Psalm 6 → 10
Reasoning: 8640 Output: 4842 Total: 13482
Argument
Here are lines of argument—textual, formal, and conceptual—that make Psalm 10 a natural follow‑on to Psalm 6. 1) Same lament arc and cadence (complaint → petition → confidence) - Both psalms open with a protest about God’s perceived anger/distance, move through urgent petitions, and end with confidence that God has heard and will judge enemies. - Psalm 6:2–5 complaint/petition (אל־באפך…; שובה יהוה…), 6:9–11 confidence (כי שמע יהוה…). - Psalm 10:1 complaint (למה יהוה תעמוד ברחוק), 10:12–15 petition (קומה יהוה… שְׁבור זרוע רשע), 10:16–18 confidence (יהוה מלך… תאות ענוים שמעת יהוה). - Both conclude with the enemies’ collapse/cessation: - Ps 6:11 יבֹשו ויבהלו מאד… ישובו יבֹשו רגע. - Ps 10:18 בל־יוסיף עוד לערוץ אנוש מן־הארץ. 2) Direct verbal hooks (identical or near‑identical forms) - צורר “adversary/oppressor” appears in the same plural construct-plus-suffix frame in both: - Ps 6:8 …עתקה בכל צוררי. - Ps 10:5 כל צורריו יפיח בהם. - “שמע יהוה” as an assurance formula at the end: - Ps 6:9–10 כי שמע יהוה קול בכי… שמע יהוה תחינתי. - Ps 10:17 תאות ענוים שמעת יהוה. This shared closing cadence makes Ps 10 sound like the same pray-er’s next unit of assurance, now generalized to “the afflicted” (ענוים). - אוֶן “iniquity” appears in both, marking the same target group: - Ps 6:9 סורו ממני כל פעלי און. - Ps 10:7 תחת לשונו עמל ואון. Psalm 10 can be read as the elaboration/indictment of the “פועלי און” Psalm 6 told to depart. - כעס “vexation/anger” in both: - Ps 6:8 עששה מכעס עיני. - Ps 10:14 עמל וכעס תביט. - Root עצ”ם in both (same root, different forms): - Ps 6:3 נבהלו עצמותי. - Ps 10:10 …ונפל בעֲצוּמָיו (reading MT “בעצומיו” = “by his strong ones/strength”; same root עצם “be strong/bone”). - אף in both (different referents, but a sharp contrast): - Ps 6:2 אל־באפך תוכיחני (God’s “anger”). - Ps 10:4 רשע כגובה אפו (the wicked’s “high nose” = pride). 3) Thematic/semantic dovetailing - From “depart, workers of iniquity” to a dossier on the wicked: - Ps 6:9 Suru mimmeni kol po‘ale aven is a terse dismissal. - Ps 10:2–11 supplies the blow‑by‑blow of what those “workers of iniquity” actually do: ambush, deceit, predation of the weak, theological defiance (“אמר בלבו…”). In other words, Psalm 10 reads naturally as an expansion of the brief imprecation in Psalm 6. - “Remembrance” vs “forgetting” as a crafted antithesis: - Ps 6:6 “אין במות זכרך; בשאול מי יודה לך?” If I die, there’s no remembering/praising you. - Ps 10:11 “אמר בלבו: שכח אל… בל־ראה לנצח.” The wicked claims God forgets and never sees. - Ps 10 then answers the claim: 10:14 רָאִתָה… תביט; 10:17 שָׁמַעְתָּ. The juxtaposition of “זכר/שכח–ראה/לא יראה–שמע/לא ישמע” across the two psalms suggests deliberate thematic continuity: the sufferer’s concern about “remembering” God (Ps 6) is matched by God’s refutation of the wicked’s “God forgets/doesn’t see” (Ps 10). - Eye motif, reversed: - Ps 6:8 “מכעס עיני… עתקה”—the sufferer’s eye is weakened by grief/enemies. - Ps 10:8 “עיניו לחלכה יצפנו”—the wicked’s eyes watch for the helpless. The “eye” that suffers in 6 becomes the “eye” that predates in 10, tightening the victim–oppressor contrast. - Complaint formulas align: - Ps 6:4 “ואתה יהוה עד־מתי?” - Ps 10:1 “למה יהוה תעמוד ברחוק…?” Both open with the classic lament question to God (עד מתי/למה), reinforcing a shared genre voice. 4) Shared form-critical profile (individual lament that broadens to social justice) - Psalm 6 is an individual lament centered on illness/discipline and hostile adversaries; it ends with confidence that God has heard and that enemies will be shamed. - Psalm 10 is also (largely) an individual lament, but its horizon widens to systemic oppression (עני/חלכה/יתום/דך). It ends, as Psalm 6 did, with assurance that God has heard and with the curbing of terror. - Read consecutively, the movement is natural: personal crisis and vindication (Ps 6) → advocacy for the community’s vulnerable using the same appeal to God’s hearing and justice (Ps 10). This mirrors a common Israelite piety: having received mercy, the worshiper turns to plead for mercy and judgment on behalf of the weak (cf. Deutero‑Deuteronomic ethics of protecting the orphan and oppressed). 