Psalm 4:6

There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.

Cross-references

In Psalm 119:135, 'make your face shine upon your servant' is a similar request for divine teaching.

Psalm 89:15 Parallel

In Psalm 89:15, 'walk in the light of your face' describes the blessedness of God's favor.

Psalm 21:6 Parallel

Psalm 21:6 describes the joy of God's presence — the very 'light of your face' prayed for in Psalm 4:6, showing true blessing.

Psalm 44:3 Parallel

In Psalm 44:3, the same 'light of your face' phrase describes God's favor granting victory to Israel.

Psalm 49:16–20 Related theme

Psalm 49:16-20 warns that wealth cannot be taken beyond death — the 'good' people seek is fleeting and worthless.

Psalm 67:1 Parallel

In Psalm 67:1, the request 'make his face shine upon us' echoes the same plea for divine favor.

In Psalm 80:1-3, the refrain 'let your face shine, that we may be saved' parallels the cry for God's light.

Psalm 80:7 Parallel

In Psalm 80:7, the same refrain 'let your face shine, that we may be saved' repeats the plea.

Psalm 80:19 Parallel

In Psalm 80:19, the identical refrain 'let your face shine, that we may be saved' concludes the psalm.

Psalm 17:15 Parallel

In Psalm 17:15, David longs to behold God's face in righteousness — the same desire for God's presence and favor.

Psalm 31:16 Parallel

In Psalm 31:16, David prays 'Make your face shine on your servant' — a nearly identical request for God's favor.

Psalm 80:3 Parallel

Psalm 80:3 uses the same 'cause thy face to shine' imagery from the priestly blessing, directly paralleling the request for God's light.

Psalm 42:5 Parallel

Psalm 42:5 calls the soul to hope in God — the true source of 'good' that Psalm 4:6 seeks, contrasting with worldly answers.

Psalm 119:58 entreats God's favor with whole heart, similar to the prayer for the light of God's countenance here.

Ecclesiastes 2:3-26 details the vanity of pursuing pleasure and wealth — the very 'good' people ask for is empty without God.

James 5:1–5 Related theme

James 5:1-5 pronounces judgment on the rich who hoarded treasure — the 'good' people seek becomes evidence against them.

Isaiah 55:2 Related theme

Isaiah 55:2 asks why people labor for what does not satisfy — mirroring the futile search for 'good' apart from God's favor.

Luke 12:19 Contrast

Luke 12:19 shows the rich fool trusting in his abundance — a stark illustration of misplaced trust in earthly 'good'.

Luke 16:19 Contrast

Luke 16:19 presents the rich man who had his 'good' in this life but suffered in the next — a warning against earthly focus.

In Numbers 6:26, the Aaronic blessing 'the LORD lift up his countenance upon you' is the same concept.

Proverbs 16:15 applies the 'light of countenance' metaphor to a king, paralleling the divine favor imagery in this verse.

Ecclesiastes 6:12 asks 'who knows what is good?' directly echoing the question 'who will show us any good?' in this verse.

Job 33:26 Parallel

In Job 33:26, Elihu describes seeing God's face with joy — a direct parallel to the longing for God's shining face here.

Daniel 9:17 Allusion

In Daniel 9:17, Daniel prays 'cause thy face to shine'—the same idiom as 'light of thy countenance' here, both seeking God's favor.

Job 29:3 Parallel

In Job 29:3, Job recalls God's lamp shining on him — a parallel image of divine light guiding through darkness.

Job 22:17 Contrast

In Job 22:17, the wicked tell God to depart — the opposite of seeking his face, creating a stark contrast.

In 1 Chronicles 16:11, the call to seek God's presence continually matches the desire for the light of his face here.

James 4:13 Related theme

James 4:13 rebukes those who plan for profit without God — the same self-reliance behind asking 'who will show us good?'