Psalm 7 → 116

Reasoning: 14080 Output: 5321 Total: 19401

Argument

Short answer: read Psalm 7 as the lament and vow, and Psalm 116 as the deliverance-thanksgiving and vow-fulfillment. The two psalms share several uncommon roots and tightly overlapping motifs that make Psalm 116 a very natural “next step” after Psalm 7.

1) Lament → deliverance → thanksgiving (form-critical sequence)
- Psalm 7 is an individual lament and plea for judgment and rescue, ending with a vow of praise (7:18).
- Psalm 116 is an individual thanksgiving that reports rescue from death and fulfills vows with public worship and a thank-offering (116:14,17–19).
- This is the classic Israelite sequence: crisis → vow → deliverance → paying the vow at the sanctuary (todah/thank-offering). So 116 fits as the narrative-liturgical outcome of 7.

2) Strong lexical bridges (rarer roots first; identical roots and forms noted)
- חלץ “draw out, deliver/strip”
  - Ps 7:5 וָאֲחַלְּצָה (’aḥallĕṣā) “I stripped/plundered” my foe (same root; here with the sense ‘strip’).
  - Ps 116:8 חִלַּצְתָּ (ḥillatstā) “you have delivered/drawn out” my soul from death.
  - The root is not common; its appearance in both psalms around rescue/stripping links the crisis (7) to the rescue (116).
- גמל “deal, requite, repay”
  - Ps 7:5 אִם־גָּמַלְתִּי (gāmalti) “if I have repaid” my ally with evil.
  - Ps 116:7 גָּמַל עָלָיִכִי (gāmal ʿālaiḵi) “YHWH has dealt bountifully with you”
  - Ps 116:12 כָּל־תַּגְמוּלֹהִי (tagmūlōhi) “all his benefits [what he has dealt out] to me”
  - The pivot from “if I repaid evil” (7) to “how can I repay YHWH’s benefits?” (116) is a tight, rare-root interlock.
- שׁלם “be at peace, make whole, pay”
  - Ps 7:5 שׁוֹלְמִי (šōlĕmî) “my ally, one at peace with me” (from שׁלם).
  - Ps 116:14,18 נְדָרַי … אֲשַׁלֵּם (’ašallēm) “I will pay my vows” (same root).
  - The root shifts from social peace/loyalty (7) to cultic paying/fulfilling vows (116), matching the move from vow made to vow paid.
- ישׁע “save”
  - Ps 7:2 הוֹשִׁיעֵנִי (hôšîʿēnî) “save me”
  - Ps 116:6 יְהוֹשִׁיעַ (yehôšîaʿ) “YHWH saves”
  - Ps 116:13 כּוֹס יְשׁוּעוֹת (yĕšūʿōt) “cup of salvations”
  - 7’s plea “save me” becomes 116’s testimony “he saves” and ritualizing it in the “cup of salvations.”
- צדק/צדיק “righteous”
  - Ps 7:9–12; 18: God as righteous judge and “I will thank YHWH according to his righteousness” (כְצִדְקוֹ, 7:18).
  - Ps 116:5 חַנּוּן יְהוָה וְצַדִּיק “gracious is YHWH and righteous”
  - 116 explicitly names what 7 vowed to praise: YHWH’s righteousness.
- שׁוּב “return” (imperatives)
  - Ps 7:8 שׁוּבָה “return [to your high seat]”
  - Ps 116:7 שׁוּבִי “return [O my soul] to your rest”
  - The shared imperative root underscores the movement: in 7 the psalmist calls God to “return” to judge; in 116 he calls his own soul to “return” to rest after judgment/deliverance.
- שֵׁם יְהוָה “the name of YHWH”
  - Ps 7:18 “I will sing praise to the name of YHWH Most High”
  - Ps 116:4,13,17 “I will call on the name of YHWH” (refrain)
  - 116 turns 7’s vow to praise the Name into repeated, enacted invocation of the Name.

