Psalm 6 → 15

Reasoning: 9024 Output: 3735 Total: 12759

Argument

Here are complementary ways to argue that Psalm 15 “follows” Psalm 6, thematically and linguistically.

1) A plausible life/cultic sequence
- Psalm 6 is an individual lament under divine wrath/illness, with a vow-like appeal: “For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who will give thanks to you?” (6:6). He pleads for healing, anticipates being heard, and separates from evildoers (6:9–11).
- The natural next step in ancient Israel would be: after recovery/deliverance, go up to the sanctuary to give thanks. Psalm 15 is widely read as an entrance liturgy (a gate-question and answer) that defines who may enter YHWH’s dwelling (tent/mount). So Psalm 15 can function as the liturgical follow-up to the restoration sought in Psalm 6: the healed worshiper now asks/answers the gate question and is assured of stability in God’s presence.

2) Form: two “question-psalms” whose questions interlock
- Psalm 6 asks a “who?” question: “In Sheol who (mi) will give thanks to you?” (מִי־יוֹדֶה־לָּךְ, 6:6).
- Psalm 15 opens with two “who?” questions: “YHWH, who (mi) may sojourn in your tent? Who (mi) may dwell on your holy hill?” (15:1).
- Read together, 15 answers 6: the one who will “give thanks” (6:6) is precisely the one who is admitted to God’s tent/hill (15:1–5).

3) Lexical hooks with identical roots or identical forms (strongest signals)
- פ־ע־ל participle, with antithetical objects:
  • Psalm 6:9: סוּרוּ מִמֶּנִּי כָּל פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן “Depart from me, all workers of iniquity.”
  • Psalm 15:2: וּפֹעֵל צֶדֶק “and works righteousness.”
  Same root, same part of speech (participle), parallel syntactic slot; the “workers of iniquity” expelled in 6 are balanced by the “worker of righteousness” who is admitted in 15.
- לָקַח “take/receive”:
  • Psalm 6:10: יְהוָה תְּפִלָּתִי יִקָּח “YHWH will take/accept my prayer.”
  • Psalm 15:5: …וְשֹׁחַד עַל־נָקִי לֹא לָקָח “…and a bribe against the innocent he does not take.”
  Same root, same verb, same 3ms form (imperfect vs. perfect), used in a compact “accept vs. refuse” contrast—YHWH “takes” the righteous person’s prayer (Ps 6), while the righteous person does not “take” a bribe (Ps 15).
- עַיִן “eye”:
  • Psalm 6:8: עָשְׁשָׁה מִכַּעַס עֵינִי “My eye wastes away from grief.”
  • Psalm 15:4: נִבְזֶה בְּעֵינָיו נִמְאָס “Despicable in his eyes is a reprobate…”
  Same noun; Psalm 6’s afflicted “eye” is countered by Psalm 15’s morally discerning “eyes.”
- Interrogative מִי “who” appears as a marker in both (6:6; 15:1), setting corresponding problem/answer frames.

4) Strong conceptual oppositions that read as problem/solution
- Instability vs. stability:
  • Psalm 6: the speaker and his enemies are “terrified/dismayed” (נבהל/יבהלו, 6:3–4, 11) and the time-horizon is brief (“in a moment,” רָגַע, 6:11).
  • Psalm 15: the admitted worshiper “shall not be moved forever” (לֹא יִמּוֹט לְעוֹלָם, 15:5).
  The end-state of 15 is the antidote to the panic and transience in 6.
- Death/Sheol vs. Zion/Tent:
  • Psalm 6: “In death (בַמָּוֶת)… in Sheol (בִשְׁאוֹל) who will praise you?” (6:6).
  • Psalm 15: “your tent… your holy hill” (בְּאָהֳלֶךָ… בְּהַר קָדְשֶׁךָ, 15:1).
  Spatial and theological reversal: from the brink of the grave to the presence of God.
- Bed of tears vs. tent of God:
  • Psalm 6: “I drench my bed… my couch” (מִטָּתִי… עַרְשִׂי, 6:7).
  • Psalm 15: “your tent” (אָהֳלֶךָ, 15:1).
  Private, tear-soaked bed yields to public, sacred dwelling—precisely what one would expect after healing and fulfilled vow.

