Psalm 4 → 73
Reasoning: 13120 Output: 5382 Total: 18502
Argument
Here are the strongest ways to argue that Psalm 73 is a logical sequel to Psalm 4, grouped by kind of evidence and (roughly) weighted by how “signal-rich” the link is.
Direct, high‑signal catchwords that frame both psalms
- “Good” as the controlling question and answer (identical lexeme, tightly framed):
- Ps 4:7 “רבים אמרים: מי יראנו טוב” (“Many say, ‘Who will show us good?’”).
- Ps 73 opens by answering the question programmatically: 73:1 “אך טוב לישראל אלהים” (“Truly God is good to Israel”), and concludes with a personal, climactic answer: 73:28 “ואני קרבת אלהים לי־טוב” (“As for me, nearness to God is good for me”). The rhetorical “מי … טוב?” of Ps 4 meets the double “טוב” of Ps 73 (vv. 1, 28), with the rare, punchy collocation לי־טוב at the end.
- Ps 73 also picks up the interrogative “מי” (73:25 “מי־לי בשמים”), intensifying the echo of 4:7’s “מי־יראנו טוב”.
- “Heart” (identical noun לבב across both, repeated and focal):
- Ps 4:5 “אמרו בלבבכם”; 4:8 “נתתה שמחה בלבי”.
- Ps 73:1 “לברי לבב”; 73:7 “משכיות לבב”; 73:13 “זכיתי לבבי”; 73:21 “יתחמץ לבבי”; 73:26 “צור לבבי”. The same noun, not just root, repeatedly governs the inner struggle/resolution in both.
Shared rarer words or especially telling lexical correspondences
- ריק “vain/vanity” (same form, relatively rare):
- Ps 4:3 “תאהבון ריק”.
- Ps 73:13 “אך־ריק זכיתי לבבי” (the psalmist confesses he nearly judged his piety “vain”). This is more than thematic: it is the same noun, answering 4:3’s charge that men “love vanity” with 73:13’s near‑collapse into calling his purity “vanity.”
- שלום/שלוה “peace/ease” (same lexeme in 4; same lexeme + cognate in 73):
- Ps 4:9 “בשלום … אשכבה ואישן”.
- Ps 73:3 “שלום רשעים אראה”; 73:12 “ושלוי עולם”. Psalm 73 problematizes the “peace” 4 enjoys at night by observing the “peace/ease” of the wicked by day.
- כבוד “glory/honor” (same noun):
- Ps 4:3 “כבודי לכלמה” (my honor to shame).
- Ps 73:24 “ואחר כבוד תקחני” (you will receive me to glory). 73 reverses 4’s threatened loss of “כבוד” into assured “כבוד.”
Form and structure: evening-to-morning, prayer-to-wisdom progression
- Time‑of‑day sequence (strong narrative logic):
- Psalm 4 ends with night‑rest: 4:5 “על משכבכם” (on your beds), 4:9 “בשלום יחדו אשכבה ואישן … לבטח תושיבני.”
- Psalm 73 is morning/awakening: 73:14 “ותוכחתי לבקרים” (my chastisement every mornings), 73:20 “כחלום מהקיץ” (like a dream on awaking). Read consecutively, 73 naturally “picks up in the morning” where 4 left off at night.
- Cultic progression from petition/blessing to sanctuary insight:
- Ps 4:7 “נשא עלינו אור פניך יהוה” evokes the priestly blessing (Num 6:25–26), i.e., a liturgical request for the face/light of YHWH.
- Ps 73:17 “עד אבוא אל־מקדשי־אל” makes the sanctuary explicit as the turning point. The place where the priestly face‑light is normally bestowed (Ps 4) becomes the place of interpretive breakthrough (Ps 73).
- Genre movement:
- Psalm 4 is a personal prayer/exhortation (“שמע תפילתי”; imperative counsel to the audience: “רגזו … אמרו בלבבכם … זבחו … ובטחו”).
- Psalm 73 is a wisdom‑confession delivered for instruction (Asaphic, public, concluding aim: 73:28 “לספר כל מלאכותיך”). The “night of trust” matures into “daylight understanding.”
Thematic through-lines, with multiple shared roots/lexemes
- Trust and security vocabulary (same semantic field, partly same lexemes):
- Ps 4:6 “ובטחו אל־יהוה”; 4:9 “לבטח תושיבני.”
- Ps 73:28 “באדני יהוה מחסי” (my refuge). Same field (safety/refuge), closing both psalms in rest.
- Prosperity/abundance motif, contrasted:
- Ps 4:8 “נתתה שמחה בלבי מֵעֵת דגנם ותירושם רבו” (joy surpassing others’ harvest).
- Ps 73:7 “יצא מחלב עינמו”; 73:12 “השיגו־חיל” (fatness/wealth of the wicked). 73 expands the brief contrast of 4:8 into a full crisis narrative.
- Human types and speech:
- Both quote the skeptical “many”:
- Ps 4:7 “רבים אמרים: מי יראנו טוב”.
- Ps 73:11 “ויאמרו: איכה ידע אל”; 73:10–12 depicts the crowd swept along by such talk.
