Psalm 2 → 138
Reasoning: 6720 Output: 3599 Total: 10319
Argument
Short thesis: Read in sequence, Psalm 2 announces YHWH’s enthronement of his anointed and summons the “kings of the earth” to submit; Psalm 138 is a Davidic thanksgiving that depicts that summons being heeded: the same “kings of the earth” now praise YHWH after hearing his word, while the Davidic speaker worships at the holy place and thanks God for completing what he promised. Arguments by category 1) Direct lexical/collocational links (high weight) - “Kings of the earth” - Ps 2:2 “malchei‑eretz” take their stand against YHWH and his anointed. - Ps 138:4 “kol malchei‑eretz” now give thanks to YHWH. This is an exact collocation in both psalms; the narrative movement (rebellion → praise) fits a “follow-on” reading. - YHWH’s utterance/word - Ps 2:7 “asaprah el ḥoq YHWH … amar elai” (the king proclaims YHWH’s decree/word). - Ps 138:2,4 “imratekha … imrei‑pikha” (your word/words). “Imrah” is relatively marked vocabulary outside Psalm 119; here, the “kings of the earth” explicitly “heard the words of your mouth,” the very thing Ps 2 urged them to heed. - “Way/ways” (derekh) - Ps 2:12 “tovdu derekh” (perish in the way) if they refuse homage. - Ps 138:5 “yashiru b’darkei YHWH” (they will sing in the ways of YHWH). Same noun; dramatic reversal: from perishing in their way to singing in YHWH’s ways. - Holiness locale (root QDŠ) - Ps 2:6 “Tsiyon har‑qodshi” (Zion, my holy hill). - Ps 138:2 “heikhal qodshekha” (your holy temple). Identical root and cultic center; Zion/temple frames both texts. - “Anger” (’aph) - Ps 2:5,12 “b’apo … yiv’ar kim‘at appo” (his anger). - Ps 138:7 “al ’aph oyvai” (against the anger/wrath of my enemies). Same lexeme ties the conflict/anger motif across both psalms. 2) Thematic/logical development - Rebellion to submission: - Ps 2: Nations rage; kings rebel; they’re warned to serve YHWH and kiss the son. - Ps 138:4–5 Those same “kings of the earth” now thank YHWH and sing of his ways because they have “heard the words of your mouth.” This reads like the successful outcome Ps 2 aimed at. - The king’s proclamation → kings’ hearing: - Ps 2 centers on a royal proclamation (“I will recount the decree”). - Ps 138 states the kings “heard” that word. The sequence proclamation → hearing → praise is coherent. - Homage gestures: - Ps 2:12 “kiss the son” (gesture of submission). - Ps 138:2 “I will bow down toward your holy temple” (prostration). Different verbs, same act-class of homage to YHWH’s rule. - Exaltation of YHWH: - Ps 2:4 YHWH enthroned in heaven; he derides rebels; 2:6 his king is set on Zion. - Ps 138:5–6 “great is the glory of YHWH … though YHWH is high” (ram). The theological center—YHWH’s exalted kingship—remains, but the tone shifts from threat to doxology. - Promise → fulfillment: - Ps 2:7–9 promise to the Davidic “son” of rule over the nations. - Ps 138:8 “YHWH yigmor ba’adi” (the LORD will complete/fulfill for me), a rare verb (GMR) used in royal thanksgiving (cf. Ps 57:3). This sounds like the king trusting God to bring the earlier promise to completion. 