Psalm 5 → 123

Reasoning: 7552 Output: 4094 Total: 11646

Argument

Thesis: Psalm 123 can be heard as a corporate continuation and intensification of the individual morning prayer of Psalm 5. The two psalms share key lexemes, images, and moves of form that plausibly form a sequence: an individual begins the day pleading and “watching” for God (Ps 5); a gathered community then “lifts its eyes” and waits as servants for favor amid contempt (Ps 123).

Stronger lexical and formal ties (rarer/identical items first)
- Identical directional phrase “to you” (אֵלֶיךָ):
  - Ps 5:3 “כִּי־אֵלֶיךָ אֶתְפַּלָּל”
  - Ps 123:1 “אֵלֶיךָ נָשָׂאתִי אֶת־עֵינַי”
  Weight: identical form; anchors both prayers as direct address to God, and makes Ps 123 sound like a picked-up thread from Ps 5.

- Eye/gaze motif on both sides of the relation:
  - God’s eyes in Ps 5:6: “לֹא־יִתְיַצְּבוּ הוֹלְלִים לְנֶגֶד עֵינֶיךָ”
  - Human eyes in Ps 123:1–2 (fourfold): “נָשָׂאתִי אֶת־עֵינַי … כְעֵינֵי עֲבָדִים … כְעֵינֵי שִׁפְחָה … כֵּן עֵינֵינוּ אֶל־יְהוָה”
  Weight: shared root ע-י-נ across multiple inflections; Ps 5 defines who may stand “before your eyes”; Ps 123 enacts the proper posture of those eyes directed to God.

- “Watching/waiting” carried forward:
  - Ps 5:4: “בֹּקֶר … אֶעֱרָךְ־לְךָ וַאֲצַפֶּה” (“I arrange/prepare for you and watch/keep lookout” – rare verb צפה in Psalms)
  - Ps 123:2: “עַד שֶׁיְּחָנֵּנוּ” (temporal waiting “until he shows grace”), expressed by sustained gaze
  Weight: not an identical lexeme, but a pointed conceptual echo: the “watch” of Ps 5 becomes the steadfast “look” of Ps 123.

- Sovereign–vassal/servant frame tightened:
  - Ps 5:3: “מַלְכִּי וֵאלֹהָי” (my King and my God) implies the speaker is a subject.
  - Ps 123:2: “כְעֵינֵי עֲבָדִים … כְעֵינֵי שִׁפְחָה” makes the subjecthood explicit (servant/handmaid).
  Weight: strong thematic continuity; Ps 123 explicates the posture implied by Ps 5.

- Favor/mercy field developed:
  - Ps 5:13: “כַּצִּנָּה רָצוֹן תַּעְטְרֶנּוּ” (you surround the righteous with favor)
  - Ps 123:2–3: triple appeal to grace: “עַד שֶׁיְּחָנֵּנוּ … חָנֵּנוּ יְהוָה חָנֵּנוּ”
  Weight: different nouns (רָצוֹן vs. חֵן/חָנַן) but same semantic field (“favor/grace”). Ps 123 asks for what Ps 5 promises God gives to the righteous.

- Arrogant adversaries: rare terms in the same semantic field:
  - Ps 5:6: “הוֹלְלִים” (boasters/arrogant; relatively rare in this pejorative sense); 5:7 “אִישׁ־דָּמִים וּמִרְמָה”
  - Ps 123:4: “הַשַּׁאֲנַנִּים … לִגְאֵיוֹנִים” (the complacent; the proud—גְּאֵיוֹן is rare)
  Weight: not identical lexemes, but a marked overlap in the rare vocabulary of hubris. Ps 5 predicts such people cannot stand before God’s eyes; Ps 123 narrates their ongoing scorn and asks for relief.

- Repeated “because/for” (כִּי) clauses structuring lament logic:
  - Ps 5: multiple כִּי grounds (e.g., 5:5, 5:10, 5:11, 5:13)
  - Ps 123:3: “כִּי־רַב שָׂבַעְנוּ בּוּז”
  Weight: shared argumentative style: imperative petitions followed by כִּי-reasons.

- Temple/throne spatial continuum:
  - Ps 5:8: “אָבוֹא בֵיתֶךָ … אֶשְׁתַּחֲוֶה אֶל־הֵיכַל קָדְשֶׁךָ”
  - Ps 123:1: “הַיֹּשְׁבִי בַּשָּׁמָיִם” (the enthroned One in heaven)
  Weight: in Israelite theology the earthly temple mirrors the heavenly throne-room; a move from earthly approach (Ps 5) to heavenly enthronement address (Ps 123) is natural, and “Shir ha-ma‘alot” (song of ascents) itself encodes ascent toward God’s dwelling.

Macro-form and life-setting sequence
- Daily-worship logic:
  - Ps 5 is explicitly a “morning” prayer (“בֹּקֶר תִּשְׁמַע קוֹלִי … וַאֲצַפֶּה”), including cultic overtones in “אֶעֱרָךְ” (arrange—used for laying out the morning offering).
  - Ps 123 depicts the posture of continued dependence during the day: steady eyes fixed “until he shows grace,” as contempt continues. This is a natural second movement after the morning’s petition.

