Psalm 10 → 26
Reasoning: 12480 Output: 5267 Total: 17747
Argument
Thesis in one line: Psalm 26 reads naturally as a personal, cultic “answer” to the social lament of Psalm 10—picking up its legal vocabulary and images of the wicked, reversing its negatives into positives, and moving the speaker from complaint about God’s hiddenness into temple-centered thanksgiving and self-vindication. 1) Highly weighted catchwords and roots (rarer items and closer formal matches first) - ז-מ-ם “plot/scheme”: Ps 10:2,4 במְזִמּוֹת; Ps 26:10 זִמָּה. Same rare noun family, shifting from the wicked’s “schemes” (10) to “in their hands is a plot” (26:10)—the same crime profile. - ע-ל-ם “hide/conceal”: Ps 10:1 תַּעְלִים “you hide,” God’s hiddenness; Ps 26:4 נַעֲלָמִים “concealers/hypocrites.” The root reappears, but now the psalmist disassociates from the “hidden ones,” answering the charge of divine hiddenness (10:1). - נ-ק-ה “innocent/clean”: Ps 10:8 יַהֲרֹג נָקִי “he kills the innocent”; Ps 26:6 אֶרְחַץ בְּנִקָּיוֹן כַּפָּי “I wash my hands in innocence.” Direct antithesis with the same root. - מָלֵא with a body part: Ps 10:7 פִּיהוּ מָלֵא “his mouth is full of…,” Ps 26:10 וִימִינָם מָלְאָה שֹׁחַד “their right hand is full of bribe.” Same adjective + body-part frame for wickedness. - י-ש-ב “sit/dwell”: Ps 10:8 יֵשֵׁב בְּמַאְרַב “he sits in ambush”; Ps 26:4–5 לֹא יָשַׁבְתִּי… לֹא אֵשֵׁב “I have not sat… I will not sit” with the deceitful/wicked. The righteous refuses the wicked’s posture. - ב-ר-ך “bless”: Ps 10:3 בֹּצֵעַ בֵּרֵךְ… נִאֵץ יְהוָה “the greedy blesses… he reviles YHWH”; Ps 26:12 בְּמַקְהֵלִים אֲבָרֵךְ יְהוָה “in assemblies I will bless YHWH.” Same root, inverted use. - ש-פ-ט “judge”: Ps 10:18 לִשְׁפֹּט יָתוֹם וָדָךְ “to judge the orphan and crushed”; Ps 26:1 שָׁפְטֵנִי יְהוָה “judge me.” From calling for God’s judgment on social wrongs (10) to inviting God’s judgment of the petitioner’s integrity (26). - נֶגֶד “before/in front of”: Ps 10:5 מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ מִנֶּגְדּוֹ “your judgments are high, out of his sight”; Ps 26:3 חַסְדְּךָ לְנֶגֶד עֵינָי “your hesed is before my eyes.” Same preposition, with the object shifting from God’s hidden judgments (10) to his visible loyal love (26). - לֵב “heart”: Ps 10:6,11,13 אָמַר בְּלִבּוֹ “he said in his heart” (wicked hubris); Ps 26:2 צָרְפָה… לִבִּי “refine my heart.” The interior that harbors arrogance (10) is offered for testing (26). - רָשָׁע/רְשָׁעִים “wicked”: pervasive in 10; echoed in 26:5. Same opponent set. - “innocence” vs “bloodshed”: Ps 10:8 murder of the innocent; Ps 26:9 “do not gather me with men of blood” (אַנְשֵׁי דָמִים). 2) Direct antitheses that make 26 read like a response to 10 - God’s hiddenness vs God’s nearness: 10:1 “why do you hide?”; 10:11 “he has hidden his face” is answered by 26:8 “I love the abode of your house, the place of your glory’s dwelling,” and 26:3 “your hesed is before my eyes.” The worshiper moves from experiencing concealment to approaching the sanctuary-presence. - Wicked speech vs thankful speech: 10:7 “his mouth is full of cursing and deceit”; 26:7 “to make heard the voice of thanksgiving and to recount all your wonders.” - Ambush-sitting vs holy non-sitting: 10:8 “he sits in ambush”; 26:4–5 “I have not sat with men of falsehood… with the wicked I will not sit.” - The wicked’s false stability vs the righteous’ real stability: 10:6 “I shall not be moved” (boast of the wicked); 26:1 “I will not slip,” 26:12 “my foot stands on level ground.” The boast is reclaimed and made true in trust. - Hands/arms imagery resolved: 10:15 “break the arm of the wicked”; 10:14 “to give into your hand”; 26:6 “I wash my hands in innocence”; 26:10 “their right hand full of bribe.” Same anatomical field—God deals with the wicked “arm/hand,” the righteous purifies “hands.” - Murder vs innocence: 10:8 “he kills the innocent”; 26:6 “I wash my hands in innocence,” 26:9 “not with men of blood.” 