Psalm 5 → 36
Reasoning: 7168 Output: 4899 Total: 12067
Argument
Short claim: Psalm 36 reads like a developed answer to the prayer of Psalm 5. It resumes the same cast of characters (the evildoers vs. those who take refuge), repeats and intensifies distinctive vocabulary, and moves from the morning plea and temple-approach of Psalm 5 to the sanctuary enjoyment and answered-imprecation of Psalm 36. 1) Superscriptional and formal continuity - Exact match: לַמְנַצֵּחַ … לְדָוִד in both. That alone flags them as liturgically compatible and “of David.” - Both are mixed forms: petition + description of the wicked + assurance about the righteous. Psalm 36 expands Psalm 5’s brief contrasts into a fuller wisdom-portrait and a hymn of God’s attributes. 2) Hard lexical hooks (identical or near-identical forms; rarer items weighted higher) - פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן - Ps 5:6: שָׂנֵאתָ כָּל־פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן - Ps 36:13: שָׁם נָפְלוּ פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן - Exact phrase, including the rare collocation “workers of iniquity,” and in Ps 36 it narrates the very fall prayed for in Ps 5. - לְנֶגֶד עֵינ– - Ps 5:6: לֹא־יִתְיַצְּבוּ הוֹלְלִים לְנֶגֶד עֵינֶיךָ - Ps 36:2: אֵין־פַּחַד אֱלֹהִים לְנֶגֶד עֵינָיו - Same construction “before the eyes,” pivoting subject (God’s eyes vs. the wicked’s eyes), stitching the scenes together. - Root יצב “to stand/take one’s stand” - Ps 5:6: לֹא־יִתְיַצְּבוּ הוֹלְלִים (“the boastful will not stand”) - Ps 36:5: יִתְיַצֵּב עַל־דֶּרֶךְ לֹא־טוֹב (“he sets himself on a not-good path”) - Psalm 36 pointedly inverts Psalm 5: what cannot stand before God’s eyes becomes the stance the wicked defiantly adopt. - מרמה “deceit” - Ps 5:7: אִישׁ־דָּמִים וּמִרְמָה יְתָעֵב יְהוָה - Ps 36:4: דִּבְרֵי־פִיו אָוֶן וּמִרְמָה - Same noun, same moral target, now internalized as the wicked’s speech. - חלק “to be smooth/flatter” - Ps 5:10: לְשׁוֹנָם יַחֲלִיקוּן - Ps 36:3: כִּי־הֶחֱלִיק אֵלָיו בְּעֵינָיו - Same rare root connecting flattering speech with self-flattering vision. - צדק/צדקה with 2ms suffix - Ps 5:9: נְחֵנִי בְצִדְקָתֶךָ … הַיְשַׁר לְפָנַי דַּרְכֶּךָ - Ps 36:7,11: צִדְקָתְךָ … וְצִדְקָתְךָ לְיִשְׁרֵי־לֵב - Same covenant-attribute with your-suffix; Psalm 36’s לְיִשְׁרֵי־לֵב explicitly answers Psalm 5’s הַיְשַׁר (“make straight”), linking ישר/ישר־לב. - דרך “way/path” - Ps 5:9: הַיְשַׁר … דַּרְכֶּךָ - Ps 36:5: עַל־דֶּרֶךְ לֹא־טוֹב - The “make straight your way” vs. the wicked standing on a “not-good way.” - ביתך “your house” - Ps 5:8: אָבֹא בֵיתֶךָ … אֶל־הֵיכַל־קָדְשֶׁךָ - Ps 36:9: יִרְוִיּוּן מִדֶּשֶׁן בֵּיתֶךָ - Psalm 36 describes the enjoyment inside the house that Psalm 5 anticipated entering. - חסה “to take refuge” - Ps 5:12: וְיִשְׂמְחוּ כָל־חוֹסֵי בָךְ - Ps 36:8: בְּצֵל כְּנָפֶיךָ יֶחֱסָיוּן - Same refuge-verb; Psalm 36 adds the temple-cherub/wings imagery to the protection prayed for in Psalm 5. - נפל “to fall” - Ps 5:11: יִפְּלוּ מִמֹּעֲצוֹתֵיהֶם - Ps 36:13: שָׁם נָפְלוּ … דֹּחוּ וְלֹא־יָכְלוּ קוּם - Psalm 36 narrates the fall requested in Psalm 5’s imprecation. 