Psalm 7 → 113
Reasoning: 8000 Output: 3883 Total: 11883
Argument
Here are several ways to argue that Psalm 113 “follows on” from Psalm 7, moving from an individual plea for justice to a communal hymn celebrating the Judge-King who raises the lowly. 1) A tight lexical seam from the last colon of Ps 7 to the opening of Ps 113 - Identical collocation: Ps 7:18 ואזמרה שם־יהוה עליון → Ps 113:1–3 הללו … את־שם יהוה; יהי שם יהוה מבֹרך; מהולל שם יהוה. The vow “I will sing the name of YHWH” is immediately “fulfilled” by a chorus repeatedly praising that very Name. This is the strongest, exact-phrase linkage. 2) Humiliation-to-exaltation reversal (dust/glory) answered - Ps 7:6 וכבודי לעפר ישכן (my glory would dwell in the dust) ←→ Ps 113:7 מקימי מעפר דל (He raises the poor from the dust). Same noun עפר; 113 explicitly reverses the threatened outcome of 7. - “Glory” moves from the psalmist’s threatened “כבודי” (7:6) to God’s secure “כבודו” “על השמים” (113:4). The contrast implies why the reversal is possible: God’s glory is untouchable and can restore the humiliated. 3) From “Arise, Judge!” to “Enthroned on high” - Ps 7:7–9 קומה … הנשא … למרום שובה; יְהוָה ידין עמים → Ps 113:4–6 רם על כל גוים יהוה … המגביהי לשבת … המשפילי לראות בשמים ובארץ. The pleas that God rise to judge (Ps 7) are answered by the depiction of God already exalted and seated above all (Ps 113). The elevation field is dense in both: קומה/הנשא/למרום in Ps 7; רם/המגביהי/לשבת in Ps 113. 4) Individual lament to communal praise (form-critical fit) - Ps 7 ends with a vow of praise (אודה… ואזמרה, 7:18). Ps 113 is precisely the kind of communal hymn that fulfills such a vow: triple imperatives to the worshipping community (הללו … הללו … הללו, 113:1). The rhetorical address shifts from imperatives directed to God (קומה … הנשא … ועורה, Ps 7:7) to imperatives directed to the congregation (“servants of YHWH,” Ps 113:1). 5) Universal horizon: peoples/nations and all times - Peoples/nations: Ps 7:8–9 ועדת לאמים … יהוה ידין עמים ←→ Ps 113:3–4 ממזרח שמש עד מבואו … רם על כל גוים. The judicial scene over “peoples” in Ps 7 is matched by YHWH’s exaltation “over all nations” in Ps 113. - Time: Ps 7:12 אֵל זֹעֵם בכל־יום (every day) contrasts with Ps 113:2–3 מעתה ועד־עולם; ממזרח שמש עד מבואו. The liturgical response is continual and worldwide. 6) Moral order and reversal of fortunes: two sides of the same theology - Ps 7:15–17 the wicked’s violence recoils on his own head; Ps 7:11 God “saves the upright in heart.” Ps 113:7–9 gives the positive corollary: God lifts the poor from dust, seats them with princes, and makes the barren a joyful mother. Both psalms celebrate God’s just reordering of conditions; Ps 7 stresses the downfall of the wicked, Ps 113 the raising of the lowly. 