Psalm 5 → 116
Reasoning: 11840 Output: 5275 Total: 17115
Argument
Short thesis: Read in sequence, Psalm 116 sounds like the realized outcome of Psalm 5. The morning plea “YHWH, you will hear my voice” (Ps 5) is answered by “I love, for YHWH has heard my voice” (Ps 116); the resolve “I will come to your house” (Ps 5) culminates in paying vows and offering a thank‑sacrifice “in the courts of YHWH’s house” (Ps 116). Most probative verbal anchors (rarer/stricter matches first) - Shared root דחה (rare in Psalms): Ps 5:11 הַדִּיחֵם “drive them away” vs Ps 116:8 מִדֶּחִי “(my feet) from a push/stumbling.” Same root, different parts of speech, both about being pushed away/falling. - כזב “lie/falsehood”: Ps 5:7 דֹּבְרֵי כָזָב “speakers of lies” vs Ps 116:11 כָּל־הָאָדָם כֹּזֵב “every man is a liar.” Same noun/adjective family, same semantic target (human falsity) across the two. - פתח “open/loose”: Ps 5:10 קֶבֶר־פָּתוּחַ “an open grave” vs Ps 116:16 פִּתַּחְתָּ לְמוֹסֵרָי “you have opened/loosened my bonds.” Same root; in Ps 5 “open” signals death; in Ps 116 “open” signals release from death. - שמע + קול + יהוה collocation with the exact form קוֹלִי: Ps 5:4 יְהוָה … תִּשְׁמַע קוֹלִי ≈ Ps 116:1 כִּי־יִשְׁמַע יְהוָה אֶת־קוֹלִי. The same items occur with near‑chiastic order and the identical form קוֹלִי. - אהב “love”: Ps 5:12 אֹהֲבֵי שְׁמֶךָ “those who love your name” vs Ps 116:1 אָהַבְתִּי “I love.” Same root; Ps 116’s first word can be heard answering Ps 5’s designation of the pious as “lovers of your Name.” - שם “Name” as cultic focus: Ps 5:12 אֹהֲבֵי שְׁמֶךָ vs Ps 116:4, 13, 17 וּבְשֵׁם יְהוָה אֶקְרָא (x3). Love for the Name (Ps 5) becomes calling on the Name (Ps 116). - צדק: Ps 5:9 נְחֵנִי בְצִדְקָתֶךָ “lead me in your righteousness” vs Ps 116:5 וְצַדִּיק “(YHWH is) righteous.” The attribute requested (guidance in righteousness) is affirmed as God’s character in the deliverance. - בית/היכל vs בית/חצרות (temple venue): Ps 5:8 אָבוֹא בֵיתֶךָ … אֶשְׁתַּחֲוֶה אֶל־הֵיכַל־קָדְשֶׁךָ vs Ps 116:14, 17–19 נְדָרַי … אֲשַׁלֵּם … בְּחַצְרוֹת בֵּית יְהוָה … יְרוּשָׁלִָם. Entrance and prostration (Ps 5) lead to vows, thank‑offering, and public payment in Jerusalem (Ps 116). - לפני/נגד “before/in the presence of”: Ps 5:6 לְנֶגֶד עֵינֶיךָ; 5:9 … לְפָנַי דַּרְכֶּךָ vs Ps 116:9 אֶתְהַלֵּךְ לִפְנֵי יְהוָה; 116:14, 18 נֶגְדָה־נָּא לְכָל־עַמּוֹ. The prepositional motif ties “your way before me” to “my walk before YHWH” and “vows before all his people.” Stylistic and formal similarities - Both are “individual” psalms with heavy first‑person singular and direct address to YHWH; both include a short hymnic confession of divine attributes (Ps 5:5–7; Ps 116:5–6), contrast with the deceitful (Ps 5:6–10; Ps 116:11), and culminate in worship. - The “ואני” pivot: Ps 5:8 וַאֲנִי בְּרֹב חַסְדְּךָ … (personal turn to temple worship); Ps 116 repeats אֲנִי (vv. 10–11, 16) to mark personal resolution/identity (“I … your servant, son of your handmaid”). - Praise outcome: Ps 5 ends with communal joy for those who take refuge (vv. 12–13); Ps 116 ends with