“O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing? Selah.”
The question posed to human opponents how long will you love emptiness and seek lies? constitutes prophetic critique that the enemies' pursuits, though perhaps appearing attractive, are fundamentally insubstantial and delusive. The pairing of emptiness and lies suggests that the opponents' ideologies are spiritually hollow, lacking authentic foundation, a judgment that the psalmist's faith allows him to pronounce. This verse uses rhetorical question to invite self-examination and potential conversion, suggesting that enmity stems from fundamental misorientation toward reality rather than from justified grievance. The prophet's voice emerges within the lament, making the speaker not merely victim but witness to truth who calls opponents toward recognition of their folly.
Church Fathers on Psalms 4:2
To the end, a psalm song to David. 1. “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believes.” Romans 10:4 For this “end” signifies perfection, not consumption. Now it may be a question, whether every Song be a Psalm, or rather every Psalm a Song; whether there are some Songs which cannot be called Psalms, and some Psalms which cannot be called Songs. But the Scripture must be attended to, if haply “Song” do not denote a joyful theme. But those are called…
Nicene & Post-Nicene / Ante-Nicene Fathers translations · public domain
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