Psalm 7 → 15
Reasoning: 7680 Output: 4539 Total: 12219
Argument
Here are multiple, mutually reinforcing ways to argue that Psalm 15 “follows” Psalm 7—conceptually, lexically, and ritually. 1) A coherent cultic sequence: from lawsuit to gate - Psalm 7 is an individual legal lament: the psalmist denies wrongdoing, invokes the divine court, and asks for a verdict (7:4–9, 12). The scene culminates with YHWH’s enthronement “on high” to judge amid an “assembly of peoples” (7:7–9). - Psalm 15 is an entrance liturgy (a gate dialogue) that states who is allowed to reside in YHWH’s presence (“Who may sojourn in your tent? Who may dwell on your holy hill?” 15:1). - In Israelite ritual life, a credible order is: (a) the accused professes innocence and calls on YHWH the Judge (Ps 7), (b) after vindication/establishment, the worshiper approaches the sanctuary and recites/answers the gatekeepers’ “who may dwell?” inquiry (Ps 15). 2) Rare and weighty lexical ties (same roots; often same or closely related word classes) - תם/תמים: - Ps 7:9 “שָׁפְטֵנִי יְהוָה כְּצִדְקִי וּכְתֻמִּי עָלָי” - Ps 15:2 “הוֹלֵךְ תָּמִים” - The rare pairing צֶדֶק + תֻמִּי/תָמִים occurs in both; Psalm 15 effectively defines the “integrity” (תֻמִּי/תָמִים) and “righteousness” (צֶדֶק) that Psalm 7 claims. - צדק/צדיק: - Ps 7:9–12 repeatedly: “צִדְקִי,” “צַדִּיק,” “אֱלֹהִים שׁוֹפֵט צַדִּיק” - Ps 15:2 “וּפֹעֵל צֶדֶק” - The roots align semantically and functionally: the Judge of Ps 7 vindicates the righteous; Ps 15 describes their deeds. - שכן (to dwell): - Ps 7:6 “וּכְבוֹדִי לֶעָפָר יַשְׁכֵּן” - Ps 15:1 “מִי־יִשְׁכֹּן בְּהַר קָדְשֶׁךָ” - Identical verbal stem and person (imperfect 3ms), contrasting dwellings: dust (7:6) versus the holy hill (15:1). The “lowest” outcome feared in 7 gives way to the “highest” privilege in 15. - כבד (glory/honor): - Ps 7:6 “וּכְבוֹדִי לֶעָפָר יַשְׁכֵּן” - Ps 15:4 “יְכַבֵּד” (he honors) “יִרְאֵי יְהוָה” - Same root; Psalm 7 fears the psalmist’s “glory” reduced to dust, Psalm 15 shows the righteous giving “honor” to those who fear YHWH—honor restored/redirected appropriately. - לב (heart): - Ps 7:10 “וּבֹחֵן לִבּוֹת וּכְלָיוֹת” - Ps 7:11 “מוֹשִׁיעַ יִשְׁרֵי־לֵב” - Ps 15:2 “דֹבֵר אֱמֶת בִּלְבָבוֹ” - The God who tests hearts (7) admits those who speak truth “in” the heart (15). Inner truth is the tested criterion. - Speech/slander: - Ps 7:1 sets the occasion: “עַל־דִּבְרֵי־כוּשׁ” (the “words” of Cush), i.e., hostile speech/slander. - Ps 15:3 forbids exactly that: “לֹא־רָגַל עַל־לְשֹׁנוֹ … וְחֶרְפָּה לֹא־נָשָׂא עַל־קְרֹבוֹ.” - Psalm 15 explicitly outlaws the behavior that triggered the crisis of Psalm 7. 