Psalm 9 → 73
Reasoning: 11328 Output: 7184 Total: 18512
Argument
Short answer: Psalm 73 reads like a reflective, sanctuary-tested reply to the confident claims of Psalm 9. The two psalms share rare lexemes, distinctive imagery, and matching motifs (Zion/sanctuary, “telling” God’s works, God’s knowledge and judgment, the downfall of the wicked), and Psalm 73 repeatedly picks up and re-voices vocabulary from Psalm 9 in ways that make sense as “the next step” after Psalm 9’s proclamations. Details (organized by type of evidence) Form/stylistic frames that fit in sequence - Both are titled “מִזְמוֹר” (Ps 9:1; Ps 73:1), and both move from testimony to public proclamation. - Psalm 9 contains vows to “recount” (ספר) God’s deeds; Psalm 73 ends by fulfilling that vow: - Ps 9:2, 15: אֲסַפְּרָה … “I will recount” (1cs cohortative) - Ps 73:15: אֲסַפְּרָה; 73:28: לְסַפֵּר כָּל־מַלְאֲכוֹתֶיךָ The same verb, same person, and in Ps 73 an explicit “to recount all your works,” matching Ps 9’s “all your praises/wonders.” - Both culminate in public witness among people(s): - Ps 9:12: הַגִּידוּ בָעַמִּים עֲלִילוֹתָיו - Ps 73:28: לְסַפֵּר כָּל־מַלְאֲכוֹתֶיךָ Psalm 73’s close answers Psalm 9’s call. Shared sanctuary/Zion axis (life-setting) - Ps 9 centers on Zion: “Sing to YHWH, enthroned in Zion” (9:12), “in the gates of Daughter Zion” (9:15), opposed to “the gates of death” (9:14). - Ps 73 narrates entry into the sanctuary to gain understanding: “עד־אבוֹא אל־מקדשי־אל” (73:17). - That is a natural narrative sequence: the public praise/invitation at Zion’s gates in Ps 9 → the crisis and resolution “in the sanctuaries of God” in Ps 73. Judge-and-knowledge theme (Psalm 73 interrogates Psalm 9, then confirms it) - Psalm 9: courtroom certainties—“You sat on the throne, judging rightly” (9:5); “He will judge the world in righteousness” (9:8–9); “YHWH is known (נוֹדַע) by executing judgment” (9:17). - Psalm 73 voices the real-world challenge to those claims: - The wicked ask, “How does God know? Is there knowledge in Elyon?” (73:11). - The psalmist himself struggles “to know” (לדעת, 73:16), until the sanctuary epiphany reveals the wicked’s end (אֲבִינָה לְאַחֲרִיתָם, 73:17). - Thus 73 logically “follows” 9: it takes 9’s proclamation (“YHWH is known by judgment”) and tests it against experience, then confirms the same outcome in the sanctuary. Downfall of the wicked: the same end, in escalated imagery - Identical or closely matched forms for perishing: - אבד/יאבדו: Ps 9:4 “וְיֹאבְדוּ מִפָּנֶיךָ”; Ps 73:27 “רְחֵקֶיךָ יֹאבֵדוּ” (same yiqtol form). - תמו: Ps 9:7 “תַּמּוּ… לָנֶצַח”; Ps 73:19 “תַמּוּ מִן־בַּלָּהוֹת” (identical 3mp perfect, same semantic target—the enemy/wicked). - Fall language and foot imagery: - Ps 9:4 “יכשלו” (they stumble), 9:16 trap imagery “נִלְכְּדָה רַגְלָם.” - Ps 73:2 “כמעט נָטָיוּ רַגְלָי” (my feet nearly slipped), 73:18 “בַּחֲלָקוֹת תָּשִׁית לָמוֹ… הִפַּלְתָּם” (you set them in slippery places; you made them fall). The “pit/snare” of Ps 9 and the “slippery/fall” of Ps 73 are complementary disaster metaphors with the same outcome. - Terror/dread as the instrument of judgment: - Ps 9:21 “שִׁיתָה יְהוָה מוֹרָה לָהֶם” (set dread upon them). - Ps 73:19 “תַמּוּ מִן־בַּלָּהוֹת” (they are consumed by terrors). Same idea with rare nouns (מוֹרָה, בַּלָּהוֹת). A tight cluster around שִׁית “to set, place” (rarely concentrated like this) - Ps 9:21: שִׁיתָה … מוֹרָה לָהֶם (2ms imperative + להם). - Ps 73:9: שַׁתּוּ בַשָּׁמַיִם פִּיהֶם (they set their mouth in the heavens). - Ps 73:18: תָּשִׁית לָמוֹ (2ms yiqtol + לָמוֹ). The same root shows up in both psalms in