Psalm 7 → 22
Reasoning: 9920 Output: 6963 Total: 16883
Argument
Short answer: you can argue that Psalm 22 is the narrative and liturgical fulfillment of Psalm 7. Psalm 7 is an individual lament appealing for judicial intervention (“Arise, judge the peoples”), with a vow to praise; Psalm 22 is an individual lament that reaches “you answered me” and then carries out the vowed public praise, widening the outcome to universal recognition (“all the families of the nations”). The two psalms strongly interlock in form, imagery, and rare/shared Hebrew diction. Details 1) Form and macro-logic (how 22 “follows” 7) - Courtroom to kingship: - Psalm 7: legal protest and appeal for a judicial session (7:7–9: “arise… you commanded judgment,” “YHWH will judge the peoples”). - Psalm 22: the judgment/deliverance is realized (“you answered me,” 22:22), and its public result is proclaimed as kingship/worship by all nations (22:28–29). - Vow-sequence: - Psalm 7 ends with a vow to praise: “I will thank YHWH according to his righteousness, I will sing to the name of YHWH Most High” (7:18). - Psalm 22 fulfills the vow explicitly in the assembly: “I will declare your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you” (22:23), and even adds the cultic vow formula: “My vows I will pay” (22:26). This is exactly the expected life-cycle in Israelite piety: lament → plea → deliverance → paying vows/thanksgiving in the congregation. - Assembly to Assembly: - Psalm 7 convenes an “assembly of peoples” around God’s throne for judgment (7:8). - Psalm 22 moves the scene to the human assembly/congregation for public praise (22:23, 26), and then to the global assembly of nations (22:28–29). 2) Stylistic and genre affinities - Both are Davidic with distinctive superscriptions (rare performance rubrics): - Psalm 7: “Shiggaion” (unique label in the Psalter). - Psalm 22: “To the choirmaster; on Ayelet ha-shachar” (a rare tune/genre marker). - Both are laments that move toward praise; both integrate enthronement motifs: - Psalm 7: “Return on high” (7:8), “Most High” (7:18). - Psalm 22: “You who are enthroned on the praises of Israel” (22:4), “for to YHWH belongs the kingship” (22:29). 3) Strong lexical ties (identical forms and rarer words; references MT) - Identical imperatives with 1cs suffix: - הוֹשִׁיעֵנִי “save me” — Ps 7:2; Ps 22:22 (exact form). - Same root, near-identical imperative sequence: - וְהַצִּילֵנִי “and deliver me” — Ps 7:2; הַצִּילָה … נַפְשִׁי “deliver my soul” — Ps 22:21. Same Hifil root נ־צ־ל in direct plea for rescue. - Lion motif, same noun: - כְּאַרְיֵה “like a lion” — Ps 7:3; אַרְיֵה “a lion,” “from the mouth of the lion” — Ps 22:14, 22. The pairing “deliver + lion” is especially telling: Ps 7:2–3 (save/deliver lest he tear like a lion) matches Ps 22:21–22 (deliver/save from sword and from the mouth of the lion). - Adat “assembly,” with encirclement: - וַעֲדַת לְאֻמִּים תְּסוֹבְבֶךָ — Ps 7:8. - עֲדַת מְרֵעִים הִקִּיפוּנִי; plus סְבָבוּנִי — Ps 22:13, 17, 23, 26. Same noun עֲדָה; same encirclement field (סבב/הקיף). - דִּבְרֵי construct: - עַל־דִּבְרֵי־כוּש — Ps 7:1. - דִּבְרֵי שַׁאֲגָתִי — Ps 22:2. Same construct form דִּבְרֵי, both framing the crisis in terms of “words.” - חֶרֶב “sword”: - “he sharpens his sword” — Ps 7:13. - “deliver my soul from the sword” — Ps 22:21. The “weapon of death” in Ps 7 becomes the immediate peril in Ps 22. - עָפָר “dust”: - “my life he tramples to the ground, my glory he makes dwell in the dust” — Ps 7:6. - “to the dust of death you lay me” — Ps 22:16. Shared image of being brought down to dust. - שֵׁם “name” in praise-vow: - “I will sing to the name of YHWH” — Ps 7:18. - “I will declare your name to my brothers” — Ps 22:23; also “from you is my praise in the great assembly” — Ps 22:26. - שׁוּב “return”: - “his mischief shall return upon his own head” — Ps 7:17. - “all the ends of the earth will remember and return to YHWH” — Ps 22:28. The lexeme reappears in climactic, positive reversal. - “None to deliver/help”: - וְאֵין מַצִּיל — Ps 7:3. - כִּי־אֵין עֹזֵר — Ps 22:12. Parallel despair formula. 