Psalm 3 → 79
Reasoning: 8576 Output: 4865 Total: 13441
Argument
Here are several ways to argue that Psalm 79 “follows on” from Psalm 3—stylistically, formally, lexically (with attention to rarer items and exact forms), and thematically in terms of Israel’s life and theology.
Macro-logic: from the individual king to the beleaguered people
- Psalm 3 is an individual royal lament (David “when he fled from Absalom”), culminating in a programmatic, public-looking confession: “To YHWH belongs salvation; your blessing be on your people” (3:9).
- Psalm 79 is a communal lament that takes that closing horizon (“your people”) and makes it the subject: “And we are your people and the sheep of your pasture; we will thank you forever…” (79:13). In effect, Ps 79 “picks up” the last line of Ps 3 and expands it into a national plea.
- The taunt faced by the king in Ps 3 becomes the taunt faced by the nation in Ps 79, so the move from 3 to 79 is a logical widening of scope.
Structural/formal parallels
- Classic lament sequence in both: invocation of God → report of opposition/taunt → petition for decisive divine action (imperatives) → confidence/doxological closure oriented to “your people.”
- Both stage the voice of adversaries as reported speech and answer it with petition and an assertion of YHWH’s saving identity.
- Divine-warrior petitions in the imperative drive both psalms (3:8 קוּמָה יהוה הושיעני; 79:6–7 שפך חמתך …; 79:12 והשב).
Key lexical and phrase links (ranked by significance per your criteria)
- Identical orthographic form:
- עמך “your people”: Ps 3:9 עַל־עַמְּךָ; Ps 79:13 וַאֲנַחְנוּ עַמְּךָ. This is the clearest hook: Ps 3 ends with a blessing pronounced over “your people,” and Ps 79 concludes by self-identifying as precisely that people.
- Identical root, same semantic field, clustered use:
- ישע “save, salvation”:
- Ps 3:3 אֵין יְשׁוּעָתָה; 3:8 הוֹשִׁיעֵנִי; 3:9 לַיהוָה הַיְשׁוּעָה.
- Ps 79:9 אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׁעֵנוּ; וְהַצִּילֵנוּ (synonymous).
- Functionally, Ps 79 takes Ps 3’s credo “To YHWH belongs salvation” and turns it into a communal address to “the God of our salvation.”
- קדש “holy, holiness” in the locale of divine presence:
- Ps 3:5 מֵהַר קָדְשׁוֹ (his holy mountain).
- Ps 79:1 הֵיכַל קָדְשֶׁךָ (your holy temple).
- The “holy place” that guarantees the king’s answer in 3 is the very site that is defiled in 79; the logic is tight: what Ps 3 presupposes as secure becomes the crisis of Ps 79.
- אמר “say,” framed as the enemy’s taunt:
- Ps 3:3 רַבִּים אֹמְרִים לְנַפְשִׁי: “There is no salvation for him in God.”
- Ps 79:10 לָמָּה יֹאמְרוּ הַגּוֹיִם: “Where is their God?”
- The same rhetorical pressure (public scorn doubting God’s help) moves from the singular “him” (the king) to the plural “their” (the people).
- קרא “call” as covenantal invocation:
- Ps 3:5 קוֹלִי אֶל־יְהוָה אֶקְרָא.
- Ps 79:6 אֲשֶׁר בְּשִׁמְךָ לֹא קָרָאוּ (the nations who do not “call on your name”).
- The people (David in Ps 3) call; the nations don’t. Ps 79 frames the crisis in terms of who rightly invokes the Name.
- סביב “around” (siege/encirclement):
- Ps 3:7 אֲשֶׁר סָבִיב שָׁתוּ עָלַי.
- Ps 79:3 סְבִיבוֹת יְרוּשָׁלָם; 79:4 לִסְבִיבוֹתֵינוּ.
- The personal encirclement of Ps 3 becomes the encirclement of Jerusalem/community in Ps 79.
