Psalm 1 → 140
Reasoning: 9280 Output: 4678 Total: 13958
Argument
Short answer: Psalm 140 reads like a concrete, lived “case study” of Psalm 1’s program. Psalm 1 draws the two-way map (righteous vs. wicked; way, standing, sitting, assembly, judgment). Psalm 140 puts a righteous “man” on that way, shows how the wicked attack him (especially by speech and ambush along the path), and ends with the very outcomes Psalm 1 promised (the wicked cannot stand; the righteous assemble in God’s presence). The links are strengthened by multiple shared lemmas, identical forms, and tightly overlapping motifs. Details (weighted by significance: identical forms and rarer lexemes > same roots > thematic parallels) 1) The “man”/ish framing (headline link) - Psalm 1:1: אַשְׁרֵי הָאִישׁ “Blessed is the man…” - Psalm 140:2, 5, 12: מֵאִישׁ חֲמָסִים; מִידֵי רָשָׁע; אִישׁ לָשׁוֹן; אִישׁ־חָמָס - Argument: Both psalms are explicitly about the “ish,” but of opposite kinds: the blessed man (Ps 1) versus the violent/slanderous man (Ps 140). Psalm 140 thus dramatizes the antitype that Psalm 1 warns the blessed man to avoid. 2) Identical form, key verdict verb: יָקֻמוּ “they will stand/rise” - Ps 1:5: לֹא יָקֻמוּ רְשָׁעִים בַּמִּשְׁפָּט - Ps 140:11: בְּמַהֲמֹרוֹת בַּל־יָקֻמוּ - This is a high-value link (identical form). In both psalms the wicked “will not stand/rise,” whether in court (Ps 1) or out of the pits/fire (Ps 140). Psalm 140 enacts the judicial outcome Psalm 1 predicts. 3) Same root ידע “know,” in complementary roles - Ps 1:6: יוֹדֵעַ יְהוָה דֶּרֶךְ צַדִּיקִים - Ps 140:13: יָדַעְתִּי כִּי־יַעֲשֶׂה יְהוָה דִּין עָנִי - Not the same form but the same root, tightly paired: in Ps 1 YHWH “knows” the righteous; in Ps 140 the righteous sufferer “knows” YHWH will do justice. It reads like the human side answering Psalm 1’s divine knowledge. 4) Shared legal vocabulary and frame - Ps 1:5: בַּמִּשְׁפָּט; Ps 1:6: דֶּרֶךְ צַדִּיקִים/רְשָׁעִים - Ps 140:13: דִּין … מִשְׁפַּט - The juridical close of Psalm 140 (vv. 11–14) functions as the “judgment scene” of Psalm 1:5–6. Both end with gnomic/legal summary about fates. 5) Same nouns for the parties: צַדִּיקִים and רָשָׁע/רְשָׁעִים - Ps 1:1, 5–6: רְשָׁעִים; צַדִּיקִים - Ps 140:5, 9, 14: רָשָׁע; צַדִּיקִים (identical plural form in 140:14) - Core opposition is the same; Psalm 140’s conclusion (צַדִּיקִים יוֹדוּ … יֵשְׁבוּ) matches Psalm 1’s “assembly of the righteous” expectation. 6) Sit/dwell wordplay (same root ישב) - Ps 1:1: וּבְמוֹשַׁב לֵצִים לֹא יָשָׁב “he did not sit in the seat of scoffers” - Ps 140:14: יֵשְׁבוּ יְשָׁרִים אֶת־פָּנֶיךָ “the upright will sit/dwell before your face” - Strong conceptual reversal: the righteous refuse to sit with mockers (Ps 1), and are granted to sit before God (Ps 140). Same root, matching positive/negative seats. 7) “Two ways” and “walking/steps/path” field - Ps 1:1,6: דֶּרֶךְ (way); הָלַךְ/עָמַד/יָשָׁב (walk/stand/sit) - Ps 140:5–6: לִדְחוֹת פְּעָמָי “to push my steps”; לְיַד־מַעְגָּל “by the path”; plus snares laid on the way (פַח, חֲבָלִים, רֶשֶׁת, מוֹקְשִׁים) - Psalm 140 literally places traps on the “way,” trying to overturn the righteous person’s “steps”—a concrete outworking of Psalm 1’s derekh imagery. 