Psalm 6 → 40
Reasoning: 10688 Output: 5503 Total: 16191
Argument
Short answer: read Psalm 6 as the plea and Psalm 40 as the answer. Psalm 6 is an individual lament that asks God to spare the psalmist from death so that he can go on praising; Psalm 40 opens by reporting that God did, in fact, hear, draw him up from the pit, and put a new song in his mouth, and then (in 40:12–18) the psalmist falls into new trouble and prays again. Several formal, verbal, and thematic links support reading 40 as a sequel to 6. 1) Form/genre sequence (fits a common Israelite life/cultic pattern) - Psalm 6: classic individual lament with sickness/near-death, plea for mercy, and a confidence-oracle that God has heard and enemies will be shamed. - Psalm 40: vv. 2–11 a thanksgiving/testimony (todah) recounting how God heard and rescued, with public praise in the assembly; vv. 12–18 a fresh lament (nearly = Psalm 70). This is the standard sequence: crisis → plea → deliverance → public thanksgiving/testimony → new plea. - Cultic logic: In Psalm 6 the psalmist argues “if I die, there will be no praise” (6:6). Psalm 40 is the fulfillment: “He put in my mouth a new song” (40:4), “I have proclaimed… in the great assembly” (40:10–11). That is precisely how a vow of praise after deliverance was paid in Israelite worship. 2) Direct verbal links (Hebrew; identical forms and shared roots) More weighty (identical forms/lemmas): - שמע “to hear”: • Ps 6:9–10 שָׁמַע יְהוָה קוֹל בִּכְיִי; שָׁמַע יְהוָה תְּחִנָּתִי • Ps 40:2 וַיִּשְׁמַע שַׁוְעָתִי The prayer of 6 is explicitly answered in 40. - יֵבֹשׁוּ “let them be ashamed” (same jussive form): • Ps 6:11 יֵבֹשׁוּ… יֵבֹשׁוּ רָגַע • Ps 40:15 יֵבֹשׁוּ… וְיִכָּלְמוּ; 40:16 יָשֹׁמּוּ עַל־עֵקֶב בָּשְׁתָּם Psalm 40 reprises (and intensifies) Psalm 6’s enemy-shame formula. - ישׁע “save”: • Ps 6:5 הוֹשִׁיעֵנִי • Ps 40:11 תְּשׁוּעָתֶךָ; 40:17 אֹהֲבֵי תְּשׁוּעָתֶךָ - חֶסֶד “steadfast love/loyalty”: • Ps 6:5 לְמַעַן חַסְדֶּךָ • Ps 40:11–12 חַסְדְּךָ… חַסְדְּךָ וַאֲמִתְּךָ תָּמִיד יִצְּרוּנִי - נֶפֶשׁ “life/soul”: • Ps 6:4–5 וְנַפְשִׁי נִבְהֲלָה… חַלְּצָה נַפְשִׁי • Ps 40:15 מְבַקְשֵׁי נַפְשִׁי Close semantic/thematic matches (same root or near-synonyms): - Time pressure/waiting: • Ps 6:4 וְאַתָּה יְהוָה עַד־מָתָי (“How long?”) • Ps 40:2 קַוּוֹ קִוִּיתִי (“I waited and waited”); 40:14 חוּשָׁה (“hasten”); 40:18 אַל־תְּאַחַר (“do not delay”) - Death/underworld vs. pit rescue: • Ps 6:6 בַּמָּוֶת… בִּשְׁאוֹל (“in death/Sheol”) • Ps 40:3 מִבּוֹר שָׁאוֹן מִטִּיט הַיָּוֵן; וַיָּקֶם עַל־סֶלַע רַגְלַי Sheol’s silence in 6 contrasts with being drawn up from the pit and set on rock in 40. - Silence vs. praise: • Ps 6:6 “In death there is no remembrance; in Sheol who will thank you?” • Ps 40:4 “He put in my mouth a new song, praise to our God”; 40:10–11 “I proclaimed… I did not restrain my lips… I did not conceal your hesed and your truth in the great assembly.” - Eyes failing: • Ps 6:8 עָשְׁשָׁה… עֵינִי • Ps 40:13 וְלֹא־יָכֹלְתִּי לִרְאוֹת - Turning back of enemies: • Ps 6:11 יָשֻׁבוּ (“let them turn back”) • Ps 40:15 יִסֹּגוּ אָחוֹר (“let them retreat backward”) Near-equivalent collocation with identical aim: enemy reversal. 