Psalm 7 → 142

Reasoning: 8192 Output: 4362 Total: 12554

Argument

Here are lines of evidence that let you argue Psalm 142 can be read as following Psalm 7.

1) Historical/narrative sequence that links the headings
- Psalm 7’s heading: “which he sang to YHWH concerning the words of Cush the Benjaminite.” A “Benjaminite” places the tension in Saul’s orbit (Saul is from Benjamin). Psalm 142’s heading: “Maskil of David, when he was in the cave.” In the Samuel narratives the slander/hostility David faced from Saul’s circle leads directly to his flight and hiding in caves (Adullam, En-gedi; 1 Sam 22–24). So a plausible narrative: Psalm 7 = David’s protest and plea for justice in the face of Benjamite accusations; Psalm 142 = the next stage, when the persecution has driven him into a cave and he prays from there.

A striking lexical hook ties the two headings: Psalm 7 has “בֶּן־יְמִינִי” (Benjamite; literally “son of the right hand”), and Psalm 142:5 says “הַבֵּט יָמִין וּרְאֵה” (“Look to the right and see”). The repetition of ימין/ימיני is rare and memorable; it lets an editor/reader hear the “Benjamin/right hand” echo across the pair and feel thematic continuity from Benjamite hostility to David’s glance to his “right” and finding no human ally there.

2) Same form-critical genre and similar structure
- Both are individual laments with:
  - Direct address/invocation of YHWH (Ps 7:2; Ps 142:2).
  - Complaint about mortal danger (Ps 7:3, 6; Ps 142:4–5, 7).
  - Petitions for rescue (Ps 7:2, 7; Ps 142:6–8).
  - Vow of praise after deliverance (Ps 7:18; Ps 142:8).
Reading 142 after 7 feels like the lament has moved from courtroom-like protest (Ps 7) into on-the-run desperation (Ps 142), but with the same lament-petition-vow profile.

3) Identical forms and very close verbal parallels (strongest markers)
- הַצִּילֵנִי “deliver me”: exact in Ps 7:2 and Ps 142:7.
- רֹדְפַי “my pursuers”: exact in Ps 7:2 and Ps 142:7 (with מִן in 142).
- נַפְשִׁי “my life/soul”: shared in Ps 7:3, 6; Ps 142:5, 8.
- לְדָוִד “of David” in both headings.
These exact matches, especially the rare pairing הַצִּילֵנִי … (מֵ)רֹדְפַי across both psalms, make 142 sound like a continuation of the same crisis described in 7.

4) Same roots and collocations
- חסה “take refuge”: Ps 7:2 בְּךָ חָסִיתִי “in you I take refuge”; Ps 142:6 אַתָּה מַחְסִי “you are my refuge.” Same root, verb in 7 and cognate noun in 142, repeating the same theological stance.
- ידה “to give thanks/praise”: Ps 7:18 אוֹדֶה יְהוָה; Ps 142:8 לְהוֹדוֹת אֶת־שְׁמֶךָ. Both end with a vow/promise of thanks.
- גמל “repay/deal”: Ps 7:5 אִם־גָּמַלְתִּי “if I have repaid”; Ps 142:8 כִּי תִגְמֹל עָלַי “for you will repay/deal with me.” The root’s reappearance suggests the theme of divine recompense answering human accusations.
- צדיק “righteous”: Ps 7:10–12 (צַדִּיק repeatedly); Ps 142:8 צַדִּיקִים. In Ps 7 God establishes the righteous; in Ps 142 the righteous gather around the delivered David—an organic next step.

5) Shared images and motifs, with developments that “move the plot forward”
- Pursuit and rescue:
  - Ps 7:2 “Save me from all my pursuers and deliver me.”
  - Ps 142:7 “Deliver me from my pursuers, for they are too strong for me.”
  Same danger, intensified in 142 (“too strong for me”), fitting an escalation from slander to lethal pursuit culminating in cave-hiding.
- Trap imagery:
  - Ps 7:16 “He dug a pit… and fell into the pit he made.”
  - Ps 142:4 “On the path where I walk they have hidden a snare for me.”
  Same hunter/ambush semantics; 142 localizes it to the path David is taking in flight.
- Encirclement motif:
  - Ps 7:8 “An assembly of peoples will surround you.”
  - Ps 142:8 “The righteous will surround/crown me” (יכתרו בי can mean “encircle me”).
  The movement is from the nations encircling God’s throne of judgment (cosmic courtroom of Ps 7) to the righteous encircling the delivered petitioner (public vindication in Ps 142).
- Honor reversed:
  - Ps 7:6 fears “my life to the ground” and “my glory to the dust.”
  - Ps 142:8 anticipates honor: “the righteous will crown/surround me.” The threatened abasement of Ps 7 gives way to public honor in Ps 142.
- “No human help” refrain:
  - Ps 7:3 “and there is no rescuer.”
  - Ps 142:5 “there is none who recognizes me… no one cares for my soul; refuge has perished from me.” The motif intensifies, setting up God as the only refuge (Ps 142:6), which matches the חסה refrain across both.

