Psalm 3 → 85
Reasoning: 6656 Output: 3645 Total: 10301
Argument
Here are complementary ways to argue that Psalm 85 is a logical follow‑on to Psalm 3, using form, style, vocabulary/root links, and shared life‑settings. 1) “Call” in Ps 3 answered by “speech” in Ps 85 - Ps 3:5 “קולי אל־יהוה אקרא ויענני מהר קדשו” (I call; he answers from his holy mountain). - Ps 85:9 “אשמעה מה־ידבר האל יהוה כי ידבר שלום אל־עמו” (I will hear what God YHWH will speak; he speaks peace to his people). - Logical sequence: Ps 3 is the plea and assurance of answer; Ps 85 is the content of the divine answer—shalom—to the people. 2) The “Arise/Return” ark‑formula pair ties the two (Num 10:35–36) - Ps 3:8 “קומה יהוה הושיעני” (Arise, YHWH; save me) echoes Num 10:35 “קומה יהוה ויפוצו איביך” (Arise, YHWH; let your enemies be scattered). Note the shared enemies motif (Ps 3:8 “אויבי”). - Ps 85 is saturated with שוב: “שבתה שבות” (v2), “הֱשיבותָ” (v4), “שובנו… תשוב תחיינו” (vv5, 7), and even a warning “ואל־ישובו לכסלה” (v9). This clusters around the Num 10:36 complement “שובה יהוה” (Return, YHWH). - Life‑setting logic: Ps 3 is the battle‑cry (“Arise!”) during crisis; Ps 85 is the post‑conflict prayer for God’s returning/resting presence and for the people’s “return,” culminating in “לשכן כבוד בארצנו” (v10)—the Glory dwelling again in the land. 3) From king’s personal deliverance to the people’s corporate restoration - Ps 3 closes by lifting the horizon from the “I” to the “people”: “ליהוה הישועה; על־עמך ברכתך” (v9). - Ps 85 is precisely a description/request of that blessing on the people: forgiveness (vv2–4), turning away wrath (v4), revival (v7), salvation/peace (vv8–10), and fertility of the land (v13). - So Ps 85 can be read as the concrete outworking of Ps 3:9’s finale: what YHWH’s “blessing on your people” looks like. 4) Strong lexical/root links (rarer and/or exact forms prioritized) - ישע (salvation): - Ps 3:8 “הושיעני”; 3:9 “ליהוה הישועה” - Ps 85:5 “אלהי ישענו”; 85:8 “וישעך תתן לנו”; 85:10 “קרוב ליראיו ישעו” - This root bookends both psalms and is programmatic for their logic. - עם (the people), exact form עמך: - Ps 3:9 “על־עמך” - Ps 85:7 “ועמך ישמחו־בך”; 85:9 “אל־עמו” - כבוד (glory): - Ps 3:4 “כבודי” - Ps 85:10 “לשכן כבוד בארצנו” - Movement from the individual’s honor restored (head lifted, Ps 3:4) to the Glory’s dwelling in the land (Ps 85:10). - סֶלָה: occurs in both (Ps 3:3, 5, 9; Ps 85:3), marking structural/trust pivots in each. - Enemies/judgment resolved into peace: - Ps 3:8–9 “הכית… אויבי… שברת” (decisive blow against enemies) - Ps 85:9–12 “ידבר שלום… חסד ואמת… צדק ושלום נשקו” (shalom replacing strife) - The violent conflict of Ps 3 is transmuted into the ethical order of Ps 85. 5) Shared form and movement (individual lament → communal restoration psalm) - Ps 3: classic individual lament with trust: complaint (vv2–3), confidence (vv4–6), petition (vv7–8), communal horizon/blessing (v9). - Ps 85: communal plea for restoration: remembrance of past favor (vv2–4), petition (vv5–8), oracle of peace (vv9–10), assurance of flourishing (vv11–14). - The forms dovetail: Ps 3’s closing intercession for the people is naturally taken up by Ps 85’s communal liturgy and oracle. 6) Place/presence logic: from Zion’s holy mountain to the whole land - Ps 3:5 “מהר קדשו” (answer from His holy mountain—Zion). - Ps 85:2 “רצית יהוה ארצך”; 85:10 “לשכן כבוד בארצנו”; 85:13 “ארצנו תתן יבולה” - Movement from the sanctuary’s aid to land‑wide presence and fruitfulness—another “follow‑on” gesture. 7) Narrative life‑setting that fits both (David and the people) - Ps 3 (Absalom crisis): the king in mortal danger, calling for YHWH to arise and rout enemies. - Ps 85 (national aftermath): the community seeking the return of YHWH’s favor, the turning of wrath, revival, and settled shalom in the land. Whether read post‑rebellion, post‑war, or in a broader “restore the fortunes” frame, it’s a plausible communal sequel to the king’s deliverance. 8) Stylistic correspondences - Both use vocatives and direct imperatives to YHWH (“קומה… הושיעני” Ps 3:8; “שובנו… הראנו… תתן” Ps 85:5, 8). - Both pivot on terse, balanced lines and compact word‑pairs; Ps 85 heightens that into emblematic pairs (חסד/אמת; צדק/שלום), which can be read as the stable order that follows the turmoil depicted (and prayed against) in Ps 3. In sum: Ps 3’s “Arise, YHWH, save me” in the king’s crisis culminates in “Bless your people.” Ps 85, thick with “return” language, answers that closing petition: God returns, speaks peace to His people, His Glory dwells in the land, and salvation and blessing overflow. The ark‑formula pairing (קומה/שובה), the shared salvation/people/glory lexemes, and the shift from individual deliverance to communal restoration provide a tight, text‑driven case that Ps 85 logically follows on from Ps 3.
