Psalm 10 → 14
Reasoning: 7680 Output: 4436 Total: 12116
Argument
Short answer: Psalm 14 reads like a wisdom-summarizing answer to the lament of Psalm 10. It picks up the same vocabulary and images (often with identical forms), answers 10’s questions point-by-point (especially about God’s “hiding” and the wicked saying “there is no God”), and moves the scene from the individual’s complaint to a communal diagnosis and hope (“salvation for Israel from Zion”). Below are the main links. Catchwords and identical forms (highest probative value) - אמר בלבו “said in his heart”: Ps 10:6, 10:11, 10:13 || Ps 14:1. The exact phrase recurs, marking a deliberate echo. - אין אלהים “there is no God”: Ps 10:4 || Ps 14:1. The very content of the wicked’s “heart-speech” in 10 is the headline thesis of 14. - דרש “seek, call to account” (same root): - Ps 10:4 בל ידרש “he does not seek” (of the rashaʿ), - Ps 10:13 לא תדרש “you (God) will not call to account” (what the wicked say about God), - Ps 14:2 דרש את אלהים “one who seeks God.” Psalm 14 flips Psalm 10’s denial into the criterion God is looking for. - און “iniquity” (identical noun): Ps 10:7 עמל ואון || Ps 14:4 פֹעֲלֵי און. Same rare noun ties the portraits of wickedness together. - עני “poor” (identical noun): Ps 10:2, 9, 12; 10:14–18 || Ps 14:6. The same target of oppression anchors both psalms. - דור “generation” (identical noun): Ps 10:6 לדור ודור || Ps 14:5 בדור צדיק. The “for ever” boast of the wicked in 10 is countered by “the generation of the righteous” in 14. Very strong root-and-image clusters - See/look (רא/נבט/שקף): - Ps 10:11 “He will never see,” 10:14 “You do see; you look”, - Ps 14:2 “YHWH looked down from heaven to see.” 14 directly answers the complaint of 10:1–5 that God is hidden/distant by asserting divine oversight. - Call/pray (קרא): - Ps 14:4 “YHWH they did not call” contrasts with the psalmist’s urgent calls in Ps 10:12–15. In 14 the wicked refuse prayer; the afflicted in 10 cry out. - Predation imagery against the weak: - Ps 10:8–10 “lurks… kills the innocent… snatches the poor”, - Ps 14:4 “devouring my people like eating bread.” Different metaphors, same idea. - The poor’s “plans” vs the wicked’s “plots”: - Ps 10:2, 4 מזימות “schemes” of the wicked, - Ps 14:6 עצת־עני “the counsel of the poor” that the wicked shame. A deliberately antithetic pairing. Idea-level, verse-by-verse logical flow - 10:1 “Why do you stand far off? Why hide in trouble?” → 14:2 “YHWH looks down from heaven to see.” The perceived hiddenness of God is corrected by the assertion of divine inspection. - 10:3–11 Wicked “say in their heart,” “There is no God,” and assume “He will not see/require.” → 14:1–4 Summative wisdom verdict: “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God’… all have turned aside… doers of iniquity… do not call on YHWH.” Psalm 14 universalizes and names the stance of Psalm 10’s wicked. - 10:12–15 Plea for God to arise, lift His hand, break the wicked’s arm, and “seek out” their evil. → 14:5–6 Result: “There they feared a great fear… for God is in the generation of the righteous… YHWH is the poor man’s refuge.” 