Psalm 4 → 141
Reasoning: 8832 Output: 4323 Total: 13155
Argument
Here are ways to argue that Psalm 141 “follows on from” Psalm 4, moving from stronger/rarer links to more general thematic ones. Highest‑value lexical and formal ties (rare or identical forms) - The identical infinitive construct with 1cs suffix בקרֹאִי. Ps 4 uses it twice (4:2; 4:4), and Ps 141 repeats it in the call line (141:1: האזינה קולי בקרֹאי־לך). This exact nominal form with suffix is uncommon and distinctive; it makes 141 sound like a conscious echo of 4. - Prayer vocabulary in the same person and form. Both psalms use תְּפִלָּתִי “my prayer” (4:2; 141:2, 5). The repetition of the 1cs suffix ties the two speakers together as the same “I.” - The “lifting” root נשא in matching cultic slots: - Ps 4:7: נְסָה־עָלֵינוּ אוֹר פָּנֶיךָ יְהוָה “Lift up the light of your face upon us, YHWH.” - Ps 141:2: מַשְּׂאַת כַּפַּי “the lifting of my hands.” These are coordinated actions: God “lifts up” his face; the worshiper “lifts up” his hands. The shared root plus reciprocal movement is an elegant bridge. - “Face/presence” lexeme פנים in complementary expressions: - Ps 4:7: אוֹר פָּנֶיךָ יְהוָה. - Ps 141:2: קְטֹרֶת לְפָנֶיךָ. The prayer in 141 is offered “before your face,” matching the petition in 4 for the “light of your face.” Same lexeme, two sides of the same encounter. - Evening setting named explicitly and implicitly: - Ps 4 ends: “In peace, together I will lie down and sleep” (4:9) — a classic evening psalm ending. - Ps 141:2 explicitly situates the prayer at the מנחת־ערב “evening grain offering” with incense. מנחת־ערב in the Psalter is rare; its appearance strongly marks the same time‑of‑day frame. If 4 gives the private bedroom trust, 141 gives the public‑cultic correlate. - Sacrifice cluster across the two psalms: - Ps 4:6: “זִבְחוּ זִבְחֵי־צֶדֶק” “Offer sacrifices of righteousness.” - Ps 141:2: “תכון תפלתי קטרת… מַשְּׂאַת כפַּי מנחת־ערב” — prayer and uplifted hands as liturgical surrogates for incense and offering. Psalm 141 can be read as performing in liturgy what Psalm 4 demanded in principle (“right sacrifices”), thus a natural sequel. Shared root sets and morally matched lexemes - צד”ק across both: - Ps 4:2 “אֱלֹהֵי צִדְקִי”; 4:6 “זִבְחֵי־צֶדֶק.” - Ps 141:5 “יִהֶלְמֵנִי־צַדִּיק.” The righteous worshiper and righteous sacrifice of Ps 4 are matched by the “righteous” person whose reproof is welcomed in Ps 141. - Control of heart and speech: - Ps 4:5: “רִגְזוּ וְאַל־תֶחְטָאוּ; אִמְרוּ בִלְבַבְכֶם … וְדֹמּוּ” — internal speech and silence on the bed. - Ps 141:3–4: “שִׁיתָה … שָׁמְרָה לְפִי; נִצְּרָה … שְׂפָתָי; אַל־תַּט־לִבִּי לְדָבָר רָע” — guarding mouth and heart from evil speech. The inner/outer speech theme continues, but 141 develops it from bedside discipline (Ps 4) to a prayed‑for divine guard (Ps 141). - Food/feasting of the wicked versus contentment in God: - Ps 4:8 contrasts God‑given joy with “when their grain and new wine abound.” - Ps 141:4 asks not to “eat of their delicacies” (בְּמַנְעַמֵּיהֶם). Both set the speaker over against the table/prosperity of the wicked. The rarer noun מַנְעַמִּים intensifies the link by making the “feast” motif explicit. - Trust