seek after lying?

Nearby Context

Psalms 4:1 Unto the end, in verses. A psalm for David.

Psalms 4:2 When I called upon him, the God of my justice heard me: when I was in distress, thou hast enlarged me. Have mercy on me: and hear my prayer.

Psalms 4:3 O ye sons of men, how long will you be dull of heart? why do you love vanity, and seek after lying?

Psalms 4:4 Know ye also that the Lord hath made his holy one wonderful: the Lord will hear me when I shall cry unto him.

Psalms 4:5 Be ye angry, and sin not: the things you say in your hearts, be sorry for them upon your beds.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "sons", "long", "dull", "heart", "love", "vanity", "seek", and "after". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "sons" and "long", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "When I called upon him the God..." into verse 4's "Know ye also that the Lord hath...", so "sons" and "long" 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 "sons" and "long" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.