Psalm 2 → 120

Reasoning: 9408 Output: 3904 Total: 13312

Argument

Below are ways to argue that Psalm 120 can be read as logically following Psalm 2. I group the links by type and (where possible) weigh the linguistic “strength” (rarity, identical roots/forms, etc.), then show how a historical/liturgical storyline can emerge when the two are read in sequence.

1) Macro‑plot: from royal enthronement in Zion to the pilgrim leaving the far reaches to head to Zion
- Psalm 2 culminates in God’s public installation of his king on Zion (2:6), with a worldwide summons to submit (2:10–12) and a promise of “the ends of the earth” as inheritance (2:8).
- Psalm 120 is the opening of the Songs of Ascents (120–134), a pilgrim cycle that moves from far away to Jerusalem (cf. 122:1–2). If Psalm 2 sets Zion as the center of world order, Psalm 120 begins the lived response of a worshiper among the nations who now starts the journey toward that center.
- Narrative logic: after the enthronement proclamation (Ps 2), a righteous Israelite living among the nations (Ps 120:5 Meshech/Kedar) cries out and begins to ascend to Zion, where the enthroned king reigns. This is a strong thematic fit, even though the psalms are not adjacent canonically.

2) “Mouth/speech” network: the central problem in both is hostile speech; the remedy is homage/prayer
- Psalm 2 is structured by speech acts:
  - Nations speak/plot: יהגו־ריק “they meditate/plot emptiness” (2:1); cohortatives “ננתקה… ונשליכה” “let us burst… cast off” (2:3).
  - YHWH speaks in anger: ידבר… באפו (2:5).
  - The king recites the decree: אספרה אל־חק… אמר אלי (2:7).
  - Wisdom address to rulers: השכילו… היווסרו… נשקו־בר (2:10–12).
- Psalm 120 is dominated by the mouth/tongue/lips problem:
  - “שפת־שקר… לשון רמיה” deceitful lips/tongue (120:2,3).
  - The psalmist “speaks” peace: ואני—שלום; וכי אדבר המה למלחמה (120:7).
  - Identical root overlap: דבר (Ps 2:5 “ידבר,” Ps 120:7 “אדבר”). This is a common verb, but it helps stitch the speech motif.
- Tight conceptual link: Psalm 2 commands rulers to pay homage with their mouths (“נשקו־בר,” whether “kiss the son” or “kiss/embrace purity”); Psalm 120 laments mouths that instead produce lies. Reading 120 after 2, those who refused the homage of 2 now use “לשון רמיה.”

3) Judgment imagery: Psalm 2’s fiery wrath and iron rod, Psalm 120’s arrows and burning coals
- Psalm 2: “יבער כמעט אפו” (his anger will quickly burn), “בשבט ברזל… תנפצם” (iron rod; smash like pottery) (2:9,12).
- Psalm 120: punishment imagery that fits divine retribution on hostile speech: “חצי גבור שנונים עם גחלי רתמים” (sharp warrior’s arrows with broom‑coals) (120:4).
- Though the specific nouns differ, both psalms threaten violent, burning judgment. The “burning” link is especially pointed: Ps 2’s יבער (“it will burn”) resonates with Ps 120’s גחלי (“coals”), and both are uncommon images for judgment compared with more standard “enemies fall” language.

4) Geography/peoples: ends of the earth vs. living among far‑off tribes
- Psalm 2: the king is promised “אפסי־ארץ” (the ends of the earth) (2:8); the rebels are “גוים… לאמים… מלכי־ארץ” (2:1–2).
- Psalm 120: the speaker lives among “משך… קedar” (120:5) — iconic, far‑flung peoples (northwest and southeast of Israel). These concretize “the ends of the earth” of Ps 2.
- Logical progression: Ps 2 universalizes the scope; Ps 120 situates the faithful individual out on that edge.

5) Inheritance vs. sojourning: antithetical but complementary
- Psalm 2: “ואתנה גוים נחלתך… אחוזתך אפסי־ארץ” (2:8).
- Psalm 120: “גרתי… שכנתי” (120:5–6). The worshiper is not yet enjoying the royal inheritance; he is a “sojourner” among hostile peoples. This “already/not yet” tension makes 120 a believable next chapter to 2: the royal promise is given; the faithful await its realization amid opposition.

6) Peace vs. war: who heeds Psalm 2’s wisdom?
- Psalm 2 ends with a wisdom call to serve YHWH with fear and find refuge (2:11–12).
- Psalm 120 ends: “אני—שלום… המה למלחמה” (120:7). The speaker aligns with the wise posture of Ps 2, but his neighbors choose the opposite path, consistent with the rebels of Ps 2:1–3.