3) Cultic/formal sequencing (form criticism and life-setting) - Royal enthronement psalm → thanksgiving/tôdah: - Ps 2 is a classic royal enthronement/installation text with international scope. - Ps 138 is a Davidic thanksgiving sung “toward your holy temple,” with vows/praise language typical of tôdah after deliverance. In ancient Israelite practice, enthronement and victory are followed by public thanksgiving at the sanctuary—exactly what Ps 138 depicts. - International horizon: - Ps 2 anticipates global implications (“ends of the earth”). - Ps 138 shows that horizon realized liturgically: “all the kings of the earth” join YHWH’s praise. 4) Stylistic/structural affinities - Tight parallelism and concise cola characterize both psalms; both make heavy use of imperatives/exhortations (Ps 2:10–12) and volitives/vows (Ps 138:1–2). - Both are Davidic in voice or attribution: - Ps 2 is associated with Davidic kingship (explicitly Davidic in later tradition). - Ps 138 is “le-David,” allowing the “I” to be heard as the anointed king responding to Ps 2’s installation. 5) Additional lexical threads (medium weight) - “Right hand” saving: - Ps 138:7 “your right hand saves me” concretizes Ps 2’s promised subjugation of enemies (2:9) as YHWH’s martial support of the anointed. - “Work of your hands”: - Ps 138:8 “ma‘aseh yadekha al‑teref” (do not forsake the work of your hands). In context, the “work” plausibly includes the Davidic installation/mission announced in Ps 2. Putting it together as a narrative arc - Stage 1 (Ps 2): YHWH proclaims his rule through the Davidic “son” on Zion; rebellious kings are warned to submit or perish. - Stage 2 (Ps 138): After deliverance, the Davidic voice thanks YHWH at the temple; the international rulers now praise YHWH because they have heard his word; the king trusts YHWH to complete the promised work. Given the exact repetition of malchei eretz, the coordinated “word/decree” motif (amar/ḥoq → imrah/imrei pikha), the derekh/darkei reversal, and the shared Zion/holy locus, a strong case can be made that Psalm 138 is crafted (or at least can be read) as the liturgical and historical realization of Psalm 2’s program.
Evaluation
No evaluation has been recorded for this pair yet.
Prompt
Consider Psalm 2 and Psalm 138 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 138 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 138:
Psalm 138
1. לְדָוִ֨ד ׀
אוֹדְךָ֥
בְכָל־
לִבִּ֑י
נֶ֖גֶד
אֱלֹהִ֣ים
אֲזַמְּרֶֽךָּ׃
2. אֶשְׁתַּחֲוֶ֨ה
אֶל־
הֵיכַ֪ל
קָדְשְׁךָ֡
וְא֘וֹדֶ֤ה
אֶת־
שְׁמֶ֗ךָ
עַל־
חַסְדְּךָ֥
וְעַל־
אֲמִתֶּ֑ךָ
כִּֽי־
הִגְדַּ֥לְתָּ
עַל־
כָּל־
שִׁ֝מְךָ֗
אִמְרָתֶֽךָ׃
3. בְּי֣וֹם
קָ֭רָֽאתִי
וַֽתַּעֲנֵ֑נִי
תַּרְהִבֵ֖נִי
בְנַפְשִׁ֣י
עֹֽז׃
4. יוֹד֣וּךָ
יְ֭הוָה
כָּל־
מַלְכֵי־
אָ֑רֶץ
כִּ֥י
שָׁ֝מְע֗וּ
אִמְרֵי־
פִֽיךָ׃
5. וְ֭יָשִׁירוּ
בְּדַרְכֵ֣י
יְהוָ֑ה
כִּֽי־
גָ֝ד֗וֹל
כְּב֣וֹד
יְהוָֽה׃
6. כִּי־
רָ֣ם
יְ֭הוָה
וְשָׁפָ֣ל
יִרְאֶ֑ה
וְ֝גָבֹ֗הַּ
מִמֶּרְחָ֥ק
יְיֵדָֽע׃
7. אִם־
אֵלֵ֤ךְ ׀
בְּקֶ֥רֶב
צָרָ֗ה
תְּחַ֫יֵּ֥נִי
עַ֤ל
אַ֣ף
אֹ֖dיְבַי
תִּשְׁלַ֣ח
יָדֶ֑ךָ
וְת֖וֹשִׁיעֵ֣נִי
יְמִינֶֽךָ׃
8. יְהוָה֮
יִגְמֹ֢ר
בַּ֫עֲדִ֥י
יְ֭הוָה
חַסְדְּךָ֣
לְעוֹלָ֑ם
מַעֲשֵׂ֖י
יָדֶ֣יךָ
אַל־
תֶּֽרֶף׃