8) Day-long devotion vs. day-long malice - Ps 1:2: יוֹמָם וָלַיְלָה “day and night” he meditates on Torah - Ps 140:3: כָּל־יוֹם יָגוּרוּ מִלְחָמוֹת “all day they stir up wars” - Temporal symmetry: the righteous’ constant meditation is mirrored by the wicked’s constant agitation. 9) Speech-sin cluster (rare, pointed in Ps 140; conceptual in Ps 1) - Ps 1:1: עֲצַת רְשָׁעִים; מוֹשַׁב לֵצִים — the wicked/scoffers are defined by counsel and mockery (speech-based). - Ps 140:4, 12: לְשׁוֹנָם … נָחָשׁ; חֲמַת עַכְשׁוּב תַּחַת שְׂפָתֵימוֹ; אִישׁ לָשׁוֹן — rare and vivid snake-tongue imagery crystallizes the “mockers” into venomous speakers. In wisdom literature לֵץ and גֵּאֶה/זֵד are allied; Psalm 140 has גֵאִים (140:6), strengthening the wisdom connection. 10) End-state of the wicked: removal/instability - Ps 1:4: כַּמֹּץ … תִּדְּפֶנּוּ רוּחַ — the wicked are driven away like chaff (implying non-endurance). - Ps 140:11–12: גֶּחָלִים … בָּאֵשׁ יַפִּלֵם; בַּל־יָקֻמוּ; אִישׁ לָשׁוֹן בַּל־יִכּוֹן בָּאָרֶץ — explicit burning/falling/non-establishment in the land. Psalm 140 makes explicit the end Psalm 1 implies. Note again the identical יָקֻמוּ. 11) Shared root נתן (give), applied antithetically - Ps 1:3: פִּרְיוֹ יִתֵּן בְּעִתּוֹ — the righteous “gives” fruit. - Ps 140:9: אַל־תִּתֵּן יְהוָה מַאֲוַיֵּי רָשָׁע — “do not give” the wicked his desire. - Same verb; what the righteous “gives” (life/fruit) is matched by what God refuses to “give” to the wicked. 12) Structural/formal echo: proverb-then-verdict - Both psalms resolve into a general, gnomic verdict about the two groups (Ps 1:5–6; Ps 140:11–14). Psalm 140’s lament narrows to the same wisdom horizon that Psalm 1 opens. 13) Temple/assembly outcome - Ps 1:5: וְחַטָּאִים בַּעֲדַת צַדִּיקִים — sinners will not be in the righteous assembly. - Ps 140:14: צַדִּיקִים יוֹדוּ לִשְׁמֶךָ; יֵשְׁבוּ יְשָׁרִים אֶת־פָּנֶיךָ — the righteous gather “before your face.” Functionally the “assembly of the righteous” envisioned by Psalm 1. 14) Mythic/life-sequence resonance - Psalm 1’s tree “by streams of water” evokes Eden/Temple-garden stability; Psalm 140’s serpent-tongued opponents (נָחָשׁ … עַכְשׁוּב) give the adversary an Edenic profile. Read together, Psalm 140 dramatizes how the Edenic “man/tree” of Psalm 1 is assailed by the serpent, yet preserved by God so that the righteous end up in God’s presence and the serpent-seed cannot stand. Putting it together as a logical sequence - Step 1 (Ps 1): The blessed man chooses the Torah-way, avoiding the counsel/seat of speakers of scorn; God knows his way; the wicked will not stand in judgment nor belong to the righteous assembly. - Step 2 (Ps 140): On that way, violent, proud, serpent-tongued men set snares to push his steps. The psalmist appeals to YHWH, who covers his head in battle. The outcome corresponds to Psalm 1’s verdict: coals and pits for the wicked (they shall not rise), while the righteous will sit before God and praise his name. The “two ways” are no longer abstract; they are litigated in real time and resolved as Psalm 1 foresaw. These convergences—especially the identical יָקֻמוּ, the shared legal terms, the repeated party labels (צַדִּיקִים/רָשָׁע), the sit/stand/path field, and the speech/crime focus—are strong internal reasons to read Psalm 140 as a logical narrative outworking of Psalm 1’s program.