7) Shared and near-shared lexemes and roots (weighted by significance) - Identical phrase: שם יהוה (7:18; 113:1–3) – strongest link. - Identical noun: עפר (7:6; 113:7) – significant, with directional reversal (לְעפר vs מֵעפר). - Same root/noun: כבוד (7:6; 113:4) – human “glory” threatened vs divine “glory” enthroned. - Semantic field of elevation: עליון (7:18), למרום (7:8), הנשא (7:7) ~ רם (113:4), המגביהי (113:5), לשבת (113:5). Not identical forms, but a conspicuous, sustained field. - Nations/peoples: עמים/לאמים (7:8–9) ~ גוים (113:4) – near-synonyms within the same thematic role. 8) Intertextual tradition undergirding the link - Ps 113:7–8 echoes 1 Sam 2:8 (Hannah’s song: “raises the poor from dust … seats them with nobles”), which ends with “YHWH will judge the ends of the earth” (1 Sam 2:10). Ps 7’s insistence on YHWH as universal judge (7:9, 12) dovetails with the Hannah-tradition carried in Ps 113, making the move from judgment-plea to exaltation-and-uplift especially natural. 9) Liturgical plausibility - An individual’s courtroom lament (Ps 7) that ends with a vow to praise would, in temple practice, be followed by communal doxology. Ps 113, addressed to “עבדי יהוה,” functions exactly as that choral fulfillment. In short: Ps 7 ends by vowing to sing the name of YHWH Most High and by envisioning God’s ascent to judge all peoples; Ps 113 opens by actually praising the name of YHWH, portrays Him enthroned above all nations, and shows the just reversal of the lowly’s condition (even reversing Ps 7’s “to the dust” with “from the dust”). The lexical seam (שם יהוה), the dust/glory reversal (עפר; כבוד), the shared kingship/judgment-universality frame, and the form-critical progression from lament-with-vow to communal Hallel together make a strong case that Ps 113 can be read as the logical follow-on to Ps 7.
Evaluation
Score: 5.0
Evaluated at: 2025-11-26T04:22:01 (UTC)
Evaluator model: gpt-5
Evaluator version: v2
Reasoning: 3648 Output: 4697 Total: 8345
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
Flags: generic
Several specific links (שם יהוה; עפר; elevation), but common motifs; ignores stronger canonical seam Ps 7→8 (“מה אדיר שמך”) and vast Book I→V distance. No errors; evidence not decisive.
Prompt
Consider Psalm 7 and Psalm 113 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 113 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 113:
Psalm 113
1. הַ֥לְלוּ
יָ֨הּ ׀
הַ֭לְלוּ
עַבְדֵ֣י
יְהוָ֑ה
הַֽ֝לְלוּ
אֶת־
שֵׁ֥ם
יְהוָֽה׃
2. יְהִ֤י
שֵׁ֣ם
יְהוָ֣ה
מְבֹרָ֑ךְ
מֵֽ֝עַתָּ֗ה
וְעַד־
עוֹלָֽם׃
3. מִמִּזְרַח־
שֶׁ֥מֶשׁ
עַד־
מְבוֹא֑וֹ
מְ֝הֻלָּ֗ל
שֵׁ֣ם
יְהוָֽה׃
4. רָ֖ם
עַל־
כָּל־
גּוֹיִ֥ם ׀
יְהוָ֑ה
עַ֖ל
הַשָּׁמַ֣יִם
כְּבוֹדֽוֹ׃
5. מִ֭י
כַּיהוָ֣ה
אֱלֹהֵ֑ינוּ
הַֽמַּגְבִּיהִ֥י
לָשָֽׁבֶת׃
6. הַֽמַּשְׁפִּילִ֥י
לִרְא֑וֹת
בַּשָּׁמַ֥יִם
וּבָאָֽרֶץ׃
7. מְקִֽימִ֣י
מֵעָפָ֣ר
דָּ֑ל
מֵֽ֝אַשְׁפֹּ֗ת
יָרִ֥ים
אֶבְיֽוֹן׃
8. לְהוֹשִׁיבִ֥י
עִם־
נְדִיבִ֑ים
עִ֝֗ם
נְדִיבֵ֥י
עַמּֽוֹ׃
9. מֽוֹשִׁיבִ֨י ׀
עֲקֶ֬רֶת
הַבַּ֗יִת
אֵֽם־
הַבָּנִ֥ים
שְׂמֵחָ֗ה
הַֽלְלוּ־
יָֽהּ׃