Psalm 6 → 94
Reasoning: 8896 Output: 5562 Total: 14458
Argument
Here is a compact case that Psalm 94 can be read as “following on” from Psalm 6, with the strongest links first. 1) Exact and near-exact verbal hooks (rare/salient) - “פֹעֲלֵי אָוֶן” workers of iniquity: - Ps 6:9 ס֣וּרוּ מִמֶּנִּי כָל־פֹעֲלֵי אָוֶן - Ps 94:4 יִתְאַמְּרוּ כָל־פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן; 94:16 עִם־פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן This identical collocation is not common and functions as a clear hinge: Ps 6 ends with dismissing them; Ps 94 turns to profile, indict, and sentence them. - “עַד־מָתַי” how long: - Ps 6:4 וְאַתָּה יְהוָה עַד־מָתָי - Ps 94:3–4 עַד־מָתַי רְשָׁעִים יְהוָה… עַד־מָתַי רְשָׁעִים יַעֲלֹזוּ; cf. 94:8 מָתַי תַּשְׂכִּילוּ The lament “how long?” in Ps 6 becomes sharpened in Ps 94 into “how long will the wicked exult?”—i.e., Ps 94 supplies the target and extends the complaint Ps 6 only implies. - The rare parallel pair יכח//יסר (rebuke//discipline): - Ps 6:2 אַל־בְאַפְּךָ תּוֹכִיחֵנִי וְאַל־בַּחֲמָתְךָ תְיַסְּרֵנִי - Ps 94:10 הֲיֹסֵר גּוֹיִם הֲלֹא יוֹכִיחַ; and 94:12 אַשְׁרֵי… אֲשֶׁר־תְּיַסְּרֶנּוּ יָּהּ Both psalms set the same two verbs in synonymous parallelism, a relatively distinctive pairing. Ps 6 pleads that rebuke/discipline not be in wrath; Ps 94 answers by declaring that divine discipline is actually beatitude (when accompanied by Torah), while rebuke is rightly aimed at the wicked. - Hearing/seeing God (שמע/ראה/בין): - Ps 6:9–10 כִּי־שָׁמַע יְהוָה קוֹל בִּכְיִי; שָׁמַע יְהוָה תְּחִנָּתִי - Ps 94:7 “לֹא יִרְאֶה־יָּהּ… לֹא יָבִין”; 94:9–11 הֲנֹטַע אֹזֶן הֲלֹא יִשְׁמָע? … יֹדֵעַ מַחְשְׁבוֹת אָדָם Ps 6 asserts “YHWH has heard”; Ps 94 defends and universalizes that claim against scoffers with a sapiential proof: the Maker of the ear/eye obviously hears/sees. - Return/repay (שׁוּב): - Ps 6:5 שׁוּבָה יְהוָה…; 6:11 יָשֻׁבוּ יֵבֹשׁוּ רָגַע - Ps 94:15 כִּי־עַד־צֶדֶק יָשׁוּב מִשְׁפָּט; 94:23 וַיָּשֶׁב עֲלֵיהֶם אֶת־אוֹנָם The “return” requested in Ps 6 becomes “judgment returns to righteousness” and “He returns their iniquity upon them” in Ps 94—i.e., the personal plea becomes a program of public retribution. - Hesed as the ground of help: - Ps 6:5 הוֹשִׁיעֵנִי לְמַעַן חַסְדֶּךָ - Ps 94:18 חַסְדְּךָ יְהוָה יִסְעָדֵנִי The same rationale for rescue undergirds both psalms. - Near-death/underworld imagery: - Ps 6:6 כִּי אֵין בַּמָּוֶת זִכְרֶךָ; בִּשְׁאוֹל מִי יוֹדֶה־לָּךְ - Ps 94:17 לוּלֵי יְהוָה עֶזְרָתָה לִּי כִּמְעַט שָׁכְנָה דוּמָה נַפְשִׁי “Sheol” and rare “דּוּמָה” (Silence, the realm of the dead) both frame the crisis as life-and-death. - Root עתק: - Ps 6:8 עָתְקָה (my eye “has grown old/feeble”) - Ps 94:4 יַבִּיעוּ… עָתָק (arrogant/insolent speech) The shared, uncommon root binds the sufferer’s wasting (Ps 6) to the opponents’ insolence (Ps 94). 2) Form and structure that “answer” one another - Both are laments that pivot to confidence and end with a reversal for the enemies: - Ps 6 moves: complaint → “How long?” → plea for rescue → confidence that YHWH has heard → enemies’ shame (יבֹשו… ויבהלו… יָשֻׁבוּ). - Ps 94 moves: complaint → “How long (will the wicked)?” → description of their crimes → sapiential rebuttal → beatitude for the disciplined → personal testimony of near-fall and divine help → strong trust → explicit retributive closure (וַיָּשֶׁב… יַצְמִיתֵם). The macro-move of Ps 6 (“he has heard; they will be shamed”) is taken up and amplified in Ps 94 into public theology (“He hears and sees; judgment returns to righteousness; they are repaid and destroyed”). - Imperatives to YHWH at the outset: - Ps 6:2,5 “do not rebuke/discipline… return… deliver… save” - Ps 94:1–2 “appear… rise up… repay” The switch from plea for mercy (Ps 6) to plea for vengeance (Ps 94) is the complementary other side of the same justice. - Individual to communal/wisdom expansion: - Ps 6 is an individual sickbed lament. - Ps 94 is a communal-indictment/wisdom psalm that processes the same problem publicly (oppressors, divine discipline, theodicy). 