4) Shared imagery fields and collocations - Predatory animals as enemies: - Psalm 7: lion as the chief danger. - Psalm 22: lions, dogs, bulls of Bashan, wild-ox horns. Psalm 22 elaborates the same predation field introduced in Psalm 7, intensifying it. - Weapons of death: - Psalm 7: God’s prepared “weapons of death,” sword, bow, arrows (7:13–14). - Psalm 22: the “sword” as the acute threat (22:21), with bodily disintegration imagery (22:15–18). Psalm 22 reads like the existential moment foreseen in Psalm 7. - Throne/court to congregation/worship: - Psalm 7: heavenly court convened, God “on high.” - Psalm 22: earthly congregation gathered, then the nations bow. Courtroom verdict turns into liturgical procession. 5) Thematic development that makes 22 a sequel to 7 - From “judge the peoples” to “rule the nations”: - Psalm 7:9 “YHWH will judge the peoples; judge me, YHWH, according to my righteousness.” - Psalm 22:28–29 “All the ends of the earth will return… for the kingship belongs to YHWH, and he rules among the nations.” Judicial sovereignty (Ps 7) issues in acknowledged kingship (Ps 22). - From request for rescue to reported answer: - Psalm 7 petitions with הוֹשִׁיעֵנִי / הַצִּילֵנִי against a lion. - Psalm 22 repeats the same petitions and then pivots: “from the horns of the wild-oxen you have answered me” (22:22). The explicit “you answered me” is the narrative hinge that Psalm 7 leaves as a vowed hope. - From private vow to public payment: - Psalm 7: “I will sing to the name of YHWH Most High” (a private vow). - Psalm 22: “From you is my praise in the great assembly… my vows I will pay” (public fulfillment before the worshiping community). 6) Life-setting coherence in ancient Israel - Typical cultic sequence: a sufferer prays in crisis, vows praise, and upon deliverance returns to the sanctuary to pay vows and publicly praise. Psalm 7 matches the vow-stage; Psalm 22 contains the explicit vow-payment formula and assembly praise. The two psalms thus plausibly reflect consecutive moments in one devotional cycle. 7) A few higher-signal links (rarer/marked features) - Shared, marked animal term אַרְיֵה across both laments, in direct nexus with rescue verbs. - The precise imperative form הוֹשִׁיעֵנִי in both (rare to find exact-match imperatives with identical pronominal suffix and same rhetorical placement). - The courtroom/assembly language with עֲדַת in both is relatively marked; Psalm 7’s “assembly of peoples” (a courtly/divine-council scene) shifts in Psalm 22 to “assembly of evildoers” encircling the psalmist and then to the worshiping congregation—same lexeme frames a dramatic reversal of who is encircling whom. Conclusion Taken together—identical rescue imperatives, the lion-rescue nexus, assembly language, dust-of-death imagery, and the lament→judgment→deliverance→vow→public praise sequence—Psalm 22 reads like the realized answer and liturgical sequel to Psalm 7. Psalm 7 calls for the judicial intervention that Psalm 22 narrates and celebrates, extending its outcome from the individual to Israel’s congregation and finally to all nations.
Evaluation
Score: 7.5
Evaluated at: 2025-11-23T04:02:00 (UTC)
Evaluator model: gpt-5
Evaluator version: v2
Reasoning: 3520 Output: 7811 Total: 11331
Checklist
- Has verse refs: Yes
- Factual error detected: No
- Only generic motifs: No
- Counterargument considered: No
- LXX/MT numbering acknowledged: No
Vocabulary specificity: 5.5 / 10
Multiple precise links (הוֹשִׁיעֵנִי/הַצִּילָה; lion–dust–sword; עֲדַת/encirclement; vow→assembly) and coherent sequence. Minor overreach grouping ‘עדה’ with 22:23,26; motifs common; no counterargument. No caps triggered.
