Psalm 8 → 15
Reasoning: 9216 Output: 3966 Total: 13182
Argument
Here are lines of argument, ordered by type of evidence, for reading Psalm 15 as a logical follow‑on to Psalm 8. I note stronger links (rarer forms, identical forms/roots, tighter conceptual sequelae) as such, and weaker links (high‑frequency lexemes, broader thematic echoes) as such. A. Form and rhetorical “seam” between the psalms - Both open in direct address to YHWH, and both are short, tightly structured Davidic compositions. The identical heading מִזְמוֹר לְדָוִד (Ps 8:1; 15:1) is an exact form match (strong formal link, though common in Book I). - Question-driven rhetoric in both: - Psalm 8 pivots on two interrogatives: מָה־אַדִּיר שִׁמְךָ …? (exclamatory “how majestic,” vv. 2, 10) and especially מָה־אֱנוֹשׁ כִּי־תִזְכְּרֶנּוּ? (v. 5). - Psalm 15 opens with a paired interrogative: מִי־יָגוּר בְּאָהֳלֶךָ מִי־יִשְׁכֹּן בְּהַר־קָדְשֶׁךָ (v. 1). - So “What is man?” (Ps 8) is followed by “Who (of man) may dwell with God?” (Ps 15). The question about the nature of humanity (8:5–9) naturally yields the question about which human can approach God (15:1) and the ethical answer (15:2–5). This is a strong logical progression. - Macro-movement from universal to particular: - Psalm 8: God’s name “in all the earth” and “above the heavens” (בְּכָל־הָאָרֶץ; עַל־הַשָּׁמַיִם, v. 2; refrain v. 10). - Psalm 15: the specific locus of divine presence, “your tent … your holy mountain” (בְּאָהֳלֶךָ … בְּהַר־קָדְשֶׁךָ, v. 1). - In Israelite worship this is a natural liturgical move: from cosmic hymn to entrance liturgy. B. Thematic logic: from dignity and dominion to ethical responsibility - Psalm 8 grants to humankind a God‑given royal status: “You made him a little lower than Elohim … with glory and honor you crowned him … you made him rule … you put everything under his feet” (8:6–7). This raises the moral question: What sort of human exercise of power is fit for God’s presence? - Psalm 15 supplies precisely the royal‑ethical profile: blameless walking, doing justice, truthfulness, no abuse of speech, no economic exploitation (usury), no judicial perversion (bribe), covenantal fidelity to oaths (15:2–5). It is the ethical check on the vicegerency of Psalm 8. Strong logical follow‑on. C. Lexical/root correspondences (ranked by weight) - כבד “honor/weight” (same root; high‑value link) - Ps 8:6 וְכָבוֹד וְהָדָר תְּעַטְּרֵהוּ (noun “glory/honor” bestowed on the human). - Ps 15:4 … אֶת־יִרְאֵי יְהוָה יְכַבֵּד (verb “to honor” exercised by the righteous). - Flow of “honor” from God to the human (8) becomes the human’s honoring of God’s fearers (15) — the royal ethic mirrors divine bestowal. Strong conceptual and root link. - Stability/establishment field: יָסַד/כּוּן vs. מוֹט (paired ideas in Psalms; moderate rarity) - Ps 8:3–4 יִסַּדְתָּ עֹז … אֲשֶׁר כּוֹנָנְתָּה (you founded/established). - Ps 15:5 לֹא יִמּוֹט לְעוֹלָם (he will not be moved). - What God “sets” firm in creation (8) is mirrored as the ethical person’s unshakeability (15). Strong conceptual tether, with rare verbs יִסַּדְתָּ/כּוֹנָנְתָּ supporting it. - רגל/הלך/ימוט “foot–walk–slip” cluster (root overlap plus semantic field; notable) - Ps 8:7 תַּחַת רַגְלָיו (under his feet). - Ps 15:2 הוֹלֵךְ תָּמִים; v. 3 לֹא־רָגַל עַל־לְשׁוֹנוֹ; v. 5 לֹא יִמּוֹט. - Psalm 15 plays on “going/feet” both literally (הוֹלֵךְ) and idiomatically (רָגַל = “to slander/go about”), and ends with “not totter.” Psalm 8’s dominion “under his feet” is ethically re‑cast as a blameless “walk” that does not cause others harm and that itself does not slip. Strong field coherence; also a same‑root echo רגל (noun vs. verb). - נ־ת־ן “give/place” (very common root; weak