3) Matching threat/deliverance imagery (problem in 7 answered in 116)
- Threat to the נפש “soul/life”
  - Ps 7:3 “lest he tear my soul like a lion … with none to rescue”
  - Ps 116:4 “Deliver my soul!”; 116:8 “you delivered my soul from death”
- Death/underworld vocabulary
  - Ps 7:14 כְּלֵי־מוות “weapons of death”; 7:16–17 pit imagery (בּוֹר, שַׁחַת)
  - Ps 116:3 חַבְלֵי־מָוֶת “cords of death,” מְצָרֵי שְׁאוֹל “straits of Sheol”; 116:8 “from death”
  - The “pit/Sheol/death” threat in 7 is the precise danger from which the psalmist says he was rescued in 116.
- Trampling/falling vs. steady walking
  - Ps 7:6 “let him trample my life to the ground” (וְיִרְמֹס לָאָרֶץ חַיָּי)
  - Ps 116:8 “my feet from stumbling”; 116:9 “I will walk before YHWH in the lands of the living”
  - 116 presents the stabilized, rescued counterpart to 7’s threatened trampling.
- Dust vs. life
  - Ps 7:6 “my honor dwell in the dust”
  - Ps 116:9 “in the lands of the living” (anti-dust/Sheol resolution)

4) Assembly and cult: from cosmic court to public vow-fulfillment
- Ps 7:7–9 envisions YHWH rising to judge with an “assembly of peoples” around him.
- Ps 116:14,18–19 locates the vow-fulfillment “before all his people … in the courts of the house of YHWH … in Jerusalem.”
- Movement: courtroom plea (7) → sanctuary thanksgiving (116), both in front of an assembly.

5) Stylistic ties and smaller echoes
- Repeated vocatives/address and first-person focus in both psalms; both end in praise (7:18; 116:19 “Hallelujah”).
- Particle נא appears in both in petition/promise contexts (7:10; 116:14,18).
- Shared temporal framing: 7:12 “every day” vs 116:2 “in my days I will call” (daily, ongoing stance).
- Identity contrast with “ben–” phrases: 7’s superscription names the antagonist “Cush, a Benjamite” (בֶּן־יְמִינִי), while 116:16 counter-identifies the speaker positively as “your servant … the son of your handmaid” (בֶּן־אֲמָתֶךָ).

6) Life-setting logic (ancient Israelite practice)
- In distress, a worshiper vows praise/sacrifice if delivered (7:18 implies such a vow).
- After rescue, the worshiper brings a thank-offering (זֶבַח תּוֹדָה), calls on the Name, and pays vows publicly at the sanctuary (116:13–19).
- The “cup of salvations” (116:13) fits the thank-offering meal; the repeated “I will pay my vows” (116:14,18) fulfills the vow implicit in 7.

Bottom line: Psalm 116 reads like the narrative, lexical, and cultic fulfillment of Psalm 7. The rare and telling root correspondences (גמל; חלץ; שלם in two senses), the shared salvation vocabulary (ישע; צדיק), the Name-motif, and the shift from mortal peril (pit/Sheol/death, trampling) to public thanksgiving in the temple together justify reading Psalm 116 as the logical sequel to Psalm 7.

Evaluation

Score: 6.0

Evaluated at: 2025-11-26T04:26:31 (UTC)

Evaluator model: gpt-5

Evaluator version: v2

Reasoning: 3712 Output: 6134 Total: 9846

Vocabulary specificity: 4.0 / 10

Multiple precise correspondences (חלץ, גמל, שׁלם; pit/Sheol vs deliverance) and coherent lament→thanksgiving rationale, but vocabulary is mostly common and no editorial markers. Cross-book distance suggests incidental overlap.

