Psalm 6 → 106
Reasoning: 8064 Output: 7861 Total: 15925
Argument
Here is a set of mutually reinforcing arguments—formal, lexical, and thematic—that make it plausible to read Psalm 106 as a logical sequel to Psalm 6, as if Psalm 106 were the corporate, historical, and liturgical “answer” to the individual plea of Psalm 6. 1) Form and macro-structure: an individual lament moves to a corporate thanksgiving/confession - Psalm 6 is a classic individual lament: complaint (vv. 2–4), plea (vv. 3–5), motivation “for your hesed” (v. 5), and a turn to confidence with enemies shamed (vv. 9–11). - Psalm 106 is a corporate hymn-with-confession that opens with thanksgiving (v. 1), inserts a first-person petition (vv. 4–5), rehearses salvation history (vv. 7–43), and concludes with plea and doxology (vv. 47–48). - Together they form a natural liturgical sequence: the individual’s urgent plea “save me so I can praise” (Ps 6) is followed by the community’s enacted praise and confession (Ps 106), culminating in an “Amen, Hallelujah” response (106:48). 2) Direct lexical/morphological links (same roots; often the same word class or even near-identical forms) - ישע “save”: Ps 6:5 הוֹשִׁיעֵנִי (Hiphil impv. 2ms + 1cs) versus Ps 106:47 הוֹשִׁיעֵנוּ (Hiphil impv. 2ms + 1cp); also 106:8,10 וַיּוֹשִׁיעֵם; 106:4 בִּישׁוּעָתֶךָ; 106:21 אֵל מוֹשִׁיעָם. The individual’s “save me” becomes the community’s “save us,” and the historical narrative supplies examples of “he saved them.” - חסד “steadfast love”: Ps 6:5 לְמַעַן חַסְדֶּךָ is answered by Ps 106:1 כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ and 106:45 כְּרֹב חֲסָדָיו. The ground the individual appeals to (God’s hesed) is affirmed and amplified by the community. - זכר “remember”: Ps 6:6 אֵין בַמָּוֶת זִכְרֶךָ (no “remembrance” of you in death) is matched by Ps 106:4 זָכְרֵנִי (remember me), 106:7 לֹא זָכְרוּ (they did not remember), 106:45 וַיִּזְכֹּר (he remembered). The theme shifts from the individual’s anxiety about God’s remembrance to a national plea and God’s covenantal remembering. - ידה “give thanks/praise”: Ps 6:6 בִּשְׁאוֹל מִי יוֹדֶה־לָּךְ? (in Sheol who will thank you?) is answered immediately by Ps 106:1 הוֹדוּ לַיהוָה and climactically by 106:47–48 לְהֹדוֹת לְשֵׁם קָדְשֶׁךָ … אָמֵן הַלְלוּ־יָהּ. The rhetorical “who will thank you?” in Ps 6 becomes the congregation giving thanks in Ps 106. - שמע “hear”: Ps 6:9–10 שָׁמַע יְהוָה קוֹל בִּכְיִי … תְּחִנָּתִי is echoed by Ps 106:44 בְּשָׁמְעוֹ אֶת־רִנָּתָם. God “hearing” the individual lament generalizes to God hearing the nation’s cry. - חמה/אף (wrath) and כעס (anger): Ps 6:2 אַל־בַּחֲמָתְךָ תְיַסְּרֵנִי connects with Ps 106:23 לְהָשִׁיב חֲמָתוֹ (to turn back his wrath) and 106:40–41 וַיִּחַר־אַף. Ps 6:8 מִכַּעַס עֵינִי corresponds with 106:29 וַיַּכְעִיסוּ (they provoked [Him]). The wrath the individual fears is the very wrath the nation provokes—but which God ultimately turns back. - אוֹיֵב/שׂוֹנֵא/צָר: Ps 6:11 כָּל־אוֹיְבָי; 6:8 בְּכָל־צוֹרְרָי connects to Ps 106:10–11 מִיַּד שׂוֹנֵא … צָרֵיהֶם, and 106:41–42 אוֹיְבֵיהֶם/שֹׂנְאֵיהֶם. The “enemies” motif in the individual lament is resolved historically at the Sea (106:10–11) and then complicated/explained by Israel’s later sins and subjugations (106:41–42). - מוּת “death”: Ps 6:6 בַמָּוֶת vs Ps 106:28 זִבְחֵי מֵתִים. Ps 6’s anxiety over death as the silencing of praise is contrasted with Israel’s perverse “sacrifices to the dead” in 106—an antithetical misuse of cult that suppresses true thanksgiving. 3) Rhetorical “question-and-answer” dovetailing - Ps 6:4 “YHWH … how long?” (עַד־מָתָי) is answered by the time-language of Ps 106:1,48: “for his hesed is forever,” “from everlasting to everlasting.” The anguished “how long?” is answered by the proclamation of God’s eternal goodness and reign. - Ps 6:6 “Who will thank you in Sheol?” becomes Ps 106:1 “Give thanks to YHWH,” Ps 106:2 “Who can declare all his praise?” and Ps 106:47 “to give thanks to your holy name.” The personal dilemma is answered by communal, overflowing praise. 