7) Refuge realized: the beatitude of Psalm 2 enacted in Psalm 120
- Psalm 2’s closing beatitude: “אשרי כל־חוסי בו” (happy are all who take refuge in Him) (2:12).
- Psalm 120 opens by doing so: “אל־יהוה… קראתי ויענני” (120:1), then asks: “יהוה, הצילה נפשי…” (120:2). The beatitude’s counsel (take refuge) immediately becomes the pilgrim’s practice (call on YHWH) — a clean narrative link.

8) Rare/striking items that point across the pair
- נשקו־בר (2:12) is rare and polyvalent. If read “kiss the son,” it keeps the mouth motif; if “kiss/embrace purity,” it contrasts with “לשון רמיה” (deceitful tongue) in 120 — purity vs deceit concentrated in the mouth.
- גחלי רתמים (120:4) is very rare; its “burning” pairs well with the rare burn language of Ps 2 (“יבער כמעט אפו”).
- Meshech/Kedar (120:5) are unusual names; together they are an evocative shorthand for the “ends of the earth” promised in Ps 2:8. That conceptual mapping is strong even though the lexemes differ.

9) Stylistic/structural echoes
- Rhetorical questions frame both: Ps 2 opens “למה רגשו גוים…?”; Ps 120 has “מה־יתן לך ומה־יוסיף לך לשון רמיה?” (120:3).
- Imperative/exhortation chains: Ps 2 piles up imperatives to the rulers (השכילו… היווסרו… עבדו… גילו… נשקו), while Ps 120 uses the imperative to God (הצילה), a fitting sequel: the rulers were warned; the worshiper now pleads for deliverance from them.
- Multi‑voice composition: Ps 2 alternates speakers (nations, narrator, YHWH, king, wisdom voice). Ps 120 alternates address (to YHWH, to the deceitful tongue, to the self/others). This dialogic style is a shared form feature.

10) A small stitch and an “אני” pivot
- Ps 2 has God’s “ואני נסכתי מלכי” (2:6), a decisive “As for me, I have installed my king.” Ps 120 centers on the worshiper’s “אני—שלום” (120:7), a decisional self‑alignment under that king. The “אני” pivot moves from God’s act to the believer’s stance.
- A sound echo: Ps 2 begins with למה (“why?”), Ps 120 ends למלחמה (“for war”). The phonetic overlap is slight but audible; both frame the problem of the nations with “ל–מ–ה” sounds and conflict.

11) Historical/liturgical plausibility
- In Israel’s life, a royal/adoption/enthronement proclamation (Ps 2) could be paired with festival pilgrimage. Psalm 120, as the first “Shir ha‑Ma’alot,” is the cry of the pilgrim in exile beginning the journey to Zion (where Ps 2 has just enthroned the king). That pairing fits an editorial or liturgical logic: proclamation → response; center declared → periphery returns.

Bottom line
- Strongest connections: the shared speech/mouth complex (Ps 2’s homage vs Ps 120’s deceitful tongue), the judgment imagery (burning and weapons), the geography (ends‑of‑earth vs Meshech/Kedar), the inheritance/sojourning contrast, and the beatitude/refuge enacted in prayer.
- Linguistically, the most concrete overlaps are common roots (דבר, נתן) and the mouth lexicon; the rarer items match thematically (burning wrath ~ broom‑coals; rare homage verb ~ mouth/tongue). Conceptually, the fit is tight: Psalm 120 reads like the faithful pilgrim’s immediate, on‑the‑ground sequel to the cosmic royal announcement of Psalm 2.

Evaluation

No evaluation has been recorded for this pair yet.

