Psalm 4 → 15

Reasoning: 10112 Output: 3630 Total: 13742

Argument

Here are lines of argument that make it plausible to read Psalm 15 as following Psalm 4.

A. Narrative and liturgical flow (life-pattern sequence)
- Evening introspection → morning entry. Psalm 4 culminates with lying down and sleeping in peace and security (4:5 “אמרו בלבבכם על־משכבכם וְדֹמּו”; 4:9 “בשלום יחדו אשכבה ואישן … לבטח תושיבני”), the classic “evening psalm.” Psalm 15 is an “entrance liturgy” (Who may sojourn/dwell in your tent/holy hill?), well-suited to the next morning’s approach to the sanctuary. This follows an Israelite daily-worship pattern (“when you lie down and when you rise up”).
- Festival logic. Psalm 4 mentions agrarian abundance (4:8 “דגנם ותירושם”), fitting harvest/festival moments when pilgrims would go to the sanctuary. Psalm 15 then poses the gate-question for entering the sacred precincts (“מִי־יָגוּר באהלך … מִי־יִשְׁכֹּן בהר קדשך,” 15:1).
- Priestly-face to sanctuary-presence. Psalm 4 asks for “the light of your face” (4:7 “אור פניך יהוה”), language of the priestly blessing, mediated at the sanctuary; Psalm 15 immediately asks about dwelling in that presence.

B. Thematic progression (from exhortation to ethical specification)
- From “do not sin” to “here is what righteousness looks like.” Psalm 4 urges repentance and trust (4:5 “רגזו ואל־תחטאו … ודֹמו”; 4:6 “זבחו זבחי־צדק וּבטחו אל־יהוה”). Psalm 15 then specifies the content of that צדק in concrete ethics (15:2–5: walking blamelessly, truth-speaking, no slander, no exploitation, no bribes).
- From “many say, Who will show us good?” (4:7 “מי־יראנו טוב”) to “who may dwell with YHWH?” (15:1 “מי־יגור … מי־ישכון”) and its answer (15:2–5). Psalm 15 thus reads like a wisdom/entrance answer to the question of Psalm 4 about “the good.”

C. Lexical and semantic links (weighted by your criteria)
Stronger (identical lexemes, rarer or less generic vocabulary)
- צדק (identical noun): Ps 4:6 “זבחי־צדק”; Ps 15:2 “ופֹעֵל צדק.” Psalm 15 can be heard as defining the “righteousness” invoked in Psalm 4 (moving from sacrificial righteousness to ethical righteousness).
- לבב with “ב-” + pronominal suffix (same noun class and construction): Ps 4:5 “בִלבבכם”; Ps 15:2 “בִלבבו.” Psalm 4 commands inner speech on the bed; Psalm 15 describes the one who “speaks truth in his heart” (דֹבר אמת בלבבו). Inner heart-work at night (Ps 4) is realized as truth-in-heart by day (Ps 15).
- Root כבד (honor/glory): Ps 4:3 “כבודי” (my honor/glory) set “to shame”; Ps 15:4 “יְכַבֵּד” (he honors) YHWH-fearers. Psalm 15 reverses the social inversion lamented in Psalm 4: the righteous is honored rather than shamed.

Moderate (close semantic or root links)
- Truth vs falsehood in speech:
  - Ps 4:3 indicts the “sons of man” for “loving emptiness” and “seeking falsehood” (ריק … כזב); Ps 4:5 prescribes silence and inner self-examination.
  - Ps 15:2–3 defines the worshiper’s speech ethics: “דֹבר אמת בלבבו … לא־רָגַל על־לשונו … חרפה לא־נשא.” The falsehood that troubles the psalmist in Ps 4 is precisely what is excluded at the gate in Ps 15.
- Legal-vindicatory frame:
  - Ps 4:2 “אֱלֹהֵי צִדְקִי” (God of my vindication/justice).
  - Ps 15:5 prohibits perverting justice (no interest, no bribe “על־נקי”), keeping oaths even to one’s hurt (15:4). The God who vindicates (Ps 4) requires non-corrupt practice (Ps 15).
- Stability/secure dwelling:
  - Ps 4:9 “לבטח תושיבני” (you make me dwell in safety).
  - Ps 15:5 “לא ימוט לעולם” (he shall never be shaken). Different lexemes, but the same outcome: settled, unshakable safety under YHWH.
- “Dwelling” semantics:
  - Ps 4 closes with “אשכבה … תושיבני” (lying down; you make me dwell).
  - Ps 15 opens with “מי־יגור … מי־ישכון” (sojourn; dwell). Different roots, same semantic field of lodging/abiding before YHWH.