4) Shared lament-to-praise logic and vow-of-praise fulfillment - Ps 6 pleads for rescue explicitly in order to go on praising (v. 6). Ps 106 actually performs that praise: it begins with Hodu, narrates God’s mighty acts (a form of praise), and closes with doxology (v. 48). Read together, 106 enacts the praise Ps 6 longs to offer but fears death will prevent. 5) The “hearing-and-deliverance” chain becomes historical and communal - Ps 6:9–10 God has “heard” the individual’s weeping and prayer; enemies will be turned back and shamed “in a moment.” - Ps 106:10–12 God saves the nation from enemies at the Sea; the waters cover them—an historical macro-version of enemies being “turned back” and shamed; 106:44–46 again depicts God hearing and acting, now in exile, paralleling the logic of Ps 6 at national scale. 6) Illness/plague motif: the personal body vs the body politic - Ps 6’s language of distress, healing (רְפָאֵנִי), and staring death in the face is mirrored in Ps 106’s national “plague” scenes (106:29–30; וַתִּפְרָץ בָּם מַגֵּפָה … וַיֵּעָצַר הַמַּגֵּפָה). What is a personal sickness in Ps 6 becomes corporate sickness in Ps 106, resolved through intercession—just as the individual’s crisis is resolved through prayer in Ps 6. 7) Individual-to-community voice bridge inside Ps 106 - Ps 106 includes a striking 1st-person singular petition (106:4 זָכְרֵנִי … פָּקְדֵנִי), which sounds like the speaker of Ps 6 stepping into the communal psalm. That 1sg appeal is then subsumed into the 1pl plea (106:47 הוֹשִׁיעֵנוּ … וְקַבְּצֵנוּ), a natural “follow-on” from the individual’s salvation to the community’s. 8) Liturgical logic and performance cues - Ps 6 is “למנצח … בנגינות על־השמינית,” marked for performance with strings; Ps 106 contains explicit “sing/praise” language (ישירו, תהלתו, הללויה) and ends with a congregational response: “And let all the people say: Amen. Hallelujah” (106:48). That final acclamation can function as the assembly’s audible response to a lament like Ps 6. 9) Narrative logic: “Turn back,” “remember,” and “for the sake of…” - Ps 6:5 “Return, YHWH” (שׁוּבָה) and Ps 6:5 “save me for the sake of your hesed” (לְמַעַן חַסְדֶּךָ) are matched by Ps 106:8 “He saved them for his name’s sake” (לְמַעַן שְׁמוֹ) and 106:23 “to turn back his wrath” (לְהָשִׁיב חֲמָתוֹ), 106:45 “He remembered his covenant.” Ps 106 supplies the reasons and the divine “turning” that Ps 6 invokes. 10) The enemies’ fate: from wish to narrated fact - Ps 6:11 envisions enemies shamed and dismayed. Ps 106:10–11 narrates this concretely at the Sea: “He saved them … and waters covered their adversaries; not one of them remained.” The micro-hope of Ps 6 becomes the macro-event of Ps 106. 11) Theological climax that answers Ps 6’s anxieties - Ps 6 fears death will silence praise. Ps 106 shows how God’s covenant loyalty overrules wrath, remembers his people, restores them from exile, and elicits public thanksgiving and Hallelujah (106:44–48). The prayer for ongoing life so that God may be praised (Ps 6) is answered with praise that is communal, historical, and everlasting (Ps 106). In short: Psalm 106 reads naturally as a liturgical-historical answer to Psalm 6. The two psalms share key roots (ישע, חסד, זכר, ידה, שמע, חמה/כעס), parallel rhetorical moves (מי-questions, “for the sake of…,” lament-to-praise), and matching motifs (enemies undone, God “hearing,” sickness/plague). Psalm 6’s individual plea “save me so I may thank you” is fulfilled in Psalm 106’s corporate “He saved us; let us thank him,” culminating in the congregation’s Amen and Hallelujah.