- כבוד “glory, honor” re-aimed:
- Ps 3:4 כְּבוֹדִי “my glory.”
- Ps 79:9 עַל־דְּבַר כְּבוֹד־שְׁמֶךָ “for the sake of the glory of your name.”
- The locus of glory shifts from the Davidic individual’s honor to the vindication of God’s name before the nations—a natural communal follow-up.
- Strong thematic/lexical parallels in the imprecations:
- Ps 3:8 “Strike all my enemies on the cheek; break the teeth of the wicked.”
- Ps 79:6 “Pour out your wrath on the nations …”; 79:10 “Let be known among the nations … the vengeance for the spilled blood of your servants”; 79:12 “Return sevenfold into their bosom their reproach…”
- Both psalms demand visible, retributive divine action, invoking the Divine Warrior pattern. Ps 79 generalizes the personal blow (cheek/teeth) into international-scale vengeance and payback.
- Further lexical correspondences (less rare but cumulative):
- Vocatives and Names: both alternate יהוה and אֱלֹהִים (e.g., Ps 3:2, 8; Ps 79:1, 5, 9).
- “Many”: Ps 3:2–3 רַבּוּ/רַבִּים; Ps 3:7 רִבְבוֹת; Ps 79: nations/kingdoms/many neighbors—multiplicity of foes in both.
- Closure with worship orientation:
- Ps 3:9 “On your people be your blessing.”
- Ps 79:13 “We will give thanks to you forever; we will recount your praise to generation and generation.”
- Both end by turning from crisis to the people’s liturgical posture.
Stylistic and form-critical alignment
- Both are laments with embedded confidence. Ps 3’s confidence (“I lay down and slept… YHWH sustains me”) is matched in Ps 79 by confidence in God’s name and arm (“according to the greatness of your arm,” 79:11) and by the vow to praise (79:13).
- Both use second-person imperatives to God densely (a hallmark of lament and war-prayer): קוּמָה/הוֹשִׁיעֵנִי in 3; שְׁפֹךְ/הַצִּילֵנוּ/כַּפֵּר/תָּבֹוא/הָשֵׁב in 79.
Narrative-historical and liturgical logic
- Siege and Divine Warrior liturgy:
- Ps 3:8 “Arise, YHWH” echoes the ark-war cry (Num 10:35), situating the psalm in battle theology.
- Ps 79 develops the same war-liturgy at national scale (“Pour out your wrath on the nations…”), including the public demonstration motif (“let it be known among the nations,” 79:10).
- Zion theology:
- Ps 3 presumes Zion’s efficacy (“He answered me from his holy mountain”).
- Ps 79 laments Zion’s desecration (“they have defiled your holy temple; Jerusalem to ruins”). The latter is a stark, logical test of the former’s presupposition: if God answers from Zion, what happens when Zion is desecrated? The natural sequel is to appeal to the “glory of your name” (79:9) so that God vindicates his reputation in the sight of the nations.
- From royal to communal:
- The royal sufferer of Ps 3 stands for the people; Ps 79 explicitly names the body (“your servants,” “your people,” “the flock of your pasture”). Editorially, Ps 79 can be heard as the community taking up the king’s theology and prayer language in a deeper crisis.
A few higher-weight details (rarer elements or tighter matches)
- Exact form עמך in both conclusions (3:9; 79:13) is a strong hinge.
- The taunt logic is unusually tight: “There is no salvation for him in God” (3:3) → “Where is their God?” (79:10). It is the same charge, singular to plural.
- The holy-place dyad (הר קדשו ↔ היכל קדשך) yokes the two psalms’ geography and theology, moving from confident access (answer from the holy mount) to profanation (holy temple defiled), which naturally triggers the communal appeal.
Bottom line
Read this way, Psalm 79 “follows” Psalm 3 by:
- Taking Ps 3’s climactic concern—YHWH’s salvation/blessing for “your people”—and making it the subject.
