Psalm 9 → 13
Reasoning: 10496 Output: 4879 Total: 15375
Argument
Short answer: Psalm 13 reads like the personal, time‑delayed sequel to the program laid out in Psalm 9. Psalm 9 proclaims that YHWH judges enemies, remembers the afflicted, and will not “forget forever.” Psalm 13 asks, in tight lexical echo to Psalm 9, “How long will you forget me forever?” and then resolves, with the same salvation/praise vocabulary, to sing when deliverance comes. Below are the main links, weighted by significance. Highest‑weight verbal hooks (same or very rare collocations) - שכח + נֶצַח (“forget” + “forever”): - Ps 9:19: כִּי לֹא לָנֶצַח יִשָּׁכַח אֶבְיוֹן “For not forever will the needy be forgotten.” - Ps 13:2: עַד־אָנָה… תִּשְׁכָּחֵנִי נֶצַח “How long… will you forget me forever?” This near‑identical collocation is rare and programmatic: Ps 13 pointedly tests Ps 9’s claim. - פָּנֶיךָ (“your face”): - Ps 9:4: יִכָּשְׁלוּ וְיֹאבְדוּ מִפָּנֶיךָ “they stumble and perish from before your face.” - Ps 13:2: תַּסְתִּיר אֶת־פָּנֶיךָ מִמֶּנִּי “you hide your face from me.” Ps 9’s acting presence (“before your face”) is inverted in Ps 13’s hidden face. - יְשׁוּעָתֶךָ + גיל (salvation + rejoice): - Ps 9:15: אָגִילָה בִּישׁוּעָתֶךָ “I will rejoice in your salvation.” - Ps 13:6: יָגֵל לִבִּי בִּישׁוּעָתֶךָ “my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.” Identical noun with 2ms suffix plus the same joy root גיל—this looks like a conscious reprise of Ps 9’s vow. Other strong lexical/thematic echoes - אוֹיְבִי/אוֹיְבַי (“my enemy/ies”): - Ps 9:4 etc. The “enemy” is driven back and perishes. - Ps 13:3,5: “my enemy” is rising and threatens to boast, “I prevailed.” The reversal (Ps 9: enemy retreats; Ps 13: enemy rises) dramatizes the delay between creed and experience. - רוּם (to be exalted) in antithesis: - Ps 9:14: מְרוֹמְמִי מִשַּׁעֲרֵי מָוֶת “you who lift me up from the gates of death.” - Ps 13:3: יָרוּם אוֹיְבִי עָלַי “my enemy will be exalted over me.” Same root, opposite directions, tying Ps 13’s crisis to Ps 9’s rescue language. - מָוֶת / שְׁאוֹל (death/Sheol): - Ps 9:14: “gates of death”; 9:18: “the wicked return to Sheol.” - Ps 13:4: פֶּן־אִישָׁן הַמָּוֶת “lest I sleep [the sleep of] death.” Ps 13 personalizes the death motif Ps 9 had assigned to the wicked. - בָּטַח (trust): - Ps 9:11: וְיִבְטְחוּ בְךָ יוֹדְעֵי שְׁמֶךָ “those who know your name will trust in you.” - Ps 13:6: וַאֲנִי בְּחַסְדְּךָ בָּטַחְתִּי “But as for me, I have trusted in your hesed.” Ps 13 explicitly enacts Ps 9’s exhortation to trust. - לֵב (heart) and the movement from sorrow to joy: - Ps 9:2: “with all my heart” in praise. - Ps 13:3,6: “sorrow in my heart” → “my heart will rejoice.” The inner state moves from the lament’s “יָגוֹן” to the hymn’s “גיל,” matching Ps 9’s praise diction. Form and structure links - Superscriptional frame: Both are “למנצח מזמור לדוד,” a common but still meaningful editorial signal that invites reading them in the same liturgical stream. - Classic lament-to-praise trajectory: - Ps 9 contains vow and public praise language: “אזמרה… אספרה… זמרו… הגידו” and a purpose clause: “לְמַעַן אֲסַפְּרָה… אָגִילָה בִּישׁוּעָתֶךָ” (9:15). - Ps 13 resolves with the corresponding fulfillment language: “יָגֵל