Lighter but still suggestive
- Repeated “מי” interrogatives:
  - Ps 4:7 “מי־יראנו טוב?”
  - Ps 15:1 “מי־יגור … מי־ישכון?”
- Honor–shame vocabulary:
  - Ps 4:3 “כבודי לכלימה” (my glory to shame).
  - Ps 15:3–4 “חרפה לא נשא … יְכַבֵּד” (no reproach; he honors).
- Economy and piety:
  - Ps 4:8 contrasts joy from YHWH with grain and wine abundance.
  - Ps 15:5 bars profiteering (interest/bribe). Both relativize wealth and bind devotion to economic ethics.

D. Form and style
- Both are “מזמור לדוד” and both directly address YHWH (Ps 4:2,7,9; Ps 15:1), then turn to the community in instruction/description.
- Psalm 4 uses imperatives to command repentance and trust (רגזו … אמרו … זבחו … בטחו), Psalm 15 answers with participles/normative descriptions (הולך, פֹעֵל, דֹבר), i.e., the person who has obeyed those imperatives.
- Both mix prayer and wisdom/exhortation, not pure lament or pure hymn, which makes them mutually compatible as consecutive pieces in a liturgical sequence.

E. Cultic-historical fit
- Psalm 4’s “lift up the light of your face” echoes the priestly blessing (Num 6:25), naturally associated with the sanctuary. Psalm 15’s “tent/holy hill” locates the worshiper at that sanctuary, asking about admissibility—precisely the next step after Psalm 4’s longing for the divine face.
- The “entrance liturgy” form of Psalm 15 (Q: “מי יגור … מי ישכון?”; A: ethical criteria) is paralleled by other gate psalms (e.g., Psalm 24:3–6). Psalm 4 functions as a personal, preparatory rite: night-time self-examination and trust before approach.

One way to hear the pair, line against line
- Ps 4:5 “אמרו בלבבכם … ודֹמו” → Ps 15:2 “דֹבר אמת בלבבו.”
- Ps 4:6 “זבחו זבחי־צדק” → Ps 15:2 “ופֹעֵל צדק” (ethical content of “righteous” sacrifice).
- Ps 4:3 “כבודי לכלימה … כזב” → Ps 15:3–4 “חרפה לא נשא … יכבד” (reversal of shame; no slander).
- Ps 4:7 “מי־יראנו טוב?” → Ps 15:1–5 “מי …?” and the answer in ethical terms.
- Ps 4:9 “לבטח תושיבני” → Ps 15:5 “לא ימוט לעולם” (secure dwelling becomes unshakable permanence).

Conclusion
Read this way, Psalm 15 logically follows Psalm 4 as the morning, gate-facing answer to the evening, heart-searching petition: after the psalmist seeks the shining of YHWH’s face, commits to “sacrifices of righteousness,” and rests in divine security (Psalm 4), he then approaches YHWH’s dwelling and hears the ethical terms for abiding in that presence (Psalm 15). The lexical links (צדק; בלבב־; root כבד), the shared speech/truth theme, the stability/dwelling motifs, and the liturgical/everyday sequence (night preparation → morning entrance) all support the pairing.

Evaluation

No evaluation has been recorded for this pair yet.