3) Legal-cultic frame that ties the two into a single sequence - Courtroom lexicon in both: 10:5,18 מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ, לִשְׁפֹּט; 26:1 שָׁפְטֵנִי; 26:10 שֹׁחַד “bribe” (a justice-system crime). Psalm 26 plausibly follows 10’s plea for justice with a plea to be distinguished from those who pervert justice (26:9–10). - Vow/thank-offering movement: 10:17–18 “you have heard the desire of the humble… you will incline your ear… to judge the orphan and the crushed.” That divine “hearing” and judging is precisely what in Israelite practice issues in a public todah (thanksgiving) at the sanctuary: 26:6–8 “I wash my hands in innocence and circle your altar… to make heard the voice of thanksgiving and to recount all your wonders… I love the abode of your house.” This is the classic shift from petition (Psalm 10) to fulfillment of a thanksgiving vow at the altar (Psalm 26). - Separating the righteous when judgment falls: After 10’s “break the arm of the wicked… judge the orphan,” 26:9 asks “do not gather my soul with sinners,” i.e., “when you sweep away the wicked I just named, distinguish me.” 4) Stylistic and structural continuities - Same rhetorical posture: direct address to YHWH; alternating complaint/description and petition; body-part imagery (mouth, tongue, eyes, heart, hands/arm, foot) vividly deployed in both. - “Ways/walking” field: 10:5 דְרָכָיו “his ways”; 26:1,3 הָלַכְתִּי / הִתְהַלַּכְתִּי “I walked” (in integrity and truth). The righteous “walk” stands over against the wicked “ways.” - Kingship to sanctuary: 10:16 “YHWH is king forever” moves naturally to 26:8 “the place of your glory’s dwelling,” the earthly locus of the heavenly king. 5) A plausible life-setting sequence in ancient Israel - Stage 1 (Psalm 10): Public lament over societal injustice; the wicked prey on the weak; the petitioner cries “Arise, YHWH,” asking for investigation and judgment. - Stage 2 (Psalm 26): Having experienced divine hearing/judgment, the petitioner undergoes self-examination (“test/try/refine my heart and kidneys”), disassociates from the wicked when judgment comes, ritually purifies, approaches the altar, and publicly thanks God. This maps cleanly onto the todah-sacrifice pattern (thanksgiving, recounting wonders, blessing in the assembly). 6) Two neat “seams” that make Psalm 26 feel like the next step after Psalm 10 - From 10:18 “to judge” to 26:1 “judge me”: the call for cosmic judgment narrows to personal vindication. - From 10:1 “you hide” to 26:3,8 “your hesed before my eyes… the place of your glory’s dwelling”: the perceived distance has become nearness in worship. In sum: By catchwords (especially זִמָּה/מְזִמּוֹת; נָקִי/נִקָּיוֹן; מָלֵא + body part; ע-ל-ם; שׁ-פ-ט; ב-ר-ך; נֶגֶד), paired images (mouth/hand/heart/eyes/foot), legal-cultic framing, and thematic reversals, Psalm 26 reads like an intentional sequel to Psalm 10—moving from complaint about hidden justice to a temple-based declaration of integrity, separation from the wicked, and thanksgiving in the assembly.
Evaluation
Score: 6.5
Evaluated at: 2025-12-08T04:09:32 (UTC)
Evaluator model: gpt-5
Evaluator version: v2
Reasoning: 3392 Output: 6094 Total: 9486
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 accurate, text-anchored links (זמם, נעלמים/תעלים, נקי/נקיון, מלא+body part), clear antitheses; but motifs largely common, no editorial marker, distance between 10 and 26, no counter-evidence addressed.
Prompt
Consider Psalm 10 and Psalm 26 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 26 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 26:
Psalm 26
1. לְדָוִ֨ד ׀
שָׁפְטֵ֤נִי
יְהוָ֗ה
כִּֽי־
אֲ֭נִי
בְּתֻמִּ֣י
הָלַ֑כְתִּי
וּבַיהוָ֥ה
בָּ֝טַ֗חְתִּי
לֹ֣א
אֶמְעָֽד׃
2. בְּחָנֵ֣נִי
יְהוָ֣ה
וְנַסֵּ֑נִי
צרופה
צָרְפָ֖ה
כִלְיוֹתַ֣י
וְלִבִּֽי׃
3. כִּֽי־
חַ֭סְדְּךָ
לְנֶ֣גֶד
עֵינָ֑י
וְ֝הִתְהַלַּ֗כְתִּי
בַּאֲמִתֶּֽךָ׃
4. לֹא־
יָ֭שַׁבְתִּי
עִם־
מְתֵי־
שָׁ֑וא
וְעִ֥ם
נַ֝עֲלָמִ֗ים
לֹ֣א
אָבֽוֹא׃
5. שָׂ֭נֵאתִי
קְהַ֣ל
מְרֵעִ֑ים
וְעִם־
רְ֝שָׁעִ֗ים
לֹ֣א
אֵשֵֽׁב׃
6. אֶרְחַ֣ץ
בְּנִקָּי֣וֹן
כַּפָּ֑י
וַאֲסֹבְבָ֖ה
אֶת־
מִזְבַּחֲךָ֣
יְהוָֽה׃
7. לַ֭שְׁמִעַ
בְּק֣וֹל
תּוֹדָ֑ה
וּ֝לְסַפֵּ֗ר
כָּל־
נִפְלְאוֹתֶֽיךָ׃
8. יְֽהוָ֗ה
אָ֭הַבְתִּי
מְע֣וֹן
בֵּיתֶ֑ךָ
וּ֝מְק֗וֹם
מִשְׁכַּ֥ן
כְּבוֹדֶֽךָ׃
9. אַל־
תֶּאֱסֹ֣ף
עִם־
חַטָּאִ֣ים
נַפְשִׁ֑י
וְעִם־
אַנְשֵׁ֖י
דָמִ֣ים
חַיָּֽי׃
10. אֲשֶׁר־
בִּידֵיהֶ֥ם
זִמָּ֑ה
וִֽ֝ימִינָ֗ם
מָ֣לְאָה
שֹּֽׁחַד׃
11. וַ֭אֲנִי
בְּתֻמִּ֥י
אֵלֵ֗ךְ
פְּדֵ֣נִי
וְחָנֵּֽנִי׃
12. רַ֭גְלִי
עָֽמְדָ֣ה
בְמִישׁ֑וֹר
בְּ֝מַקְהֵלִ֗ים
אֲבָרֵ֥ךְ
יְהוָֽה׃