pointed, parallel constructions (2ms + למו/להם), marking divine “setting” over-against the wicked’s “setting”—a strong stylistic hinge. “Elyon” as a significant shared epithet - Ps 9:3: “אֲזַמְּרָה שִׁמְךָ עֶלְיוֹן.” - Ps 73:11: “וְיֵשׁ דֵּעָה בְעֶלְיוֹן?” “Elyon” (a comparatively marked divine title) links the two: in 9 it is acclaimed; in 73 the wicked challenge his knowledge—precisely the claim Ps 9 had made (“YHWH is known by judgment,” 9:17). Refuge lexicon in tandem - Ps 9:10: “יְהוָה מִשְׂגָּב לַדָּךְ… מִשְׂגָּב לְעִתּוֹת בַּצָּרָה.” - Ps 73:28: “בַּאדֹנָי יְהוִה מַחְסִי.” Different nouns but the same semantic slot: God as the secure height/refuge for the vulnerable. Zion/sanctuary movement and “arise/awake” - Ps 9 ends with a judicial epiclesis: “קוּמָה יְהוָה… יִשָּׁפְטוּ גוֹיִם עַל־פָּנֶיךָ… שִׁיתָה יְהוָה מוֹרָה לָהֶם” (9:20–21). - Ps 73 answers with the awakening motif: “כַּחֲלוֹם מֵהָקִיץ… אֲדֹנָי בָּעִיר צַלְמָם תִּבְזֶה” (73:20; “when you rouse/awake”). Many read בעִיר from עוּר “to awake.” That is the inner, sanctuary version of 9’s public “Arise, YHWH.” “Forever” vs “moment” contrast carried across - Ps 9 stresses “לְעוֹלָם”/“לָנֶצַח” (9:6, 7, 8, 19), insisting the poor will not be forgotten “forever” (9:19) and the enemy’s ruins are “forever” (9:7). - Ps 73 plays with the same horizon: the wicked are “שַׁלְוֵי עוֹלָם” (73:12) only in appearance, for their ruin comes “כְרָגַע” (73:19), while God is the psalmist’s portion “לְעוֹלָם” (73:26). The same time vocabulary is re-angled to resolve the theodicy. Anthropology and humbling of humanity - Ps 9:20–21: “אַל־יָעֹז אֱנוֹשׁ… יֵדְעוּ גוֹיִם אֱנוֹשׁ הֵמָּה.” - Ps 73:5: “בַּעֲמַל אֱנוֹשׁ אֵינֵמוֹ…” Both use אֱנוֹשׁ to frame human frailty; Ps 9 prays that humanity be made to know its limits; Ps 73 observes that the arrogant seem exempt from “man’s toil”—until God sets them to fall. A direct “tell” linkage and vow-fulfillment - Ps 9:15: “לְמַעַן אֲסַפְּרָה כָּל־תְּהִלָּתֶיךָ…” - Ps 73:15, 28: “אֲסַפְּרָה כְמוֹ… לְסַפֵּר כָּל־מַלְאֲכוֹתֶיךָ.” Same root, same person, same “כָּל־ …” construction; 73 explicitly fulfills 9’s program to testify. Shared judgment outcome in different idioms (Sheol vs. end) - Ps 9:18: “יָשׁוּבוּ רְשָׁעִים לִשְׁאוֹלָה…” - Ps 73:17–20, 27: “לְאַחֲרִיתָם… הִפַּלְתָּם לְמַשּׁוּאוֹת… רְחֵקֶיךָ יֹאבֵדוּ.” Different but convergent eschatological language (שְׁאוֹל/אַחֲרִית/תַמּוּ) for the same theological claim. Why this makes 73 a logical “follow-on” to 9 - Psalm 9 declares: God is enthroned in Zion, known by his judgments; the wicked/nations fall into their own traps; the poor will not be forgotten; therefore, rise up, Lord, let the nations learn their mortality. - Psalm 73 then dramatizes the believer’s crisis when the wicked look untouchably secure, tests that crisis in the very sanctuary 9 had celebrated, and arrives at the same verdict using many of the same words, even in the same forms (אֲסַפְּרָה; יֹאבְדוּ; תַמּוּ; שִׁית … לָמוֹ/לָהֶם; עֶלְיוֹן). The psalmist’s final stance—“בַּאדֹנָי יְהוִה מַחְסִי… לְסַפֵּר כָּל־מַלְאֲכוֹתֶיךָ” (73:28)—is precisely what Ps 9 had urged the congregation to do. In short: The sanctuary of Ps 73 is the narrative place where the assertions of Ps 9 are verified. The two psalms share rare vocabulary and identical forms at decisive points (אֲסַפְּרָה; יֹאבֵדוּ; תַמּוּ; שִׁית + לָמוֹ/לָהֶם; עֶלְיוֹן), parallel metaphors of downfall (trap vs. slippery places), the Zion/sanctuary setting, and the same public-proclamation goal. Together they form a coherent movement: proclamation (Ps 9) → perplexity and insight (Ps 73) → renewed proclamation.