לִבִּי בִּישׁוּעָתֶךָ… אָשִׁירָה לַיהוָה” (13:6). Ps 13 looks like the personal realization of Ps 9’s stated liturgical aim. - Imperative appeals to God: - Ps 9 closes with “קוּמָה יְהוָה… שִׁיתָה יְהוָה מוֹרָה לָהֶם.” - Ps 13 opens with urgent petitions: “הַבִּיטָה, עֲנֵנִי, הָאִירָה עֵינַי.” The unanswered communal plea of Ps 9 becomes a pressed personal plea in Ps 13. Conceptual/logical sequence - Remembering vs. forgetting: Ps 9 insists YHWH “remembers” blood (דֹּרֵשׁ דָּמִים) and “does not forget” the cry of the afflicted (9:13) and that the poor will not be forgotten “forever” (9:19). Ps 13 immediately raises the existential question: “Will you forget me forever?” This is the sharpest proof that Ps 13 is the experiential follow‑up to Ps 9’s theology. - Presence vs. hiddenness: In Ps 9 the enemies “perish from before your face” (מִפָּנֶיךָ). Ps 13’s crisis is precisely that the divine face is hidden. Ps 13 thus narrates the in‑between time when the outcomes Ps 9 celebrates are not yet visible. - Enemy’s boast: Ps 9 portrays the enemy as already undone; Ps 13 fears the enemy’s triumphal claim “יְכָלְתִּיו” (“I beat him”). This is historically typical of ancient Near Eastern battle taunts and bridges the communal war‑victory frame of Ps 9 to the individual’s vulnerability in Ps 13. - Mortality lesson: Ps 9 prays that the nations learn they are “אֱנוֹשׁ” (mere mortals) before God (9:20–21). Ps 13 presses the same mortality theme more intimately: “lest I sleep the death,” i.e., unless you act, mortality swallows me too. Life-setting plausibility - A common Israelite sequence is: public thanksgiving for deliverance (Ps 9) → a season of delay/renewed threat in which the promised justice seems deferred (Ps 13) → renewed trust and vow to praise upon deliverance (Ps 13:6). The shift from nations/enemies in the plural (Ps 9) to a singular enemy and inward anguish (Ps 13) matches the move from communal celebration to personal crisis. - Legal/redemptive frame: Ps 9’s “דֹּרֵשׁ דָּמִים” (the blood‑avenger) is a forensic motif. Ps 13’s fear of the enemy’s gloating points to the same courtroom/battlefield honor logic: if God delays, the wrong party gets to claim the verdict. Stylistic continuities - Shared diction of praise and report: Ps 9 piles up “אזמרה… זמרו… הגידו… אספרה”; Ps 13 ends “אָשִׁירָה לַיהוָה.” Even when roots differ (זמר/שיר), the same liturgical register is used. - Compact movement from complaint to confidence: Both psalms fuse lament and praise within a short compass, a Davidic hallmark. Bottom line - The strongest concrete ties are the rare collocation שכח + נצח, the “face” motif in identical form (פניך), the repeated combination of ישועתך with גיל, the mirrored uses of רוּם and the death/Sheol imagery. These are not generic overlaps; they form a deliberately interlocking vocabulary. - Thematically, Ps 13 voices the tension created by Ps 9’s confident claims: if the poor are not forgotten forever, why do I feel forgotten forever? It then answers in Ps 9’s own terms—trust and rejoicing in “your salvation,” and a vow to sing. Taken together, these links give a strong case that Psalm 13 is the logical, personal sequel to Psalm 9’s communal theology of justice and praise.
