Psalm 10 → 6

Reasoning: 5696 Output: 5113 Total: 10809

Argument

Here is a set of converging arguments that make it plausible to read Psalm 6 as logically following Psalm 10.

1) Thematic and rhetorical progression (10 -> 6)
- From divine distance to plea for return:
  - Ps 10:1 “Why, YHWH, do you stand far off? Why do you hide in times of trouble?”
  - Ps 6:5 “Return (שובה), YHWH, deliver my life.” If God stood “far off” (Ps 10), the appropriate sequel is “Return” (Ps 6).

- From the public accusation of the wicked to the afflicted individual’s prayer:
  - Ps 10 catalogs the predatory “wicked” (רשׁע), who hunt the poor and fatherless; it ends with the assurance that YHWH hears the desire of the humble and will judge for the orphan and crushed (10:17–18).
  - Ps 6 gives voice to that “humble/afflicted” individual, now exhausted and terrified, pleading for deliverance and ending with confidence that God has heard his prayer (6:9–10). Thus Ps 6 can be heard as the personal enactment of Ps 10’s general promise.

- From petition “Arise” to petition “Return” to realized hearing:
  - Ps 10:12 “Arise, YHWH… lift your hand; do not forget the humble.”
  - Ps 6:5 “Return, YHWH… save me for your steadfast love.”
  - Ps 10:17 “You have heard (שָׁמַעְתָּ) the desire of the humble; you will incline your ear.”
  - Ps 6:9–10 “YHWH has heard (שָׁמַע) my weeping… my supplication… will take my prayer.” Ps 6 supplies the experiential “hearing” anticipated in Ps 10.

- From the wicked’s false security to their shame:
  - Ps 10:6 The wicked say, “I shall not be moved (בל אמוט).”
  - Ps 6:11 “Let all my enemies be ashamed and greatly dismayed; let them turn back in a moment.” The complacency of Ps 10 is overturned by the shame/fear reversal in Ps 6.

2) Shared lexicon and rare/formulaic links (rarer/identical items weighed more heavily)
- כעס (ka‘as, “vexation/anger”) — relatively uncommon noun shared with close contextual force:
  - Ps 10:14 “You see mischief and vexation (עָמָל וָכַעַס)…”
  - Ps 6:8 “My eye wastes away from vexation (מִכַּעַס).”
  This is a strong bridge: God “sees” human ka‘as in Ps 10; the sufferer is consumed by ka‘as in Ps 6.

- צורר “adversary” — near-identical phrase-shapes:
  - Ps 10:5 “כָּל־צֹרְרָיו” (all his adversaries).
  - Ps 6:8 “בְּכָל־צֹרְרָי” (because of all my adversaries).
  The same uncommon noun frames both: the predator’s “adversaries” in Ps 10 vs. “my adversaries” in Ps 6.

- אָוֶן (’āwen, iniquity) — same lexeme in marked collocations:
  - Ps 10:7 “Under his tongue are mischief and iniquity (עָמָל וָאָוֶן).”
  - Ps 6:9 “Depart from me, all workers of iniquity (פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן).”
  The “iniquity” possessed by the wicked in Ps 10 becomes the identity-label of those banished in Ps 6. The formula “פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן” in 6:9 is a pointed response to 10:7.

- שׁמע “to hear” — matching perfective assertions of divine audience:
  - Ps 10:17 “תַּאֲוַת עֲנָוִים שָׁמַעְתָּ” (you have heard the desire of the humble).
  - Ps 6:9 “שָׁמַע יְהוָה קוֹל בִּכְיִי” (YHWH has heard the sound of my weeping).
  Same root, same perfective force (hearing already effected), functioning as the hinge between plea and assurance.

- עני/ענו (’ani/’anaw, poor/humble) — identity of the sufferer carries over:
  - Ps 10 repeatedly: עני “poor,” ענוים “humble.”
  - Ps 6:3 self-identification as אֻמְלַל אֲנִי (“I am languishing/afflicted”) — stylistically and semantically aligned with the anî of Ps 10.