3) Stylistic and structural affinities - Superscriptions: both Davidic and for performance (“לַמְנַצֵּחַ… מִזְמוֹר לְדָוִד”; Ps 6 adds a tune instruction). This places both within the same curated Davidic collection (Book I). - High density of vocatives and imperatives addressed to YHWH; frequent causal כִּי clauses; rhetorical question (Ps 6:4 “עַד־מָתָי?”) matched by the waiting/hastening language in Ps 40. - Movement from direct address to testimony: Psalm 6 ends with confident declarations (“שָׁמַע יְהוָה…”), and Psalm 40 opens by narrating the fulfillment of exactly that hearing (“וַיִּשְׁמַע שַׁוְעָתִי”). 4) Mythic and imagistic continuity - Chaos-depth rescue: Psalm 6’s Sheol/death points to the realm of non-praise; Psalm 40’s “pit” and “miry clay” evokes the watery abyss/chaos motif from Israel’s mythic repertoire, with God setting the psalmist on “rock” (ordered stability). This is a classic before/after pairing. - Body imagery reversed: in Psalm 6 the body collapses (bones terrified, eyes dim, bed drenched); in Psalm 40 the body is stabilized (feet on rock, steps established). 5) Cultic scenario that makes 40 the natural sequel to 6 - Psalm 6: Crisis and vow logic (“Spare me so I may praise you,” 6:6). - Psalm 40 (vv. 2–11): Payment of the vow in the temple—public testimony in “the great assembly,” a “new song,” not silence (even relativizing sacrificial ritual in favor of obedience/proclamation: 40:7–11). - Psalm 40 (vv. 12–18): New petition with the same enemy-shame formulas used at the end of Psalm 6, showing the cycle continues. 6) A verse-to-verse trajectory - 6:2–5 “Be gracious… heal… return… save me for your hesed” → 40:2–3 “He turned to me, heard, lifted me from the pit, set my feet on rock.” - 6:6 “In death there is no remembrance… who will thank you?” → 40:4, 10–11 “He gave me a new song… I proclaimed in a great assembly.” - 6:9–11 “YHWH has heard… let all my enemies be ashamed/turn back” → 40:15–16 “Let those who seek my life be ashamed/retreat/be confounded.” Conclusion Even without contiguity in the Psalter, Psalm 40 reads naturally as the narrative fulfillment and cultic sequel to Psalm 6. The same speaker who in Psalm 6 pleads for life so he can praise, in Psalm 40 testifies that God heard, raised him from the deathly pit, and enabled public praise—while reactivating the very shame-upon-enemies formulas that close Psalm 6. The shared forms (שָׁמַע; יֵבֹשׁוּ), roots (ישע, חסד, נפש), motifs (Sheol/pit, time pressure, enemies’ reversal), and the lament→thanksgiving→lament lifecycle make a strong case that Psalm 40 can be read as logically following Psalm 6.
