Psalm 6 → 92

Reasoning: 12032 Output: 4836 Total: 16868

Argument

Short answer: Psalm 92 reads like the public, Sabbath thanksgiving that fulfills the plea and vow implicit in Psalm 6. The link is not just thematic (lament → deliverance → praise), but is reinforced by unusually tight lexical, stylistic, and cultic correspondences.

Strongest lexical/formulaic ties (highest significance by your criteria)
- Identical three-word phrase: כל פֹעֲלֵי אָוֶן
  - Ps 6:9 סוּרוּ מִמֶּנִּי כָל פֹעֲלֵי אָוֶן
  - Ps 92:8 וַיָּצִיצוּ כָל פֹעֲלֵי אָוֶן; 92:10 יִתְפָּרְדוּ כָל פֹעֲלֵי אָוֶן
  - Rare collocation; Psalm 92 twice echoes Psalm 6 and reports what Psalm 6 demanded: they “depart” (סורו) → they are “scattered” (יתפרדו).
- Identical form: חַסְדֶּךָ
  - Ps 6:5 הוֹשִׁיעֵנִי לְמַעַן חַסְדֶּךָ
  - Ps 92:3 לְהַגִּיד בַּבֹּקֶר חַסְדֶּךָ
  - In 6, hesed is the reason to save; in 92, hesed becomes the content of praise.
- Same verbal root ידה “to give thanks/praise” answering the lament’s logic
  - Ps 6:6 בִּשְׁאוֹל מִי יוֹדֶה־לָּךְ
  - Ps 92:2 טוֹב לְהוֹדוֹת לַיהוָה
  - The fear “Who will thank you?” is answered by an actual “It is good to thank.”
- Night/day vocabulary reversed from lament to praise
  - Ps 6:7 בְּכָל־לַיְלָה (nights of weeping)
  - Ps 92:3 לְהַגִּיד בַּבֹּקֶר … וֶאֱמוּנָתְךָ בַּלֵּילוֹת (morning praise; nights now filled with faith-declaration).
- Same noun with 1cs suffix, but reversed experience of sight
  - Ps 6:8 עָשְׁשָׁה … עֵינִי (my eye wastes away)
  - Ps 92:12 וַתַּבֵּט עֵינִי (my eye looks triumphantly)
- Root שמע in antiphonal reversal (God hears me → my ears hear)
  - Ps 6:9–10 שָׁמַע יְהוָה קוֹל בִּכְיִי … שָׁמַע יְהוָה תְּחִנָּתִי
  - Ps 92:12 תִּשְׁמַעְנָה אָזְנָי (my ears will hear about my foes)

Stylistic and performance links
- Both are marked as performance pieces with specific musical rubrics and instruments:
  - Ps 6 superscription: לַמְנַצֵּחַ … בִּנְגִינוֹת עַל־הַשְּׁמִינִית (to the choirmaster; strings; “the eighth”)
  - Ps 92:4 עֲלֵי־עָשׂוֹר וַעֲלֵי־נָבֶל … הִגָּיוֹן בְּכִנּוֹר (decachord, harp, lyre; “higgayon”)
  - Shared interest in precise instrumentation makes 92 a plausible liturgical “follow-up” performance to 6 (from a solo lament setting to full ensemble praise).
- Parallel two-movement structures that culminate with the fate of opponents:
  - Ps 6: lament (vv. 2–8) → confident reversal (vv. 9–11).
  - Ps 92: praise (vv. 2–6) → wisdom verdict on the wicked and vindication of the righteous (vv. 7–16).