and refuge terminology in parallel positions: - Ps 4:6 “וּבִטְחוּ אֶל־יְהוָה”; 4:9 “לָבֶטַח תּוֹשִׁיבֵנִי.” - Ps 141:8 “בְּךָ חָסִיתִי.” Different verbs (בט”ח vs חס”ה), same trust field, both closing movements resolve in safety with God. Macro‑form and rhetorical flow - Superscriptional alignment and opening moves: - Both: “מִזְמוֹר לְדָוִד.” - Both open with direct appeal to YHWH and “hearing” verbs: Ps 4:2 “עֲנֵנִי … וּשְׁמַע תְּפִלָּתִי”; Ps 141:1 “יְהוָה קְרָאתִיךָ … הַאֲזִינָה קוֹלִי.” Psalm 141’s “hear me when I call” reprises Psalm 4’s confidence “YHWH hears when I call” (4:4), turning assurance into fresh petition — a natural narrative follow‑on. - From exhortation (Ps 4) to enactment (Ps 141): - Ps 4 admonishes others: “זִבְחוּ זִבְחֵי־צֶדֶק וּבִטְחוּ אֶל־יְהוָה.” - Ps 141 personally performs that righteousness in prayer-as-sacrifice (“תכון תפלתי קטרת… מנחת־ערב”) and seeks moral protection. It reads like the speaker now does what he previously told “many” to do. - Ending‑to‑ending coherence: - Ps 4 closes with sleep “in safety.” - Ps 141 closes with safe passage through snares: “יִפְּלוּ … רְשָׁעִים … יַחַד, אֲנִי עַד־אֶעֱבֹר.” Both resolve the threat by a calm outcome for the psalmist and downfall for the wicked. Shared scene in Israelite life and liturgy - Same evening arc, two vantage points: - Temple/liturgy side: Ps 141:2 evokes the daily evening incense and grain offering. - Household/bedroom side: Ps 4:5–9 depicts the quieting of the heart on the bed and lying down in peace. In historical‑cultic sequence, an Israelite might participate in or recall the evening offering (Ps 141) and then retire, quieting the heart (Ps 4). Read as an editorial pairing, Ps 141 can be the liturgical “answer” to Ps 4’s call to offer righteous sacrifices, or the elaboration after Ps 4’s resolve to trust — either way the two form a coherent evening unit. Additional, lighter but suggestive links - Wordplay proximity: Ps 4’s musical סֶלָה (vv. 3, 5) is followed in Ps 141 by the near‑homograph סֶלַע “rock/cliff” (141:6), a plausible editorial paronomasia cue. - “Men” as antagonists in both: Ps 4:3 “בְּנֵי אִישׁ”; Ps 141:4 “אִישִׁים פֹּעֲלֵי־אָוֶן,” with the same noun base איש and a shared portrait of opponents who love emptiness/lies (Ps 4) and practice iniquity/set traps (Ps 141). - Pleasantness/joy nexus: Ps 4:8 “נָתַתָּה שִׂמְחָה בְלִבִּי”; Ps 141:6 “וְשָׁמְעוּ אֲמָרַי כִּי נָעֵמוּ” — a smaller aesthetic echo (joy/pleasantness). Putting it together - The most compelling spine is: identical בקרֹאִי; shared תְּפִלָּתִי; the נשא “lifting” bridge (God’s lifted face in 4:7 answered by lifted hands in 141:2) framed by פנים “face/before you”; and the evening context (sleep in 4; evening incense in 141) with sacrifice language moving from command (“offer right sacrifices”) to enactment (prayer as incense/offering). Around that spine sit matching moral concerns (heart/speech control; refusal to join the wicked’s feast), the צדק/צדיק set, and the shared trust endings. - On literary or editorial grounds, then, Psalm 141 reads naturally as a developed evening‑liturgy sequel to Psalm 4: what Psalm 4 asserts and counsels, Psalm 141 performs and prays.