3) Structural/formal similarities typical of laments, in a way that lets Ps 6 “resolve” Ps 10
- Complaint about God’s posture:
  - Ps 10: distance/hiddenness.
  - Ps 6: anger/wrath language. Both are ways of marking troubling divine posture toward the sufferer; Ps 6’s “do not rebuke… do not discipline in wrath” complements Ps 10’s “why do you hide?”

- Imperative petitions calling for divine intervention:
  - Ps 10: “Arise… lift your hand… Break the arm of the wicked…”
  - Ps 6: “Return… deliver… save… be gracious… heal…”

- Enemies explicitly named, then dismissed:
  - Ps 10: catalogs what the wicked do; calls for their arm to be broken.
  - Ps 6: decisive dismissal formula “Depart from me, all workers of iniquity,” a standard lament turning-point that presumes imminent divine action—precisely what Ps 10 prays for.

- Confidence ending:
  - Ps 10 ends with enthronement and adjudication (10:16–18).
  - Ps 6 ends with threefold assurance that YHWH has heard (6:9–10) and the immediate shame of enemies (6:11).

4) Event-sequence plausibility in Israelite life-situations
- Oppression → psychosomatic collapse → prayer → reversal:
  - Ps 10 describes social predation against the poor, orphan, and helpless.
  - Such pressure commonly issues in bodily/psychic collapse in laments (bones terrified, nights of weeping, eyes wasting; Ps 6:3–8). Ps 6 could be the sufferer’s embodied aftermath of Ps 10’s oppression.
  - The final movement (Ps 6:9–11) realizes Ps 10:17–18: God hears the humble, rights the wrong, and terrifies the human oppressor “of the earth.”

- Courtroom/judicial prayer to personal healing prayer:
  - Ps 10 is forensic (mishpat, “judgment,” 10:5, 15, 18), asking God to take the case.
  - Ps 6 transposes the same plea into the sickbed (healing/deliverance), but retains the forensic outcome: enemies are put to shame (a courtroom result) and sent away.

5) Micro-bridges that read like editorial seams
- Distance vs return:
  - Ps 10:1 “stand far off” → Ps 6:5 “Return, YHWH.”
- “You will hear” vs “You have heard”:
  - Ps 10:17 anticipation → Ps 6:9–10 realization.
- “All his adversaries” vs “all my adversaries”:
  - Ps 10:5 (global) → Ps 6:8 (personal).
- “Mischief and iniquity” under the wicked’s tongue (Ps 10:7) → “workers of iniquity” expelled (Ps 6:9).
- God’s hand imagery/personal entrustment (Ps 10:12, 14) → “YHWH will take (יִקָּח) my prayer” (Ps 6:10), an unusual verb for prayer that nicely answers Ps 10’s “give into your hand.”

6) Stylistic consonance
- Both are individual laments with:
  - Direct vocatives to YHWH,
  - Why/How long questions (Ps 10:1; Ps 6:4),
  - Imperatives for intervention,
  - Enemy focus,
  - A late pivot to confidence/assurance.

Conclusion
Read this way, Psalm 6 is the personal, embodied sequel to Psalm 10’s social complaint. Psalm 10 cries out over God’s distance and the arrogance of the wicked, then declares that YHWH does hear the humble; Psalm 6 asks God to “return,” portrays the afflicted one’s collapse under vexation, and then attests—using the same hearing-language—that YHWH has indeed heard, immediately reversing the enemies’ boast. The shared and relatively marked vocabulary (כעס; אָוֶן; צורר), closely matched formulas (שָׁמַע; פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן; “How long?”/“Why?”), and the thematic arc (distance → return; petition → hearing; wicked’s security → enemies’ shame) make a coherent case that Psalm 6 can be read as logically following Psalm 10.

Evaluation

Score: 6.0

Evaluated at: 2025-12-08T03:46:14 (UTC)

Evaluator model: gpt-5

Evaluator version: v2

Reasoning: 3776 Output: 5931 Total: 9707

Vocabulary specificity: 3.0 / 10

Multiple text-anchored links (שובה vs distance; שמע perfect; און/צורר/כעס) with plausible progression, but vocabulary is common in laments; no editorial markers; ignores Ps 9–10 acrostic linkage. Moderate support.

Prompt

Consider Psalm 10 and Psalm 6 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 6 logically follows on from Psalm 10? 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 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׃

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׃