- Pilgrimage/Temple ascent logic:
  - Ps 5 vows temple approach: “אָבוֹא בֵיתֶךָ … אֶשְׁתַּחֲוֶה.”
  - Ps 123 is a Song of Ascents—used by pilgrims ascending to Zion or sung on the temple steps. It reads like the communal enactment of the approach anticipated in Ps 5.

- Individual to communal:
  - Ps 5 is dominantly first person singular, shifting only near the end to the community of “all who take refuge” (5:12).
  - Ps 123 is consistently communal (“עֵינֵינוּ … אֱלֹהֵינוּ … חָנֵּנוּ”)—a plausible next step as the lone suppliant joins the worshiping congregation.

Conceptual narrative continuity
- From “who may stand before your eyes?” (Ps 5:6) to “our eyes look to your hand” (Ps 123:2). God’s holy gaze excludes the arrogant; the faithful respond by fixing their gaze as servants, awaiting a signal of favor.
- From imprecation/judgment (Ps 5:7, 11) to endurance under scorn (Ps 123:3–4). Until God’s verdict is executed, the righteous community endures derision and asks for grace.
- From promise of favor (Ps 5:12–13) to request for grace (Ps 123:2–3). The theology of Ps 5 (“you surround with favor”) is pleaded as prayer in Ps 123 (“be gracious to us”).

Additional smaller links
- The “muchness” motif: Ps 5 has “בְּרֹב חַסְדֶּךָ … בְּרֹב פִּשְׁעֵיהֶם”; Ps 123 has “רַב שָׂבַעְנוּ … רַבַּת שָׂבְעָה.” Both frame the situation in terms of abundance—abundant mercy vs. abundant transgression/contempt.
- Parallel imperative clusters: Ps 5 opens with stacked hear/attend imperatives (“הַאֲזִינָה … הַקְשִׁיבָה”); Ps 123 centers on a stacked grace imperative (“חָנֵּנוּ … חָנֵּנוּ”). Stylistically similar plea-intensification.

Summary
- Tightest textual hooks: identical “אֵלֶיךָ”; the eye/gaze axis (עֵינֶיךָ vs. עֵינַי/עֵינֵינוּ); the watch/wait movement (וַאֲצַפֶּה → עַד שֶׁיְּחָנֵּנוּ); and the sovereign–servant posture (מַלְכִּי → עֲבָדִים/שִׁפְחָה).
- Macro-logic: morning individual prayer and temple approach (Ps 5) flows naturally into communal ascent and patient, servant-like looking for favor amid scorn (Ps 123). In short, Ps 123 sounds like the communal continuation and practical outworking of Ps 5’s morning faith and vow.

Evaluation

Score: 6.0

Evaluated at: 2025-11-17T03:47:43 (UTC)

Evaluator model: gpt-5

Evaluator version: v2

Reasoning: 3072 Output: 4916 Total: 7988

Vocabulary specificity: 3.0 / 10

Multiple accurate verse-level links (אֵלֶיךָ; eyes; וַאֲצַפֶּה), plausible sequence (morning → communal ascent). But overlaps largely generic within Psalms; few rare lexemes align; no editorial marker; no counterargument.

Prompt

Consider Psalm 5 and Psalm 123 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 123 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 123:
Psalm 123
1. שִׁ֗יר
        הַֽמַּ֫עֲל֥וֹת
        אֵ֭לֶיךָ
        נָשָׂ֣אתִי
        אֶת־
        עֵינַ֑י
        הַ֝יֹּשְׁבִ֗י
        בַּשָּׁמָֽיִם׃
2. הִנֵּ֨ה
        כְעֵינֵ֪י
        עֲבָדִ֡ים
        אֶל־
        יַ֤ד
        אֲ‍ֽדוֹנֵיהֶ֗ם
        כְּעֵינֵ֣י
        שִׁפְחָה֮
        אֶל־
        יַ֢ד
        גְּבִ֫רְתָּ֥הּ
        כֵּ֣ן
        עֵ֭ינֵינוּ
        אֶל־
        יְהוָ֣ה
        אֱלֹהֵ֑ינוּ
        עַ֝֗ד
        שֶׁיְּחָנֵּֽנוּ׃
3. חָנֵּ֣נוּ
        יְהוָ֣ה
        חָנֵּ֑נוּ
        כִּֽי־
        רַ֝֗ב
        שָׂבַ֥עְנוּ
        בֽוּז׃
4. רַבַּת֮
        שָֽׂבְעָה־
        לָּ֢הּ
        נַ֫פְשֵׁ֥נוּ
        הַלַּ֥עַג
        הַשַּׁאֲנַנִּ֑ים
        הַ֝בּ֗וּז
        לִגְאֵ֥יוֹנִֽים׃