Psalm 6 → 79

Reasoning: 9344 Output: 4544 Total: 13888

Argument

Short answer
Read as a pair, Psalm 6 (an individual lament) flows naturally into Psalm 79 (a communal lament) as a widening and intensifying of the same plea: from one sufferer threatened by death and shaming enemies to an entire people whose temple lies desecrated, whose dead lie unburied, and who now vow to give thanks. The two psalms share the same lament-form, key formulas, and several distinctive roots and arguments, and Psalm 79 explicitly resolves questions raised in Psalm 6 (especially the “who will praise you if I die?” motif).

Details (grouped and weighted)

A. Form and structure (high significance)
- Same lament macro‑form: address to YHWH → complaint → petition → “how long?” protest → motive clause (“for the sake of…”) → turn to confidence/imprecation → vow/assurance of praise.
- The “How long, YHWH?” hook appears in both:
  - Ps 6:4 “ואתה יהוה עד־מתי”
  - Ps 79:5 “עד־מה יהוה”
  This formula often links laments; here it functions as a hinge from personal to national crisis.
- Motive clauses appealing to God’s own character/renown:
  - Ps 6:5 “הושיעני למען חסדך”
  - Ps 79:9 “עזרנו… על־דבר כבוד שמך… וכפר על־חטאתינו למען שמך”
  The same argumentative strategy: save us not for our merit, but “for the sake of” your covenantal qualities/name.

B. Lexical and root connections (from rarer/stronger to commoner/weaker)

1) Praise/thank (ידה) — semantic hinge (high)
- Ps 6:6 “בשׁאול מי יודה־לך” (Who will praise/thank you in Sheol?)
- Ps 79:13 “נודה לך לעולם… נספר תהלתך” (We will thank you forever… recount your praise)
  Psalm 79 answers Psalm 6’s rhetorical question: the community promises the very praise the individual feared would be cut off by death.

2) Wrath/anger vocabulary, same nouns and roots (high)
- חמה (wrath):
  - Ps 6:2 “ואל־בחמתך תיסרני”
  - Ps 79:6 “שְׁפֹךְ חֲמָתְךָ אל־הגוים”
- אף (anger):
  - Ps 6:2 “אל־באפך תוכיחני”
  - Ps 79:5 “תאף לנצח”
  The progression is logical: in Ps 6 the sufferer asks that divine anger not strike him; in Ps 79 the community asks that divine wrath be redirected toward the hostile nations.

3) Remember/forget (זכר) — same root used antithetically (high)
- Ps 6:6 “אין במות זכרך” (in death there is no remembrance of you)
- Ps 79:8 “אל־תזכר לנו עונות ראשונים” (do not remember former iniquities)
  Both leverage זכר as a covenantal category: Ps 6 argues for life so God may be remembered; Ps 79 asks God to “forget” sin so the people may live to remember/thank him.

4) Death cluster (מות, שאול) — same root and field (high)
- Ps 6:6 “אין במות… בשְׁאול מי יודה־לך”
- Ps 79:11 “הותר בני תמותה”; 79:3 “שׁפכו דמם כמים… ואין קובר”
  The theme escalates from one person’s threatened descent to Sheol to mass death with no burial—an unmistakable “next act” in the drama.

5) Salvation/deliverance (ישע; plus synonyms) (medium–high)
- Ps 6:5 “הושיעני”
- Ps 79:9 “אלהי ישׁענו… והצלנו”
  Same root ישׁע frames both pleas; 79 amplifies with parallel “rescue” verbs and atonement.

6) Return/turn back (שׁוב) (medium)
- Ps 6:5 “שׁובה יהוה”; 6:11 “ישׁבו… יבושׁו”
- Ps 79:12 “והשׁב לשׁכנינו שׁבעתים”
  The sh–w–b root marks desired reversal in both: God’s favorable “return” (Ps 6) and retributive “returning” of reproach (Ps 79).

7) Shame/humiliation field (medium)
- Ps 6:11 “יבושׁו ויבהלו מאד כל־אויבי”
- Ps 79:4 “היינו חרפה… לעג וקלס”; 79:12 “השׁב… חרפתם”
  Not the identical lexeme in every case, but the same honor–shame reversal is sought: enemies to be shamed, God’s people vindicated.