3) Order and structure that “answer” one another - Inverted pairing of the key virtues: - Ps 7:9: צדק → תום (“כְּצִדְקִי… וּכְתֻמִּי”) - Ps 15:2: תמים → צדק (“הוֹלֵךְ תָּמִים וּפֹעֵל צֶדֶק”) - The reversal functions like a hinge: Psalm 15 mirrors and completes Psalm 7’s claim. - Oath/vow coherence: - Ps 7 contains a conditional self-imprecation/oath of innocence (7:4–6) and ends with a vow of praise (7:18). - Ps 15:4 profiles the person “נִשְׁבַּע לְהָרַע וְלֹא יָמִיר” (keeps an oath even to his hurt). Psalm 15 thus legitimates the sort of oath-keeping the psalmist performs in Psalm 7. 4) Judicial and stability motifs align - Courtroom and anti-corruption: - Ps 7: “יְהוָה יָדִין עַמִּים … שָׁפְטֵנִי” (7:9); God is a “שׁוֹפֵט צַדִּיק” (7:12). - Ps 15:5 bans judicial corruption: “וְשֹׁחַד עַל־נָקִי לֹא לָקָח.” The legal frame in 7 is matched by legal integrity in 15. - Establish/immovability: - Ps 7:10 “וּתְכוֹנֵן צַדִּיק” (establish the righteous) - Ps 15:5 “עֹשֵׂה־אֵלֶּה לֹא יִמּוֹט לְעוֹלָם” (he will never be shaken) - The prayer of 7 (“establish the righteous”) is the promise of 15 (“will not be moved”). 5) Spatial and mythic height-shift: dust → mountain - Ps 7:6 threatens the psalmist’s life/glory with being trampled to the ground and dwelling in dust; yet 7:8 pictures YHWH returning “לַמָּרוֹם.” - Ps 15:1 asks about dwelling on “בְּהַר קָדְשֶׁךָ.” The vertical movement (ground/dust vs. heights/mountain) is resolved in favor of the righteous in Psalm 15. 6) Life-setting (Sitz im Leben) - A plausible life-pattern in ancient Israel: slandered/accused individual appeals to YHWH (Ps 7); after vindication he seeks entry to worship with a thanksgiving vow and must meet the entrance criteria recited in gate liturgy (Ps 15). The content of 15 reads like the divine or priestly “answer” to the plea and self-defense of 7. 7) Stylistic/formal cohesion - Both are Davidic superscriptions (“לְדָוִד”), and both are sung/recited pieces. Psalm 7’s rare “שִׁגָּיוֹן” underscores a crisis-song; Psalm 15’s “מִזְמוֹר” suits a fixed, didactic liturgy that could be performed immediately after judicial vindication in a cultic setting. Summary of strongest “hard links” (weighted by rarity and precision): - Exact root-pairing and near-parallel collocations: תֻמִּי/תָמִים + צֶדֶק/צַדִּיק (7:9; 15:2). - Identical verbal category for שכן “to dwell” (7:6; 15:1), with antithetical locations (dust vs. holy hill). - Honor/glory root כבד in both (כְּבוֹדִי, 7:6; יְכַבֵּד, 15:4). - Heart-focused righteousness under divine scrutiny vs. truth in the heart (7:10–11; 15:2). - The speech-sin link: Psalm 7 arises “on account of words” (slander); Psalm 15 forbids slander explicitly (15:3). - Judicial/stability motifs: “establish the righteous” (7:10) answered by “shall never be moved” (15:5), and anti-bribery/legal integrity (15:5) fits the forensic frame of 7. Taken together, these lexical, structural, and cultic correspondences make a strong case that Psalm 15 is a logical and liturgical “follow-up” to Psalm 7: Psalm 7 prosecutes the case and seeks a verdict; Psalm 15 states the admission standard and the settled state of the vindicated righteous who now may dwell with YHWH.