Prompt
Consider Psalm 7 and Psalm 22 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 22 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 22:
Psalm 22
1. לַ֭מְנַצֵּחַ
עַל־
אַיֶּ֥לֶת
הַשַּׁ֗חַר
מִזְמ֥וֹר
לְדָוִֽד׃
2. אֵלִ֣י
אֵ֭לִי
לָמָ֣ה
עֲזַבְתָּ֑נִי
רָח֥וֹק
מִֽ֝ישׁוּעָתִ֗י
דִּבְרֵ֥י
שַׁאֲגָתִֽי׃
3. אֱֽלֹהַ֗י
אֶקְרָ֣א
י֭וֹמָם
וְלֹ֣א
תַעֲנֶ֑ה
וְ֝לַ֗יְלָה
וְֽלֹא־
דֽוּמִיָּ֥ה
לִֽי׃
4. וְאַתָּ֥ה
קָד֑וֹשׁ
י֝וֹשֵׁ֗ב
תְּהִלּ֥וֹת
יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
5. בְּ֭ךָ
בָּטְח֣וּ
אֲבֹתֵ֑ינוּ
בָּ֝טְח֗וּ
וַֽתְּפַלְּטֵֽמוֹ׃
6. אֵלֶ֣יךָ
זָעֲק֣וּ
וְנִמְלָ֑טוּ
בְּךָ֖
בָטְח֣וּ
וְלֹא־
בֽוֹשׁוּ׃
7. וְאָנֹכִ֣י
תוֹלַ֣עַת
וְלֹא־
אִ֑ישׁ
חֶרְפַּ֥ת
אָ֝דָ֗ם
וּבְז֥וּי
עָֽם׃
8. כָּל־
רֹ֭אַי
יַלְעִ֣גוּ
לִ֑י
יַפְטִ֥ירוּ
בְ֝שָׂפָ֗ה
יָנִ֥יעוּ
רֹֽאשׁ׃
9. גֹּ֣ל
אֶל־
יְהוָ֣ה
יְפַלְּטֵ֑הוּ
יַ֝צִּילֵ֗הוּ
כִּ֘י
חָ֥פֵֽץ
בּֽוֹ׃
10. כִּֽי־
אַתָּ֣ה
גֹחִ֣י
מִבָּ֑טֶן
מַ֝בְטִיחִ֗י
עַל־
שְׁדֵ֥י
אִמִּֽי׃
11. עָ֭לֶיךָ
הָשְׁלַ֣כְתִּי
מֵרָ֑חֶם
מִבֶּ֥טֶן
אִ֝מִּ֗י
אֵ֣לִי
אָֽתָּה׃
12. אַל־
תִּרְחַ֣ק
מִ֭מֶּנִּי
כִּי־
צָרָ֣ה
קְרוֹבָ֑ה
כִּי־
אֵ֥ין
עוֹזֵֽר׃
13. סְ֭בָבוּנִי
פָּרִ֣ים
רַבִּ֑ים
אַבִּירֵ֖י
בָשָׁ֣ן
כִּתְּרֽוּנִי׃
14. פָּצ֣וּ
עָלַ֣י
פִּיהֶ֑ם
אַ֝רְיֵ֗ה
טֹרֵ֥ף
וְשֹׁאֵֽג׃
15. כַּמַּ֥יִם
נִשְׁפַּכְתִּי֮
וְהִתְפָּֽרְד֗וּ
כָּֽל־
עַצְמ֫וֹתָ֥י
הָיָ֣ה
לִ֭בִּי
כַּדּוֹנָ֑ג
נָ֝מֵ֗ס
בְּת֣וֹךְ
מֵעָֽי׃
16. יָ֘בֵ֤שׁ
כַּחֶ֨רֶשׂ ׀
כֹּחִ֗י
וּ֭לְשׁוֹנִי
מֻדְבָּ֣ק
מַלְקוֹחָ֑י
וְֽלַעֲפַר־
מָ֥וֶת
תִּשְׁפְּתֵֽנִי׃
17. כִּ֥י