Evaluation
Score: 6.5
Evaluated at: 2025-12-03T04:07:51 (UTC)
Evaluator model: gpt-5
Evaluator version: v2
Reasoning: 4032 Output: 5701 Total: 9733
Checklist
- Has verse refs: Yes
- Factual error detected: No
- Only generic motifs: No
- Counterargument considered: No
- LXX/MT numbering acknowledged: No
Vocabulary specificity: 7.0 / 10
Precise echoes: שכח+נצח; בישועתך+גיל; פנים motif; מות; בטח. Strong, but they ignore 9–10 acrostic pairing and intervening psalms, weakening deliberate sequence claim. No errors.
Prompt
Consider Psalm 9 and Psalm 13 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 13 logically follows on from Psalm 9? 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 9:
Psalm 9
1. לַ֭מְנַצֵּחַ
עַלְמ֥וּת
לַבֵּ֗ן
מִזְמ֥וֹר
לְדָוִֽד׃
2. אוֹדֶ֣ה
יְ֭הוָה
בְּכָל־
לִבִּ֑י
אֲ֝סַפְּרָ֗ה
כָּל־
נִפְלְאוֹתֶֽיךָ׃
3. אֶשְׂמְחָ֣ה
וְאֶעֶלְצָ֣ה
בָ֑ךְ
אֲזַמְּרָ֖ה
שִׁמְךָ֣
עֶלְיֽוֹן׃
4. בְּשׁוּב־
אוֹיְבַ֥י
אָח֑וֹר
יִכָּשְׁל֥וּ
וְ֝יֹאבְד֗וּ
מִפָּנֶֽיךָ׃
5. כִּֽי־
עָ֭שִׂיתָ
מִשְׁפָּטִ֣י
וְדִינִ֑י
יָשַׁ֥בְתָּ
לְ֝כִסֵּ֗א
שׁוֹפֵ֥ט
צֶֽדֶק׃
6. גָּעַ֣רְתָּ
ג֭וֹיִם
אִבַּ֣דְתָּ
רָשָׁ֑ע
שְׁמָ֥ם
מָ֝חִ֗יתָ
לְעוֹלָ֥ם
וָעֶֽד׃
7. הָֽאוֹיֵ֨ב ׀
תַּ֥מּוּ
חֳרָב֗וֹת
לָ֫נֶ֥צַח
וְעָרִ֥ים
נָתַ֑שְׁתָּ
אָבַ֖ד
זִכְרָ֣ם
הֵֽמָּה׃
8. וַֽ֭יהוָה
לְעוֹלָ֣ם
יֵשֵׁ֑ב
כּוֹנֵ֖ן
לַמִּשְׁפָּ֣ט
כִּסְאֽוֹ׃
9. וְה֗וּא
יִשְׁפֹּֽט־
תֵּבֵ֥ל
בְּצֶ֑דֶק
יָדִ֥ין
לְ֝אֻמִּ֗ים
בְּמֵישָֽׁtרִים׃
10. וִ֘יהִ֤י
יְהוָ֣ה
מִשְׂגָּ֣ב
לַדָּ֑ךְ
מִ֝שְׂגָּ֗ב
לְעִתּ֥וֹת
בַּצָּרָֽה׃
11. וְיִבְטְח֣וּ
בְ֭ךָ