Evaluation
No evaluation has been recorded for this pair yet.
Prompt
Consider Psalm 3 and Psalm 85 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 85 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 85:
Psalm 85
1. לַמְנַצֵּ֬חַ ׀
לִבְנֵי־
קֹ֬רַח
מִזְמֽוֹר׃
2. רָצִ֣יתָ
יְהוָ֣ה
אַרְצֶ֑ךָ
שַׁ֝֗בְתָּ
שבות
שְׁבִ֣ית
יַעֲקֹֽב׃
3. נָ֭שָׂאתָ
עֲוֺ֣ן
עַמֶּ֑ךָ
כִּסִּ֖יתָ
כָל־
חַטָּאתָ֣ם
סֶֽלָה׃
4. אָסַ֥פְתָּ
כָל־
עֶבְרָתֶ֑ךָ
הֱ֝שִׁיב֗וֹתָ
מֵחֲר֥וֹן
אַפֶּֽךָ׃
5. שׁ֭וּבֵנוּ
אֱלֹהֵ֣י
יִשְׁעֵ֑נוּ
וְהָפֵ֖ר
כַּֽעַסְךָ֣
עִמָּֽנוּ׃
6. הַלְעוֹלָ֥ם
תֶּֽאֱנַף־
בָּ֑נוּ
תִּמְשֹׁ֥ךְ
אַ֝פְּךָ֗
לְדֹ֣ר
וָדֹֽר׃
7. הֲֽלֹא־
אַ֭תָּה
תָּשׁ֣וּב
תְּחַיֵּ֑נוּ
וְ֝עַמְּךָ֗
יִשְׂמְחוּ־
בָֽךְ׃
8. הַרְאֵ֣נוּ
יְהוָ֣ה
חַסְדֶּ֑ךָ
וְ֝יֶשְׁעֲךָ֗
תִּתֶּן־
לָֽנוּ׃
9. אֶשְׁמְעָ֗ה
מַה־
יְדַבֵּר֮
הָאֵ֢ל ׀
יְה֫וָ֥ה
כִּ֤י ׀
יְדַבֵּ֬ר
שָׁל֗וֹם
אֶל־
עַמּ֥וֹ
וְאֶל־
חֲסִידָ֑יו
וְֽאַל־
יָשׁ֥וּבוּ
לְכִסְלָֽה׃
10. אַ֤ךְ ׀
קָר֣וֹב
לִירֵאָ֣יו
יִשְׁע֑וֹ
לִשְׁכֹּ֖ן
כָּב֣וֹד
בְּאַרְצֵֽנוּ׃
11. חֶֽסֶד־
וֶאֱמֶ֥ת
נִפְגָּ֑שׁוּ
צֶ֖דֶק
וְשָׁל֣וֹם
נָשָֽׁקוּ׃
12. אֱ֭מֶת
מֵאֶ֣רֶץ
תִּצְמָ֑ח
וְ֝צֶ֗דֶק
מִשָּׁמַ֥יִם
נִשְׁקָֽף׃
13. גַּם־
יְ֭הוָה
יִתֵּ֣ן
הַטּ֑וֹב
וְ֝אַרְצֵ֗נוּ
תִּתֵּ֥ן
יְבוּלָֽהּ׃
14. צֶ֭דֶק
לְפָנָ֣יו
יְהַלֵּ֑ךְ
וְיָשֵׂ֖ם
לְדֶ֣רֶךְ
פְּעָמָֽיו׃