3) Conceptual and structural progression - From plea to portrait to praise to outcome: - Psalm 5: Morning plea (בֹּקֶר … אֶעֱרָךְ־לְךָ וַאֲצַפֶּה) → entrance to the temple by God’s חסד (5:8) → request for guidance on God’s way (5:9) → diagnosis of the wicked’s deceitful mouth and inner ruin (5:10) → imprecation that they fall (5:11) → blessing/protection for refuge-takers (5:12–13). - Psalm 36: Fuller inner portrait of the wicked (36:2–5) using the same mouth/eyes/standing/way motifs → hymn to God’s חסד/אֱמוּנָה/צדקה/מִשְׁפָּט (36:6–10) → sanctuary abundance “from the fatness of your house” and edenic stream (36:9–10), exactly what Psalm 5 hoped for → prayer for covenantal favor to the upright (36:11; echo of 5:9–13) → realized fall of the evildoers (36:13; echo of 5:11). - Eyes and presence: - Psalm 5 bars the wicked “before your eyes” (לְנֶגֶד עֵינֶיךָ); Psalm 36 explains why the wicked act so: “no fear of God before his eyes” (לְנֶגֶד עֵינָיו). The two lines are mutual commentary. - Mouth imagery: - Psalm 5: “open grave” throat, smoothing tongue. - Psalm 36: “words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit,” “he flatters himself in his eyes.” Same anatomy of sin carried forward. 4) Temple and mythic-sanctuary coherence - Psalm 5: “I will enter your house … bow toward your holy temple” is morning approach. - Psalm 36: the worshiper is now inside, feasting: “they drink their fill from the fatness of your house; you give them to drink from the river of your delights.” The “shadow of your wings” is classic temple/cherubim covering imagery over the ark, answering Psalm 5’s “you cover them” (וְתָסֵךְ עָלֵימוֹ). - Light motif as morning fulfilled: - Psalm 5’s morning watch (בֹּקֶר … וַאֲצַפֶּה) is matched by Psalm 36:10 “in your light we see light,” the experiential counterpart of the awaited dawn. 5) Moral antithesis tightened across the pair - Psalm 5: “You are not a God who delights in wickedness … you hate all workers of iniquity … you abhor bloodshed and deceit.” - Psalm 36: the wicked “does not abhor evil” (רַע לֹא יִמְאָס), a deliberate inversion of God’s abhorrence in Psalm 5, sharpening the ethical contrast. 6) Outcome alignment - Psalm 5 asks: “Declare them guilty … let them fall … thrust them out” while blessing the righteous with protection as a shield. - Psalm 36 shows: “There they fell … thrust down … unable to rise,” while the righteous are saturated with divine abundance and ongoing חסד/צדקה. Why this looks like a logical sequel - The same rare or pointed lexemes bind them (פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן; חלק; מרמה; לְנֶגֶד עֵינ–; יצב; דרך + ישר; חסה; ביתך; צדקתך). - The narrative/liturgical arc runs naturally: morning plea and temple approach (Ps 5) → sanctuary experience and theological enlargement of God’s loyal love and justice (Ps 36) → the prayed-for downfall of the wicked narrated as fait accompli. - Theologically, Psalm 36 universalizes Psalm 5’s petition: from my morning need and my enemies to a cosmic hymn (חסד/אֱמוּנָה/צדקה/משפט) that grounds why the righteous are safe and the wicked inevitably fall. In short: Psalm 36 reprises Psalm 5’s vocabulary and images, answers its petitions, and completes its movement from seeking access and protection to dwelling, feasting, and seeing the downfall of “the workers of iniquity.”
