Psalm 6 → 59
Reasoning: 9344 Output: 5394 Total: 14738
Argument
Here are multiple, independent lines of argument that can justify reading Psalm 59 as a logical follow‑on to Psalm 6. I’ve ordered them from strongest (rarest/most specific verbal links) to broader formal and thematic continuities. High‑value lexical links (identical forms or collocations) - The collocation פֹעֲלֵי אָוֶן appears in both, and in virtually the same rhetorical slot: - Ps 6:9 סוּרוּ מִמֶּנִּי כָל־פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן - Ps 59:3 הַצִּילֵנִי מִפֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן This is a rare, formulaic phrase. In Ps 6 the speaker commands them to depart; in Ps 59, when they have not departed, he asks God to deliver him from them. That is a natural narrative/theological progression. - The identical 1cs plea הוֹשִׁיעֵנִי occurs in both: - Ps 6:5 … הוֹשִׁיעֵנִי לְמַעַן חַסְדֶּךָ - Ps 59:3 … אֲנְשֵׁי דָמִים הוֹשִׁיעֵנִי Same verb, form, and addressee (God), strengthening a through‑line of supplication. - The verb שׁוּב “to turn/return” ties the close of Ps 6 to the refrain in Ps 59: - Ps 6:11 יָשֻׁבוּ יֵבֹשׁוּ רָגַע - Ps 59:7, 15 יָשׁוּבוּ לָעֶרֶב … וְיָשׁוּבוּ לָעֶרֶב Ps 6 ends with “they will turn back,” while Ps 59 depicts the enemies “returning” night after night. It reads like the narrative sequel: their momentary retreat (רָגַע) in 6 is followed by their renewed cycles of return in 59. - The “grace” root חנ״ן is pivoted between the psalms: - Ps 6:3 חָנֵּנִי יְהוָה - Ps 59:6 אַל־תָּחֹן כָּל־בֹּגְדֵי אָוֶן The psalmist pleads for grace to himself in 6 and then asks that such grace not be extended to the treacherous in 59—an intentional rhetorical counterbalance built on the same root. - “Wrath/anger” lexemes shift from God’s anger toward the psalmist to wrath poured out on the enemies: - Ps 6:2 אַל־בְּאַפְּךָ תוֹכִיחֵנִי וְאַל־בַּחֲמָתְךָ תְיַסְּרֵנִי - Ps 59:14 כַּלֵּה בְחֵמָה כַּלֵּה Same semantic field (אַף/חֵמָה), but reversed target—exactly the move you’d expect if God heard the prayer of Ps 6 and re‑directed wrath. Medium‑value lexical and semantic links - “Hesed” throughline: - Ps 6:5 הוֹשִׁיעֵנִי לְמַעַן חַסְדֶּךָ - Ps 59:11, 17, 18 אֱלֹהֵי חַסְדִּי … לַבֹּקֶר חַסְדֶּךָ … אֱלֹהֵי חַסְדִּי Ps 59 expands the motif (twice “אֱלֹהֵי חַסְדִּי”) into the morning praise scene, answering Ps 6’s “save me for your hesed.” - “Hearing” motif juxtaposed with the enemies’ taunt: - Ps 6:9–10 כִּי־שָׁמַע יְהוָה קוֹל בִּכְיִי … שָׁמַע יְהוָה תְּחִנָּתִי - Ps 59:8 … כִּי־מִי שֹׁמֵעַ Ps 59 puts the enemies’ “Who hears?” against Ps 6’s assurance “YHWH has heard,” creating an inter‑psalmic rebuttal. - “Death/remembering” vs “not forgetting”: - Ps 6:6 כִּי אֵין בַּמָּוֶת זִכְרֶךָ … מִי יוֹדֶה־לָּךְ - Ps 59:12 אַל־תַּהַרְגֵם פֶּן־יִשְׁכְּחוּ עַמִּי Ps 6 argues for the value of the living praising God; Ps 59 asks God not to kill the wicked outright so their judgment won’t be forgotten—two sides of a didactic “memory” theology (זכר/שכח). - “Soul/life” as the focal object: - Ps 6:4–5 וְנַפְשִׁי נִבְהֲלָה מְאֹד … חַלְּצָה נַפְשִׁי - Ps 59:4 כִּי הִנֵּה אָרְבוּ לְנַפְשִׁי The endangered נֶפֶשׁ in 6 becomes the target of ambush in 59—threat internal (terror, illness) → external (assassins). Time‑of‑day and setting links (a concrete “night → morning” arc) - Ps 6 is a “night‑psalm” of tears and a drenched bed: - Ps 6:7–8 בְּכָל־לַיְלָה מִטָּתִי … בְּדִמְעָתִי עַרְשִׂי אַמְסֶה - Ps 59 is