Evaluation
Score: 6.5
Evaluated at: 2025-11-21T03:57:54 (UTC)
Evaluator model: gpt-5
Evaluator version: v2
Reasoning: 2944 Output: 8696 Total: 11640
Checklist
- Has verse refs: Yes
- Factual error detected: No
- Only generic motifs: No
- Counterargument considered: No
- LXX/MT numbering acknowledged: No
Vocabulary specificity: 3.0 / 10
Many precise, verse-anchored lexical links (ישע, חסד, זכר, ידה; Ps 6:5 ↔ 106:47–48; 6:6 ↔ 106:1). Strong individual→corporate rationale. But vocabulary is common and no editorial/adjacency markers—limits strength.
Prompt
Consider Psalm 6 and Psalm 106 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 106 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 106:
Psalm 106
1. הַֽלְלְויָ֨הּc ׀
הוֹד֣וּ
לַיהוָ֣ה
כִּי־
ט֑וֹב
כִּ֖י
לְעוֹלָ֣ם
חַסְדּֽוֹ׃
2. מִ֗י
יְ֭מַלֵּל
גְּבוּר֣וֹת
יְהוָ֑ה
יַ֝שְׁמִ֗יעַ
כָּל־
תְּהִלָּתֽוֹ׃
3. אַ֭שְׁרֵי
שֹׁמְרֵ֣י
מִשְׁפָּ֑ט
עֹשֵׂ֖ה
צְדָקָ֣ה
בְכָל־
עֵֽת׃
4. זָכְרֵ֣נִי
יְ֭הוָה
בִּרְצ֣וֹן
עַמֶּ֑ךָ
פָּ֝קְדֵ֗נִי
בִּישׁוּעָתֶֽךָ׃
5. לִרְא֤וֹת ׀
בְּט֘וֹבַ֤ת
בְּחִירֶ֗יךָ
לִ֭שְׂמֹחַ
בְּשִׂמְחַ֣ת
גּוֹיֶ֑ךָ
לְ֝הִתְהַלֵּ֗ל
עִם־
נַחֲלָתֶֽךָ׃
6. חָטָ֥אנוּ
עִם־
אֲבוֹתֵ֗ינוּ
הֶעֱוִ֥ינוּ
הִרְשָֽׁעְנוּ׃
7. אֲב֘וֹתֵ֤ינוּ
בְמִצְרַ֨יִם ׀
לֹא־
הִשְׂכִּ֬ילוּ
נִפְלְאוֹתֶ֗יךָ
לֹ֣א
זָ֭כְרוּ
אֶת־
רֹ֣ב
חֲסָדֶ֑יךָ
וַיַּמְר֖וּ
עַל־
יָ֣ם
בְּיַם־
סֽוּף׃
8. וַֽ֭יּוֹשִׁיעֵם
לְמַ֣עַן
שְׁמ֑וֹ
לְ֝הוֹדִ֗יעַ
אֶת־
גְּבוּרָתֽוֹ׃
9. וַיִּגְעַ֣ר
בְּיַם־
ס֭וּף
וַֽיֶּחֱרָ֑ב
וַיּוֹלִיכֵ֥ם
בַּ֝תְּהֹמ֗וֹת
