Psalm 5 → 138
Reasoning: 6336 Output: 4595 Total: 10931
Argument
Short answer: Psalm 5 is a morning plea for hearing, guidance, protection, and vindication in the face of deceitful enemies; Psalm 138 reads like the thanksgiving that fulfills that plea after God has answered. The two are tied by unusually strong lexical and phrase-level links (especially the identical phrase “I will bow toward your holy temple”), by shared roots and motifs (speech/“word,” “way,” “steadfast love,” “name,” kingship, enemies), and by a common liturgical storyline (petition → deliverance → thanksgiving at the sanctuary). Details, ordered from strongest/rarest to most general: A. Identical and rare phrase-level matches (highest weight) - Exact phrase match: אֶשְׁתַּחֲוֶה אֶל־הֵיכַל קָדְשֶׁךָ - Ps 5:8b: אֶשְׁתַּחֲוֶה אֶל־הֵיכַל־קָדְשְׁךָ בְּיִרְאָתֶךָ - Ps 138:2a: אֶשְׁתַּחֲוֶה אֶל־הֵיכַל קָדְשֶׁךָ - Same verb (הִשְׁתַּחֲוָה), same preposition (אֶל), same noun phrase (הֵיכַל קָדְשֶׁךָ) with identical pronominal suffix. This collocation is striking within the Psalter and links a vow/intent (Ps 5) to its performance (Ps 138). B. Same lexemes in the same semantic slots (high weight) - Heichal “temple,” Qodesh “holiness” with 2ms suffix “your”: as above, not merely the same words but the same worship act and orientation toward the sanctuary. - Chesed “steadfast love” in direct relation to approach to the sanctuary: - Ps 5:8: בְּרֹב חַסְדְּךָ אָבוֹא בֵיתֶךָ … (“By the abundance of your steadfast love I will enter your house…”) - Ps 138:2: … אוֹדֶה אֶת־שְׁמֶךָ עַל־חַסְדְּךָ … (“I will give thanks to your name for your steadfast love…”) - Same noun, same 2ms suffix, same worship context; Ps 5 anticipates entry “by” hesed, Ps 138 thanks “for” that hesed. - Derekh “way” with the worship/singing response: - Ps 5:9: הַיְשַׁר לְפָנַי דַּרְכֶּךָ (“Make your way straight before me.”) - Ps 138:5: וְיָשִׁירוּ בְּדַרְכֵי יְהוָה (“They will sing in the ways of YHWH.”) - Same root דרך; Ps 5 asks that God’s “way” be made straight before the petitioner; Ps 138 describes many singing “in the ways of YHWH” after hearing his words—petition → communal praise. - “Name” (שֵׁם) in worship: Ps 5:12 ends with “lovers of your name” (אֹהֲבֵי שְׁמֶךָ); Ps 138:2 thanks “your name” (שְׁמֶךָ). While common, both place “the Name” at the center of cultic joy/thanks around the sanctuary. C. Shared roots/near-identical forms in thematically matched lines (medium weight) - אמר “to say/word” (as nouns): - Ps 5:2: אֲמָרַי (“my words”) - Ps 138:2, 4: אִמְרָתֶךָ; אִמְרֵי־פִיךָ (“your utterance,” “the words of your mouth”) - Both psalms hinge on “words”: in Ps 5 the supplicant asks God to hear his words; in Ps 138 the kings of the earth hear God’s words. This reversal supports a narrative sequence: plea to be heard → God’s response becomes a testimony many hear. - מלך “king”: - Ps 5:3: מַלְכִּי וֵאלֹהָי (“my King and my God”) — God is addressed as King. - Ps 138:4: יוֹד֣וּךָ … כָּל־מַלְכֵי־אָרֶץ (“All the kings of the earth will thank you”) — human kings acknowledge God. Petition to the divine King → recognition by earthly kings. - לְעוֹלָם “forever” in the worship outcome: - Ps 5:12: לְעוֹלָם יְרַנֵּנוּ (“forever let them sing for joy”) - Ps 138:8: יְהוָה חַסְדְּךָ לְעוֹלָם (“YHWH, your steadfast love is forever”) - The durability of praise in Ps 5 is grounded in the durability of hesed in Ps 138. D. Thematic continuities with shared vocabulary (lower weight individually, strong cumulatively) - Hearing/answering: - Ps 5:2–4: “Hear my words… give ear… in the morning you hear my voice… I pray.” - Ps 138:3: “On the day I called, you answered me” (בְּיוֹם קָרָאתִי וַתַּעֲנֵנִי). - Direct fulfillment: request to be heard → explicit answer. - Enemies/opponents: - Ps 5:9–11 details treacherous enemies (דֹּבְרֵי כָזָב; פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן) and prays for their downfall. - Ps 138:7: “You stretch out your hand against my enemies” (עַל אַף אֹיְבַי תִּשְׁלַח יָדֶךָ) and save with your right hand. Same conflict pattern, now resolved. - God’s stance toward the proud: - Ps 5:6: “The boastful (הוֹלְלִים) shall not stand before your eyes.” - Ps 138:6: “For YHWH is exalted, yet he