Prompt

Consider Psalm 7 and Psalm 116 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 116 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 116:
Psalm 116
1. אָ֭הַבְתִּי
        כִּֽי־
        יִשְׁמַ֥ע ׀
        יְהוָ֑ה
        אֶת־
        ק֝וֹלִ֗י
        תַּחֲנוּנָֽי׃
2. כִּֽי־
        הִטָּ֣ה
        אָזְנ֣וֹ
        לִ֑י
        וּבְיָמַ֥י
        אֶקְרָֽא׃
3. אֲפָפ֤וּנִי ׀
        חֶבְלֵי־
        מָ֗וֶת
        וּמְצָרֵ֣י
        שְׁא֣וֹל
        מְצָא֑וּנִי
        צָרָ֖ה
        וְיָג֣וֹן
        אֶמְצָֽא׃
4. וּבְשֵֽׁם־
        יְהוָ֥ה
        אֶקְרָ֑א
        אָנָּ֥ה
        יְ֝הוָ֗ה
        מַלְּטָ֥ה
        נַפְשִֽׁי׃
5. חַנּ֣וּן
        יְהֹוָ֣ה
        וְצַדִּ֑יק
        וֵ֖אלֹהֵ֣ינוּ
        מְרַחֵֽם׃
6. שֹׁמֵ֣ר
        פְּתָאיִ֣ם
        יְהֹוָ֑ה
        דַּ֝לּוֹתִ֗י
        וְלִ֣י
        יְהוֹשִֽׁיעַ׃
7. שׁוּבִ֣י
        נַ֭פְשִׁי
        לִמְנוּחָ֑יְכִי
        כִּֽי־
        יְ֝הוָ֗ה
        גָּמַ֥ל
        עָלָֽיְכִי׃
8. כִּ֤י
        חִלַּ֥צְתָּ
        נַפְשִׁ֗י
        מִ֫מָּ֥וֶת
        אֶת־
        עֵינִ֥י
        מִן־
        דִּמְעָ֑ה
        אֶת־
        רַגְלִ֥י
        מִדֶּֽחִי׃
9. אֶ֭תְהַלֵּךְ
        לִפְנֵ֣י
        יְהוָ֑ה
        בְּ֝אַרְצ֗וֹת
        הַֽחַיִּֽים׃
10. הֶ֭אֱמַנְתִּי
        כִּ֣י
        אֲדַבֵּ֑ר
        אֲ֝נִ֗י
        עָנִ֥יתִי
        מְאֹֽד׃
11. אֲ֭נִי
        אָמַ֣רְתִּי
        בְחָפְזִ֑י
        כָּֽל־
        הָאָדָ֥ם
        כֹּזֵֽב׃
12. מָֽה־
        אָשִׁ֥יב
        לַיהוָ֑ה
        כָּֽל־
        תַּגְמוּל֥וֹהִי
        עָלָֽי׃
13. כּוֹס־
        יְשׁוּע֥וֹת
        אֶשָּׂ֑א
        וּבְשֵׁ֖ם
        יְהוָ֣ה
        אֶקְרָֽא׃
14. נְ֭דָרַי
        לַיהוָ֣ה
        אֲשַׁלֵּ֑ם
        נֶגְדָה־
        נָּ֝֗א
        לְכָל־
        עַמּֽוֹ׃
15. יָ֭קָר
        בְּעֵינֵ֣י
        יְהוָ֑ה
        הַ֝מָּ֗וְתָה
        לַחֲסִידָֽיו׃
16. אָֽנָּ֣ה
        יְהוָה֮
        כִּֽי־
        אֲנִ֢י
        עַ֫בְדֶּ֥ךָ
        אֲ‍ֽנִי־
        עַ֭בְדְּךָ
        בֶּן־
        אֲמָתֶ֑ךָ
        פִּ֝תַּ֗חְתָּ
        לְמוֹסֵרָֽי׃
17. לְֽךָ־
        אֶ֭זְבַּח
        זֶ֣בַח
        תּוֹדָ֑ה
        וּבְשֵׁ֖ם
        יְהוָ֣ה
        אֶקְרָֽא׃
18. נְ֭דָרַי
        לַיהוָ֣ה
        אֲשַׁלֵּ֑ם
        נֶגְדָה־
        נָּ֝֗א
        לְכָל־
        עַמּֽוֹ׃
19. בְּחַצְר֤וֹת ׀
        בֵּ֤ית
        יְהוָ֗ה
        בְּֽת֘וֹכֵ֤כִי
        יְֽרוּשָׁלִָ֗ם
        הַֽלְלוּ־
        יָֽהּ׃