I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.
What does Psalms 4:8 mean?
He received as the purchase of his death, the gifts needful for the conversion of sinners, and the salvation of believers.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside its immediate passage and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Psalms 4:8
I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep - The word "both" here means "at the same time;" that is, I will alike be in peace, and I will lie down and will sleep; I will have a mind at peace (or, in tranquility) when I lie down, and will sleep calmly. This is said in view of his confidence in God, and of his belief that God would preserve him. He had put his trust in him; he had sought his happiness in him, and now he felt assured that he had nothing to fear, and, at peace with God, he would lie down and compose himself to rest.
Key words
- both
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both. (u) "simul", Musculus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Gejerus, Cocceius.
- both
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both. This is said in view of his confidence in God, and of his belief that God would preserve him.
Context in Psalms 4
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Psalms 4 belongs to the early movement of the book, especially the section often described as Book I. Psalms is the Bible’s great book of sung prayer, teaching the full range of faithful speech from anguish and repentance to jubilation and doxology. Read this chapter with the wider themes of prayer, praise, and lament in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
Related topics
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Passages on trusting God, receiving Christ, persevering without sight, and the relation between faith and lived obedience.
Passages on asking, persistence, confession, dependence, and the way prayer shapes Christian life and attention.
Central texts on sin, grace, faith, Christ’s saving work, and the Bible’s announcement that salvation is received rather than achieved.
Passages on peace with God, peace in the heart, peace in community, and the biblical difference between true peace and false reassurance.
Bible verses about thankfulness and gratitude
Passages on thanksgiving to God, grateful worship, and the discipline of remembering God’s goodness in ordinary life.