public praise “in the midst of Jerusalem” and a Hallel acclamation (v. 19 הַלְלוּ־יָהּ). Event‑sequence plausibility (life setting) - Morning lament → later thanksgiving: Ps 5 is explicitly a “morning” plea (בֹּקֶר תִּשְׁמַע קוֹלִי) for protection against deceitful, violent people and for guidance; it already anticipates temple approach (אָבוֹא בֵיתֶךָ … אֶשְׁתַּחֲוֶה). Ps 116 reports that the plea was answered: YHWH “inclined his ear,” saved the speaker from death/Sheol (vv. 3–8), and the worshiper now fulfills vows and offers a זֶבַח תּוֹדָה in the temple courts (vv. 14, 17–19). That is exactly the lament → vow → thanksgiving‑payment arc known from Israelite practice (cf. Lev 7:11–15). - Specific line‑to‑line closures: - Ps 5:4 “בֹּקֶר תִּשְׁמַע קוֹלִי … וַאֲצַפֶּה” anticipatory → Ps 116:1–2 “כִּי־יִשְׁמַע יְהוָה אֶת־קוֹלִי … הִטָּה אָזְנוֹ לִי” realized. - Ps 5:9 “נְחֵנִי בְצִדְקָתֶךָ” → Ps 116:9 “אֶתְהַלֵּךְ לִפְנֵי יְהוָה בְּאַרְצוֹת הַחַיִּים” (the guided path becomes a preserved walk among the living). - Ps 5’s threat field (דֹּבְרֵי כָזָב … אִישׁ דָּמִים וּמִרְמָה; open grave throats) → Ps 116’s crisis and reversal (חֶבְלֵי־מָוֶת … מִמָּוֶת … פִּתַּחְתָּ לְמוֹסֵרָי). Idea‑level and imagistic links - Encirclement inverted: Ps 5:13 “כַּצִּנָּה רָצוֹן תַּעְטְרֶנּוּ” (encircled with favor) vs Ps 116:3 “אֲפָפוּנִי חֶבְלֵי־מָוֶת” (encircled by death) → Ps 116:8 “(you kept) my feet from stumbling.” The outcome matches Ps 5’s promise of protective encirclement. - Name‑piety: Ps 5 blesses “אֹהֲבֵי שְׁמֶךָ”; Ps 116 enacts that piety by repeatedly “calling on the Name” (vv. 4, 13, 17). - Death/Sheol domain: Ps 5:10 “קֶבֶר־פָּתוּחַ גְּרוֹנָם” (death imagery) anticipates Ps 116’s death/Sheol deliverance (vv. 3, 8, 15). Liturgical/historical frame - Ps 5 fits a daily morning office; Ps 116 is a classic todah (thanksgiving) and part of the Hallel (Pss 113–118), used at pilgrimage festivals, especially Passover—when Israel celebrates rescue from death. Read together, one can imagine the worshiper starting with an urgent morning plea (Ps 5) and, once delivered, returning to Jerusalem to fulfill vows and offer public thanks (Ps 116). Net effect if read consecutively - Petition (“hear my voice,” “lead me,” “I will come to your house”) → Testimony and payment (“he heard my voice,” “he saved me from death,” “I will pay my vows in the house of YHWH”). - The lexical hooks (שׁמע/קוֹלִי; אהב/שֵׁם; צ־ד־ק; כָּזָב; ד־ח־ה; פ־ת־ח; בית/הֵיכַל/חצרות; לִפְנֵי/נֶגֶד) and the shared form (individual prayer answered by individual thanksgiving) make a strong case that Psalm 116 can be read as the narrative and liturgical sequel to Psalm 5.
Evaluation
Score: 7.0
Evaluated at: 2025-11-16T04:20:51 (UTC)
Evaluator model: gpt-5
Evaluator version: v2
Reasoning: 3136 Output: 6107 Total: 9243
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
Multiple text‑anchored links (תשמע/ישמע … קולי; vows/house realized; כזב; דחה; פתח; לפני/נגד) and coherent lament→todah arc. Yet many lexemes are common across Psalms and the psalms are far apart canonically.
