Psalm 4 → 10
Reasoning: 11904 Output: 5173 Total: 17077
Argument
Here are ways to argue that Psalm 10 can be read as a logical follow-on from Psalm 4, moving from an evening prayer of trust/admonition (Ps 4) to a day-of-trouble plea for public justice (Ps 10). I group the links by form/structure, motifs and ideas, and shared Hebrew lexicon/roots (with rarer or tighter matches noted). Form and structure - Same basic lament-prayer arc, but escalated: both open with direct address to YHWH, describe opponents, and close with confidence. Psalm 4 is an individual evening lament ending in personal calm (“בשלום יחדו אשכבה ואישן… לבטח תושיבני,” 4:9). Psalm 10 scales up to public wrongs and a royal-judicial resolution (“יהוה מלך עולם ועד… לשפט יתום ודך,” 10:16,18). - Interrogatives that frame complaint: Ps 4 has “עד־מה” (4:3) to the “sons of man”; Ps 10 opens with “למה יהוה” (10:1) to God and later “על־מה” (10:13). The rhetorical “why/how long” frame continues, but turns from admonishing humans (Ps 4) to pressing God (Ps 10). - Imperatives to God at peak petition: Ps 4 frontloads them (“ענני… חנני… ושמע,” 4:2; “נסה־ עלינו,” 4:7). Ps 10 climaxes in them (“קומה יהוה… נשא ידך,” 10:12; “שבר זרוע רשע,” 10:15). The repeated 2ms imperative נשא in both (4:7; 10:12) is a precise formal echo. Motifs and ideas that progress - Presence vs absence of God’s face: - Ps 4: “נסה־ עלינו אור פניך, יהוה” (4:7) requests the priestly-blessing presence. - Ps 10: “הסתיר פניו” (10:11) voices the felt absence. This is a tight, high‑value motif-match (identical noun פנים with antithetic predicates “shine/lift” vs “hide”). - Distress answered vs distress unanswered: - Ps 4: “בצר הרחבת לי” (4:2) — in distress you made space for me. - Ps 10: “תעלים לעתות בצרה” (10:1) — why do you hide in times of distress? Same noun “בצר/בצרה”; in Ps 10 the answer seems delayed. - Calling and hearing: - Ps 4: “ושמע תפלתי” (4:2); “יהוה ישמע בקראי אליו” (4:5) — confident hearing. - Ps 10: “תאבת ענוים שמעת יהוה… תקשיב אזנך” (10:17) — explicit hearing promised to the humble. Same root שמע; the later psalm reformulates hearing as God’s attentive “ear” for the afflicted community. - From admonition to depiction of impenitence: - Ps 4 instructs opponents: “רגזו ואל־תחטאו… אמרו בלבבכם על־משכבכם ודמו” (4:5); “זבחו זבחי־צדק ובטחו אל־יהוה” (4:6). - Ps 10 shows what happens when this is ignored: the wicked “אמר בלבו” (10:6,11,13) — the same “heart‑speech” motif, but filled with defiance (“בל אמוט… לא תדרש… שכח אל”) instead of repentance. This “אמר + בלב” formulaic echo is strong. - Inner speech and the heart vs outward violence: - Ps 4 emphasizes inner examination (“אמרו בלבבכם… ודמו,” 4:5) and ends with inner joy (“נתתה שמחה בלבי,” 4:8). - Ps 10 exposes the wicked’s inner talk and its social fallout (10:6–11), culminating in ambush, traps, and predation (10:8–10). Thus Ps 10 narrates the societal consequences of the failure to obey Ps 4’s admonition. - From private security to public safety: - Ps 4’s outcome: “לבטח תושיבני” (4:9) — you make me dwell securely. - Ps 10’s outcome: “בל־יוסיף עוד לערץ אנוש מן־הארץ” (10:18) — no more terrorizing. The security motif moves from the individual to the community of vulnerable ones (יתום, דך, חלכה, ענוים). Shared vocabulary and roots (rarer or tighter connections first) - נשא (imperative 2ms, exact form; high value): - “נסה־ עלינו אור פניך, יהוה” (4:7) and “נשא ידך” (10:12). Identical imperative verb, both as a direct appeal to YHWH to “lift up” (face in 4; hand in 10). - פנים (God’s face; exact