Evaluation
Score: 9.0
Evaluated at: 2025-10-01T05:48:38 (UTC)
Evaluator model: gpt-5
Evaluator version: v1
Reasoning: 1664 Output: 2694 Total: 4358
Highly persuasive and textually grounded. It marshals multiple high‑value links (identical forms like יָקֻמוּ, sit/stand/derekh field, legal/judicial frame, shared party labels, נתן antithesis, and vivid speech‑sin cluster) and shows coherent structural alignment, casting Ps 140 as a concrete instantiation of Ps 1’s program. Minor caveats: some parallels rely on broadly common Psalter vocabulary; the claim would be stronger with controls (e.g., showing this density vs. other psalms) and brief engagement with Book V sequencing (Ps 139–145 cluster) to address alternative redactional explanations.
Prompt
Consider Psalm 1 and Psalm 140 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 140 logically follows on from Psalm 1? Consider stylistic similarities, similarities of form, similarities of vocab or ideas, shared roots (if you're doing the search in Hebrew), connections to sequences of events common in ancient Israelite life, mythology or history shared by the two psalms.
Rarer words are more significant than commoner words. Identical forms are more significant than similar forms. The same word class is more significant than different word classes formed from the same root. Identical roots are more significant than suppletive roots.
Psalm 1:
Psalm 1
1. אַ֥שְֽׁרֵי־
הָאִ֗ישׁ
אֲשֶׁ֤ר ׀
לֹ֥א
הָלַךְ֮
בַּעֲצַ֢ת
רְשָׁ֫עִ֥ים
וּבְדֶ֣רֶךְ
חַ֭טָּאִים
לֹ֥א
עָמָ֑ד
וּבְמוֹשַׁ֥ב
לֵ֝צִ֗ים
לֹ֣א
יָשָֽׁב׃
2. כִּ֤י
אִ֥ם
בְּתוֹרַ֥ת
יְהוָ֗ה
חֶ֫פְצ֥וֹ
וּֽבְתוֹרָת֥וֹ