5) Separation from evildoers in 6 is elaborated ethically in 15
- Psalm 6:9: “Depart from me, all workers of iniquity” defines a boundary.
- Psalm 15 details that boundary: rejecting the “reprobate” (נִבְזֶה… נִמְאָס), honoring YHWH-fearers, refusing slander, harm, reproach, interest, bribe (15:2–5). Psalm 15 can be read as specifying exactly who belongs on the “inside” with the speaker of Psalm 6 after he dismisses the “workers of iniquity.”

6) Speech theme progresses from cry to calibrated speech
- Psalm 6 emphasizes the psalmist’s voice and prayer (קוֹל בִּכְיִי; תְּחִנָּתִי; תְּפִלָּתִי יִקָּח, 6:9–10).
- Psalm 15 turns to the ethical governance of speech: “speaks truth in his heart” (דֹבֵר אֱמֶת), “does not slander” (לֹא רָגַל עַל־לְשׁוֹנוֹ), “does not take up reproach” (לֹא נָשָׂא חֶרְפָּה), and “keeps his oath” (נִשְׁבַּע… וְלֹא יָמִיר). The one whose prayer was accepted in 6 now uses speech rightly, qualifying for entry in 15.

7) Covenant vocabulary pair split across the two psalms
- Psalm 6 appeals to divine חֶסֶד “steadfast love” (לְמַעַן חַסְדֶּךָ, 6:5).
- Psalm 15 spotlights אֱמֶת “truth” (דֹבֵר אֱמֶת, 15:2). “חסד ואמת” is a classic covenant pair in Hebrew poetry; their distribution across the two psalms underscores continuity in covenantal logic: God’s hesed answered by human emet.

8) Stylistic/structural affinities
- Both start with direct address to YHWH immediately after the superscription (6:2; 15:1).
- Both are concise, tightly structured, moving from invocation to resolution. Psalm 6 ends with a confidence formula; Psalm 15 ends with an assurance formula (“shall not be moved forever”).

9) A coherent “plot” if read in sequence
- Psalm 6: Under discipline, near death; prays; vows; is heard; distances from evildoers.
- Psalm 15: Comes to the sanctuary; passes the gate catechism by affirming a life aligned with righteousness (the opposite of 6’s “workers of iniquity”); is promised unshakeable standing in God’s presence.

Summary
- The most probative hooks are (a) identical-root, identical-form echoes—especially פֹעֲלֵי אָוֶן (6:9) versus וּפֹעֵל צֶדֶק (15:2), and לָקַח (6:10; 15:5)—and (b) the paired “mi?” questions and antithetical problem/solution in space (Sheol vs. God’s hill) and time (moment vs. forever).
- On a cultic/life-pattern reading, Psalm 15 is exactly the kind of text that would follow Psalm 6: the lamented crisis gives way to accepted prayer, pilgrimage, entrance examination, and durable communion with YHWH.

Evaluation

Score: 6.0

Evaluated at: 2025-11-18T04:07:58 (UTC)

Evaluator model: gpt-5

Evaluator version: v2

Reasoning: 3776 Output: 4569 Total: 8345

Vocabulary specificity: 3.5 / 10

Best hooks: participial פעל contrast (6:9 vs 15:2) and לקח accept/refuse (6:10 vs 15:5), plus “mi?” linkage and instability→stability. Yet motifs are common, no editorial markers, noncontiguous ordering; counterpoints unaddressed.

