Psalm 6 → 84
Reasoning: 8128 Output: 4278 Total: 12406
Argument
Short thesis: Psalm 84 can be read as the liturgical and experiential fulfillment of Psalm 6. The individual who, in Psalm 6, pleads from a sickbed at night, near death and excluded from praise, is in Psalm 84 on pilgrimage to Zion, arriving to praise in the house of YHWH. Lexically, stylistically, and thematically the second psalm answers the first. Evidence, moving from strongest to supporting links Identical formulas and shared form - Identical heading formula and performance setting: both begin with למנצח … מזמור (Ps 6:1; Ps 84:1) and specify instrumentation (על־השמינית; על־הגתית). This marks both as crafted for liturgical/musical use and makes juxtaposition natural. - Identical petition formula: שמע תפילתי occurs in both (Ps 6:10: יְהוָה … תְּפִלָּתִי; Ps 84:9: יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים צבאות שִמְעָה תְפִלָּתִי). Same words, same syntagm; this is a rare-enough collocation to be significant. Death vs. life, and the restoration of praise - Ps 6 makes the core plea: “For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who will give you thanks?” כי אין במות זכרך; בשאול מי יודה־לך (6:6). The implied vow is: spare me so I can praise. - Ps 84 is the fulfillment: “Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they will still praise you” אשרי יושבי ביתך עוד יהללוך (84:5). “My heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God” לבי ובשרי ירננו אל־אל־חי (84:3). - The rare title אל־חי “the living God” (84:3; in the Psalter essentially 42:3 and 84:3) is a pointed antithesis to מות/שאול in 6:6. The one who feared death now joys before the Living One. The “tears” motif is transformed - Ps 6 is saturated with weeping: יגעתי באנחתי … בדמעתי ערשי אמסה (6:7); קוֹל בכיי (6:9). - Ps 84 refracts those tears into the communal journey: עֹברי בעמק הבכא (84:7). עמק הבכא (hapax; either “Valley of Weeping” or “Balsam”) exploits the same root בכ״ה as בְּכִי. In 84 the valley of weeping becomes a source: מעין ישיתוהו … גם־ברכות יעטה מורה (84:7). The private bed drenched with tears (6:7) becomes a valley drenched by rains, turning grief into blessing. Inner-body vocabulary resolves from panic to praise - Ps 6: “my bones are terrified … my soul is greatly dismayed” נבהלו עצמותי … ונפשי נבהלה מאד (6:3–4). - Ps 84: “my soul longs … my heart and my flesh sing for joy” נכספה וגם כלתה נפשי … לבי ובשרי ירננו (84:3). Same core nouns (נפש; body terms), but the affect is reversed—panic to praise. The pairing “bones” (עצמות) vs. “heart and flesh” heightens the contrast. Space shifts: from bed and Sheol to house and courts - Ps 6’s spaces are solitary and funereal: מיטתי/ערשי (bed/couch), שאול (underworld). - Ps 84’s spaces are communal and liturgical: ביתך, חצרות יהוה, מזבחותיך, בציון (house, courts, altars, Zion). The individual is restored to the sphere of praise he argued for in Ps 6:6. Separation from the wicked and choice of God’s house - Ps 6: “Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity” סורו ממני כל־פועלי און (6:9). - Ps 84: “I choose to stand at the threshold of the house of my God rather than dwell in the tents of wickedness” בחרתי הסתופף … ממדור באהלי־רשע (84:11). Workers of iniquity (און) vs. tents of wickedness (רשע) and, positively, להֹלְכִים בתמים (84:12) form a moral antithesis with shared idiom of participles (פֹעֲלֵי … הֹלְכִים). The psalmist’s rejection in 6 becomes a positive choosing in 84. Movement and divine “return” - Ps 6: “Return, O YHWH!” שובה יהוה (6:5); enemies “turn back” ישובו (6:11). - Ps 84: the worshipers “go” and “appear”: ילכו מחיל אל־חיל; יראה אל־אלוהים בציון (84:8). The desired divine turning in 6 is matched by human turning/going toward God’s presence in 84. Covenant grace language - Ps 6 grounds the plea “for the sake of your covenant love” למען חסדך (6:5). - Ps 84 asserts the gift: “YHWH God is sun and shield; favor and glory he gives” חן וכבוד יתן יהוה … לא ימנע־טוב להֹלכים בתמים (84:12). חסד (6) and חן (84) are not identical, but the semantic field of divine favor threads the two, with 84 narrating the fulfillment that 6 sought. Royal/Davidic line from the individual lament to communal prayer - Ps 6 is לדוד, an individual Davidic lament. - Ps 84 (a Korahite psalm) includes: “Behold the face of your anointed” הבט פני משיחך (84:10). The communal worshipers, now at the sanctuary, pray for “your anointed,” naturally heard against the Davidic persona of Ps 6. Thus the individual healed petitioner becomes the king whose well-being is tied to the sanctuary and the people. Night-to-day and soundscape - Ps 6 is nocturnal and quiet save for sobs: בכל־לילה … בדמעתי (6:7). - Ps 84 is daylight and musical: שמש ומגן (84:12), ירננו (84:3), and its superscription implies a festive tune (על־הגתית). The night of lament gives way to the day of worship. Liturgical life-cycle in ancient Israel - Ps 6 fits the well-attested pattern of the individual lament with a vow or rationale to praise upon deliverance (cf. the “Who will praise you if I die?” argument). - Ps 84 matches the next step in Israelite piety: making pilgrimage to Zion for worship and thanksgiving (עֹברי … מסילות בלבבם … יראה אל־אלוהים בציון), joining temple praise (עוד יהללוך), and including intercession for the king (הבט פני משיחך). This is the expected movement from crisis to sanctuary found throughout the Psalter and Israelite cult. Summary of the “logic” - The speaker who in Psalm 6 begged to be spared from death so that he could praise YHWH is, in Psalm 84, on the road to the sanctuary, arriving to praise the Living God in His courts. The bed of tears (6) becomes the valley of weeping transformed into springs (84); the soul that was terrified (6) now longs and sings (84); the wicked are renounced (6) and the house of YHWH is chosen (84); the plea “hear my prayer” is repeated verbatim in both; and the Davidic lament matures into a communal temple song that prays for the anointed. On stylistic, lexical (including identical forms), and cultic-historical grounds, Psalm 84 reads naturally as the narrative and liturgical sequel to Psalm 6.