on rarity but exact forms are noteworthy) - Ps 8:2 תְּנָה הוֹדְךָ עַל־הַשָּׁמַיִם (set/give your splendor). - Ps 15:5 כַּסְפּוֹ לֹא־נָתַן בְּנֶשֶׁךְ (does not give his money at interest). - Mirrored “giving”: divine self‑bestowal vs. human restraint from exploitative giving. - Mouth/speech motif (shared image; medium strength) - Ps 8:3 מִפִּי עוֹלְלִים … יִסַּדְתָּ עֹז (from infants’ mouth comes strength to silence foes). - Ps 15:2–3 וְדֹבֵר אֱמֶת בִּלְבָבוֹ … לֹא־רָגַל עַל־לְשׁוֹנוֹ (truthful speech; no slander). - In 8 God ordains praise/strength through mouths; in 15 the worshiper’s mouth is disciplined to truth. Coherent liturgical movement. D. From cosmic scope to cultic locus (shared Israelite religious logic) - Psalm 8’s creation hymn (moon and stars which you established; 8:4) naturally fits evening/night contemplation and cosmic kingship. Psalm 15 is a classic “gate/entrance liturgy” (Gunkel) for approaching the sanctuary. A pilgrim’s movement from contemplating creation (Ps 8) to asking for admission to God’s tent/mountain (Ps 15) matches real cultic sequences in Israelite life. Strong liturgical plausibility. - Mythic subtext: Ps 8:3–4 envisages YHWH’s victory and cosmic establishment (שְׁבִיתָ אֹיֵב; יִסַּדְתָּ/כּוֹנָנְתָּ). In ANE pattern, divine victory is followed by enthronement on the holy mountain. Ps 15 then asks: who may dwell on that mountain? Strong mythic‑theological sequence. E. Canonical arc within Book I (8 → 15 via 9–14) - Editorially, Ps 8 exalts humanity’s vocation; Pss 9–14 expose humanity’s corruption (climax: Ps 14 “there is none who does good”). Ps 15 answers by delineating “the one who does these things” (עֹשֵׂה־אֵלֶּה) who “shall never be moved.” Thus Ps 15 functions as a corrective/clarifier after Ps 8’s high anthropology, identifying the subset of humanity fit for God’s presence. Strong macro‑contextual logic. F. Additional stylistic and structural echoes - Both psalms end with a summary closure: - Ps 8: inclusio refrain “יְהוָה אֲדֹנֵינוּ מָה־אַדִּיר שִׁמְךָ בְּכָל־הָאָרֶץ.” - Ps 15: summarizing verdict “עֹשֵׂה־אֵלֶּה לֹא יִמּוֹט לְעוֹלָם.” - Space‑wide sovereignty (בְּכָל־הָאָרֶץ) is matched by time‑long stability (לְעוֹלָם) for the righteous — a neat space/time complement. G. Royal ideology coherence - Psalm 8 confers crown and rule (תְּעַטְּרֵהוּ; תַּמְשִׁילֵהוּ). Psalm 15 reads like a royal/judicial ethic (no bribe, no usury, honor the worthy, disdain the vile, keep oaths) — exactly the virtues expected of a vicegerent under God (cf. 2 Sam 8:15). Strong ideological fit. In sum - Read together, Psalm 8 poses the anthropological and theological frame: under YHWH’s majestic name, humans are crowned to rule creation. Psalm 15 then answers the inevitable next question: which human being is qualified to draw near to the divine King and thus to exercise such rule rightly? The link is reinforced by concrete lexical roots (כבד; רגל; יסד/כון ~ לא ימוט; נתן), shared rhetorical format (vocative + interrogatives), liturgical logic (creation hymn → gate liturgy), and canonical placement (15 as capstone answer after 8 and the critique of 9–14).
Evaluation
Score: 2.0
Evaluated at: 2025-11-28T03:18:36 (UTC)
Evaluator model: gpt-5
Evaluator version: v2
Reasoning: 2816 Output: 4804 Total: 7620
Checklist
- Has verse refs: Yes
- Factual error detected: Yes
- Only generic motifs: No
- Counterargument considered: Yes
- LXX/MT numbering acknowledged: No
Vocabulary specificity: 4.0 / 10
Flags: misquote
Misquote: cites “שביתָ אויב” for Ps 8:3 (MT has “להשבית אויב”) → MAX 2. Many links (מזמור לדוד, נתן, לא ימוט, walk/foot) are common; entrance‑liturgy progression plausible but non‑unique; no decisive editorial marker.