Evaluation
Score: 6.5
Evaluated at: 2025-11-14T03:49:38 (UTC)
Evaluator model: gpt-5
Evaluator version: v2
Reasoning: 3776 Output: 5742 Total: 9518
Checklist
- Has verse refs: Yes
- Factual error detected: No
- Only generic motifs: No
- Counterargument considered: No
- LXX/MT numbering acknowledged: No
Vocabulary specificity: 4.5 / 10
Many precise overlaps (פֹּעֲלֵי־אָוֶן; לְנֶגֶד עֵינ–; יצב; מרמה; חסה; ביתך; דחה/נפל) and a coherent progression. Yet most lexemes are common; superscriptional match is generic; no cross-psalm editorial marker.
Prompt
Consider Psalm 5 and Psalm 36 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 36 logically follows on from Psalm 5? 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 5:
Psalm 5
1. לַמְנַצֵּ֥חַ
אֶֽל־
הַנְּחִיל֗וֹת
מִזְמ֥וֹר
לְדָוִֽד׃
2. אֲמָרַ֖י
הַאֲזִ֥ינָה ׀
יְהוָ֗ה
בִּ֣ינָה
הֲגִֽיגִי׃
3. הַקְשִׁ֤יבָה ׀
לְק֬וֹל
שַׁוְעִ֗י
מַלְכִּ֥י
וֵאלֹהָ֑י
כִּֽי־
אֵ֝לֶ֗יךָ
אֶתְפַּלָּֽל׃
4. יְֽהוָ֗ה
בֹּ֭קֶר
תִּשְׁמַ֣ע
קוֹלִ֑י
בֹּ֥קֶר
אֶֽעֱרָךְ־
לְ֝ךָ֗
וַאֲצַפֶּֽה׃
5. כִּ֤י ׀
לֹ֤א
אֵֽל־
חָפֵ֘ץ
רֶ֥שַׁע ׀
אָ֑תָּה
לֹ֖א
יְגֻרְךָ֣
רָֽע׃
6. לֹֽא־
יִתְיַצְּב֣וּ
הֽ֭וֹלְלִים
לְנֶ֣גֶד
עֵינֶ֑יךָ
שָׂ֝נֵ֗אתָ
כָּל־
פֹּ֥עֲלֵי
אָֽוֶן׃
7. תְּאַבֵּד֮
דֹּבְרֵ֢י
כָ֫זָ֥ב
אִישׁ־
דָּמִ֥ים
וּמִרְמָ֗ה
יְתָ֘עֵ֥ב ׀
יְהוָֽה׃
8. וַאֲנִ֗י
בְּרֹ֣ב
חַ֭סְדְּךָ
אָב֣וֹא
בֵיתֶ֑ךָ
אֶשְׁתַּחֲוֶ֥ה
אֶל־
הֵֽיכַל־
קָ֝דְשְׁךָ֗
בְּיִרְאָתֶֽךָ׃
9. יְהוָ֤ה ׀
נְחֵ֬נִי
בְצִדְקָתֶ֗ךָ
לְמַ֥עַן
שׁוֹרְרָ֑י
הושר
הַיְשַׁ֖ר
לְפָנַ֣י
דַּרְכֶּֽךָ׃