יוֹדְעֵ֣י
שְׁמֶ֑ךָ
כִּ֤י
לֹֽא־
עָזַ֖בְתָּ
דֹרְשֶׁ֣יךָ
יְהוָֽה׃
12. זַמְּר֗וּ
לַ֭יהוָה
יֹשֵׁ֣ב
צִיּ֑וֹן
הַגִּ֥ידוּ
בָ֝עַמִּ֗ים
עֲלִֽילוֹתָֽיו׃
13. כִּֽי־
דֹרֵ֣שׁ
דָּ֭מִים
אוֹתָ֣ם
זָכָ֑ר
לֹֽא־
שָׁ֝כַ֗ח
צַעֲקַ֥ת
עניים
עֲנָוִֽים׃
14. חָֽנְנֵ֬נִי
יְהוָ֗ה
רְאֵ֣ה
עָ֭נְיִי
מִשֹּׂנְאָ֑י
מְ֝רוֹמְמִ֗י
מִשַּׁ֥עֲרֵי
מָֽוֶת׃
15. לְמַ֥עַן
אֲסַפְּרָ֗ה
כָּֽל־
תְּהִלָּ֫תֶ֥יךָ
בְּשַֽׁעֲרֵ֥י
בַת־
צִיּ֑וֹן
אָ֝גִ֗ילָה
בִּישׁוּעָתֶֽךָ׃
16. טָבְע֣וּ
ג֭וֹיִם
בְּשַׁ֣חַת
עָשׂ֑וּ
בְּרֶֽשֶׁת־
ז֥וּ
טָ֝מָ֗נוּ
נִלְכְּדָ֥ה
רַגְלָֽם׃
17. נ֤וֹדַ֨ע ׀
יְהוָה֮
מִשְׁפָּ֢ט
עָ֫שָׂ֥ה
בְּפֹ֣עַל
כַּ֭פָּיו
נוֹקֵ֣שׁ
רָשָׁ֑ע
הִגָּי֥וֹן
סֶֽלָה׃
18. יָשׁ֣וּבוּ
רְשָׁעִ֣ים
לִשְׁא֑וֹלָה
כָּל־
גּ֝וֹיִ֗ם
שְׁכֵחֵ֥י
אֱלֹהִֽים׃
19. כִּ֤י
לֹ֣א
לָ֭נֶצַח
יִשָּׁכַ֣ח
אֶבְי֑וֹן
תִּקְוַ֥ת
ענוים
עֲ֝נִיִּ֗ים
תֹּאבַ֥ד
לָעַֽד׃
20. קוּמָ֣ה
יְ֭הוָה
אַל־
יָעֹ֣ז
אֱנ֑וֹשׁ
יִשָּׁפְט֥וּ
ג֝וֹיִ֗ם
עַל־
פָּנֶֽיךָ׃
21. שִׁ֘יתָ֤ה
יְהוָ֨ה ׀
מוֹרָ֗ה
לָ֫הֶ֥ם
יֵדְע֥וּ
גוֹיִ֑ם
אֱנ֖וֹשׁ
הֵ֣מָּה
סֶּֽלָה׃
Psalm 13:
Psalm 13
1. לַמְנַצֵּ֗חַ
מִזְמ֥וֹר
לְדָוִֽד׃
2. עַד־
אָ֣נָה
יְ֭הוָה
תִּשְׁכָּחֵ֣נִי
נֶ֑צַח
עַד־
אָ֓נָה ׀
תַּסְתִּ֖יר
אֶת־
פָּנֶ֣יךָ
מִמֶּֽנִיt
3. עַד־
אָ֨נָה
אָשִׁ֪ית
עֵצ֡וֹת
בְּנַפְשִׁ֗י
יָג֣וֹן
בִּלְבָבִ֣י
יוֹמָ֑ם
עַד־
אָ֓נָה ׀
יָר֖וּם
אֹיְבִ֣י
עָלָֽי׃
4. הַבִּ֣יטָֽה
עֲ֭נֵנִי
יְהוָ֣ה
אֱלֹהָ֑י
הָאִ֥ירָה
עֵ֝ינַ֗י
פֶּן־
אִישַׁ֥ן
הַמָּֽוֶת׃
5. פֶּן־
יֹאמַ֣ר
אֹיְבִ֣י
יְכָלְתִּ֑יו
צָרַ֥י
יָ֝גִ֗ילוּ
כִּ֣י
אֶמּֽוֹט׃
6. וַאֲנִ֤י ׀
בְּחַסְדְּךָ֣
בָטַחְתִּי֮
יָ֤גֵ֥ל
לִבִּ֗י
בִּֽישׁוּעָ֫תֶ֥ךָ
אָשִׁ֥ירָה
לַיהוָ֑ה
כִּ֖י
גָמַ֣ל
עָלָֽי׃