Evaluation
Score: 6.5
Evaluated at: 2025-12-05T03:41:19 (UTC)
Evaluator model: gpt-5
Evaluator version: v2
Reasoning: 4544 Output: 8025 Total: 12569
Checklist
- Has verse refs: Yes
- Factual error detected: No
- Only generic motifs: No
- Counterargument considered: No
- LXX/MT numbering acknowledged: No
Vocabulary specificity: 4.0 / 10
Multiple accurate correspondences (אספרה, יֹאבֵדוּ, תַמּוּ, עֶלְיוֹן; Zion/sanctuary; judgment/knowledge) with plausible sequencing. However, overlaps are common, “rare” claims overstated, and the Ps 9–10 acrostic linkage is unaddressed.
Prompt
Consider Psalm 9 and Psalm 73 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 73 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 73:
Psalm 73
1. מִזְמ֗וֹר
לְאָ֫סָ֥ף
אַ֤ךְ
ט֖וֹב
לְיִשְׂרָאֵ֥ל
אֱלֹהִ֗ים
לְבָרֵ֥י
לֵבָֽב׃
2. וַאֲנִ֗י
כִּ֭מְעַט
נטוי
נָטָ֣יוּ
רַגְלָ֑י
כְּ֝אַ֗יִן
שפכה
שֻׁפְּכ֥וּ
אֲשֻׁרָֽי׃
3. כִּֽי־
קִ֭נֵּאתִי
בַּֽהוֹלְלִ֑ים
שְׁל֖וֹם
רְשָׁעִ֣ים
אֶרְאֶֽה׃
4. כִּ֤י
אֵ֖ין
חַרְצֻבּ֥וֹת
לְמוֹתָ֗ם
וּבָרִ֥יא
אוּלָֽם׃
5. בַּעֲמַ֣ל
אֱנ֣וֹשׁ
אֵינֵ֑מוֹ
וְעִם־
אָ֝דָ֗ם
לֹ֣א
יְנֻגָּֽעוּ׃
6. לָ֭כֵן
עֲנָקַ֣תְמוֹ
גַאֲוָ֑ה
יַעֲטָף־
שִׁ֝֗ית
חָמָ֥ס
לָֽמוֹ׃
7. יָ֭צָא
מֵחֵ֣לֶב
עֵינֵ֑מוֹ
עָ֝בְר֗וּ
מַשְׂכִּיּ֥וֹת
לֵבָֽב׃
8. יָמִ֤יקוּ ׀
וִידַבְּר֣וּ
בְרָ֣ע
עֹ֑שֶׁק
מִמָּר֥וֹם
יְדַבֵּֽרוּ׃
9. שַׁתּ֣וּ
בַשָּׁמַ֣יִם
פִּיהֶ֑ם
וּ֝לְשׁוֹנָ֗ם
תִּֽהֲלַ֥ךְ
בָּאָֽרֶץ׃