3) Thematic logic: Ps 94 as the “next step” after Ps 6 - From “depart from me, all workers of iniquity” (Ps 6:9) to “who will stand for me against the evildoers/with workers of iniquity?” (Ps 94:16). Ps 94 takes the separation Ps 6 announces and turns it into a community’s need for an advocate and into a court scene that sentences those very “workers of iniquity.” - From “do not discipline me in wrath” (Ps 6:2) to “blessed is the man whom you discipline, Yah; and from your Torah you teach him” (Ps 94:12). Ps 94 clarifies Ps 6’s anxiety: discipline is good when pedagogical; wrath and vengeance are reserved for the unrepentant oppressors (94:2, 23). - From “YHWH has heard” (Ps 6:9–10) to “He who planted the ear, shall he not hear?” (Ps 94:9). Ps 94 universalizes Ps 6’s personal experience into a principled argument against skeptics (94:7). - Death’s silence: Ps 6 argues that if God lets the sufferer die, there will be no praise in Sheol; Ps 94 testifies that God prevented just that (“a little more and my soul would have dwelt in Dumah,” 94:17) and moves on to what God will do to the wicked instead (94:23). 4) A plausible life-setting sequence - Sickbed to court: In ancient Israel, individual lament (Ps 6) is commonly associated with illness/near-death prayer in the temple, seeking deliverance “for the sake of your hesed.” After deliverance, the worshiper joins the congregation to address the social dimension of evil—the oppressors of YHWH’s people—and to confess the lesson of discipline (Ps 94:12–15). Thus Ps 94 reads like the communal, public outworking of the private crisis in Ps 6: the God who spared the petitioner (from Dumah) will now rise as judge of the earth, repay the arrogant, and vindicate the righteous. 5) Summary of strongest dossiers - Exact string: כל־פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן (Ps 6:9 || Ps 94:4; cf. 94:16). - Identical complaint formula: עַד־מָתַי (Ps 6:4 || Ps 94:3; echoed 94:8). - The rare parallel verb-pair יכח//יסר in both (Ps 6:2 || Ps 94:10, 12). - Hearing theme resolved and then argued (Ps 6:9–10 || Ps 94:7–11). - Return/repay (שׁוּב) used as plea, promise, and sentence (Ps 6:5, 11 || Ps 94:15, 23). - Near-death/underworld (שְׁאוֹל || דוּמָה) as the crisis backdrop (Ps 6:6 || Ps 94:17). - Shared root עתק (Ps 6:8 || Ps 94:4). - Hesed as ground of salvation (Ps 6:5 || Ps 94:18). Put together, these linguistic hooks, shared formulas, and thematic moves make a strong case that Psalm 94 can be read as a deliberate “follow-up” to Psalm 6: it turns the individual’s plea for merciful discipline and deliverance from death into the community’s affirmation that God does hear, does teach, and will return judgment to righteousness by repaying the workers of iniquity.
Evaluation
Score: 2.0
Evaluated at: 2025-11-21T03:42:47 (UTC)
Evaluator model: gpt-5
Evaluator version: v2
Reasoning: 4288 Output: 6404 Total: 10692
Checklist
- Has verse refs: Yes
- Factual error detected: Yes
- Only generic motifs: No
- Counterargument considered: No
- LXX/MT numbering acknowledged: No
Vocabulary specificity: 4.5 / 10
Many precise links, but ‘כל־פֹעֲלֵי־אָוֶן’ is not rare (cf. Ps 5:6; 14:4; 28:3; 92:8). Any factual error → MAX 2. Several hooks are stock (עד־מתי, חסד, שוב).