Prompt
Consider Psalm 5 and Psalm 116 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 116 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 116:
Psalm 116
1. אָ֭הַבְתִּי
כִּֽי־
יִשְׁמַ֥ע ׀
יְהוָ֑ה
אֶת־
ק֝וֹלִ֗י
תַּחֲנוּנָֽי׃
2. כִּֽי־
הִטָּ֣ה
אָזְנ֣וֹ
לִ֑י
וּבְיָמַ֥י
אֶקְרָֽא׃
3. אֲפָפ֤וּנִי ׀
חֶבְלֵי־
מָ֗וֶת
וּמְצָרֵ֣י
שְׁא֣וֹל
מְצָא֑וּנִי
צָרָ֖ה
וְיָג֣וֹן
אֶמְצָֽא׃
4. וּבְשֵֽׁם־
יְהוָ֥ה
אֶקְרָ֑א
אָנָּ֥ה
יְ֝הוָ֗ה
מַלְּטָ֥ה
נַפְשִֽׁי׃
5. חַנּ֣וּן
יְהֹוָ֣ה
וְצַדִּ֑יק
וֵ֖אלֹהֵ֣ינוּ
מְרַחֵֽם׃
6. שֹׁמֵ֣ר
פְּתָאיִ֣ם
יְהֹוָ֑ה
דַּ֝לּוֹתִ֗י
וְלִ֣י
יְהוֹשִֽׁיעַ׃
7. שׁוּבִ֣י
נַ֭פְשִׁי
לִמְנוּחָ֑יְכִי
כִּֽי־
יְ֝הוָ֗ה
גָּמַ֥ל
עָלָֽיְכִי׃
8. כִּ֤י
חִלַּ֥צְתָּ
נַפְשִׁ֗י
מִ֫מָּ֥וֶת
אֶת־
עֵינִ֥י
מִן־
דִּמְעָ֑ה
אֶת־
רַגְלִ֥י
מִדֶּֽחִי׃
9. אֶ֭תְהַלֵּךְ
לִפְנֵ֣י
יְהוָ֑ה
בְּ֝אַרְצ֗וֹת
הַֽחַיִּֽים׃
10. הֶ֭אֱמַנְתִּי
כִּ֣י
אֲדַבֵּ֑ר
אֲ֝נִ֗י
עָנִ֥יתִי
מְאֹֽד׃
11. אֲ֭נִי
אָמַ֣רְתִּי
בְחָפְזִ֑י
כָּֽל־
הָאָדָ֥ם
כֹּזֵֽב׃
12. מָֽה־
אָשִׁ֥יב
לַיהוָ֑ה
כָּֽל־
תַּגְמוּל֥וֹהִי
עָלָֽי׃
13. כּוֹס־
יְשׁוּע֥וֹת
אֶשָּׂ֑א
וּבְשֵׁ֖ם
יְהוָ֣ה
אֶקְרָֽא׃
14. נְ֭דָרַי
לַיהוָ֣ה
אֲשַׁלֵּ֑ם
נֶגְדָה־
נָּ֝֗א
לְכָל־
עַמּֽוֹ׃
15. יָ֭קָר
בְּעֵינֵ֣י
יְהוָ֑ה
הַ֝מָּ֗וְתָה
לַחֲסִידָֽיו׃
16. אָֽנָּ֣ה
יְהוָה֮
כִּֽי־
אֲנִ֢י
עַ֫בְדֶּ֥ךָ
אֲֽנִי־
עַ֭בְדְּךָ
בֶּן־
אֲמָתֶ֑ךָ
פִּ֝תַּ֗חְתָּ
לְמוֹסֵרָֽי׃
17. לְֽךָ־
אֶ֭זְבַּח
זֶ֣בַח
תּוֹדָ֑ה
וּבְשֵׁ֖ם
יְהוָ֣ה
אֶקְרָֽא׃
18. נְ֭דָרַי
לַיהוָ֣ה
אֲשַׁלֵּ֑ם
נֶגְדָה־
נָּ֝֗א
לְכָל־
עַמּֽוֹ׃
19. בְּחַצְר֤וֹת ׀
בֵּ֤ית
יְהוָ֗ה
בְּֽת֘וֹכֵ֤כִי
יְֽרוּשָׁלִָ֗ם
הַֽלְלוּ־
יָֽהּ׃