explicitly structured by evening and morning: - Refrain: יָשׁוּבוּ לָעֶרֶב … וִיסוֹבְבוּ עִיר (vv. 7, 15) - Resolution: וַאֲרַנֵּן לַבֹּקֶר חַסְדֶּךָ (v. 17) This yields a natural temporal sequence: night of weeping (Ps 6) → night of prowling enemies (Ps 59) → morning praise (Ps 59:17), i.e., the fulfilment of the “who will praise you if I die?” of Ps 6:6. Narrative/life‑setting linkage (David, house, bed, and the night watch) - Ps 59’s superscription situates it at the episode of 1 Sam 19:11 (“They watched the house to kill him”). That narrative hinges on David’s bed (מִטָּה/מִטָּתוֹ) and a tense night of surveillance until morning. - Ps 6’s unusually vivid bed imagery (מִטָּתִי … עַרְשִׂי) and all‑night weeping dovetails with that same kind of context. Read consecutively, Ps 6 can voice the indoor, night‑long anguish; Ps 59 takes up the outdoor siege (“they prowl like dogs,” “they watch,” “at evening … until morning”) and the deliverance that turns “morning for killing” (1 Sam 19:11) into “morning of hesed” (Ps 59:17). Form and structure (lament → lament‑with‑imprecation → praise) - Both are individual laments with the classic flow petition → complaint → confidence; Ps 59 adds imprecation and a public didactic aim (“lest my people forget”), which suits a follow‑up escalation from private suffering (Ps 6) to public threat and vindication (Ps 59). - Both end with confident reversal of the enemies: - Ps 6:11 יֵבֹשׁוּ … כָּל־אֹיְבָי - Ps 59:9, 14–18 God laughs at the nations; the enemies are brought low; the psalmist promises song. Further stylistic correspondences - Both are “למנצח … לדוד,” performance‑marked Davidic laments (low‑weight link, but consistent). - Both are dominated by direct address to YHWH, urgent imperatives, and rhetorical questions (Ps 6:4 “עַד־מָתָי”; Ps 59:8 “מִי שֹׁמֵעַ”). How the pieces fit as a logical sequence - Movement of divine anger and grace: - Ps 6 asks God: do not discipline me in wrath; be gracious to me. - Ps 59 asks: do not be gracious to the treacherous; spend your wrath on them. - Continuity of the antagonist: - The same labeled group “פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן” that the psalmist expels in Ps 6 reappears, now predatory, in Ps 59, requiring stronger divine intervention. - Night‑to‑morning arc: - Ps 6’s nocturnal tears and fear of dying without praising God lead directly into Ps 59’s night siege and the sunrise song of God’s חסד. In short: identical and rare collocations (especially פֹעֲלֵי אָוֶן; הוֹשִׁיעֵנִי; the pivoted חנ״ן and חֵמָה lexemes; the refrain‑level reuse of יָשׁוּבוּ), shared imagery (bed/house/night), and a coherent narrative/formal development (private affliction → public persecution; “don’t be angry with me” → “pour wrath on them”; night weeping → morning praise) together make a strong case that Psalm 59 can be read as a logical follow‑on to Psalm 6.
Evaluation
Score: 6.8
Evaluated at: 2025-11-20T03:55:58 (UTC)
Evaluator model: gpt-5
Evaluator version: v2
Reasoning: 3840 Output: 6286 Total: 10126
Checklist
- Has verse refs: Yes
- Factual error detected: No
- Only generic motifs: No
- Counterargument considered: No
- LXX/MT numbering acknowledged: No
Vocabulary specificity: 3.5 / 10
Numerous, correct verse‑anchored links (פֹעֲלֵי אָוֶן; הוֹשִׁיעֵנִי; יָשׁוּבוּ; חנ״ן/חֵמָה; “שָׁמַע” vs “מִי שֹׁמֵעַ”) and a night→morning arc. But most lexemes are common, and Ps 59’s ‘אַל־תַּשְׁחֵת’ cluster weakens unique sequencing. No caps.