sees the lowly, and the proud/lofty (גָּבֹהַּ) he knows from afar.” - Shared moral landscape: God rejects the high/insolent, favors the lowly. - Joyful song: - Ps 5:12–13: the righteous rejoice, shout, are encircled with favor like a shield. - Ps 138:4–5: kings thank and “sing in the ways of YHWH.” - Petitioned joy (Ps 5) becomes expanded, public song (Ps 138). E. Form/setting and life-pattern (liturgical logic) - Daily/liturgical sequence: - Ps 5 is explicitly a morning prayer (בֹּקֶר תִּשְׁמַע קוֹלִי), likely offered toward/at the sanctuary, asking for guidance and judicial vindication. - Ps 138 is a thanksgiving hymn after deliverance: “On the day I called, you answered me… If I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve me… YHWH will complete for me” (יְהוָה יִגְמֹר בַּעֲדִי). It also includes a vow-fulfillment act at the temple (“I will bow toward your holy temple”) and public proclamation to the nations’ rulers. - This tracks the common Israelite cultic rhythm: petition (often morning) → deliverance → thanksgiving offering and public praise at/“toward” the temple (cf. the todah pattern). - Vow and fulfillment: - Ps 5:8 anticipates temple-oriented worship (“I will bow toward your holy temple”). - Ps 138:2 enacts that very act at the same location with the same words — a classic vow-fulfillment signal. F. Stylistic echoes (supporting) - Second-person direct address predominates in both; both alternate plea/praise with theological assertions (God’s character and ways) and with contrastive descriptions of enemies. - Both are “of David,” and both mix individual voice (“I”) with corporate horizons (Ps 5:12 “all who take refuge”; Ps 138:4 “all the kings of the earth”), moving from personal experience to a widening circle of praise. Putting it together as a narrative: 1) Psalm 5: Morning at/aimed toward the sanctuary; the suppliant appeals to the divine King to hear his words, straighten God’s way before him, shield the righteous, and judge deceitful foes. He vows/anticipates bowing toward God’s holy temple by God’s hesed. 2) Psalm 138: The same worshiper now bows toward the holy temple and gives thanks for God’s hesed and emet, because on the day he called, God answered. God has acted against his enemies, preserved him in trouble, and the outcome spills over: even the kings of the earth hear God’s words and sing in his ways. The psalm closes by grounding ongoing praise in God’s enduring hesed. Because of the unusually strong identical phrase (אֶשְׁתַּחֲוֶה אֶל־הֵיכַל קָדְשֶׁךָ), the tightly matched lexemes (חֶסֶד; דֶּרֶךְ; אִמְרָה/אֲמָרַי; שֵׁם; מֶלֶךְ), and the coherent cultic storyline (petition → answer → temple thanksgiving), it is quite defensible to read Psalm 138 as a logical sequel to Psalm 5.
Evaluation
Score: 7.5
Evaluated at: 2025-11-17T04:05:04 (UTC)
Evaluator model: gpt-5
Evaluator version: v2
Reasoning: 2880 Output: 5433 Total: 8313
Checklist
- Has verse refs: Yes
- Factual error detected: No
- Only generic motifs: No
- Counterargument considered: No
- LXX/MT numbering acknowledged: No
Vocabulary specificity: 8.0 / 10
Decisive identical phrase (אֶשְׁתַּחֲוֶה אֶל־הֵיכַל קָדְשְׁךָ) with correct refs, plus multiple lexeme matches and plausible petition→thanksgiving sequence. However, many motifs are common; no editorial markers. No cap.
Prompt
Consider Psalm 5 and Psalm 138 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 138 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 138:
Psalm 138
1. לְדָוִ֨ד ׀
אוֹדְךָ֥
בְכָל־
לִבִּ֑י
נֶ֖גֶד
אֱלֹהִ֣ים
אֲזַמְּרֶֽךָּ׃
2. אֶשְׁתַּחֲוֶ֨ה
אֶל־
הֵיכַ֪ל
קָדְשְׁךָ֡
וְא֘וֹדֶ֤ה
אֶת־
שְׁמֶ֗ךָ
עַל־
חַסְדְּךָ֥
וְעַל־
אֲמִתֶּ֑ךָ
כִּֽי־
הִגְדַּ֥לְתָּ
עַל־
כָּל־
שִׁ֝מְךָ֗
אִמְרָתֶֽךָ׃
3. בְּי֣וֹם
קָ֭רָֽאתִי
וַֽתַּעֲנֵ֑נִי
תַּרְהִבֵ֖נִי
בְנַפְשִׁ֣י
עֹֽז׃
4. יוֹד֣וּךָ
יְ֭הוָה
כָּל־
מַלְכֵי־
אָ֑רֶץ
כִּ֥י
שָׁ֝מְע֗וּ
אִמְרֵי־
פִֽיךָ׃
5. וְ֭יָשִׁירוּ
בְּדַרְכֵ֣י
יְהוָ֑ה
כִּֽי־
גָ֝ד֗וֹל
כְּב֣וֹד
יְהוָֽה׃
6. כִּי־
רָ֣ם
יְ֭הוָה
וְשָׁפָ֣ל
יִרְאֶ֑ה
וְ֝גָבֹ֗הַּ
מִמֶּרְחָ֥ק
יְיֵדָֽע׃
7. אִם־
אֵלֵ֤ךְ ׀
בְּקֶ֥רֶב
צָרָ֗ה
תְּחַ֫יֵּ֥נִי
עַ֤ל
אַ֣ף
אֹ֖dיְבַי
תִּשְׁלַ֣ח
יָדֶ֑ךָ
וְת֖וֹשִׁיעֵ֣נִי
יְמִינֶֽךָ׃
8. יְהוָה֮
יִגְמֹ֢ר
בַּ֫עֲדִ֥י
יְ֭הוָה
חַסְדְּךָ֣
לְעוֹלָ֑ם
מַעֲשֵׂ֖י
יָדֶ֣יךָ
אַל־
תֶּֽרֶף׃