כַּמִּדְבָּֽר׃
10. וַֽ֭יּוֹשִׁיעֵם
מִיַּ֣ד
שׂוֹנֵ֑א
וַ֝יִּגְאָלֵ֗ם
מִיַּ֥ד
אוֹיֵֽב׃
11. וַיְכַסּוּ־
מַ֥יִם
צָרֵיהֶ֑ם
אֶחָ֥ד
מֵ֝הֶ֗ם
לֹ֣א
נוֹתָֽר׃
12. וַיַּאֲמִ֥ינוּ
בִדְבָרָ֑יו
יָ֝שִׁ֗ירוּ
תְּהִלָּתֽוֹ׃
13. מִֽ֭הֲרוּ
שָׁכְח֣וּ
מַעֲשָׂ֑יו
לֹֽא־
חִ֝כּ֗וּ
לַעֲצָתֽוֹ׃
14. וַיִּתְאַוּ֣וּ
תַ֭אֲוָה
בַּמִּדְבָּ֑ר
וַיְנַסּוּ־
אֵ֝֗ל
בִּֽישִׁימֽוֹן׃
15. וַיִּתֵּ֣ן
לָ֭הֶם
שֶׁאֱלָתָ֑ם
וַיְשַׁלַּ֖ח
רָז֣וֹן
בְּנַפְשָֽׁם׃
16. וַיְקַנְא֣וּ
לְ֭מֹשֶׁה
בַּֽמַּחֲנֶ֑ה
לְ֝אַהֲרֹ֗ן
קְד֣וֹשׁ
יְהוָֽה׃
17. תִּפְתַּח־
אֶ֭רֶץ
וַתִּבְלַ֣ע
דָּתָ֑ן
וַ֝תְּכַ֗ס
עַל־
עֲדַ֥ת
אֲבִירָֽם׃
18. וַתִּבְעַר־
אֵ֥שׁ
בַּעֲדָתָ֑ם
לֶ֝הָבָ֗ה
תְּלַהֵ֥ט
רְשָׁעִֽים׃
19. יַעֲשׂוּ־
עֵ֥גֶל
בְּחֹרֵ֑ב
וַ֝יִּשְׁתַּחֲו֗וּ
לְמַסֵּכָֽה׃
20. וַיָּמִ֥ירוּ
אֶת־
כְּבוֹדָ֑ם
בְּתַבְנִ֥ית
שׁ֝֗וֹר
אֹכֵ֥ל
עֵֽשֶׂב׃
21. שָׁ֭כְחוּ
אֵ֣ל
מוֹשִׁיעָ֑ם
עֹשֶׂ֖ה
גְדֹל֣וֹת
בְּמִצְרָֽיִם׃
22. נִ֭פְלָאוֹת
בְּאֶ֣רֶץ
חָ֑ם
נ֝וֹרָא֗וֹת
עַל־
יַם־
סֽוּף׃
23. וַיֹּ֗אמֶר
לְֽהַשְׁמִ֫ידָ֥ם
לוּלֵ֡י
מֹ֘שֶׁ֤ה
בְחִיר֗וֹ
עָמַ֣ד
בַּפֶּ֣רֶץ
לְפָנָ֑יו
לְהָשִׁ֥יב
חֲ֝מָת֗וֹ
מֵֽהַשְׁחִֽית׃
24. וַֽ֭יִּמְאֲסוּ
בְּאֶ֣רֶץ
חֶמְדָּ֑ה
לֹֽא־
הֶ֝אֱמִ֗ינוּ
לִדְבָרֽוֹ׃
25. וַיֵּרָגְנ֥וּ
בְאָהֳלֵיהֶ֑ם
לֹ֥א
שָׁ֝מְע֗וּ
בְּק֣וֹל
יְהוָֽה׃
26. וַיִשָּׂ֣א
יָד֣וֹ
לָהֶ֑ם
לְהַפִּ֥יל
א֝וֹתָ֗ם
בַּמִּדְבָּֽר׃
27. וּלְהַפִּ֣יל
זַ֭רְעָם
בַּגּוֹיִ֑ם
וּ֝לְזָרוֹתָ֗ם
בָּאֲרָצֽוֹת׃
28. וַ֭יִּצָּ֣מְדוּ
לְבַ֣עַל
פְּע֑וֹר
וַ֝יֹּאכְל֗וּ
זִבְחֵ֥י
מֵתִֽים׃
29. וַ֭יַּכְעִיסוּ
בְּמַֽעַלְלֵיהֶ֑ם
וַתִּפְרָץ־
בָּ֝֗ם
מַגֵּפָֽה׃
30. וַיַּעֲמֹ֣ד
פִּֽ֭ינְחָס
וַיְפַלֵּ֑ל
וַ֝תֵּעָצַ֗ר