6) Theological through-line
- Ps 7 pleads for God’s righteous judgment over the nations, asserts innocence, and asks God to establish the righteous. Ps 142 personalizes the result: God will “repay/deal” with the petitioner (תגמל עלי), and the righteous community will gather in response. The vow of praise in Ps 7 finds its concrete outworking in Ps 142’s “bring out my soul from prison to give thanks to your name.”

7) Stylistic/technical superscription links
- Both have rare technical labels in the headings (שִׁגָּיוֹן; מַשְׂכִּיל) and both specify David plus a concrete historical frame. While the labels differ, the combination “David + specific episode” invites reading them within one Davidic life-cycle: slander from the Benjamite court (Ps 7) leading to cave-prayer under pursuit (Ps 142).

In sum: exact lexical matches (הצילני; רדפַי; נפשי), shared roots and vow language (חסה; ידה; גמל; צדיק), trap/pursuit imagery, the encirclement motif, and a strong historical arc (Benjamite hostility → cave flight) all let you argue that Psalm 142 is a logical next scene after Psalm 7. The rare yamin/Benjamite echo (ימיני in Ps 7’s heading; ימין in Ps 142:5) is an especially elegant editorial hook binding the two.

Evaluation

Score: 6.0

Evaluated at: 2025-11-27T03:56:43 (UTC)

Evaluator model: gpt-5

Evaluator version: v2

Reasoning: 4160 Output: 5193 Total: 9353

Vocabulary specificity: 3.0 / 10

Numerous accurate verse-linked correspondences (הצילני/רדפַי; חסה/מחסי; גמל; vows). Yet vocabulary is common across laments; ‘right/Benjamite’ echo is tenuous; no counterarguments; and non-adjacent placement reduces editorial-sequencing force.

Prompt

Consider Psalm 7 and Psalm 142 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 142 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 142:
Psalm 142
1. מַשְׂכִּ֥יל
        לְדָוִ֑ד
        בִּהְיוֹת֖וֹ
        בַמְּעָרָ֣ה
        תְפִלָּֽה׃
2. ק֭וֹלִי
        אֶל־
        יְהוָ֣ה
        אֶזְעָ֑ק
        ק֝וֹלִ֗י
        אֶל־
        יְהוָ֥ה
        אֶתְחַנָּֽן׃
3. אֶשְׁפֹּ֣ךְ
        לְפָנָ֣יו
        שִׂיחִ֑י
        צָ֝רָתִ֗י
        לְפָנָ֥יו
        אַגִּֽיד׃
4. בְּהִתְעַטֵּ֬ף
        עָלַ֨י ׀
        רוּחִ֗י
        וְאַתָּה֮
        יָדַ֢עְתָּ
        נְֽתִיבָ֫תִ֥י
        בְּאֹֽרַח־
        ז֥וּ
        אֲהַלֵּ֑ךְ
        טָמְנ֖וּ
        פַ֣ח
        לִֽי׃
5. הַבֵּ֤יט
        יָמִ֨ין ׀
        וּרְאֵה֮
        וְאֵֽין־
        לִ֢י
        מַ֫כִּ֥יר
        אָבַ֣ד
        מָנ֣וֹס
        מִמֶּ֑נִּי
        אֵ֖ין
        דּוֹרֵ֣שׁ
        לְנַפְשִֽׁי׃
6. זָעַ֥קְתִּי
        אֵלֶ֗יךָ
        יְה֫וָ֥ה
        אָ֭מַרְתִּי
        אַתָּ֣ה
        מַחְסִ֑י
        חֶ֝לְקִ֗י
        בְּאֶ֣רֶץ
        הַֽחַיִּים׃
7. הַקְשִׁ֤יבָה ׀
        אֶֽל־
        רִנָּתִי֮
        כִּֽי־
        דַלּ֢וֹתִ֫י
        מְאֹ֥ד
        הַצִּילֵ֥נִי
        מֵרֹדְפַ֑י
        כִּ֖י
        אָמְצ֣וּ
        מִמֶּֽנִּי׃
8. ה֘וֹצִ֤יאָה
        מִמַּסְגֵּ֨ר ׀
        נַפְשִׁי֮
        לְהוֹד֢וֹת
        אֶת־
        שְׁ֫מֶ֥ךָ
        בִּ֭י
        יַכְתִּ֣רוּ
        צַדִּיקִ֑ים
        כִּ֖י
        תִגְמֹ֣ל
        עָלָֽי׃