noun; high value): - “אור פניך” (4:7) vs “הסתיר פניו” (10:11). Antithetic but tightly linked theologically and lexically. - צר/צרה (distress; same noun class; mid‑high value): - “בצר הרחבת לי” (4:2); “לעתות בצרה” (10:1). - שמע (hear; same verb root; mid‑high value with close semantic frame of prayer): - “ושמע תפלתי… יהוה ישמע” (4:2,4); “שמעת… תקשיב אזנך” (10:17). - אמר + בלב (formulaic construction; notable): - “אמרו בלבבכם” (4:5) vs “אמר בלבו” (10:6,11,13). - ישב (sit/dwell; same root used antithetically): - Hifil: “תושיבני לבטח” (4:9) — you cause me to dwell securely. - Qal: “ישב במארב” (10:8) — he sits in ambush. Same root, reversed moral outcome (secure dwelling vs predatory lurking). - בטח (trust/safety; semantic set, partial lexical overlap): - Imperative: “ובטחו אל־יהוה” (4:6); adverb: “לבטח” (4:9). Ps 10’s “בל־יוסיף עוד לערץ” (10:18) supplies the opposite of בטח (terror vs safety), moving toward the same end-state (public security). - Deceit/falsehood semantic field (looser but cumulative): - Ps 4: “תאהבון ריק… תבקשו כזב” (4:3). - Ps 10: “פיהו מלא ומרמות… תחת לשונו עמל ואון” (10:7). Different lexemes, same domain; Ps 10 elaborates what Ps 4 rebukes. Macro‑narrative or life-setting connections - Daily cycle: Ps 4 is an evening psalm (bed, sleep: “על־משכבכם… אשכבה ואישן,” 4:5,9). Ps 10’s “קומה יהוה” (10:12) suits a morning/”rise” petition and mobilization for the day’s justice. The sequence “I lie down in safety” → “Arise, O LORD” is natural. - Harvest and social vulnerability: Ps 4 mentions agricultural prosperity (“דגנם ותירושם רבו,” 4:8) alongside the priestly light of God’s face (4:7). In agrarian Israel, harvest seasons were also prime for predation. Ps 10’s rural-violence imagery (“ישב במארב חצרים… במסתרים יהרוג נקי… כאריה בסכה,” 10:8–9) can be read as what happens in the villages when the powerful/wicked ignore the ethical calls of Ps 4 (“זבחו זבחי־צדק… ובטחו אל־יהוה,” 4:6). - Ethical trajectory: Ps 4 offers admonition and the right ritual/ethical response (“זבחי־צדק… בטחו,” 4:6). Ps 10 shows the escalation when that response is refused: systemic oppression of “ענוים/יתום/דך/חלכה” (10:12,14,17–18) and the need for divine kingship to restore order (“יהוה מלך עולם ועד,” 10:16). - Theological progression from blessing to kingship/judgment: Ps 4 draws on the priestly-blessing idiom (light of God’s face), while Ps 10 moves to royal/judicial action (God’s lifted hand, breaking the wicked’s arm, and enthronement). Presence (face) in Ps 4 leads to power (hand/arm) in Ps 10. A concise storyline that ties them - Psalm 4: The righteous prays in distress, trusts that YHWH hears, admonishes “sons of man” to repent, and receives inner joy and secure rest under the light of God’s face. - Psalm 10: When many do not heed that admonition, their “heart-speech” hardens into wickedness; God seems distant while they prey on the vulnerable. The psalm therefore intensifies the prayer: Arise, YHWH, lift your hand, break the wicked’s power, so that the humble whom you hear may live without fear. The personal “dwelling in safety” of Ps 4 opens into the communal “no more terrorizing” of Ps 10. In short, the two psalms share form and diction (especially נשא in imperatives; פנים; צר/צרה; שמע; אמר + בלב; ישב) and develop the same theological arc (presence → absence → petition → judgment → safety). Read this way, Psalm 10 can naturally be heard as the next movement after Psalm 4: from evening trust and ethical admonition to a daytime plea for God’s royal justice on behalf of the poor.