Prompt
Consider Psalm 6 and Psalm 59 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 59 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 59:
Psalm 59
1. לַמְנַצֵּ֣חַ
אַל־
תַּשְׁחֵת֮
לְדָוִ֢ד
מִ֫כְתָּ֥ם
בִּשְׁלֹ֥חַ
שָׁא֑וּל
וַֽיִּשְׁמְר֥וּ
אֶת־
הַ֝בַּ֗יִת
לַהֲמִיתֽוֹ׃
2. הַצִּילֵ֖נִי
מֵאֹיְבַ֥י ׀
אֱלֹהָ֑י
מִּֽמִתְקוֹמְמַ֥י
תְּשַׂגְּבֵֽנִי׃
3. הַ֭צִּילֵנִי
מִפֹּ֣עֲלֵי
אָ֑וֶן
וּֽמֵאַנְשֵׁ֥י
דָ֝מִ֗ים
הוֹשִׁיעֵֽנִי׃
4. כִּ֤י
הִנֵּ֪ה
אָֽרְב֡וּ
לְנַפְשִׁ֗י
יָג֣וּרוּ
עָלַ֣י
עַזִ֑ים
לֹא־
פִשְׁעִ֖י
וְלֹא־
חַטָּאתִ֣י
יְהוָֽה׃
5. בְּֽלִי־
עָ֭וֺן
יְרוּצ֣וּן
וְיִכּוֹנָ֑נוּ
ע֖וּרָה
לִקְרָאתִ֣י
וּרְאֵה׃
6. וְאַתָּ֤ה
יְהוָֽה־
אֱלֹהִ֥ים ׀
צְבָא֡וֹת
אֱלֹ֘הֵ֤י
יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל
הָקִ֗יצָה
לִפְקֹ֥ד
כָּֽל־
הַגּוֹיִ֑ם
אַל־
תָּחֹ֨ן
כָּל־
בֹּ֖גְדֵי
אָ֣וֶן
סֶֽלָה׃
7. יָשׁ֣וּבוּ
לָ֭עֶרֶב
יֶהֱמ֥וּ
כַכָּ֗לֶב
וִיס֥וֹבְבוּ
עִֽיר׃
8. הִנֵּ֤ה ׀
יַבִּ֘יע֤וּן
בְּפִיהֶ֗ם
חֲ֭רָבוֹת
בְּשִׂפְתוֹתֵיהֶ֑ם
כִּי־
מִ֥י
שֹׁמֵֽעַ׃
9. וְאַתָּ֣ה
יְ֭הוָה
תִּשְׂחַק־
לָ֑מוֹ
תִּ֝לְעַ֗ג
לְכָל־
גּוֹיִֽם׃
10. עֻ֭זּוֹ
אֵלֶ֣יךָ
אֶשְׁמֹ֑רָה
כִּֽי־
אֱ֝לֹהִ֗ים
מִשְׂגַּבִּֽי׃
11. אֱלֹהֵ֣י
חסדו
חַסְדִּ֣י
יְקַדְּמֵ֑נִי
אֱ֝לֹהִ֗ים
יַרְאֵ֥נִי
בְשֹׁרְרָֽי׃
12. אַל־
תַּהַרְגֵ֤ם ׀
פֶּֽן־
יִשְׁכְּח֬וּ
עַמִּ֗י
הֲנִיעֵ֣מוֹ
בְ֭חֵילְךָ
וְהוֹרִידֵ֑מוֹ
מָֽגִנֵּ֣נוּ
אֲדֹנָֽי׃
13. חַטַּאת־
פִּ֗ימוֹ
דְּֽבַר־
שְׂפָ֫תֵ֥ימוֹ
וְיִלָּכְד֥וּ
בִגְאוֹנָ֑ם
וּמֵאָלָ֖ה
וּמִכַּ֣חַשׁ
יְסַפֵּֽרוּ׃
14. כַּלֵּ֥ה
בְחֵמָה֮
כַּלֵּ֢ה
וְֽאֵ֫ינֵ֥מוֹ
וְֽיֵדְע֗וּ
כִּֽי־
אֱ֭לֹהִים
מֹשֵׁ֣ל
בְּיַעֲקֹ֑ב
לְאַפְסֵ֖י
הָאָ֣רֶץ
סֶֽלָה׃
15. וְיָשׁ֣וּבוּ
לָ֭עֶרֶב
יֶהֱמ֥וּ
כַכָּ֗לֶב
וִיס֥וֹבְבוּ
עִֽיר׃
16. הֵ֭מָּה
ינועון
יְנִיע֣וּן
לֶאֱכֹ֑ל
אִם־
לֹ֥א
יִ֝שְׂבְּע֗וּ
וַיָּלִֽינוּ׃
17. וַאֲנִ֤י ׀
אָשִׁ֣יר
עֻזֶּךָ֮
וַאֲרַנֵּ֥ן
לַבֹּ֗קֶר
חַ֫סְדֶּ֥ךָ
כִּֽי־
הָיִ֣יתָ
מִשְׂגָּ֣ב
לִ֑י
וּ֝מָנ֗וֹס
בְּי֣וֹם
צַר־
לִֽי׃
18. עֻ֭זִּי
אֵלֶ֣יךָ
אֲזַמֵּ֑רָה
כִּֽי־
אֱלֹהִ֥ים
מִ֝שְׂגַּבִּ֗י
אֱלֹהֵ֥י
חַסְדִּֽי׃