Psalm 7 → 36
Reasoning: 9984 Output: 5583 Total: 15567
Argument
Here are ways to argue that Psalm 36 is a logical follow‑on to Psalm 7, moving from an individual legal-plea and imprecation (Ps 7) to a public hymn and wisdom reflection in the sanctuary (Ps 36), with multiple lexical, thematic, and formal ties. 1) A coherent narrative arc: oath of innocence → judgment plea → downfall of the wicked → praise/refuge fulfilled - Psalm 7 presents an oath of clearance and legal appeal (7:4–6 “אם־עשיתי זאת...”), asks YHWH to arise and judge (7:7–9), describes the fate of the wicked (7:13–17), and vows praise (7:18). - Psalm 36 reads like the fulfillment and public liturgical outworking of that vow: it reflects on the psychology of the wicked (36:2–5), celebrates YHWH’s attributes in cosmic sanctuary language (36:6–10), petitions for ongoing protection (36:11–12), and concludes with the realized fall of the wicked (36:13). So the plea and imprecation of Ps 7 are met, then reinterpreted as hymn and wisdom in Ps 36. 2) Identical or near-identical lexemes (rarer items weighted) - יִשְׁרֵי־לֵב “upright in heart” (identical form, same collocation): - Ps 7:11 “מוֹשִׁיעַ יִשְׁרֵי־לֵב” - Ps 36:11 “וְצִדְקָתְךָ לְיִשְׁרֵי־לֵב” - אָוֶן “iniquity/trouble” (a marked word, clustered in Ps 36 and present in Ps 7): - Ps 7:15 “הִנֵּה יְחַבֶּל־אָוֶן” - Ps 36:4 “דִּבְרֵי־פִיו אָוֶן”; 36:5 “אָוֶן יַחְשֹׁב”; 36:13 “פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן” - חָסָה “take refuge” (same root, frame-shift from individual to communal): - Ps 7:2 “בְּךָ חָסִיתִי” - Ps 36:8 “בְּצֵל כְּנָפֶיךָ יֶחֱסָיוּן” - יָשַׁע “save” (same root; verb and noun forms): - Ps 7:2 “הוֹשִׁיעֵנִי”; 7:11 “מוֹשִׁיעַ” - Ps 36:7 “אָדָם וּבְהֵמָה תּוֹשִׁיעַ” - נפל “to fall” (same root, perfect aspect in both): - Ps 7:16 “וַיִּפֹּל בְּשַׁחַת” - Ps 36:13 “נָפְלוּ... לֹא־יָכְלוּ קוּם” - שָׁפַט / מִשְׁפָּט and צֶדֶק/צְדָקָה/צַדִּיק (justice-righteousness word-family; concentrated in both): - Judging: Ps 7:7, 9 “מִשְׁפָּט צִוִּיתָ... יָדִין... שָׁפְטֵנִי”; Ps 36:7 “מִשְׁפָּטֶךָ תְּהוֹם רַבָּה” - Righteousness: Ps 7:9–12, 18 “כְצִדְקִי... צַדִּיק... כְּצִדְקוֹ”; Ps 36:7, 11 “צִדְקָתְךָ... וְצִדְקָתְךָ” - לֵב “heart” (and God’s scrutiny of the inner person): - Ps 7:10–11 “וּבֹחֵן לִבּוֹת... יִשְׁרֵי־לֵב” - Ps 36:2 “בְּקֶרֶב לִבִּי”; 36:11 “לְיִשְׁרֵי־לֵב” - Trampling imagery (threat of being trodden versus prayer against the proud foot): - Ps 7:6 “וְיִרְמֹס לָאָרֶץ חַיָּי” - Ps 36:12 “אַל־תְּבוֹאֵנִי רֶגֶל גַּאֲוָה” - Wicked categories recur: רָשָׁע/רְשָׁעִים (Ps 7:10; 36:12), אוֹיֵב/צוֹרֵר vs. פֹעֲלֵי אָוֶן (Ps 7:2,5; 36:13) 3) Stylistic and formal parallels - Both are Davidic with distinctive headings from older Davidic traditions: - Ps 7: “שִׁגָּיוֹן לְדָוִד...” (rare title, high emotional lament) - Ps 36: “לַמְנַצֵּחַ... לְעֶבֶד־יְהוָה לְדָוִד” (rare “עֶבֶד־יְהוָה,” moving toward official/public liturgy) This can mark a move from private litigation to public sanctuary praise. - Mixed-genre composition in both: petition → theological affirmation → outcome. - Ps 7: individual lament and oath → divine judgment portrait → fall of the wicked → vow of praise - Ps 36: sapiential expose of the wicked → hymn on God’s cosmic virtues → petition for ongoing protection → realized downfall - Forensic frame in both: - Ps 7 is overtly juridical (“שָׁפְטֵנִי... מִשְׁפָּט... בֹּחֵן לִבּוֹת”). - Ps 36 hymns those same attributes in abstract, cosmic terms (“צִדְקָתְךָ... מִשְׁפָּטֶךָ תְּהוֹם רַבָּה”), as if answering Ps 7’s court appeal with a theology of God’s universal justice. 