Prompt
Consider Psalm 8 and Psalm 15 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 15 logically follows on from Psalm 8? 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 8:
Psalm 8
1. לַמְנַצֵּ֥חַ
עַֽל־
הַגִּתִּ֗ית
מִזְמ֥וֹר
לְדָוִֽד׃
2. יְהוָ֤ה
אֲדֹנֵ֗ינוּ
מָֽה־
אַדִּ֣יר
שִׁ֭מְךָ
בְּכָל־
הָאָ֑רֶץ
אֲשֶׁ֥ר
תְּנָ֥ה
ה֝וֹדְךָ֗
עַל־
הַשָּׁמָֽיִם׃
3. מִפִּ֤י
עֽוֹלְלִ֨ים ׀
וְֽיֹנְקִים֮
יִסַּ֢דְתָּ֫
עֹ֥ז
לְמַ֥עַן
צוֹרְרֶ֑יךָ
לְהַשְׁבִּ֥ית
א֝וֹיֵ֗ב
וּמִתְנַקֵּֽtם׃
4. כִּֽי־
אֶרְאֶ֣ה
שָׁ֭מֶיךָ
מַעֲשֵׂ֣י
אֶצְבְּעֹתֶ֑יךָ
יָרֵ֥חַ
וְ֝כוֹכָבִ֗ים
אֲשֶׁ֣ר
כּוֹנָֽנְתָּה׃
5. מָֽה־
אֱנ֥וֹשׁ
כִּֽי־
תִזְכְּרֶ֑נּוּ
וּבֶן־
אָ֝דָ֗ם
כִּ֣י
תִפְקְדֶֽנּוּ׃
6. וַתְּחַסְּרֵ֣הוּ
מְּ֭עַט
מֵאֱלֹהִ֑ים
וְכָב֖וֹד
וְהָדָ֣ר
תְּעַטְּרֵֽהוּ׃
7. תַּ֭מְשִׁילֵהוּ
בְּמַעֲשֵׂ֣י
יָדֶ֑יךָ
כֹּ֝ל
שַׁ֣תָּה
תַֽחַת־
רַגְלָֽיו׃
8. צֹנֶ֣ה
וַאֲלָפִ֣ים
כֻּלָּ֑ם
וְ֝גַ֗ם
בַּהֲמ֥וֹת
שָׂדָֽי׃
9. צִפּ֣וֹר
שָׁ֭מַיִם
וּדְגֵ֣י
הַיָּ֑ם
עֹ֝בֵ֗ר
אָרְחֽmוֹת
יַמִּֽים׃
10. יְהוָ֥ה
אֲדֹנֵ֑ינוּ
מָֽה־
אַדִּ֥יר
שִׁ֝מְךָ֗
בְּכָל־
הָאָֽרֶץ׃
Psalm 15:
Psalm 15
1. מִזְמ֗וֹר
לְדָ֫וִ֥ד
י֭הֹוָה
מִי־
יָג֣וּר
בְּאָהֳלֶ֑ךָ
מִֽי־
יִ֝שְׁכֹּ֗ן
בְּהַ֣ר
קָדְשֶֽׁךָ׃
2. הוֹלֵ֣ךְ
תָּ֭מִים
וּפֹעֵ֥ל
צֶ֑דֶק
וְדֹבֵ֥ר
אֱ֝מֶ֗ת
בִּלְבָֽבוֹ׃
3. לֹֽא־
רָגַ֨ל ׀
עַל־
לְשֹׁנ֗וֹ
לֹא־
עָשָׂ֣ה
לְרֵעֵ֣הוּ
רָעָ֑ה
וְ֝חֶרְפָּ֗ה
לֹא־
נָשָׂ֥א
עַל־
קְרֹֽבוֹ׃
4. נִבְזֶ֤ה ׀
בְּֽעֵ֘ינָ֤יו
נִמְאָ֗ס
וְאֶת־
יִרְאֵ֣י
יְהוָ֣ה
יְכַבֵּ֑ד
נִשְׁבַּ֥ע
לְ֝הָרַ֗ע
וְלֹ֣א
יָמִֽר׃
5. כַּסְפּ֤וֹ ׀
לֹא־
נָתַ֣ן
בְּנֶשֶׁךְ֮
וְשֹׁ֥חַד
עַל־
נָקִ֗י
לֹ֥א
לָ֫קָ֥ח
עֹֽשֵׂה־
אֵ֑לֶּה
לֹ֖א
יִמּ֣וֹט
לְעוֹלָֽם׃