Prompt
Consider Psalm 6 and Psalm 94 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 94 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 94:
Psalm 94
1. אֵל־
נְקָמ֥וֹת
יְהוָ֑ה
אֵ֖ל
נְקָמ֣וֹת
הוֹפִֽיעַt׃
2. הִ֭נָּשֵׂא
שֹׁפֵ֣ט
הָאָ֑רֶץ
הָשֵׁ֥ב
גְּ֝מ֗וּל
עַל־
גֵּאִֽים׃
3. עַד־
מָתַ֖י
רְשָׁעִ֥ים ׀
יְהוָ֑ה
עַד־
מָ֝תַ֗י
רְשָׁעִ֥ים
יַעֲלֹֽזוּ׃
4. יַבִּ֣יעוּ
יְדַבְּר֣וּ
עָתָ֑ק
יִֽ֝תְאַמְּר֗וּ
כָּל־
פֹּ֥עֲלֵי
אָֽוֶן׃
5. עַמְּךָ֣
יְהוָ֣ה
יְדַכְּא֑וּ
וְֽנַחֲלָתְךָ֥
יְעַנּֽוּ׃
6. אַ֭לְמָנָה
וְגֵ֣ר
יַהֲרֹ֑גוּ
וִֽיתוֹמִ֣ים
יְרַצֵּֽחוּ׃
7. וַ֭יֹּ֣אמְרוּ
לֹ֣א
יִרְאֶה־
יָּ֑הּ
וְלֹא־
יָ֝בִ֗ין
אֱלֹהֵ֥י
יַעֲקֹֽב׃
8. בִּ֭ינוּ
בֹּעֲרִ֣ים
בָּעָ֑ם
וּ֝כְסִילִ֗ים
מָתַ֥י
תַּשְׂכִּֽילוּ׃
9. הֲנֹ֣טַֽע
אֹ֭זֶן
הֲלֹ֣א
יִשְׁמָ֑ע
אִֽם־
יֹ֥צֵֽר
עַ֝֗יִן
הֲלֹ֣א
יַבִּֽיט׃
10. הֲיֹסֵ֣ר
גּ֭וֹיִם
הֲלֹ֣א
יוֹכִ֑יחַ
הַֽמְלַמֵּ֖ד
אָדָ֣ם
דָּֽעַת׃
11. יְֽהוָ֗ה
יֹ֭דֵעַ
מַחְשְׁב֣וֹת
אָדָ֑ם
כִּי־
הֵ֥מָּה
הָֽבֶל׃
12. אַשְׁרֵ֤י ׀
הַגֶּ֣בֶר
אֲשֶׁר־
תְּיַסְּרֶ֣נּוּ
יָּ֑הּ
וּֽמִתּוֹרָתְךָ֥
תְלַמְּדֶֽנּוּ׃
13. לְהַשְׁקִ֣יט
ל֭וֹ
מִ֣ימֵי
רָ֑ע
עַ֤ד
יִכָּרֶ֖ה
לָרָשָׁ֣ע
שָֽׁחַת׃
14. כִּ֤י ׀
לֹא־
יִטֹּ֣שׁ
יְהוָ֣ה
עַמּ֑וֹ
וְ֝נַחֲלָת֗וֹ
לֹ֣א
יַעֲזֹֽב׃
15. כִּֽי־
עַד־
צֶ֭דֶק
יָשׁ֣וּב
מִשְׁפָּ֑ט
וְ֝אַחֲרָ֗יו
כָּל־
יִשְׁרֵי־
לֵֽב׃
16. מִֽי־
יָק֣וּם
לִ֭י
עִם־
מְרֵעִ֑ים
מִֽי־
יִתְיַצֵּ֥ב
לִ֝י
עִם־
פֹּ֥עֲלֵי
אָֽוֶן׃
17. לוּלֵ֣י
יְ֭הוָה
עֶזְרָ֣תָה
לִּ֑י
כִּמְעַ֓ט ׀
שָֽׁכְנָ֖ה
דוּמָ֣ה
נַפְשִֽׁי׃
18. אִם־
אָ֭מַרְתִּי
מָ֣טָה
רַגְלִ֑י
חַסְדְּךָ֥
יְ֝הוָ֗ה
יִסְעָדֵֽנִי׃
19. בְּרֹ֣ב
שַׂרְעַפַּ֣י
בְּקִרְבִּ֑י
תַּ֝נְחוּמֶ֗יךָ
יְֽשַׁעַשְׁע֥וּ
נַפְשִֽׁי׃
20. הַֽ֭יְחָבְרְךָ
כִּסֵּ֣א
הַוּ֑וֹת
יֹצֵ֖ר
עָמָ֣ל
עֲלֵי־
חֹֽק׃
21. יָ֭גוֹדּוּ
עַל־
נֶ֣פֶשׁ
צַדִּ֑יק
וְדָ֖ם
נָקִ֣י
יַרְשִֽׁיעוּ׃
22. וַיְהִ֬י
יְהוָ֣ה
לִ֣י
לְמִשְׂגָּ֑ב
וֵ֝אלֹהַ֗י
לְצ֣וּר
מַחְסִֽי׃
23. וַיָּ֤שֶׁב
עֲלֵיהֶ֨ם ׀
אֶת־
אוֹנָ֗ם
וּבְרָעָתָ֥ם
יַצְמִיתֵ֑ם
יַ֝צְמִיתֵ֗ם
יְהוָ֥ה
אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ׃