- Echoing and amplifying Ps 3’s taunt/answer dynamic from the king to the nation.
- Recasting Ps 3’s divine-warrior plea into a national imprecation, with repeated imperatives and a vow of praise.
- Linking the same Zion-holy-place theology in crisis: from “He answers from his holy mountain” (3) to “they have defiled your holy temple” (79), compelling God to act “for the glory of your name.”
These convergences—in exact forms (עמך), shared roots (ישע, קדש, אמר, קרא, סביב), parallel structure, and common divine-warrior/Zion motifs—make a strong case that Psalm 79 can be read as a logical and thematic sequel to Psalm 3.
Evaluation
No evaluation has been recorded for this pair yet.
Prompt
Consider Psalm 3 and Psalm 79 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 79 logically follows on from Psalm 3? 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 3:
Psalm 3
1. מִזְמ֥וֹר
לְדָוִ֑ד
בְּ֝בָרְח֗וֹ
מִפְּנֵ֤י ׀
אַבְשָׁל֬וֹם
בְּנֽוֹ׃
2. יְ֭הוָה
מָֽה־
רַבּ֣וּ
צָרָ֑י
רַ֝בִּ֗ים
קָמִ֥ים
עָלָֽי׃
3. רַבִּים֮
אֹמְרִ֢ים
לְנַ֫פְשִׁ֥י
אֵ֤ין
יְֽשׁוּעָ֓תָה
לּ֬וֹ
בֵֽאלֹהִ֬ים
סֶֽלָה׃
4. וְאַתָּ֣ה
יְ֭הוָה
מָגֵ֣ן
בַּעֲדִ֑י
כְּ֝בוֹדִ֗י
וּמֵרִ֥ים
רֹאשִֽׁtי׃
5. ק֖dוֹלִי
אֶל־
יְהוָ֣ה
אֶקְרָ֑א
וַיַּֽעֲנֵ֨נִי
מֵהַ֖ר
קָדְשׁ֣וֹ
סֶֽלָה׃
6. אֲנִ֥י
שָׁכַ֗בְתִּי
וָֽאִ֫ישָׁ֥נָה
הֱקִיצ֑וֹתִי
כִּ֖י
יְהוָ֣ה
יִסְמְכֵֽנִי׃
7. לֹֽא־
אִ֭ירָא
מֵרִבְב֥וֹת
עָ֑ם
אֲשֶׁ֥ר
סָ֝בִ֗יב
שָׁ֣תוּ
עָלָֽtי׃
8. ק֘וּמָ֤ה
יְהוָ֨ה ׀
הוֹשִׁ֘יעֵ֤נִי
אֱלֹהַ֗י
כִּֽי־
הִכִּ֣יתָ
אֶת־
כָּל־
אֹיְבַ֣י
לֶ֑חִי
שִׁנֵּ֖י
רְשָׁעִ֣ים