Narrative/theological sequencing (lament → deliverance → praise)
- From “How long?” to “Forever”
  - Ps 6:4 וְאַתָּה יְהוָה עַד־מָתָי
  - Ps 92:9 וְאַתָּה מָרוֹם לְעוֹלָם יְהוָה; 92:8 לְהִשָּׁמְדָם עֲדֵי־עַד
  - “How long?” is answered by “forever” (of God’s enthronement and the wicked’s extinction).
- From deathbed to temple-court life
  - Ps 6: bodily collapse, threat of Sheol, sickbed imagery (vv. 3, 6–7).
  - Ps 92: recovery and rejuvenation: וַתָּרֶם … קַרְנִי … בְּשֶׁמֶן רַעֲנָן (v. 11); longevity and vitality: עוֹד יְנוּבוּן בְּשֵׂיבָה … דְּשֵׁנִים וְרַעֲנַנִּים (v. 15); relocation into sacred space: שְׁתוּלִים בְּבֵית יְהוָה … בְּחַצְרוֹת אֱלֹהֵינוּ (v. 14).
  - The private, tear-soaked bed (6:7) gives way to public praise in the courts (92:14).
- From imperative to outcome regarding the wicked
  - Ps 6:9 “Depart from me, all workers of iniquity.”
  - Ps 92:8–10 their brief sprouting is only “לְהִשָּׁמְדָם,” and “יִתְפָּרְדוּ כָל־פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן.” What 6 demands, 92 describes as accomplished.
- From God’s hearing to the worshiper’s testimony
  - Ps 6 emphasizes God hearing prayer (vv. 9–10).
  - Ps 92:12 the worshiper’s eyes see and ears hear the downfall of “the ones rising against me,” closing the loop of vindication.

Root-level and semantic meshes (medium significance)
- פעל “work/worker”
  - Ps 6:9 פֹעֲלֵי אָוֶן (human “workers” of iniquity).
  - Ps 92:5–6 בְּפָעֳלֶךָ … בְּמַעֲשֵׂי יָדֶיךָ (God’s “work”/“works”) + repetition of פֹעֲלֵי אָוֶן (vv. 8, 10).
  - Deliberate contrast: God’s works gladden; human “workers” of iniquity perish.
- Enemies lexicon
  - Ps 6:8 “צוררי,” 6:11 “כל אויבי.”
  - Ps 92:10 “אויביך,” 92:12 “הקמים עלי מרעים.”
  - Same conflict horizon, now judged and resolved.
- Time-of-day and reversal of affect
  - Ps 6: nights of tears; Ps 92: morning joy, nightly confession of faith.
  - Ps 6: groans/weeping vs Ps 92: music/rejoicing (שִׂמַּחְתַּנִי … אֲרַנֵּן).

Cultic and life-pattern plausibility in ancient Israel
- Standard lament-to-thanksgiving vow pattern:
  - In 6, the psalmist argues for life “so that” he can thank God (6:6).
  - 92 is the explicit fulfillment: “It is good to give thanks … to declare your hesed in the morning,” with instruments in the sanctuary (vv. 2–4, 14).
- Sabbath setting:
  - 92 is “A psalm, a song for the Sabbath.” After recovery from illness/attack (Ps 6), appearing on Sabbath with public thanksgiving is exactly what the cultic system envisages.
- Mythic movement:
  - From the brink of Sheol (6:6) up to YHWH “on high forever” (92:9) and the worshiper “planted in the house of YHWH” like palm/cedar (92:13–14), i.e., from death/chaos to the ordered garden-temple on God’s mountain.

Relative weighting (per your criteria)
- Highest: exact phrase כל פועלי און; identical form חסדך; exact time terms בַּבֹּקֶר / לַיְלָה; identical noun + suffix עֵינִי; same verb root ידה used to pose the problem (6:6) and supply the solution (92:2).
- Medium: root שמע used antiphonally; root פעל linking God’s “work” to “workers of iniquity”; enemy lexicon; instrument rubrics in both headings/bodies.
- Lower: broader lament→thanksgiving pattern (common in Psalms), general divine names.

Composite reading
- Psalm 6: a night-bound, death-ward plea for healing and vindication; God hears; the psalmist orders the “workers of iniquity” away.
- Psalm 92: on Sabbath morning the same voice keeps the vow—publicly thanking God, declaring hesed and emunah, witnessing with eyes and ears the downfall and dispersal of those same “workers of iniquity,” and celebrating renewed strength and longevity in God’s house.

Taken together, the rare identical collocations, the precise root-echoes that flip lament into praise (ידה; שמע), the night/morning reversal, the matching musical rubrics, and the standard Israelite lament→thank-offering sequence make a strong case that Psalm 92 can be read as the logical, liturgical, and lexical follow-on to Psalm 6.

Evaluation

Score: 7.5

Evaluated at: 2025-11-21T03:40:01 (UTC)

Evaluator model: gpt-5

Evaluator version: v2

Reasoning: 3264 Output: 5699 Total: 8963

Vocabulary specificity: 5.5 / 10

Multiple exact echoes (כל־פֹעֲלֵי־אָוֶן x2 in 92; ידה; שמע/תִּשְׁמַעְנָה; עֵינִי; לַיְלָה/בֹּקֶר) with reversal logic and cultic plausibility; however, several motifs/lexemes are common and no editorial marker links 6→92.