4) Thematic and imagistic continuity - From plea to refuge: Ps 7:2 “בְּךָ חָסִיתִי” becomes communal sanctuary refuge Ps 36:8 “בְּצֵל כְּנָפֶיךָ יֶחֱסָיוּן.” - From “Rise, judge from on high” to cosmic enthronement description: - Ps 7:8 “וְעָלֶיהָ לַמָּרוֹם שׁוּבָה” - Ps 36:6–7 “בְּהַשָּׁמַיִם חַסְדֶּךָ... עַד־שְׁחָקִים... כְּהַרְרֵי־אֵל... תְּהוֹם רַבָּה” (vertical cosmology of God’s reign that answers Ps 7’s “return to the heights”) - The retributive fall motif is carried forward and resolved: - Ps 7:16–17 “בּוֹר כָּרָה... וַיִּפֹּל... יָשׁוּב עֲמָלוֹ בְרֹאשׁוֹ” - Ps 36:13 “שָׁם נָפְלוּ פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן... וְלֹא־יָכְלוּ קוּם” - Mouth/speech of the wicked as the presenting problem: - Ps 7’s superscription points to slander (“עַל־דִּבְרֵי־כּוּשׁ”). - Ps 36:4 makes this the general case: “דִּבְרֵי־פִיו אָוֶן וּמִרְמָה.” 5) Cultic-life sequence that fits ancient Israelite practice - Ps 7’s self-imprecatory oath and forensic plea fit Israelite/ANE legal convention (cf. Job 31): protest innocence, call for divine adjudication, vow to praise if delivered. - Ps 36 looks like the sanctuary fulfillment of the vow: a hymn for public performance (“לַמְנַצֵּחַ”), extolling YHWH’s hesed/faithfulness/righteousness/justice, inviting the community into refuge (“יֶחֱסָיוּן”), flowing with temple imagery (36:8–10 “מִדֶּשֶׁן בֵּיתֶךָ... נַחַל עֲדָנֶיךָ... מְקוֹר חַיִּים... בְּאוֹרְךָ נִרְאֶה־אוֹר”), and ending with the public testimony that the wicked have fallen (36:13), exactly the outcome Ps 7 prayed for. 6) A few tighter “trigger–answer” pairs - Ps 7:11 “מוֹשִׁיעַ יִשְׁרֵי־לֵב” → Ps 36:11 “וְצִדְקָתְךָ לְיִשְׁרֵי־לֵב” (same beneficiary group, now enjoying covenant benefits) - Ps 7:7 “מִשְׁפָּט צִוִּיתָ” → Ps 36:7 “מִשְׁפָּטֶךָ תְּהוֹם רַבָּה” (the commanded judgment becomes a celebrated attribute that spans the cosmos) - Ps 7:2 “הוֹשִׁיעֵנִי... וְהַצִּילֵנִי” → Ps 36:7 “אָדָם וּבְהֵמָה תּוֹשִׁיעַ יְהוָה” (the personal plea becomes universalized salvation) 7) Editorial signals that make a sequenced reading plausible - Both are Davidic but with distinctive, archaic-sounding labels (“שִׁגָּיוֹן”; “לְעֶבֶד־יְהוָה”), suggesting an intentional linkage of older Davidic materials in different performance settings: Ps 7 as private/forensic; Ps 36 as public/choral. - Ps 7 ends with a vow of praise (7:18); Ps 36 supplies the praise and sanctuary language implied by that vow. In sum: Psalm 36 can be read as the liturgical, sapiential, and communal “answer” to Psalm 7’s forensic plea. The connection is reinforced by several identical or rare lexemes (ישרי־לב; און; חסה; ישע; נפל; the משפט/צדק family), by shared legal and refuge imagery, and by a life-cycle pattern recognizable in ancient Israel: oath of innocence and plea for judgment → divine deliverance → public thanksgiving in the sanctuary where the downfall of the wicked is confessed as fait accompli.