סְבָב֗וּנִי
כְּלָ֫בִ֥ים
עֲדַ֣ת
מְ֭רֵעִים
הִקִּיפ֑וּנִי
כָּ֝אֲרִ֗י
יָדַ֥י
וְרַגְלָֽי׃
18. אֲסַפֵּ֥ר
כָּל־
עַצְמוֹתָ֑י
הֵ֥מָּה
יַ֝בִּ֗יטוּ
יִרְאוּ־
בִֽי׃
19. יְחַלְּק֣וּ
בְגָדַ֣י
לָהֶ֑ם
וְעַל־
לְ֝בוּשִׁ֗י
יַפִּ֥ילוּ
גוֹרָֽל׃
20. וְאַתָּ֣ה
יְ֭הוָה
אַל־
תִּרְחָ֑ק
אֱ֝יָלוּתִ֗י
לְעֶזְרָ֥תִי
חֽוּשָׁה׃
21. הַצִּ֣ילָה
מֵחֶ֣רֶב
נַפְשִׁ֑י
מִיַּד־
כֶּ֝֗לֶב
יְחִידָתִֽי׃
22. ה֭וֹשִׁיעֵנִי
מִפִּ֣י
אַרְיֵ֑ה
וּמִקַּרְנֵ֖י
רֵמִ֣ים
עֲנִיתָֽנִי׃
23. אֲסַפְּרָ֣ה
שִׁמְךָ֣
לְאֶחָ֑י
בְּת֖וֹךְ
קָהָ֣ל
אֲהַלְלֶֽךָּ׃
24. יִרְאֵ֤י
יְהוָ֨ה ׀
הַֽלְל֗וּהוּ
כָּל־
זֶ֣רַע
יַעֲקֹ֣ב
כַּבְּד֑וּהוּ
וְג֥וּרוּ
מִ֝מֶּ֗נּוּ
כָּל־
זֶ֥רַע
יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
25. כִּ֤י
לֹֽא־
בָזָ֨ה
וְלֹ֪א
שִׁקַּ֡ץ
עֱנ֬וּת
עָנִ֗י
וְלֹא־
הִסְתִּ֣יר
פָּנָ֣יו
מִמֶּ֑נּוּ
וּֽבְשַׁוְּע֖וֹ
אֵלָ֣יו
שָׁמֵֽעַ׃
26. מֵ֥אִתְּךָ֗
תְּֽהִלָּ֫תִ֥י
בְּקָהָ֥ל
רָ֑ב
נְדָרַ֥י
אֲ֝שַׁלֵּ֗ם
נֶ֣גֶד
יְרֵאָֽיו׃
27. יֹאכְל֬וּ
עֲנָוִ֨ים ׀
וְיִשְׂבָּ֗עוּ
יְהַֽלְל֣וּ
יְ֭הוָה
דֹּ֣רְשָׁ֑יו
יְחִ֖י
לְבַבְכֶ֣ם
לָעַֽד׃
28. יִזְכְּר֤וּ ׀
וְיָשֻׁ֣בוּ
אֶל־
יְ֭הוָה
כָּל־
אַפְסֵי־
אָ֑רֶץ
וְיִֽשְׁתַּחֲו֥וּ
לְ֝פָנֶ֗יךָ
כָּֽל־
מִשְׁפְּח֥וֹת
גּוֹיִֽם׃
29. כִּ֣י
לַ֭יהוָה
הַמְּלוּכָ֑ה
וּ֝מֹשֵׁ֗ל
בַּגּוֹיִֽם׃
30. אָכְל֬וּ
וַיִּֽשְׁתַּחֲוּ֨וּ ׀
כָּֽל־
דִּשְׁנֵי־
אֶ֗רֶץ
לְפָנָ֣יו
יִ֭כְרְעוּ
כָּל־
יוֹרְדֵ֣י
עָפָ֑ר
וְ֝נַפְשׁ֗וֹ
לֹ֣א
חִיָּֽה׃
31. זֶ֥רַע
יַֽעַבְדֶ֑נּוּ
יְסֻפַּ֖ר
לַֽאדֹנָ֣י
לַדּֽוֹר׃
32. יָ֭בֹאוּ
וְיַגִּ֣ידוּ
צִדְקָת֑וֹ
לְעַ֥ם
נ֝וֹלָ֗ד
כִּ֣י
עָשָֽׂה׃