Prompt

Consider Psalm 6 and Psalm 92 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 92 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 92:
Psalm 92
1. מִזְמ֥וֹר
        שִׁ֗יר
        לְי֣וֹם
        הַשַׁבָּֽת׃
2. ט֗וֹב
        לְהֹד֥וֹת
        לַיהוָ֑ה
        וּלְזַמֵּ֖ר
        לְשִׁמְךָ֣
        עֶלְיֽוֹן׃
3. לְהַגִּ֣יד
        בַּבֹּ֣קֶר
        חַסְֽדֶּ֑ךָ
        וֶ֝אֱמֽוּנָתְךָ֗
        בַּלֵּילֽוֹת׃
4. עֲ‍ֽלֵי־
        עָ֭שׂוֹר
        וַעֲלֵי־
        נָ֑בֶל
        עֲלֵ֖י
        הִגָּי֣וֹן
        בְּכִנּֽוֹר׃
5. כִּ֤י
        שִׂמַּחְתַּ֣נִי
        יְהוָ֣ה
        בְּפָעֳלֶ֑ךָ
        בְּֽמַעֲשֵׂ֖י
        יָדֶ֣יךָ
        אֲרַנֵּֽן׃
6. מַה־
        גָּדְל֣וּ
        מַעֲשֶׂ֣יךָ
        יְהוָ֑ה
        מְ֝אֹ֗ד
        עָמְק֥וּ
        מַחְשְׁבֹתֶֽיךָ׃
7. אִֽישׁ־
        בַּ֭עַר
        לֹ֣א
        יֵדָ֑ע
        וּ֝כְסִ֗יל
        לֹא־
        יָבִ֥ין
        אֶת־
        זֹֽאת׃
8. בִּפְרֹ֤חַ
        רְשָׁעִ֨ים ׀
        כְּמ֥וֹ
        עֵ֗שֶׂב
        וַ֭יָּצִיצוּ
        כָּל־
        פֹּ֣עֲלֵי
        אָ֑וֶן
        לְהִשָּֽׁמְדָ֥ם
        עֲדֵי־
        עַֽד׃
9. וְאַתָּ֥ה
        מָר֗וֹם
        לְעֹלָ֥ם
        יְהוָֽה׃
10. כִּ֤י
        הִנֵּ֪ה
        אֹיְבֶ֡יךָ
        יְֽהוָ֗ה
        כִּֽי־
        הִנֵּ֣ה
        אֹיְבֶ֣יךָ
        יֹאבֵ֑דוּ
        יִ֝תְפָּרְד֗וּ
        כָּל־
        פֹּ֥עֲלֵי
        אָֽוֶן׃
11. וַתָּ֣רֶם
        כִּרְאֵ֣ים
        קַרְנִ֑י
        בַּ֝לֹּתִ֗י
        בְּשֶׁ֣מֶן
        רַעֲנָֽן׃
12. וַתַּבֵּ֥ט
        עֵינִ֗י
        בְּשׁ֫וּרָ֥י
        בַּקָּמִ֖ים
        עָלַ֥י
        מְרֵעִ֗ים
        תִּשְׁמַ֥עְנָה
        אָזְנָֽי׃
13. צַ֭דִּיק
        כַּתָּמָ֣ר
        יִפְרָ֑ח
        כְּאֶ֖רֶז
        בַּלְּבָנ֣וֹן
        יִשְׂגֶּֽה׃
14. שְׁ֭תוּלִים
        בְּבֵ֣ית
        יְהוָ֑ה
        בְּחַצְר֖וֹת
        אֱלֹהֵ֣ינוּ
        יַפְרִֽיחוּ׃
15. ע֭וֹד
        יְנוּב֣וּן
        בְּשֵׂיבָ֑ה
        דְּשֵׁנִ֖ים
        וְרַֽעֲנַנִּ֣ים
        יִהְיֽוּ׃
16. לְ֭הַגִּיד
        כִּֽי־
        יָשָׁ֣ר
        יְהוָ֑ה
        צ֝וּרִ֗י
        וְֽלֹא־
        עלתה
        עַוְלָ֥תָה
        בּֽוֹ׃