יֶהְגֶּ֗ה
יוֹמָ֥ם
וָלָֽיְלָה׃
3. וְֽהָיָ֗ה
כְּעֵץ֮
שָׁת֢וּל
עַֽל־
פַּלְגֵ֫י
מָ֥יִם
אֲשֶׁ֤ר
פִּרְי֨וֹ ׀
יִתֵּ֬ן
בְּעִתּ֗וֹ
וְעָלֵ֥הוּ
לֹֽא־
יִבּ֑וֹל
וְכֹ֖ל
אֲשֶׁר־
יַעֲשֶׂ֣ה
יַצְלִֽיחַ׃
4. לֹא־
כֵ֥ן
הָרְשָׁעִ֑ים
כִּ֥י
אִם־
כַּ֝מֹּ֗ץ
אֲֽשֶׁר־
תִּדְּפֶ֥נּוּ
רֽוּחַ׃
5. עַל־
כֵּ֤ן ׀
לֹא־
יָקֻ֣מוּ
רְ֭שָׁעִים
בַּמִּשְׁפָּ֑ט
וְ֝חַטָּאִ֗ים
בַּעֲדַ֥ת
צַדִּיקִֽים׃
6. כִּֽי־
יוֹדֵ֣עַ
יְ֭הוָה
דֶּ֣רֶךְ
צַדִּיקִ֑ים
וְדֶ֖רֶךְ
רְשָׁעִ֣ים
תֹּאבֵֽד׃
Psalm 140:
Psalm 140
1. לַמְנַצֵּ֗חַ
מִזְמ֥וֹר
לְדָוִֽד׃
2. חַלְּצֵ֣נִי
יְ֭הוָה
מֵאָדָ֣ם
רָ֑ע
מֵאִ֖ישׁ
חֲמָסִ֣ים
תִּנְצְרֵֽנִי׃
3. אֲשֶׁ֤ר
חָשְׁב֣וּ
רָע֣וֹת
בְּלֵ֑ב
כָּל־
י֝֗וֹם
יָג֥וּרוּ
מִלְחָמֽוֹת׃
4. שָֽׁנֲנ֣וּ
לְשׁוֹנָם֮
כְּֽמוֹ
נָ֫חָ֥שׁ
חֲמַ֥ת
עַכְשׁ֑וּב
תַּ֖חַת
שְׂפָתֵ֣ימוֹ
סֶֽלָה׃
5. שָׁמְרֵ֤נִי
יְהוָ֨ה ׀
מִ֘ידֵ֤י
רָשָׁ֗ע
מֵאִ֣ישׁ
חֲמָסִ֣ים
תִּנְצְרֵ֑נִי
אֲשֶׁ֥ר
חָ֝שְׁב֗וּ
לִדְח֥וֹת
פְּעָמָֽי׃
6. טָֽמְנֽוּ־
גֵאִ֨ים ׀
פַּ֡ח
לִ֗י
וַחֲבָלִ֗ים
פָּ֣רְשׂוּ
רֶ֭שֶׁת
לְיַד־
מַעְגָּ֑ל
מֹקְשִׁ֖ים
שָֽׁתוּ־
לִ֣י
סֶֽלָה׃
7. אָמַ֣רְתִּי
לַ֭יהוָה
אֵ֣לִי
אָ֑תָּה
הַאֲזִ֥ינָה
יְ֝הוָ֗ה
ק֣וֹל
תַּחֲנוּנָֽי׃
8. יְהֹוִ֣ה
אֲ֭דֹנָי
עֹ֣ז
יְשׁוּעָתִ֑י
סַכֹּ֥תָה
לְ֝רֹאשִׁ֗י
בְּי֣וֹם
נָֽשֶׁק׃
9. אַל־
תִּתֵּ֣ן
יְ֭הוָה
מַאֲוַיֵּ֣י
רָשָׁ֑ע
זְמָמ֥וֹ
אַל־
תָּ֝פֵ֗ק
יָר֥וּמוּ
סֶֽלָה׃
10. רֹ֥אשׁ
מְסִבָּ֑י
עֲמַ֖ל
שְׂפָתֵ֣ימוֹ
יכסומו
יְכַסֵּֽמוֹ׃
11. ימיטו
יִמּ֥וֹטוּ
עֲלֵיהֶ֗ם
גֶּֽחָ֫לִ֥ים
בָּאֵ֥שׁ
יַפִּלֵ֑ם
בְּ֝מַהֲמֹר֗וֹת
בָּל־
יָקֽוּמוּ׃
12. אִ֥ישׁ
לָשׁוֹן֮
בַּל־
יִכּ֢וֹן
בָּ֫אָ֥רֶץ
אִישׁ־
חָמָ֥ס
רָ֑ע
יְ֝צוּדֶ֗נּוּ
לְמַדְחֵפֹֽת׃
13. ידעת
יָדַ֗עְתִּי
כִּֽי־
יַעֲשֶׂ֣ה
יְ֭הוָה
דִּ֣ין
עָנִ֑י
מִ֝שְׁפַּ֗ט
אֶבְיֹנִֽים׃
14. אַ֣ךְ
צַ֭דִּיקִים
יוֹד֣וּ
לִשְׁמֶ֑ךָ
יֵשְׁב֥וּ
יְ֝שָׁרִ֗ים
אֶת־
פָּנֶֽיךָ׃