הַמַּגֵּפָֽה׃
31. וַתֵּחָ֣שֶׁב
ל֭וֹ
לִצְדָקָ֑ה
לְדֹ֥ר
וָ֝דֹ֗ר
עַד־
עוֹלָֽם׃
32. וַ֭יַּקְצִיפוּ
עַל־
מֵ֥י
מְרִיבָ֑ה
וַיֵּ֥רַע
לְ֝מֹשֶׁ֗ה
בַּעֲבוּרָֽם׃
33. כִּֽי־
הִמְר֥וּ
אֶת־
רוּח֑וֹ
וַ֝יְבַטֵּ֗א
בִּשְׂפָתָֽיו׃
34. לֹֽא־
הִ֭שְׁמִידוּ
אֶת־
הָֽעַמִּ֑ים
אֲשֶׁ֤ר
אָמַ֖ר
יְהוָ֣ה
לָהֶֽם׃
35. וַיִּתְעָרְב֥וּ
בַגּוֹיִ֑ם
וַֽ֝יִּלְמְד֗וּ
מַֽעֲשֵׂיהֶֽם׃
36. וַיַּעַבְד֥וּ
אֶת־
עֲצַבֵּיהֶ֑ם
וַיִּהְי֖וּ
לָהֶ֣ם
לְמוֹקֵֽשׁ׃
37. וַיִּזְבְּח֣וּ
אֶת־
בְּ֭נֵיהֶם
וְאֶת־
בְּנֽוֹתֵיהֶ֗ם
לַשֵּֽׁדִים׃
38. וַיִּֽשְׁפְּכ֨וּ
דָ֪ם
נָקִ֡י
דַּם־
בְּנֵ֘יהֶ֤ם
וּֽבְנוֹתֵיהֶ֗ם
אֲשֶׁ֣ר
זִ֭בְּחוּ
לַעֲצַבֵּ֣י
כְנָ֑עַן
וַתֶּחֱנַ֥ף
הָ֝אָ֗רֶץ
בַּדָּמִֽים׃
39. וַיִּטְמְא֥וּ
בְמַעֲשֵׂיהֶ֑ם
וַ֝יִּזְנ֗וּ
בְּמַ֥עַלְלֵיהֶֽם׃
40. וַיִּֽחַר־
אַ֣ף
יְהוָ֣ה
בְּעַמּ֑וֹ
וַ֝יְתָעֵ֗ב
אֶת־
נַחֲלָתֽוֹ׃
41. וַיִּתְּנֵ֥ם
בְּיַד־
גּוֹיִ֑ם
וַֽיִּמְשְׁל֥וּ
בָ֝הֶ֗ם
שֹׂנְאֵיהֶֽם׃
42. וַיִּלְחָצ֥וּם
אוֹיְבֵיהֶ֑ם
וַ֝יִּכָּנְע֗וּ
תַּ֣חַת
יָדָֽם׃
43. פְּעָמִ֥ים
רַבּ֗וֹת
יַצִּ֫ילֵ֥ם
וְ֭הֵמָּה
יַמְר֣וּ
בַעֲצָתָ֑ם
וַ֝יָּמֹ֗כּוּ
בַּעֲוֺנָֽם׃
44. וַ֭יַּרְא
בַּצַּ֣ר
לָהֶ֑ם
בְּ֝שָׁמְע֗וֹ
אֶת־
רִנָּתָֽם׃
45. וַיִּזְכֹּ֣ר
לָהֶ֣ם
בְּרִית֑וֹ
וַ֝יִּנָּחֵ֗ם
כְּרֹ֣ב
חסדו
חֲסָדָֽיו׃
46. וַיִּתֵּ֣ן
אוֹתָ֣ם
לְרַחֲמִ֑ים
לִ֝פְנֵ֗י
כָּל־
שׁוֹבֵיהֶֽם׃
47. הוֹשִׁיעֵ֨נוּ ׀
יְה֘וָ֤ה
אֱלֹהֵ֗ינוּ
וְקַבְּצֵנוּ֮
מִֽן־
הַגּ֫וֹיִ֥ם
לְ֭הֹדוֹת
לְשֵׁ֣ם
קָדְשֶׁ֑ךָ
לְ֝הִשְׁתַּבֵּ֗חַ
בִּתְהִלָּתֶֽךָ׃
48. בָּ֤רֽtוּךְ־
יְהוָ֨ה
אֱלֹהֵ֪י
יִשְׂרָאֵ֡ל
מִן־
הָ֤עוֹלָ֨ם ׀
וְעַ֬ד
הָעוֹלָ֗ם
וְאָמַ֖ר
כָּל־
הָעָ֥ם
אָמֵ֗ן
הַֽלְלוּ־
יָֽהּ׃