14 depicts the moral reversal 10 prayed for. - 10:16–18 Confession/hope: “YHWH is king forever… You hear the desire of the afflicted… to do justice for the orphan and crushed, so that the man of the earth may terrify no more.” → 14:7 National, Zion-centered hope: “Oh that from Zion would come the salvation of Israel; when YHWH restores the fortunes of his people…” 14’s closing wish is the communal, historical extension of 10’s judicial hope. Form-critical complementarity - Psalm 10 is an individual lament with a long accusation section (vv. 2–11), petition (vv. 12–15), and confidence (vv. 16–18). - Psalm 14 is a wisdom-lament hybrid: aphoristic diagnosis (vv. 1–3), communal accusation (vv. 4–6), and salvation wish (v. 7). - This is a common liturgical sequence: lament → wisdom verdict → salvation hope. Read this way, 14 naturally “follows” 10 by giving a sapiential frame and communal horizon to the individual’s plight. Tradition-historical and thematic through-lines - Divine kingship and Zion: 10:16 “YHWH is king forever… nations perish from his land” → 14:7 “salvation from Zion… restore the fortunes of his people.” The judicial enthronement of 10 flowers into the Zion-deliverance hope of 14. - Covenant ethics: both center the protected classes (עני, יתום, דך) and indict predatory elites—an enduring theme in Israel’s social theology. - “Heaven/earth” polarity: 14:2 “from heaven” YHWH looks at “sons of Adam,” answering 10:18’s “man of the earth” and 10:1’s sense of distance. Rarer items worth noting - The exact collocation אמר בלבו + אין אלהים (10:4 in sense; 10:6, 11, 13 form; 14:1 explicit) is uncommon and highly marked; its repetition is almost certainly editorially intentional. - און is relatively rare in the Psalter; its appearance in both (10:7; 14:4) strengthens the lexical bridge. - The double use of דור (10:6; 14:5) in close proximity is not frequent and likely deliberate. Net effect - Psalm 14 takes the micro-portrait of the rashaʿ in Psalm 10 and: 1) codifies it as a general, wisdom-level diagnosis (“the fool says in his heart…”), 2) explicitly counters the “hidden God” complaint by stating that YHWH is looking, 3) announces the moral reversal the petitioner of Psalm 10 had asked for, 4) then telescopes the individual’s hope (10:16–18) into a national hope for Zion’s salvation (14:7). On these lexical, stylistic, and thematic grounds, it is easy to justify reading Psalm 14 as a logical and crafted follow-on to Psalm 10.
Evaluation
Score: 6.5
Evaluated at: 2025-12-08T03:53:51 (UTC)
Evaluator model: gpt-5
Evaluator version: v2
Reasoning: 3200 Output: 5258 Total: 8458
Checklist
- Has verse refs: Yes
- Factual error detected: No
- Only generic motifs: No
- Counterargument considered: No
- LXX/MT numbering acknowledged: No
Vocabulary specificity: 6.0 / 10
Multiple precise overlaps (אמר בלבו; אין אלהים; דרש; און) and mirrored ‘seeing’ motifs. Strong but doesn’t address counterarguments (ubiquity; Ps 53 doublet; intervening Pss 11–13), so moderate score.
Prompt
Consider Psalm 10 and Psalm 14 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 14 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 14:
Psalm 14
1. לַמְנַצֵּ֗חַ
לְדָ֫וִ֥ד
אָ֘מַ֤ר
נָבָ֣ל
בְּ֭לִבּוֹ
אֵ֣ין
אֱלֹהִ֑ים
הִֽשְׁחִ֗יתוּ
הִֽתְעִ֥יבוּ
עֲלִילָ֗ה
אֵ֣ין
עֹֽשֵׂה־
טֽוֹב׃
2. יְֽהוָ֗ה
מִשָּׁמַיִם֮
הִשְׁקִ֢יף
עַֽל־
בְּנֵי־
אָcדָ֥ם
לִ֭רְאוֹת
הֲיֵ֣שׁ
מַשְׂכִּ֑יל
דֹּ֝רֵשׁ
אֶת־
אֱלֹהִֽים׃
3. הַכֹּ֥ל
סָר֮
יַחְדָּ֢ו
נֶ֫אֱלָ֥חוּ
אֵ֤ין
עֹֽשֵׂה־
ט֑וֹב
אֵ֝֗ין
גַּם־
אֶחָֽד׃
4. הֲלֹ֥א
יָדְעוּ֮
כָּל־
פֹּ֢עֲלֵ֫י
אָ֥וֶן
אֹכְלֵ֣י
עַ֭מִּי
אָ֣כְלוּ
לֶ֑חֶם
יְ֝הוָ֗ה
לֹ֣א
קָרָֽאוּ׃
5. שָׁ֤ם ׀
פָּ֣חֲדוּ
פָ֑חַד
כִּֽי־
אֱ֝לֹהִ֗ים
בְּד֣וֹר
צַדִּֽיק׃
6. עֲצַת־
עָנִ֥י
תָבִ֑ישׁוּ
כִּ֖י
יְהוָ֣ה
מַחְסֵֽהוּ׃
7. מִ֥י
יִתֵּ֣ן
מִצִיּוֹן֮
יְשׁוּעַ֢ת
יִשְׂרָ֫אֵ֥ל
בְּשׁ֣וּב
יְ֭הוָה
שְׁב֣וּת
עַמּ֑וֹ
יָגֵ֥ל
יַ֝עֲקֹ֗ב
יִשְׂמַ֥ח
יִשְׂרָֽאֵל׃