שִׁבַּֽרְתָּ׃
9. לַיהוָ֥ה
הַיְשׁוּעָ֑ה
עַֽל־
עַמְּךָ֖
בִרְכָתֶ֣ךָ
סֶּֽלָה׃
Psalm 79:
Psalm 79
1. מִזְמ֗וֹר
לְאָ֫סָ֥ף
אֱֽלֹהִ֡ים
בָּ֤אוּ
גוֹיִ֨ם ׀
בְּֽנַחֲלָתֶ֗ךָ
טִ֭מְּאוּ
אֶת־
הֵיכַ֣ל
קָדְשֶׁ֑ךָ
שָׂ֖מוּ
אֶת־
יְרוּשָׁלִַ֣ם
לְעִיִּֽים׃
2. נָֽתְנ֡וּ
אֶת־
נִבְלַ֬ת
עֲבָדֶ֗יךָ
מַ֭אֲכָל
לְע֣וֹף
הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם
בְּשַׂ֥ר
חֲ֝סִידֶ֗יךָ
לְחַיְתוֹ־
אָֽרֶץ׃
3. שָׁפְכ֬וּ
דָמָ֨ם ׀
כַּמַּ֗יִם
סְֽבִ֘יב֤וֹת
יְֽרוּשָׁלִָ֗ם
וְאֵ֣ין
קוֹבֵֽר׃
4. הָיִ֣ינוּ
חֶ֭רְפָּה
לִשְׁכֵנֵ֑ינוּ
לַ֥עַג
וָ֝קֶ֗לֶס
לִסְבִיבוֹתֵֽינוּ׃
5. עַד־
מָ֣ה
יְ֭הוָה
תֶּאֱנַ֣ף
לָנֶ֑צַח
תִּ֭tבְעַ֥ר
כְּמוֹ־
אֵ֝֗שׁ
קִנְאָתֶֽךָ׃
6. שְׁפֹ֤ךְ
חֲמָתְךָ֗
אֶֽל־
הַגּוֹיִם֮
אֲשֶׁ֢ר
לֹא־
יְדָ֫ע֥וּךָ
וְעַ֥ל
מַמְלָכ֑וֹת
אֲשֶׁ֥ר
בְּ֝שִׁמְךָ֗
לֹ֣א
קָרָֽאוּ׃
7. כִּ֭י
אָכַ֣ל
אֶֽת־
יַעֲקֹ֑ב
וְֽאֶת־
נָוֵ֥הוּ
הֵשַֽׁמּוּ׃
8. אַֽל־
תִּזְכָּר־
לָנוּ֮
עֲוֺנֹ֢ת
רִאשֹׁ֫נִ֥ים
מַ֭הֵר
יְקַדְּמ֣וּנוּ
רַחֲמֶ֑יךָ
כִּ֖י
דַלּ֣וֹנוּ
מְאֹֽד׃
9. עָזְרֵ֤נוּ ׀
אֱלֹ֘הֵ֤י
יִשְׁעֵ֗נוּ
עַל־
דְּבַ֥ר
כְּבֽוֹד־
שְׁמֶ֑ךָ
וְהַצִּילֵ֥נוּ
וְכַפֵּ֥ר
עַל־
חַ֝טֹּאתֵ֗ינוּ
לְמַ֣עַן
שְׁמֶֽךָ׃
10. לָ֤מָּה ׀
יֹאמְר֣וּ
הַגּוֹיִם֮
אַיֵּ֢ה
אֱֽלֹהֵ֫יהֶ֥ם
יִוָּדַ֣ע
בגיים
בַּגּוֹיִ֣ם
לְעֵינֵ֑ינוּ
נִ֝קְמַ֗ת
דַּֽם־
עֲבָדֶ֥יךָ
הַשָּׁפֽוּךְ׃
11. תָּ֤ב֣וֹא
לְפָנֶיךָ֮
אֶנְקַ֢ת
אָ֫סִ֥יר
כְּגֹ֥דֶל
זְרוֹעֲךָ֑
ה֝וֹתֵ֗ר
בְּנֵ֣י
תְמוּתָֽה׃
12. וְהָ֘שֵׁ֤ב
לִשְׁכֵנֵ֣ינוּ
שִׁ֭בְעָתַיִם
אֶל־
חֵיקָ֑ם
חֶרְפָּ֘תָ֤ם
אֲשֶׁ֖ר
חֵרְפ֣וּךָ
אֲדֹֽcנָי׃
13. וַאֲנַ֤חְנוּ
עַמְּךָ֨ ׀
וְצֹ֥אן
מַרְעִיתֶךָ֮
נ֤וֹדֶ֥ה
לְּךָ֗
לְע֫וֹלָ֥ם
לְדֹ֥ר
וָדֹ֑ר
נְ֝סַפֵּ֗ר
תְּהִלָּתֶֽךָ׃