Evaluation
No evaluation has been recorded for this pair yet.
Prompt
Consider Psalm 4 and Psalm 10 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 10 logically follows on from Psalm 4? 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 4:
Psalm 4
1. לַמְנַצֵּ֥חַ
בִּנְגִינ֗וֹת
מִזְמ֥וֹר
לְדָוִֽד׃
2. בְּקָרְאִ֡י
עֲנֵ֤נִי ׀
אֱלֹ֘הֵ֤י
צִדְקִ֗י
בַּ֭צָּר
הִרְחַ֣בְתָּ
לִּ֑י
חָ֝נֵּ֗נִי
וּשְׁמַ֥ע
תְּפִלָּתִֽי׃
3. בְּנֵ֥י
אִ֡ישׁ
עַד־
מֶ֬ה
כְבוֹדִ֣י
לִ֭כְלִמָּה
תֶּאֱהָב֣וּן
רִ֑יק
תְּבַקְשׁ֖וּ
כָזָ֣ב
סֶֽלָה׃
4. וּדְע֗וּ
כִּֽי־
הִפְלָ֣ה
יְ֭הוָה
חָסִ֣יד
ל֑וֹ
יְהוָ֥ה
יִ֝שְׁמַ֗ע
בְּקָרְאִ֥י
אֵלָֽיו׃
5. רִגְז֗וּ
וְֽאַל־
תֶּ֫חֱטָ֥אוּ
אִמְר֣וּ
בִ֭לְבַבְכֶם
עַֽל־
מִשְׁכַּבְכֶ֗ם
וְדֹ֣מּוּ
סֶֽלָה׃
6. זִבְח֥וּ
זִבְחֵי־
צֶ֑דֶק
וּ֝בִטְח֗וּ
אֶל־
יְהוָֽה׃
7. רַבִּ֥ים
אֹמְרִים֮
מִֽי־
יַרְאֵ֢נ֫וּ
ט֥וֹב
נְֽסָה־
עָ֭לֵינוּ
א֨וֹר
פָּנֶ֬יךָ
יְהוָֽה׃
8. נָתַ֣תָּה
שִׂמְחָ֣ה
בְלִבִּ֑י
מֵעֵ֬ת
דְּגָנָ֖ם
וְתִֽירוֹשָׁ֣ם
רָֽבּוּ׃
9. בְּשָׁל֣וֹם
יַחְדָּו֮
אֶשְׁכְּבָ֢ה
וְאִ֫ישָׁ֥ן
כִּֽי־
אַתָּ֣ה
יְהוָ֣ה
לְבָדָ֑ד
לָ֝בֶ֗טַח
תּוֹשִׁיבֵֽנִי׃
Psalm 10:
Psalm 10
1. לָמָ֣ה
יְ֭הוָה
תַּעֲמֹ֣ד
בְּרָח֑וֹק
תַּ֝עְלִ֗ים
לְעִתּ֥וֹת
בַּצָּרָֽה׃
2. בְּגַאֲוַ֣ת
רָ֭שָׁע
יִדְלַ֣ק
עָנִ֑י
יִתָּפְשׂ֓וּ ׀
בִּמְזִמּ֖וֹת
ז֣וּ
חָשָֽׁבוּ׃
3. כִּֽי־
הִלֵּ֣ל
רָ֭שָׁע
עַל־
תַּאֲוַ֣ת
נַפְשׁ֑וֹ
וּבֹצֵ֥עַ
בֵּ֝רֵ֗ךְ
נִ֘אֵ֥ץ ׀
יְהוָֽה׃
4. רָשָׁ֗ע
כְּגֹ֣בַהּ
אַ֭פּוֹ