- Human terms interplayed:
- Ps 4:3 “בני איש”; Ps 73:5 “בעמל אנוש … עם אדם”; 73:15 “דור בניך.” Both draw contrasts between generic humanity and God’s own people.
- Separation/closeness to God:
- Ps 4:4 “הפלה יהוה חסיד לו” (YHWH sets apart his faithful).
- Ps 73:27–28 “רחיקיך יאבדו … ואני קרבת אלהים לי־טוב” (the far are destroyed; nearness is “good”). Same relationship axis (far vs near; set apart vs attached).
Stylistic and framing similarities
- Superscriptions match in form: both begin “מזמור ל־…”, with explicit musical note in 4 (“בנְגינות”) and Asaphic guild attribution in 73—coherent with a temple setting on consecutive occasions (evening string‑accompanied prayer; morning Asaphite instruction).
- First‑person singular resolution after communal tension:
- Ps 4: I, singular, lie down and sleep in confidence.
- Ps 73: I, singular, almost slipped, then I am ever with You; God holds my right hand (vv. 2, 23–28).
How the argument reads if you put them together as a 2‑scene life setting
- Evening: Psalm 4. In a context of public doubt (“מי יראנו טוב”), the psalmist seeks the priestly face‑light, counsels quiet self‑examination, and receives inner joy greater than harvest abundance. He lies down in peace and safety.
- Morning: Psalm 73. On rising, seeing the arrogant prosper (their “shalom” and fatness), he nearly loses footing and is tempted to call his purity “ריק.” Entering the sanctuary he gains perspective—God is “אך טוב” to the pure in heart; the end of the wicked becomes clear; and he concludes with the direct answer to the prior night’s question: “ואני קרבת אלהים לי־טוב,” re‑anchoring in refuge and public testimony.
Why these particular links carry weight
- The “טוב” chain is a textbook catchword linkage: 4:7’s question “מי … טוב” is answered explicitly by 73:1 and, climactically and personally, by 73:28 (with the marked phrasing לי־טוב).
- The exact repetition of לבב across both psalms, with 73 exploiting the term in nearly every stage of the argument, shows deliberate inner‑life continuity from 4’s “speak in your heart on your bed” to 73’s embittered/enlightened heart.
- The shared noun ריק (rare) and the sleep/wake sequence (bed/sleep in 4; mornings/dream/awakening in 73) give you both a lexical and a narrative seam.
- The sanctuary link (face‑light sought in 4; sanctuary entered in 73) provides the cultic mechanism by which the transition from night‑trust to day‑understanding occurs.
Taken together—catchwords (טוב, לבב, שלום, ריק, כבוד), identical forms, shared roots, parallel speech frames, the evening‑to‑morning/liturgy arc, and the prosperity/portion contrast—there is a strong case that Psalm 73 can be read as a deliberate and logical development of Psalm 4’s open question and nighttime trust, supplying its daylight answer and public witness.
Evaluation
Score: 7.5
Evaluated at: 2025-11-10T03:50:22 (UTC)
Evaluator model: gpt-5
Evaluator version: v2
Reasoning: 4224 Output: 6221 Total: 10445
Checklist
- Has verse refs: Yes
- Factual error detected: No
- Only generic motifs: No
- Counterargument considered: No
- LXX/MT numbering acknowledged: No
Vocabulary specificity: 5.5 / 10
Decisive: tight טוב chain (Ps 4:7 → 73:1,28), rare ריק pairing (4:3 ↔ 73:13), repeated לבב, and explicit night→morning/sanctuary progression; no errors. Weakness: many lexemes common; cross‑book distance reduces editorial likelihood.