Prompt

Consider Psalm 6 and Psalm 15 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 15 logically follows on from Psalm 6? 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 6:
Psalm 6
1. לַמְנַצֵּ֣חַ
        בִּ֭נְגִינוֹת
        עַֽל־
        הַשְּׁמִינִ֗ית
        מִזְמ֥וֹר
        לְדָוִֽד׃
2. יְֽהוָ֗ה
        אַל־
        בְּאַפְּךָ֥
        תוֹכִיחֵ֑נִי
        וְֽאַל־
        בַּחֲמָתְךָ֥
        תְיַסְּרֵֽנִי׃
3. חָנֵּ֥נִי
        יְהוָה֮
        כִּ֤י
        אֻמְלַ֫ל
        אָ֥נִי
        רְפָאֵ֥נִי
        יְהוָ֑ה
        כִּ֖י
        נִבְהֲל֣וּ
        עֲצָֽtמָי׃
4. וְ֭נַפְשִׁי
        נִבְהֲלָ֣ה
        מְאֹ֑ד
        ואת
        וְאַתָּ֥ה
        יְ֝הוָ֗ה
        עַד־
        מָתָֽי׃
5. שׁוּבָ֣ה
        יְ֭הוָה
        חַלְּצָ֣ה
        נַפְשִׁ֑י
        ה֝וֹשִׁיעֵ֗נִי
        לְמַ֣עַן
        חַסְדֶּֽךָ׃
6. כִּ֤י
        אֵ֣ין
        בַּמָּ֣וֶת
        זִכְרֶ֑ךָ
        בִּ֝שְׁא֗וֹל
        מִ֣י
        יֽוֹדֶה־
        לָּֽךְ׃
7. יָגַ֤עְתִּי ׀
        בְּֽאַנְחָתִ֗י
        אַשְׂחֶ֣ה
        בְכָל־
        לַ֭יְלָה
        מִטָּתִ֑י
        בְּ֝דִמְעָתִ֗י
        עַרְשִׂ֥י
        אַמְסֶֽה׃
8. עָֽשְׁשָׁ֣ה
        מִכַּ֣עַס
        עֵינִ֑י
        עָֽ֝תְקָ֗ה
        בְּכָל־
        צוֹרְרָֽי׃
9. ס֣וּרוּ
        מִ֭מֶּנִּי
        כָּל־
        פֹּ֣עֲלֵי
        אָ֑וֶן
        כִּֽי־
        שָׁמַ֥ע
        יְ֝הוָ֗ה
        ק֣וֹל
        בִּכְיִֽי׃
10. שָׁמַ֣ע
        יְ֭הוָה
        תְּחִנָּתִ֑י
        יְ֝הוָ֗ה
        תְּֽפִלָּתִ֥י
        יִקָּֽח׃
11. יֵבֹ֤שׁוּ ׀
        וְיִבָּהֲל֣וּ
        מְ֭אֹד
        כָּל־
        אֹיְבָ֑י
        יָ֝שֻׁ֗בוּ
        יֵבֹ֥שׁוּ
        רָֽגַע׃

Psalm 15:
Psalm 15
1. מִזְמ֗וֹר
        לְדָ֫וִ֥ד
        י֭הֹוָה
        מִי־
        יָג֣וּר
        בְּאָהֳלֶ֑ךָ
        מִֽי־
        יִ֝שְׁכֹּ֗ן
        בְּהַ֣ר
        קָדְשֶֽׁךָ׃
2. הוֹלֵ֣ךְ
        תָּ֭מִים
        וּפֹעֵ֥ל
        צֶ֑דֶק
        וְדֹבֵ֥ר
        אֱ֝מֶ֗ת
        בִּלְבָֽבוֹ׃
3. לֹֽא־
        רָגַ֨ל ׀
        עַל־
        לְשֹׁנ֗וֹ
        לֹא־
        עָשָׂ֣ה
        לְרֵעֵ֣הוּ
        רָעָ֑ה
        וְ֝חֶרְפָּ֗ה
        לֹא־
        נָשָׂ֥א
        עַל־
        קְרֹֽבוֹ׃
4. נִבְזֶ֤ה ׀
        בְּֽעֵ֘ינָ֤יו
        נִמְאָ֗ס
        וְאֶת־
        יִרְאֵ֣י
        יְהוָ֣ה
        יְכַבֵּ֑ד
        נִשְׁבַּ֥ע
        לְ֝הָרַ֗ע
        וְלֹ֣א
        יָמִֽר׃
5. כַּסְפּ֤וֹ ׀
        לֹא־
        נָתַ֣ן
        בְּנֶשֶׁךְ֮
        וְשֹׁ֥חַד
        עַל־
        נָקִ֗י
        לֹ֥א
        לָ֫קָ֥ח
        עֹֽשֵׂה־
        אֵ֑לֶּה
        לֹ֖א
        יִמּ֣וֹט
        לְעוֹלָֽם׃