Prompt

Consider Psalm 2 and Psalm 120 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 120 logically follows on from Psalm 2? 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 2:
Psalm 2
1. לָ֭מָּה
        רָגְשׁ֣וּ
        גוֹיִ֑ם
        וּ֝לְאֻמִּ֗ים
        יֶהְגּוּ־
        רִֽtיק׃
2. יִ֥תְיַצְּב֨וּ ׀
        מַלְכֵי־
        אֶ֗רֶץ
        וְרוֹזְנִ֥ים
        נֽוֹסְדוּ־
        יָ֑חַד
        עַל־
        יְ֝הוָה
        וְעַל־
        מְשִׁיחֽtוֹ׃
3. נְֽ֭נַתְּקָה
        אֶת־
        מֽוֹסְרוֹתֵ֑ימוֹ
        וְנַשְׁלִ֖יכָה
        מִמֶּ֣נּוּ
        עֲבֹתֵֽימוֹ׃
4. יוֹשֵׁ֣ב
        בַּשָּׁמַ֣יִם
        יִשְׂחָ֑ק
        אֲ֝דֹנָ֗י
        יִלְעַג־
        לָֽמוֹ׃
5. אָ֤ז
        יְדַבֵּ֣ר
        אֵלֵ֣ימוֹ
        בְאַפּ֑וֹ
        וּֽבַחֲרוֹנ֥וֹ
        יְבַהֲלֵֽמוֹ׃
6. וַ֭אֲנִי
        נָסַ֣כְתִּי
        מַלְכִּ֑י
        עַל־
        צִ֝יּ֗וֹן
        הַר־
        קָדְשִֽׁי׃
7. אֲסַפְּרָ֗ה
        אֶֽ֫ל
        חֹ֥ק
        יְֽהוָ֗ה
        אָמַ֘ר
        אֵלַ֥י
        בְּנִ֥י
        אַ֑תָּה
        אֲ֝נִ֗י
        הַיּ֥וֹם
        יְלִדְתִּֽיךָ׃
8. שְׁאַ֤ל
        מִמֶּ֗נִּי
        וְאֶתְּנָ֣ה
        ג֭וֹיִם
        נַחֲלָתֶ֑ךָ
        וַ֝אֲחֻזָּתְךָ֗
        אַפְסֵי־
        אָֽרֶץ׃
9. תְּ֭רֹעֵם
        בְּשֵׁ֣בֶט
        בַּרְזֶ֑ל
        כִּכְלִ֖י
        יוֹצֵ֣ר
        תְּנַפְּצֵֽם׃
10. וְ֭עַתָּה
        מְלָכִ֣ים
        הַשְׂכִּ֑ילוּ
        הִ֝וָּסְר֗וּ
        שֹׁ֣פְטֵי
        אָֽרֶץ׃
11. עִבְד֣וּ
        אֶת־
        יְהוָ֣ה
        בְּיִרְאָ֑ה
        וְ֝גִ֗ילוּ
        בִּרְעָדָֽה׃
12. נַשְּׁקוּ־
        בַ֡ר
        פֶּן־
        יֶאֱנַ֤ף ׀
        וְתֹ֬אבְדוּ
        דֶ֗רֶךְ
        כִּֽי־
        יִבְעַ֣ר
        כִּמְעַ֣ט
        אַפּ֑וֹ
        אַ֝שְׁרֵ֗י
        כָּל־
        ח֥וֹסֵי
        בֽוֹ׃

Psalm 120:
Psalm 120
1. שִׁ֗יר
        הַֽמַּ֫עֲל֥וֹת
        אֶל־
        יְ֭הוָה
        בַּצָּרָ֣תָה
        לִּ֑י
        קָ֝רָ֗אתִי
        וַֽיַּעֲנֵֽנִי׃
2. יְֽהוָ֗ה
        הַצִּ֣ילָה
        נַ֭פְשִׁי
        מִשְּׂפַת־
        שֶׁ֑קֶר
        מִלָּשׁ֥וֹן
        רְמִיָּֽה׃
3. מַה־
        יִּתֵּ֣ן
        לְ֭ךָ
        וּמַה־
        יֹּסִ֥יף
        לָ֗ךְ
        לָשׁ֥וֹן
        רְמִיָּֽה׃
4. חִצֵּ֣י
        גִבּ֣וֹר
        שְׁנוּנִ֑ים
        עִ֝֗ם
        גַּחֲלֵ֥י
        רְתָמִֽים׃
5. אֽוֹיָה־
        לִ֭י
        כִּי־
        גַ֣רְתִּי
        מֶ֑שֶׁךְ
        שָׁ֝כַ֗נְתִּי
        עִֽם־
        אָהֳלֵ֥י
        קֵדָֽר׃
6. רַ֭בַּת
        שָֽׁכְנָה־
        לָּ֣הּ
        נַפְשִׁ֑י
        עִ֝֗ם
        שׂוֹנֵ֥א
        שָׁלֽוֹם׃
7. אֲ‍ֽנִי־
        שָׁ֭לוֹם
        וְכִ֣י
        אֲדַבֵּ֑ר
        הֵ֝֗מָּה
        לַמִּלְחָמָֽה׃