Evaluation
Score: 6.8
Evaluated at: 2025-11-12T04:05:25 (UTC)
Evaluator model: gpt-5
Evaluator version: v2
Reasoning: 3648 Output: 5162 Total: 8810
Checklist
- Has verse refs: Yes
- Factual error detected: No
- Only generic motifs: No
- Counterargument considered: No
- LXX/MT numbering acknowledged: No
Vocabulary specificity: 6.5 / 10
Multiple precise Hebrew overlaps (בקרֹאי; תְּפִלָּתִי; נשׂא + פנים; מנחת־ערב; feast motif) and evening correlation. But many are common, ordering is hedged (“either way”), no structural markers or counterpoints. H₀ not decisively overcome.
Prompt
Consider Psalm 4 and Psalm 141 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 141 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 141:
Psalm 141
1. מִזְמ֗וֹר
לְדָ֫וִ֥ד
יְהוָ֣ה
קְ֭רָאתִיךָ
ח֣וּשָׁה
לִּ֑י
הַאֲזִ֥ינָה
ק֝וֹלִ֗י
בְּקָרְאִי־
לָֽךְ׃
2. תִּכּ֤וֹן
תְּפִלָּתִ֣י
קְטֹ֣רֶת
לְפָנֶ֑יךָ
מַֽשְׂאַ֥ת
כַּ֝פַּ֗י
מִנְחַת־
עָֽרֶב׃
3. שִׁיתָ֣ה
יְ֭הוָה
שָׁמְרָ֣ה
לְפִ֑י
נִ֝צְּרָ֗ה
עַל־
דַּ֥ל
שְׂפָתָֽי׃
4. אַל־
תַּט־
לִבִּ֨י
לְדָבָ֪ר ׀
רָ֡ע
לְהִתְע֘וֹלֵ֤ל
עֲלִל֨וֹת ׀
בְּרֶ֗שַׁע
אֶת־
אִישִׁ֥ים
פֹּֽעֲלֵי־
אָ֑וֶן
וּבַל־
אֶ֝לְחַ֗ם
בְּמַנְעַמֵּיהֶֽם׃
5. יֶֽהֶלְמֵֽנִי־
צַדִּ֨יק ׀
חֶ֡סֶד
וְֽיוֹכִיחֵ֗נִי
שֶׁ֣מֶן
רֹ֭אשׁ
אַל־
יָנִ֣י
רֹאשִׁ֑י
כִּי־
ע֥וֹד
ו֝תְפִלָּתִ֗י
בְּרָעוֹתֵיהֶֽם׃
6. נִשְׁמְט֣וּ
בִֽידֵי־
סֶ֭לַע
שֹׁפְטֵיהֶ֑ם
וְשָׁמְע֥וּ
אֲ֝מָרַ֗י
כִּ֣י
נָעֵֽמוּ׃
7. כְּמ֤וֹ
פֹלֵ֣חַ
וּבֹקֵ֣עַ
בָּאָ֑רֶץ
נִפְזְר֥וּ
עֲ֝צָמֵ֗ינוּ
לְפִ֣י
שְׁאֽוֹל׃
8. כִּ֤י
אֵלֶ֨יךָ ׀
יְהֹוִ֣ה
אֲדֹנָ֣י
עֵינָ֑י
בְּכָ֥ה
חָ֝סִ֗יתִי
אַל־
תְּעַ֥ר
נַפְשִֽׁי׃
9. שָׁמְרֵ֗נִי
מִ֣ידֵי
פַ֭ח
יָ֣קְשׁוּ
לִ֑י
וּ֝מֹקְשׁ֗וֹת
פֹּ֣עֲלֵי
אָֽוֶן׃
10. יִפְּל֣וּ
בְמַכְמֹרָ֣יו
רְשָׁעִ֑ים
יַ֥חַד
אָ֝נֹכִ֗י
עַֽד־
אֶעֱבֽוֹר׃