Evaluation
Score: 6.5
Evaluated at: 2025-11-24T03:48:00 (UTC)
Evaluator model: gpt-5
Evaluator version: v2
Reasoning: 3200 Output: 6421 Total: 9621
Checklist
- Has verse refs: Yes
- Factual error detected: No
- Only generic motifs: No
- Counterargument considered: No
- LXX/MT numbering acknowledged: No
Vocabulary specificity: 4.0 / 10
Many accurate verse-level correspondences (ישרי־לב, אָוֶן, חסה, ישע, נפל; משפט/צדקה) and a plausible plea→hymn progression. Yet vocabulary is common across Psalms, trampling link is weak, no counterarguments, and superscriptional tie is non-decisive.
Prompt
Consider Psalm 7 and Psalm 36 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 36 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 36:
Psalm 36
1. לַמְנַצֵּ֬חַ ׀
לְעֶֽבֶד־
יְהוָ֬ה
לְדָוִֽד׃
2. נְאֻֽם־
פֶּ֣שַׁע
לָ֭רָשָׁע
בְּקֶ֣רֶב
לִבִּ֑י
אֵֽין־
פַּ֥חַד
אֱ֝לֹהִ֗ים
לְנֶ֣גֶד
עֵינָֽיו׃
3. כִּֽי־
הֶחֱלִ֣יק
אֵלָ֣יו
בְּעֵינָ֑יו
לִמְצֹ֖א
עֲוֺנ֣וֹ
לִשְׂנֹֽא׃
4. דִּבְרֵי־
פִ֭יו
אָ֣וֶן
וּמִרְמָ֑ה
חָדַ֖ל
לְהַשְׂכִּ֣יל
לְהֵיטִֽיב׃
5. אָ֤וֶן ׀
יַחְשֹׁ֗ב
עַֽל־
מִשְׁכָּ֫ב֥וֹ
יִ֭תְיַצֵּב
עַל־
דֶּ֣רֶךְ
לֹא־
ט֑וֹב
רָ֝֗ע
לֹ֣א
יִמְאָֽס׃
6. יְ֭הוָה
בְּהַשָּׁמַ֣יִם
חַסְדֶּ֑ךָ
אֱ֝מֽוּנָתְךָ֗
עַד־
שְׁחָקִֽים׃
7. צִדְקָֽתְךָ֨ ׀
כְּֽהַרְרֵי־
אֵ֗ל
מִ֭שְׁפָּטֶךָ
תְּה֣וֹם
רַבָּ֑ה
אָ֤דָֽם־
וּבְהֵמָ֖ה
תוֹשִׁ֣יעַ
יְהוָֽה׃
8. מַה־
יָּקָ֥ר
חַסְדְּךָ֗
אֱלֹ֫הִ֥ים
וּבְנֵ֥י
אָדָ֑ם
בְּצֵ֥ל
כְּ֝נָפֶ֗יךָ
יֶחֱסָיֽוּן׃
9. יִ֭רְוִיֻן
מִדֶּ֣שֶׁן
בֵּיתֶ֑ךָ
וְנַ֖חַל
עֲדָנֶ֣יךָ
תַשְׁקֵֽם׃
10. כִּֽי־
עִ֭מְּךָ
מְק֣וֹר
חַיִּ֑ים
בְּ֝אוֹרְךָ֗
נִרְאֶה־
אֽוֹר׃
11. מְשֹׁ֣ךְ
חַ֭סְדְּךָ
לְיֹדְעֶ֑יךָ
וְ֝צִדְקָֽתְךָ֗
לְיִשְׁרֵי־
לֵֽב׃
12. אַל־
תְּ֭בוֹאֵנִי
רֶ֣גֶל
גַּאֲוָ֑ה
וְיַד־
רְ֝שָׁעִ֗ים
אַל־
תְּנִדֵֽנִי׃
13. שָׁ֣ם
נָ֭פְלוּ
פֹּ֣עֲלֵי
אָ֑וֶן
דֹּ֝ח֗וּ
וְלֹא־
יָ֥כְלוּ
קֽוּם׃