8) Groaning and being overwhelmed (medium–low but suggestive)
- Ps 6:7 “יגעתי באנחתי” (my groaning)
- Ps 79:11 “תבוא לפניך אנקת אסיר” (the groan of the prisoner)
  Different roots (אנח vs אנק), same lament register.

9) Liquid imagery intensifying from private tears to public blood (conceptual link; medium)
- Ps 6:7 “אשׂחה… בדמעתי… אמסה” (bed drenched/melted with tears)
- Ps 79:3 “שׁפכו דמם כמים” (blood poured like water)
  What was a private flood of tears becomes a public river of blood—a poignant narrative escalation.

C. Rhetorical development that reads 79 as a sequel to 6
- From individual to communal: Ps 6 “נפשי… עצמותי… אויבי” → Ps 79 “עמך… צאן מרעיתך… גוים… ממלכות.” The same grammar of complaint scales up.
- From threatened cessation of praise to vowed praise:
  - Ps 6 worries: death halts praise (6:6).
  - Ps 79 promises: “We will thank you forever… recount your praise” (79:13). It is an explicit closure to 6’s dilemma.
- From plea about divine anger to its redirection:
  - Ps 6: “Do not discipline me in your anger/wrath.”
  - Ps 79: “How long will you be angry? Pour out your wrath on the nations.” The logic of covenant solidarity moves the object of wrath from penitent Israel to hostile nations.
- From enemies’ anticipated shame (6:11) to concrete requests for measured payback (79:12 “שׁבעתים”) and for public vindication (“למה יאמרו הגוים…?” 79:10). The honor of YHWH before the nations becomes explicit.

D. Connections to Israelite life-history and cult (medium)
- Ps 6 fits an individual lament used in illness or personal crisis; Ps 79 is a communal lament suited to national disaster (temple defiled, unburied dead), likely reflecting siege/exile conditions. Moving from Ps 6 to Ps 79 mirrors the movement from private penitence to communal fast/mourning (e.g., commemorations of Jerusalem’s destruction).
- Both deploy covenantal-attribute appeals (חסד; רחמים; שם/כבוד השם), evoking Exod 34’s theology—typical of penitential liturgy that could be used first privately and then corporately.

Bottom line
- The two psalms share the same lament architecture and several key roots and formulas (ידה; חמה/אף; זכר; מות/שאול; ישׁע; למען…), and they track a coherent narrative arc: the threatened loss of praise (Ps 6) is answered by a vowed restoration of praise (Ps 79), the plea about divine anger is reframed as a plea to redirect wrath to the nations, and the personal crisis becomes a national catastrophe. On these grounds—formally, lexically, and thematically—Psalm 79 can be read as logically following Psalm 6.

Evaluation

Score: 6.0

Evaluated at: 2025-11-20T04:20:51 (UTC)

Evaluator model: gpt-5

Evaluator version: v2

Reasoning: 3840 Output: 5379 Total: 9219

Vocabulary specificity: 5.0 / 10

Strong lexeme links (Ps 6:6 ↔ 79:13 ידה; 6:2 ↔ 79:5–6 אף/חמה; 6:6 ↔ 79:8 זכר) and ‘how long’ formula. Yet these are common lament features; no editorial marker; argument ignores counterpoints.