10. לָכֵ֤ן ׀
ישיב
יָשׁ֣וּב
עַמּ֣וֹ
הֲלֹ֑ם
וּמֵ֥י
מָ֝לֵ֗א
יִמָּ֥צוּ
לָֽמוֹ׃
11. וְֽאָמְר֗וּ
אֵיכָ֥ה
יָדַֽע־
אֵ֑ל
וְיֵ֖שׁ
דֵּעָ֣ה
בְעֶלְיֽוֹן׃
12. הִנֵּה־
אֵ֥לֶּה
רְשָׁעִ֑ים
וְשַׁלְוֵ֥י
ע֝וֹלָ֗ם
הִשְׂגּוּ־
חָֽיִל׃
13. אַךְ־
רִ֭יק
זִכִּ֣יתִי
לְבָבִ֑י
וָאֶרְחַ֖ץ
בְּנִקָּי֣וֹן
כַּפָּֽי׃
14. וָאֱהִ֣י
נָ֭גוּעַ
כָּל־
הַיּ֑וֹם
וְ֝תוֹכַחְתִּ֗י
לַבְּקָרִֽים׃
15. אִם־
אָ֭מַרְתִּי
אֲסַפְּרָ֥ה
כְמ֑וֹ
הִנֵּ֤ה
ד֭וֹר
בָּנֶ֣יךָ
בָגָֽדְתִּי׃
16. וָֽ֭אֲחַשְּׁבָה
לָדַ֣עַת
זֹ֑את
עָמָ֖ל
היא
ה֣וּא
בְעֵינָֽי׃
17. עַד־
אָ֭בוֹא
אֶל־
מִקְדְּשֵׁי־
אֵ֑ל
אָ֝בִ֗ינָה
לְאַחֲרִיתָֽם׃
18. אַ֣ךְ
בַּ֭חֲלָקוֹת
תָּשִׁ֣ית
לָ֑מוֹ
הִ֝פַּלְתָּ֗ם
לְמַשּׁוּאֽוֹת׃
19. אֵ֤יךְ
הָי֣וּ
לְשַׁמָּ֣ה
כְרָ֑גַע
סָ֥פוּ
תַ֝֗מּוּ
מִן־
בַּלָּהֽוֹת׃
20. כַּחֲל֥וֹם
מֵהָקִ֑יץ
אֲ֝דֹנָי
בָּעִ֤יר ׀
צַלְמָ֬ם
תִּבְזֶֽה׃
21. כִּ֭י
יִתְחַמֵּ֣ץ
לְבָבִ֑י
וְ֝כִלְיוֹתַ֗י
אֶשְׁתּוֹנָֽן׃
22. וַאֲנִי־
בַ֭עַר
וְלֹ֣א
אֵדָ֑ע
בְּ֝הֵמ֗וֹת
הָיִ֥יתִי
עִמָּֽךְ׃
23. וַאֲנִ֣י
תָמִ֣יד
עִמָּ֑ךְ
אָ֝חַ֗זְתָּ
בְּיַד־
יְמִינִֽי׃
24. בַּעֲצָתְךָ֥
תַנְחֵ֑נִי
וְ֝אַחַ֗ר
כָּב֥וֹד
תִּקָּחֵֽנִי׃
25. מִי־
לִ֥י
בַשָּׁמָ֑יִם
וְ֝עִמְּךָ֗
לֹא־
חָפַ֥צְתִּי
בָאָֽרֶץ׃
26. כָּלָ֥ה
שְׁאֵרִ֗י
וּלְבָ֫בִ֥י
צוּר־
לְבָבִ֥י
וְחֶלְקִ֗י
אֱלֹהִ֥ים
לְעוֹלָֽם׃
27. כִּֽי־
הִנֵּ֣ה
רְחֵקֶ֣יךָ
יֹאבֵ֑דוּ
הִ֝צְמַ֗תָּה
כָּל־
זוֹנֶ֥ה
מִמֶּֽךָּ׃
28. וַאֲנִ֤י ׀
קִֽרֲבַ֥ת
אֱלֹהִ֗ים
לִ֫י־
ט֥וֹב
שַׁתִּ֤י ׀
בַּאדֹנָ֣י
יְהֹוִ֣ה
מַחְסִ֑י
לְ֝סַפֵּ֗ר
כָּל־
מַלְאֲכוֹתֶֽיךָ׃