10. כִּ֤י
אֵ֪ין
בְּפִ֡יהוּ
נְכוֹנָה֮
קִרְבָּ֢ם
הַ֫וּ֥וֹת
קֶֽבֶר־
פָּת֥וּחַ
גְּרוֹנָ֑ם
לְ֝שׁוֹנָ֗ם
יַחֲלִֽיקוּן׃
11. הַֽאֲשִׁימֵ֨ם ׀
אֱֽלֹהִ֗ים
יִפְּלוּ֮
מִֽמֹּעֲצ֢וֹתֵ֫יהֶ֥ם
בְּרֹ֣ב
פִּ֭שְׁעֵיהֶם
הַדִּיחֵ֑מוֹ
כִּי־
מָ֥רוּ
בָֽךְ׃
12. וְיִשְׂמְח֨וּ
כָל־
ח֪וֹסֵי
בָ֡ךְ
לְעוֹלָ֣ם
יְ֭רַנֵּנוּ
וְתָסֵ֣ךְ
עָלֵ֑ימוֹ
וְֽיַעְלְצ֥וּ
בְ֝ךָ֗
אֹהֲבֵ֥י
שְׁמֶֽךָ׃
13. כִּֽי־
אַתָּה֮
תְּבָרֵ֢ךְ
צַ֫דִּ֥יק
יְהוָ֑ה
כַּ֝צִּנָּ֗ה
רָצ֥וֹן
תַּעְטְרֶֽנּוּ׃
Psalm 36:
Psalm 36
1. לַמְנַצֵּ֬חַ ׀
לְעֶֽבֶד־
יְהוָ֬ה
לְדָוִֽד׃
2. נְאֻֽם־
פֶּ֣שַׁע
לָ֭רָשָׁע
בְּקֶ֣רֶב
לִבִּ֑י
אֵֽין־
פַּ֥חַד
אֱ֝לֹהִ֗ים
לְנֶ֣גֶד
עֵינָֽיו׃
3. כִּֽי־
הֶחֱלִ֣יק
אֵלָ֣יו
בְּעֵינָ֑יו
לִמְצֹ֖א
עֲוֺנ֣וֹ
לִשְׂנֹֽא׃
4. דִּבְרֵי־
פִ֭יו
אָ֣וֶן
וּמִרְמָ֑ה
חָדַ֖ל
לְהַשְׂכִּ֣יל
לְהֵיטִֽיב׃
5. אָ֤וֶן ׀
יַחְשֹׁ֗ב
עַֽל־
מִשְׁכָּ֫ב֥וֹ
יִ֭תְיַצֵּב
עַל־
דֶּ֣רֶךְ
לֹא־
ט֑וֹב
רָ֝֗ע
לֹ֣א
יִמְאָֽס׃
6. יְ֭הוָה
בְּהַשָּׁמַ֣יִם
חַסְדֶּ֑ךָ
אֱ֝מֽוּנָתְךָ֗
עַד־
שְׁחָקִֽים׃
7. צִדְקָֽתְךָ֨ ׀
כְּֽהַרְרֵי־
אֵ֗ל
מִ֭שְׁפָּטֶךָ
תְּה֣וֹם
רַבָּ֑ה
אָ֤דָֽם־
וּבְהֵמָ֖ה
תוֹשִׁ֣יעַ
יְהוָֽה׃
8. מַה־
יָּקָ֥ר
חַסְדְּךָ֗
אֱלֹ֫הִ֥ים
וּבְנֵ֥י
אָדָ֑ם
בְּצֵ֥ל
כְּ֝נָפֶ֗יךָ
יֶחֱסָיֽוּן׃
9. יִ֭רְוִיֻן
מִדֶּ֣שֶׁן
בֵּיתֶ֑ךָ
וְנַ֖חַל
עֲדָנֶ֣יךָ
תַשְׁקֵֽם׃
10. כִּֽי־
עִ֭מְּךָ
מְק֣וֹר
חַיִּ֑ים
בְּ֝אוֹרְךָ֗
נִרְאֶה־
אֽוֹר׃
11. מְשֹׁ֣ךְ
חַ֭סְדְּךָ
לְיֹדְעֶ֑יךָ
וְ֝צִדְקָֽתְךָ֗
לְיִשְׁרֵי־
לֵֽב׃
12. אַל־
תְּ֭בוֹאֵנִי
רֶ֣גֶל
גַּאֲוָ֑ה
וְיַד־
רְ֝שָׁעִ֗ים
אַל־
תְּנִדֵֽנִי׃
13. שָׁ֣ם
נָ֭פְלוּ
פֹּ֣עֲלֵי
אָ֑וֶן
דֹּ֝ח֗וּ
וְלֹא־
יָ֥כְלוּ
קֽוּם׃