בַּל־
יִדְרֹ֑שׁ
אֵ֥ין
אֱ֝לֹהִ֗ים
כָּל־
מְזִמּוֹתָֽיו׃
5. יָ֘חִ֤ילוּ
דרכו
דְרָכָ֨יו ׀
בְּכָל־
עֵ֗ת
מָר֣וֹם
מִ֭שְׁפָּטֶיךָ
מִנֶּגְדּ֑וֹ
כָּל־
צ֝וֹרְרָ֗יו
יָפִ֥יחַ
בָּהֶֽם׃
6. אָמַ֣ר
בְּ֭לִבּוֹ
בַּל־
אֶמּ֑וֹט
לְדֹ֥ר
וָ֝דֹ֗ר
אֲשֶׁ֣ר
לֹֽא־
בְרָֽע׃
7. אָלָ֤ה ׀
פִּ֣יהוּ
מָ֭לֵא
וּמִרְמ֣וֹת
וָתֹ֑ךְ
תַּ֥חַת
לְ֝שׁוֹנ֗וֹ
עָמָ֥ל
וָאָֽוֶן׃
8. יֵשֵׁ֤ב ׀
בְּמַאְרַ֬ב
חֲצֵרִ֗ים
בַּֽ֭מִּסְתָּרִים
יַהֲרֹ֣ג
נָקִ֑י
עֵ֝ינָ֗יו
לְֽחֵלְכָ֥ה
יִצְפֹּֽנוּ׃
9. יֶאֱרֹ֬ב
בַּמִּסְתָּ֨ר ׀
כְּאַרְיֵ֬ה
בְסֻכֹּ֗ה
יֶ֭אֱרֹב
לַחֲט֣וֹף
עָנִ֑י
יַחְטֹ֥ף
עָ֝נִ֗י
בְּמָשְׁכ֥וֹ
בְרִשְׁתּֽוֹ׃
10. ודכה
יִדְכֶּ֥ה
יָשֹׁ֑חַ
וְנָפַ֥ל
בַּ֝עֲצוּמָּ֗יו
חלכאים
חֵ֣יל
כָּאִֽים׃
11. אָמַ֣ר
בְּ֭לִבּוֹ
שָׁ֣כַֽח
אֵ֑ל
הִסְתִּ֥יר
פָּ֝נָ֗יו
בַּל־
רָאָ֥ה
לָנֶֽצַח׃
12. קוּמָ֤ה
יְהוָ֗ה
אֵ֭ל
נְשָׂ֣א
יָדֶ֑ךָ
אַל־
תִּשְׁכַּ֥ח
עניים
עֲנָוִֽים׃
13. עַל־
מֶ֤ה ׀
נִאֵ֖ץ
רָשָׁ֥ע ׀
אֱלֹהִ֑ים
אָמַ֥ר
בְּ֝לִבּ֗וֹ
לֹ֣א
תִדְרֹֽשׁ׃
14. רָאִ֡תָה
כִּֽי־
אַתָּ֤ה ׀
עָ֘מָ֤ל
וָכַ֨עַס ׀
תַּבִּיט֮
לָתֵ֢ת
בְּיָ֫דֶ֥ךָ
עָ֭לֶיךָ
יַעֲזֹ֣ב
חֵלֶ֑כָה
יָ֝ת֗וֹם
אַתָּ֤ה ׀
הָיִ֬יתָ
עוֹזֵֽר׃
15. שְׁ֭בֹר
זְר֣וֹעַ
רָשָׁ֑ע
וָ֝רָ֗ע
תִּֽדְרוֹשׁ־
רִשְׁע֥וֹ
בַל־
תִּמְצָֽא׃
16. יְהוָ֣ה
מֶ֭לֶךְ
עוֹלָ֣ם
וָעֶ֑ד
אָבְד֥וּ
ג֝וֹיִ֗ם
מֵֽאַרְצֽוֹ׃
17. תַּאֲוַ֬ת
עֲנָוִ֣ים
שָׁמַ֣עְתָּ
יְהוָ֑ה
תָּכִ֥ין
לִ֝בָּ֗ם
תַּקְשִׁ֥יב
אָזְנֶֽךָ׃
18. לִשְׁפֹּ֥ט
יָת֗וֹם
וָ֫דָ֥ךְ
בַּל־
יוֹסִ֥יף
ע֑וֹד
לַעֲרֹ֥ץ
אֱ֝נ֗וֹשׁ
מִן־
הָאָֽרֶץ׃