Evaluation
Score: 2.0
Evaluated at: 2025-11-20T04:25:39 (UTC)
Evaluator model: gpt-5
Evaluator version: v2
Reasoning: 3328 Output: 5114 Total: 8442
Checklist
- Has verse refs: Yes
- Factual error detected: Yes
- Only generic motifs: No
- Counterargument considered: Yes
- LXX/MT numbering acknowledged: No
Vocabulary specificity: 4.0 / 10
Flags: misquote
Cap 2: misquote—Ps 6:10 lacks “שמע תפילתי” (it has “שמע … תחנתי; … תפילתי יקח”). Many links are common motifs; “Baca” wordplay uncertain; different collections (Davidic Book I vs Korahite Book III) weaken sequencing.
Prompt
Consider Psalm 6 and Psalm 84 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 84 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 84:
Psalm 84
1. לַמְנַצֵּ֥חַ
עַֽל־
הַגִּתִּ֑ית
לִבְנֵי־
קֹ֥רַח
מִזְמֽוֹר׃
2. מַה־
יְּדִיד֥וֹת
מִשְׁכְּנוֹתֶ֗יךָ
יְהוָ֥ה
צְבָאֽוֹת׃
3. נִכְסְפָ֬ה
וְגַם־
כָּלְתָ֨ה ׀
נַפְשִׁי֮
לְחַצְר֢וֹת
יְtה֫וָ֥ה
לִבִּ֥י
וּבְשָׂרִ֑י
יְ֝רַנְּנ֗וּ
אֶ֣ל
אֵֽל־
חָֽי׃
4. גַּם־
צִפּ֨וֹר ׀
מָ֪צְאָה
בַ֡יִת
וּדְר֤וֹר ׀
קֵ֥ן
לָהּ֮
אֲשֶׁר־
שָׁ֢תָה
אֶפְרֹ֫חֶ֥יהָ
אֶֽת־
מִ֭זְבְּחוֹתֶיךָ
יְהוָ֣ה
צְבָא֑וֹת
מַ֝לְכִּ֗י
וֵאלֹהָֽי׃
5. אַ֭שְׁרֵי
יוֹשְׁבֵ֣י
בֵיתֶ֑ךָ
ע֝֗וֹד
יְֽהַלְל֥וּךָ
סֶּֽלָה׃
6. אַשְׁרֵ֣י
אָ֭דָם
עֽוֹז־
ל֥וֹ
בָ֑ךְ
מְ֝סִלּ֗וֹת
בִּלְבָבָֽם׃
7. עֹבְרֵ֤י ׀
בְּעֵ֣מֶק
הַ֭בָּכָא
מַעְיָ֣ן
יְשִׁית֑וּהוּ
גַּם־
בְּ֝רָכ֗וֹת
יַעְטֶ֥ה
מוֹרֶֽה׃
8. יֵ֭לְכוּ
מֵחַ֣יִל
אֶל־
חָ֑יִל
יֵרָאֶ֖ה
אֶל־
אֱלֹהִ֣ים
בְּצִיּֽוֹן׃
9. יְה֘וָ֤ה
אֱלֹהִ֣ים
צְ֭בָאוֹת
שִׁמְעָ֣ה
תְפִלָּתִ֑י
הַאֲזִ֨ינָה
אֱלֹהֵ֖י
יַעֲקֹ֣ב
סֶֽלָה׃
10. מָ֭גִנֵּנוּ
רְאֵ֣ה
אֱלֹהִ֑ים
וְ֝הַבֵּ֗ט
פְּנֵ֣י
מְשִׁיחֶֽךָ׃
11. כִּ֤י
טֽוֹב־
י֥וֹם
בַּחֲצֵרֶ֗יךָ
מֵ֫אָ֥לֶף
בָּחַ֗רְתִּי
הִ֭סְתּוֹפֵף
בְּבֵ֣ית
אֱלֹהַ֑י
מִ֝דּ֗וּר
בְּאָהֳלֵי־
רֶֽשַׁע׃
12. כִּ֤י
שֶׁ֨מֶשׁ ׀
וּמָגֵן֮
יְהוָ֢ה
אֱלֹ֫הִ֥ים
חֵ֣ן
וְ֭כָבוֹד
יִתֵּ֣ן
יְהוָ֑ה
לֹ֥א
יִמְנַע־
ט֝֗וֹב
לַֽהֹלְכִ֥ים
בְּתָמִֽים׃
13. יְהוָ֥ה
צְבָא֑וֹת
אַֽשְׁרֵ֥י
אָ֝דָ֗ם
בֹּטֵ֥חַ
בָּֽךְ׃