Prompt

Consider Psalm 4 and Psalm 15 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 15 logically follows on from Psalm 4? 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 4:
Psalm 4
1. לַמְנַצֵּ֥חַ
        בִּנְגִינ֗וֹת
        מִזְמ֥וֹר
        לְדָוִֽד׃
2. בְּקָרְאִ֡י
        עֲנֵ֤נִי ׀
        אֱלֹ֘הֵ֤י
        צִדְקִ֗י
        בַּ֭צָּר
        הִרְחַ֣בְתָּ
        לִּ֑י
        חָ֝נֵּ֗נִי
        וּשְׁמַ֥ע
        תְּפִלָּתִֽי׃
3. בְּנֵ֥י
        אִ֡ישׁ
        עַד־
        מֶ֬ה
        כְבוֹדִ֣י
        לִ֭כְלִמָּה
        תֶּאֱהָב֣וּן
        רִ֑יק
        תְּבַקְשׁ֖וּ
        כָזָ֣ב
        סֶֽלָה׃
4. וּדְע֗וּ
        כִּֽי־
        הִפְלָ֣ה
        יְ֭הוָה
        חָסִ֣יד
        ל֑וֹ
        יְהוָ֥ה
        יִ֝שְׁמַ֗ע
        בְּקָרְאִ֥י
        אֵלָֽיו׃
5. רִגְז֗וּ
        וְֽאַל־
        תֶּ֫חֱטָ֥אוּ
        אִמְר֣וּ
        בִ֭לְבַבְכֶם
        עַֽל־
        מִשְׁכַּבְכֶ֗ם
        וְדֹ֣מּוּ
        סֶֽלָה׃
6. זִבְח֥וּ
        זִבְחֵי־
        צֶ֑דֶק
        וּ֝בִטְח֗וּ
        אֶל־
        יְהוָֽה׃
7. רַבִּ֥ים
        אֹמְרִים֮
        מִֽי־
        יַרְאֵ֢נ֫וּ
        ט֥וֹב
        נְֽסָה־
        עָ֭לֵינוּ
        א֨וֹר
        פָּנֶ֬יךָ
        יְהוָֽה׃
8. נָתַ֣תָּה
        שִׂמְחָ֣ה
        בְלִבִּ֑י
        מֵעֵ֬ת
        דְּגָנָ֖ם
        וְתִֽירוֹשָׁ֣ם
        רָֽבּוּ׃
9. בְּשָׁל֣וֹם
        יַחְדָּו֮
        אֶשְׁכְּבָ֢ה
        וְאִ֫ישָׁ֥ן
        כִּֽי־
        אַתָּ֣ה
        יְהוָ֣ה
        לְבָדָ֑ד
        לָ֝בֶ֗טַח
        תּוֹשִׁיבֵֽנִי׃

Psalm 15:
Psalm 15
1. מִזְמ֗וֹר
        לְדָ֫וִ֥ד
        י֭הֹוָה
        מִי־
        יָג֣וּר
        בְּאָהֳלֶ֑ךָ
        מִֽי־
        יִ֝שְׁכֹּ֗ן
        בְּהַ֣ר
        קָדְשֶֽׁךָ׃
2. הוֹלֵ֣ךְ
        תָּ֭מִים
        וּפֹעֵ֥ל
        צֶ֑דֶק
        וְדֹבֵ֥ר
        אֱ֝מֶ֗ת
        בִּלְבָֽבוֹ׃
3. לֹֽא־
        רָגַ֨ל ׀
        עַל־
        לְשֹׁנ֗וֹ
        לֹא־
        עָשָׂ֣ה
        לְרֵעֵ֣הוּ
        רָעָ֑ה
        וְ֝חֶרְפָּ֗ה
        לֹא־
        נָשָׂ֥א
        עַל־
        קְרֹֽבוֹ׃
4. נִבְזֶ֤ה ׀
        בְּֽעֵ֘ינָ֤יו
        נִמְאָ֗ס
        וְאֶת־
        יִרְאֵ֣י
        יְהוָ֣ה
        יְכַבֵּ֑ד
        נִשְׁבַּ֥ע
        לְ֝הָרַ֗ע
        וְלֹ֣א
        יָמִֽר׃
5. כַּסְפּ֤וֹ ׀
        לֹא־
        נָתַ֣ן
        בְּנֶשֶׁךְ֮
        וְשֹׁ֥חַד
        עַל־
        נָקִ֗י
        לֹ֥א
        לָ֫קָ֥ח
        עֹֽשֵׂה־
        אֵ֑לֶּה
        לֹ֖א
        יִמּ֣וֹט
        לְעוֹלָֽם׃