Prompt
Consider Psalm 4 and Psalm 73 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 73 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 73:
Psalm 73
1. מִזְמ֗וֹר
לְאָ֫סָ֥ף
אַ֤ךְ
ט֖וֹב
לְיִשְׂרָאֵ֥ל
אֱלֹהִ֗ים
לְבָרֵ֥י
לֵבָֽב׃
2. וַאֲנִ֗י
כִּ֭מְעַט
נטוי
נָטָ֣יוּ
רַגְלָ֑י
כְּ֝אַ֗יִן
שפכה
שֻׁפְּכ֥וּ
אֲשֻׁרָֽי׃
3. כִּֽי־
קִ֭נֵּאתִי
בַּֽהוֹלְלִ֑ים
שְׁל֖וֹם
רְשָׁעִ֣ים
אֶרְאֶֽה׃
4. כִּ֤י
אֵ֖ין
חַרְצֻבּ֥וֹת
לְמוֹתָ֗ם
וּבָרִ֥יא
אוּלָֽם׃
5. בַּעֲמַ֣ל
אֱנ֣וֹשׁ
אֵינֵ֑מוֹ
וְעִם־
אָ֝דָ֗ם
לֹ֣א
יְנֻגָּֽעוּ׃
6. לָ֭כֵן
עֲנָקַ֣תְמוֹ
גַאֲוָ֑ה
יַעֲטָף־
שִׁ֝֗ית
חָמָ֥ס
לָֽמוֹ׃
7. יָ֭צָא
מֵחֵ֣לֶב
עֵינֵ֑מוֹ
עָ֝בְר֗וּ
מַשְׂכִּיּ֥וֹת
לֵבָֽב׃
8. יָמִ֤יקוּ ׀
וִידַבְּר֣וּ
בְרָ֣ע
עֹ֑שֶׁק
מִמָּר֥וֹם
יְדַבֵּֽרוּ׃
9. שַׁתּ֣וּ
בַשָּׁמַ֣יִם
פִּיהֶ֑ם
וּ֝לְשׁוֹנָ֗ם
תִּֽהֲלַ֥ךְ
בָּאָֽרֶץ׃
10. לָכֵ֤ן ׀
ישיב
יָשׁ֣וּב
עַמּ֣וֹ
הֲלֹ֑ם
וּמֵ֥י
מָ֝לֵ֗א
יִמָּ֥צוּ
לָֽמוֹ׃
11. וְֽאָמְר֗וּ
אֵיכָ֥ה
יָדַֽע־
אֵ֑ל
וְיֵ֖שׁ
דֵּעָ֣ה
בְעֶלְיֽוֹן׃
12. הִנֵּה־
אֵ֥לֶּה
רְשָׁעִ֑ים
וְשַׁלְוֵ֥י
ע֝וֹלָ֗ם
הִשְׂגּוּ־
חָֽיִל׃
13. אַךְ־
רִ֭יק
זִכִּ֣יתִי
לְבָבִ֑י
וָאֶרְחַ֖ץ
בְּנִקָּי֣וֹן
כַּפָּֽי׃
14. וָאֱהִ֣י
נָ֭גוּעַ
כָּל־
הַיּ֑וֹם
וְ֝תוֹכַחְתִּ֗י
לַבְּקָרִֽים׃
15. אִם־
אָ֭מַרְתִּי
אֲסַפְּרָ֥ה
כְמ֑וֹ
הִנֵּ֤ה
ד֭וֹר
בָּנֶ֣יךָ
בָגָֽדְתִּי׃
16. וָֽ֭אֲחַשְּׁבָה
לָדַ֣עַת
זֹ֑את
עָמָ֖ל
היא
ה֣וּא
בְעֵינָֽי׃
17. עַד־
אָ֭בוֹא
אֶל־
מִקְדְּשֵׁי־
אֵ֑ל
אָ֝בִ֗ינָה
לְאַחֲרִיתָֽם׃
18. אַ֣ךְ
בַּ֭חֲלָקוֹת
תָּשִׁ֣ית
לָ֑מוֹ
הִ֝פַּלְתָּ֗ם
לְמַשּׁוּאֽוֹת׃
19. אֵ֤יךְ
הָי֣וּ
לְשַׁמָּ֣ה
כְרָ֑גַע
סָ֥פוּ
תַ֝֗מּוּ
מִן־
בַּלָּהֽוֹת׃
20. כַּחֲל֥וֹם
מֵהָקִ֑יץ
אֲ֝דֹנָי
בָּעִ֤יר ׀
צַלְמָ֬ם
תִּבְזֶֽה׃
21. כִּ֭י
יִתְחַמֵּ֣ץ
לְבָבִ֑י
וְ֝כִלְיוֹתַ֗י
אֶשְׁתּוֹנָֽן׃
22. וַאֲנִי־
בַ֭עַר
וְלֹ֣א
אֵדָ֑ע
בְּ֝הֵמ֗וֹת
הָיִ֥יתִי
עִמָּֽךְ׃
23. וַאֲנִ֣י
תָמִ֣יד
עִמָּ֑ךְ
אָ֝חַ֗זְתָּ
בְּיַד־
יְמִינִֽי׃
24. בַּעֲצָתְךָ֥
תַנְחֵ֑נִי
וְ֝אַחַ֗ר
כָּב֥וֹד
תִּקָּחֵֽנִי׃
25. מִי־
לִ֥י
בַשָּׁמָ֑יִם
וְ֝עִמְּךָ֗
לֹא־
חָפַ֥צְתִּי
בָאָֽרֶץ׃
26. כָּלָ֥ה
שְׁאֵרִ֗י
וּלְבָ֫בִ֥י
צוּר־
לְבָבִ֥י
וְחֶלְקִ֗י
אֱלֹהִ֥ים
לְעוֹלָֽם׃
27. כִּֽי־
הִנֵּ֣ה
רְחֵקֶ֣יךָ
יֹאבֵ֑דוּ
הִ֝צְמַ֗תָּה
כָּל־
זוֹנֶ֥ה
מִמֶּֽךָּ׃
28. וַאֲנִ֤י ׀
קִֽרֲבַ֥ת
אֱלֹהִ֗ים
לִ֫י־
ט֥וֹב
שַׁתִּ֤י ׀
בַּאדֹנָ֣י
יְהֹוִ֣ה
מַחְסִ֑י
לְ֝סַפֵּ֗ר
כָּל־
מַלְאֲכוֹתֶֽיךָ׃