Prompt

Consider Psalm 6 and Psalm 79 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 79 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 79:
Psalm 79
1. מִזְמ֗וֹר
        לְאָ֫סָ֥ף
        אֱ‍ֽלֹהִ֡ים
        בָּ֤אוּ
        גוֹיִ֨ם ׀
        בְּֽנַחֲלָתֶ֗ךָ
        טִ֭מְּאוּ
        אֶת־
        הֵיכַ֣ל
        קָדְשֶׁ֑ךָ
        שָׂ֖מוּ
        אֶת־
        יְרוּשָׁלִַ֣ם
        לְעִיִּֽים׃
2. נָֽתְנ֡וּ
        אֶת־
        נִבְלַ֬ת
        עֲבָדֶ֗יךָ
        מַ֭אֲכָל
        לְע֣וֹף
        הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם
        בְּשַׂ֥ר
        חֲ֝סִידֶ֗יךָ
        לְחַיְתוֹ־
        אָֽרֶץ׃
3. שָׁפְכ֬וּ
        דָמָ֨ם ׀
        כַּמַּ֗יִם
        סְֽבִ֘יב֤וֹת
        יְֽרוּשָׁלִָ֗ם
        וְאֵ֣ין
        קוֹבֵֽר׃
4. הָיִ֣ינוּ
        חֶ֭רְפָּה
        לִשְׁכֵנֵ֑ינוּ
        לַ֥עַג
        וָ֝קֶ֗לֶס
        לִסְבִיבוֹתֵֽינוּ׃
5. עַד־
        מָ֣ה
        יְ֭הוָה
        תֶּאֱנַ֣ף
        לָנֶ֑צַח
        תִּ֭tבְעַ֥ר
        כְּמוֹ־
        אֵ֝֗שׁ
        קִנְאָתֶֽךָ׃
6. שְׁפֹ֤ךְ
        חֲמָתְךָ֗
        אֶֽל־
        הַגּוֹיִם֮
        אֲשֶׁ֢ר
        לֹא־
        יְדָ֫ע֥וּךָ
        וְעַ֥ל
        מַמְלָכ֑וֹת
        אֲשֶׁ֥ר
        בְּ֝שִׁמְךָ֗
        לֹ֣א
        קָרָֽאוּ׃
7. כִּ֭י
        אָכַ֣ל
        אֶֽת־
        יַעֲקֹ֑ב
        וְֽאֶת־
        נָוֵ֥הוּ
        הֵשַֽׁמּוּ׃
8. אַֽל־
        תִּזְכָּר־
        לָנוּ֮
        עֲוֺנֹ֢ת
        רִאשֹׁ֫נִ֥ים
        מַ֭הֵר
        יְקַדְּמ֣וּנוּ
        רַחֲמֶ֑יךָ
        כִּ֖י
        דַלּ֣וֹנוּ
        מְאֹֽד׃
9. עָזְרֵ֤נוּ ׀
        אֱלֹ֘הֵ֤י
        יִשְׁעֵ֗נוּ
        עַל־
        דְּבַ֥ר
        כְּבֽוֹד־
        שְׁמֶ֑ךָ
        וְהַצִּילֵ֥נוּ
        וְכַפֵּ֥ר
        עַל־
        חַ֝טֹּאתֵ֗ינוּ
        לְמַ֣עַן
        שְׁמֶֽךָ׃
10. לָ֤מָּה ׀
        יֹאמְר֣וּ
        הַגּוֹיִם֮
        אַיֵּ֢ה
        אֱ‍ֽלֹהֵ֫יהֶ֥ם
        יִוָּדַ֣ע
        בגיים
        בַּגּוֹיִ֣ם
        לְעֵינֵ֑ינוּ
        נִ֝קְמַ֗ת
        דַּֽם־
        עֲבָדֶ֥יךָ
        הַשָּׁפֽוּךְ׃
11. תָּ֤ב֣וֹא
        לְפָנֶיךָ֮
        אֶנְקַ֢ת
        אָ֫סִ֥יר
        כְּגֹ֥דֶל
        זְרוֹעֲךָ֑
        ה֝וֹתֵ֗ר
        בְּנֵ֣י
        תְמוּתָֽה׃
12. וְהָ֘שֵׁ֤ב
        לִשְׁכֵנֵ֣ינוּ
        שִׁ֭בְעָתַיִם
        אֶל־
        חֵיקָ֑ם
        חֶרְפָּ֘תָ֤ם
        אֲשֶׁ֖ר
        חֵרְפ֣וּךָ
        אֲדֹֽcנָי׃
13. וַאֲנַ֤חְנוּ
        עַמְּךָ֨ ׀
        וְצֹ֥אן
        מַרְעִיתֶךָ֮
        נ֤וֹדֶ֥ה
        לְּךָ֗
        לְע֫וֹלָ֥ם
        לְדֹ֥ר
        וָדֹ֑ר
        נְ֝סַפֵּ֗ר
        תְּהִלָּתֶֽךָ׃