5) Event/history/mythic horizon - Psalm 6’s brush with death (שאול; מוות) and God’s disciplinary anger sets a life‑and‑death frame. - Psalm 10 takes that gravity and applies it to the social body: God’s kingship (10:16) must manifest as judgment for the orphan and crushed (10:18). The royal‑judicial theme (יהוה מלך… לשפוט יתום) is a standard Israelite expectation linking personal deliverance with cosmic/royal justice. 6) Editorial/literary observations bolstering the “fit” - Both psalms are Davidic in Book I (Ps 10 is unsuperscribed but is widely taken with Ps 9 as a Davidic composition; at minimum its placement keeps it within the Davidic cluster). Psalm 6’s musical superscription and Psalm 10’s lack of one do not impede a thematic link; in fact, unsuperscribed psalms often lean on adjacent psalms for framing. - Crucially, both end on the same auditory assurance: “שמע יהוה…/שָׁמַעְתָּ יהוה,” a rare, distinctive cadence within the Psalter. This repeated closure is precisely the kind of editorial seam an ancient compiler could use to signal continuity. Summary - Strong identical/near‑identical lexical hooks: צוררי/צורריו; שמע יהוה; און; כעס; root עצ”ם; the lament questions (עד־מתי/למה), plus the eye motif. - Shared structure and closing assurance create a common rhetorical cadence. - Thematically, Psalm 10 reads as the expansion and social outworking of Psalm 6’s terse dismissal of “פועלי און,” and it answers the wicked’s “God forgets/doesn’t see” with the same hearing/seeing vocabulary that ended Psalm 6. - In terms of lived sequence, one can plausibly read: healed/affirmed individual (Ps 6) → advocacy for the afflicted and judgment on the predatory wicked (Ps 10). These convergences make a strong case that Psalm 10 can be read as logically following Psalm 6, even if other psalms intervene in the canonical order.
Evaluation
Score: 5.5
Evaluated at: 2025-11-18T04:00:59 (UTC)
Evaluator model: gpt-5
Evaluator version: v2
Reasoning: 3392 Output: 5666 Total: 9058
Checklist
- Has verse refs: Yes
- Factual error detected: No
- Only generic motifs: No
- Counterargument considered: No
- LXX/MT numbering acknowledged: No
Vocabulary specificity: 3.0 / 10
Many accurate, specific links (צוררי; שמע יהוה; און; כעס; עין; אף) and shared lament arc, but these features are common; does not address the strong canonical 9–10 pairing. No decisive editorial marker; H₀ largely stands.
Prompt
Consider Psalm 6 and Psalm 10 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 10 logically follows on from Psalm 6? 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 6:
Psalm 6
1. לַמְנַצֵּ֣חַ
בִּ֭נְגִינוֹת
עַֽל־
הַשְּׁמִינִ֗ית
מִזְמ֥וֹר
לְדָוִֽד׃
2. יְֽהוָ֗ה
אַל־
בְּאַפְּךָ֥
תוֹכִיחֵ֑נִי
וְֽאַל־
בַּחֲמָתְךָ֥
תְיַסְּרֵֽנִי׃
3. חָנֵּ֥נִי
יְהוָה֮
כִּ֤י
אֻמְלַ֫ל
אָ֥נִי
רְפָאֵ֥נִי
יְהוָ֑ה
כִּ֖י
נִבְהֲל֣וּ
עֲצָֽtמָי׃
4. וְ֭נַפְשִׁי
נִבְהֲלָ֣ה
מְאֹ֑ד
ואת
וְאַתָּ֥ה
יְ֝הוָ֗ה
עַד־
מָתָֽי׃
5. שׁוּבָ֣ה
יְ֭הוָה
חַלְּצָ֣ה
נַפְשִׁ֑י
ה֝וֹשִׁיעֵ֗נִי
לְמַ֣עַן
חַסְדֶּֽךָ׃
6. כִּ֤י
אֵ֣ין
בַּמָּ֣וֶת
זִכְרֶ֑ךָ
בִּ֝שְׁא֗וֹל
מִ֣י
יֽוֹדֶה־
לָּֽךְ׃
7. יָגַ֤עְתִּי ׀
בְּֽאַנְחָתִ֗י
אַשְׂחֶ֣ה
בְכָל־
לַ֭יְלָה
מִטָּתִ֑י
בְּ֝דִמְעָתִ֗י
עַרְשִׂ֥י
אַמְסֶֽה׃
8. עָֽשְׁשָׁ֣ה
מִכַּ֣עַס
עֵינִ֑י
עָֽ֝תְקָ֗ה
בְּכָל־
צוֹרְרָֽי׃
9. ס֣וּרוּ
מִ֭מֶּנִּי
כָּל־
פֹּ֣עֲלֵי
אָ֑וֶן
כִּֽי־
שָׁמַ֥ע
יְ֝הוָ֗ה
ק֣וֹל
בִּכְיִֽי׃
10. שָׁמַ֣ע
יְ֭הוָה
תְּחִנָּתִ֑י
יְ֝הוָ֗ה
תְּֽפִלָּתִ֥י
יִקָּֽח׃
11. יֵבֹ֤שׁוּ ׀
וְיִבָּהֲל֣וּ
מְ֭אֹד
כָּל־
אֹיְבָ֑י
יָ֝שֻׁ֗בוּ
יֵבֹ֥שׁוּ
רָֽגַע׃
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׃