Evaluation
Score: 6.5
Evaluated at: 2025-11-19T04:15:32 (UTC)
Evaluator model: gpt-5
Evaluator version: v2
Reasoning: 4416 Output: 6346 Total: 10762
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 accurate, verse-anchored links (שמע, יֵבֹשׁוּ, נפש; Sheol→pit; silence→new song) and a coherent lament→thanksgiving sequence. Yet vocabulary/motifs are common; no cross-psalm editorial markers; 40:14–18 aligns more directly with Psalm 70.
Prompt
Consider Psalm 6 and Psalm 40 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 40 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 40:
Psalm 40
1. לַ֝מְנַצֵּ֗חַ
לְדָוִ֥ד
מִזְמֽוֹר׃
2. קַוֺּ֣ה
קִוִּ֣יתִי
יְהוָ֑ה
וַיֵּ֥ט
אֵ֝לַ֗י
וַיִּשְׁמַ֥ע
שַׁוְעָתִֽי׃
3. וַיַּעֲלֵ֤נִי ׀
מִבּ֥וֹר
שָׁאוֹן֮
מִטִּ֢יט
הַיָּ֫וֵ֥ן
וַיָּ֖קֶם
עַל־
סֶ֥לַע
רַגְלַ֗י
כּוֹנֵ֥ן
אֲשֻׁרָֽי׃
4. וַיִּתֵּ֬ן
בְּפִ֨י ׀
שִׁ֥יר
חָדָשׁ֮
תְּהִלָּ֢ה
לֵֽאלֹ֫הֵ֥ינוּ
יִרְא֣וּ
רַבִּ֣ים
וְיִירָ֑אוּ
וְ֝יִבְטְח֗וּ
בַּיהוָֽה׃
5. אַ֥שְֽׁרֵי
הַגֶּ֗בֶר
אֲשֶׁר־
שָׂ֣ם
יְ֭הֹוָה
מִבְטַח֑וֹ
וְֽלֹא־
פָנָ֥ה
אֶל־
רְ֝הָבִ֗ים
וְשָׂטֵ֥י
כָזָֽב׃
6. רַבּ֤וֹת
עָשִׂ֨יתָ ׀
אַתָּ֤ה ׀
יְהוָ֣ה
אֱלֹהַי֮
נִֽפְלְאֹתֶ֥יךָ
וּמַחְשְׁבֹתֶ֗יךָ
אֵ֫לֵ֥ינוּ
אֵ֤ין ׀
עֲרֹ֬ךְ
אֵלֶ֗יךָ
אַגִּ֥ידָה
וַאֲדַבֵּ֑רָה
עָ֝צְמ֗וּ
מִסַּפֵּֽר׃
7. זֶ֤בַח
וּמִנְחָ֨ה ׀
לֹֽא־
חָפַ֗צְתָּ
אָ֭זְנַיִם
כָּרִ֣יתָ
לִּ֑י
עוֹלָ֥ה
וַ֝חֲטָאָ֗ה
לֹ֣א
שָׁאָֽלְתָּ׃
8. אָ֣ז
אָ֭מַרְתִּי
הִנֵּה־
בָ֑אתִי
בִּמְגִלַּת־
סֵ֝֗פֶר
כָּת֥וּב
עָלָֽי׃
9. לַֽעֲשֽׂוֹת־
רְצוֹנְךָ֣
אֱלֹהַ֣י
חָפָ֑צְתִּי
וְ֝ת֥וֹרָתְךָ֗
בְּת֣וֹךְ
מֵעָֽי׃
10. בִּשַּׂ֤רְתִּי
צֶ֨דֶק ׀
בְּקָ֘הָ֤ל
רָ֗ב
הִנֵּ֣ה
שְׂ֭פָתַי
לֹ֣א
אֶכְלָ֑א
יְ֝הוָ֗ה
אַתָּ֥ה
יָדָֽעְתָּ׃
11. צִדְקָתְךָ֬
לֹא־
כִסִּ֨יתִי ׀
בְּת֬וֹךְ
לִבִּ֗י
אֱמוּנָתְךָ֣
וּתְשׁוּעָתְךָ֣
אָמָ֑רְתִּי
לֹא־
כִחַ֥דְתִּי
חַסְדְּךָ֥
וַ֝אֲמִתְּךָ֗
לְקָהָ֥ל
רָֽב׃
12. אַתָּ֤ה
יְהוָ֗ה
לֹא־
תִכְלָ֣א
רַחֲמֶ֣יךָ
מִמֶּ֑נִּי
חַסְדְּךָ֥
וַ֝אֲמִתְּךָ֗
תָּמִ֥יד
יִצְּרֽוּנִי׃
13. כִּ֤י
אָפְפ֥וּ־
עָלַ֨י ׀
רָע֡וֹת
עַד־
אֵ֬ין
מִסְפָּ֗ר
הִשִּׂיג֣וּנִי
עֲ֭וֺנֹתַי
וְלֹא־
יָכֹ֣לְתִּי
לִרְא֑וֹת
עָצְמ֥וּ
מִשַּֽׂעֲר֥וֹת
רֹ֝אשִׁ֗י
וְלִבִּ֥י
עֲזָבָֽנִי׃
14. רְצֵ֣ה
יְ֭הוָה
לְהַצִּילֵ֑נִי
יְ֝הוָ֗ה
לְעֶזְרָ֥תִי
חֽוּשָׁה׃
15. יֵ֘בֹ֤שׁוּ
וְיַחְפְּר֨וּ ׀
יַחַד֮
מְבַקְשֵׁ֥י
נַפְשִׁ֗י
לִסְפּ֫וֹתָ֥הּ
יִסֹּ֣גוּ
אָ֭חוֹר
וְיִכָּלְמ֑וּ
חֲ֝פֵצֵ֗י
רָעָתִֽי׃
16. יָ֭שֹׁמּוּ
עַל־
עֵ֣קֶב
בָּשְׁתָּ֑ם
הָאֹמְרִ֥ים
לִ֝֗י
הֶ֘אָ֥ח ׀
הֶאָֽח׃
17. יָ֘שִׂ֤ישׂוּ
וְיִשְׂמְח֨וּ ׀
בְּךָ֗
כָּֽל־
מְבַ֫קְשֶׁ֥יךָ
יֹאמְר֣וּ
תָ֭מִיד
יִגְדַּ֣ל
יְהוָ֑ה
אֹֽ֝הֲבֵ֗י
תְּשׁוּעָתֶֽךָ׃
18. וַאֲנִ֤י ׀
עָנִ֣י
וְאֶבְיוֹן֮
אֲדֹנָ֢י
יַחֲשָׁ֫ב
לִ֥י
עֶזְרָתִ֣י
וּמְפַלְטִ֣י
אַ֑תָּה
אֱ֝לֹהַ֗י
אַל־
תְּאַחַֽר׃