Evaluation
Score: 2.0
Evaluated at: 2025-11-23T03:53:59 (UTC)
Evaluator model: gpt-5
Evaluator version: v2
Reasoning: 3328 Output: 5390 Total: 8718
Checklist
- Has verse refs: Yes
- Factual error detected: Yes
- Only generic motifs: No
- Counterargument considered: No
- LXX/MT numbering acknowledged: No
Vocabulary specificity: 4.0 / 10
Flags: structural_claim_error
Cap applied: factual error. ‘Identical stem’ for שכן is wrong (Ps 7:6 Hiphil יַשְׁכֵּן vs Ps 15:1 Qal יִשְׁכּוֹן). Though several links are accurate, tamim/tsedeq and gate motifs recur (cf. Pss 24, 26).
Prompt
Consider Psalm 7 and Psalm 15 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 15 logically follows on from Psalm 7? 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 7:
Psalm 7
1. שִׁגָּי֗וֹן
לְדָ֫וִ֥ד
אֲשֶׁר־
שָׁ֥ר
לַיהוָ֑ה
עַל־
דִּבְרֵי־
כ֝֗וּשׁ
בֶּן־
יְמִינִֽי׃
2. יְהוָ֣ה
אֱ֭לֹהַי
בְּךָ֣
חָסִ֑יתִי
הוֹשִׁיעֵ֥נִי
מִכָּל־
רֹ֝דְפַ֗י
וְהַצִּילֵֽנִי׃
3. פֶּן־
יִטְרֹ֣ף
כְּאַרְיֵ֣ה
נַפְשִׁ֑י
פֹּ֝רֵ֗ק
וְאֵ֣ין
מַצִּֽיל׃
4. יְהוָ֣ה
אֱ֭לֹהַי
אִם־
עָשִׂ֣יתִי
זֹ֑את
אִֽם־
יֶשׁ־
עָ֥וֶל
בְּכַפָּֽי׃
5. אִם־
גָּ֭מַלְתִּי
שֽׁוֹלְמִ֥י
רָ֑ע
וָאֲחַלְּצָ֖ה
צוֹרְרִ֣י
רֵיקָֽם׃
6. יִֽרַדֹּ֥ף
אוֹיֵ֨ב ׀
נַפְשִׁ֡י
וְיַשֵּׂ֗ג
וְיִרְמֹ֣ס
לָאָ֣רֶץ
חַיָּ֑י
וּכְבוֹדִ֓י ׀
לֶעָפָ֖ר
יַשְׁכֵּ֣ן
סֶֽלָה׃
7. ק֘וּמָ֤ה
יְהוָ֨ה ׀
בְּאַפֶּ֗ךָ
הִ֭נָּשֵׂא
בְּעַבְר֣וֹת
צוֹרְרָ֑י
וְע֥וּרָה
אֵ֝לַ֗י
מִשְׁפָּ֥ט
צִוִּֽיתָ׃
8. וַעֲדַ֣ת
לְ֭אֻמִּים
תְּסוֹבְבֶ֑ךָּ
וְ֝עָלֶ֗יהָ
לַמָּר֥וֹם
שֽׁוּבָה׃
9. יְהוָה֮
יָדִ֢ין
עַ֫מִּ֥ים
שָׁפְטֵ֥נִי
יְהוָ֑ה
כְּצִדְקִ֖י
וּכְתֻמִּ֣י
עָלָֽי׃
10. יִגְמָר־
נָ֬א
רַ֨ע ׀
רְשָׁעִים֮
וּתְכוֹנֵ֢ן
צַ֫דִּ֥יק
וּבֹחֵ֣ן
לִ֭בּ֗וֹת
וּכְלָי֗וֹת
אֱלֹהִ֥ים
צַדִּֽיק׃
11. מָֽגִנִּ֥י
עַל־
אֱלֹהִ֑ים
מ֝וֹשִׁ֗יעַ
יִשְׁרֵי־
לֵֽב׃
12. אֱ֭לֹהִים
שׁוֹפֵ֣ט
צַדִּ֑יק
וְ֝אֵ֗ל
זֹעֵ֥ם
בְּכָל־
יֽוֹם׃
13. אִם־
לֹ֣א
יָ֭שׁוּב
חַרְבּ֣וֹ
יִלְט֑וֹשׁ
קַשְׁתּ֥וֹ
דָ֝רַ֗ךְ
וַֽיְכוֹנְנֶֽהָ׃
14. וְ֭לוֹ
הֵכִ֣ין
כְּלֵי־
מָ֑וֶת
חִ֝צָּ֗יו
לְֽדֹלְקִ֥ים
יִפְעָֽל׃
15. הִנֵּ֥ה
יְחַבֶּל־
אָ֑וֶן
וְהָרָ֥ה
עָ֝מָ֗ל
וְיָ֣לַד
שָֽׁקֶר׃
16. בּ֣וֹר
כָּ֭רָֽה
וַֽיַּחְפְּרֵ֑הוּ
וַ֝יִּפֹּ֗ל
בְּשַׁ֣חַת
יִפְעָֽל׃
17. יָשׁ֣וּב
עֲמָל֣וֹ
בְרֹאשׁ֑וֹ
וְעַ֥ל
קָ֝דְקֳד֗וֹ
חֲמָס֥וֹ
יֵרֵֽד׃
18. אוֹדֶ֣ה
יְהוָ֣ה
כְּצִדְק֑וֹ
וַ֝אֲזַמְּרָ֗ה
שֵֽׁם־
יְהוָ֥ה
עֶלְיֽוֹן׃
Psalm 15:
Psalm 15
1. מִזְמ֗וֹר
לְדָ֫וִ֥ד
י֭הֹוָה
מִי־
יָג֣וּר
בְּאָהֳלֶ֑ךָ
מִֽי־
יִ֝שְׁכֹּ֗ן
בְּהַ֣ר
קָדְשֶֽׁךָ׃
2. הוֹלֵ֣ךְ
תָּ֭מִים
וּפֹעֵ֥ל
צֶ֑דֶק
וְדֹבֵ֥ר
אֱ֝מֶ֗ת
בִּלְבָֽבוֹ׃
3. לֹֽא־
רָגַ֨ל ׀
עַל־
לְשֹׁנ֗וֹ
לֹא־
עָשָׂ֣ה
לְרֵעֵ֣הוּ
רָעָ֑ה
וְ֝חֶרְפָּ֗ה
לֹא־
נָשָׂ֥א
עַל־
קְרֹֽבוֹ׃
4. נִבְזֶ֤ה ׀
בְּֽעֵ֘ינָ֤יו
נִמְאָ֗ס
וְאֶת־
יִרְאֵ֣י
יְהוָ֣ה
יְכַבֵּ֑ד
נִשְׁבַּ֥ע
לְ֝הָרַ֗ע
וְלֹ֣א
יָמִֽר׃
5. כַּסְפּ֤וֹ ׀
לֹא־
נָתַ֣ן
בְּנֶשֶׁךְ֮
וְשֹׁ֥חַד
עַל־
נָקִ֗י
לֹ֥א
לָ֫קָ֥ח
עֹֽשֵׂה־
אֵ֑לֶּה
לֹ֖א
יִמּ֣וֹט
לְעוֹלָֽם׃