Psalm 10 → 28

Reasoning: 12096 Output: 5522 Total: 17618

Argument

Thesis: Psalm 28 reads like the liturgical and theological “answer” to the crisis voiced in Psalm 10. The two share distinctive vocabulary and motifs (some relatively rare), develop the same problem–solution arc (divine distance/silence → hearing/help), and move from individual oppression to communal salvation in a way that matches known Israelite ritual sequences (lament → prayer at the sanctuary → assurance/thanksgiving → blessing on the people). Key links below.

1) The central problem of Psalm 10 (God’s distance/silence) is explicitly reversed in Psalm 28
- Ps 10:1: “Why, LORD, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” (למה … תעמוד ברחוק … תעלים)
- Ps 28:1–2, 6: “To you, LORD, I call … do not be silent from me … hear the voice of my supplications … Blessed be the LORD, for he has heard the voice of my supplications” (אל־תחרש; שמע קול תחנוני; כי שמע).
- Ps 10:11 claims “He hides his face … He will never see” (הסתיר פניו; בל־ראה לנצח), but Ps 10:14 already counters: “You have seen” (ראיתה). Psalm 28 advances this to “He has heard” (כי שמע), i.e., the hidden/silent God of 10:1–11 is now audibly responsive.

2) Rare/pointed lexical ties (roots and collocations)
- משך “drag/draw”:
  - Ps 10:9: “he snatches the poor … בְמָשְׁכּוֹ בְּרִשְׁתּוֹ” (“by drawing him into his net”).
  - Ps 28:3: “אַל־תִּמְשְׁכֵנִי עִם־רְשָׁעִים” (“Do not drag me off with the wicked”).
  Same root, same concrete sense, and the same moral polarity (righteous victim vs. wicked). This is a relatively marked verb used similarly.
- נשא + יד “lift up the hand(s)”:
  - Ps 10:12: “נְשָׂא יָדֶךָ” (“lift up your hand” [against the wicked]).
  - Ps 28:2: “בְּנָשְׂאִי יָדַי … אֶל־דְּבִיר קָדְשֶׁךָ” (“when I lift my hands toward your inner sanctuary”).
  Same collocation, now inverted: in Ps 10 God must lift his hand to act; in Ps 28 the worshiper lifts hands in the sanctuary. Psalm 28:9 then completes the triad with another נשא: “וְנַשְּׂאֵם עַד־הָעוֹלָם” (“carry/lift them forever”).
- עזר “help”:
  - Ps 10:14: “יָתוֹם אַתָּה הָיִיתָ עוֹזֵר” (“you have been the helper of the orphan”).
  - Ps 28:7: “וְנֶעֱזָרְתִּי” (“I was helped”).
  Same root; in 28 the help requested in 10 is experienced.
- און “mischief/trouble”:
  - Ps 10:7: “תחת לשונו עָמָל וָאָוֶן” (“trouble and mischief under his tongue”).
  - Ps 28:3: “וְעִם־פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן” (“with workers of mischief”).
  Same (relatively less common) noun, same moral profile of the wicked.
- שמע “hear” (prayer assurance):
  - Ps 10:17: “שָׁמַעְתָּ … תַקְשִׁיב אָזְנֶךָ” (“you have heard … you bend your ear”).
  - Ps 28:2, 6: “שְׁמַע קוֹל תַּחֲנוּנַי … כִּי שָׁמַע” (imperative and perfect of hearing).
  Psalm 28’s perfect “he has heard” functions as the realized answer anticipated in 10:17.
- יד “hand(s)” and “work(s) of hands”:
  - Ps 10:14: “תַּבִּיט … לָתֵת בְּיָדֶךָ” (“you look … to take it into your hand”).
  - Ps 28:4–5: “כְּמַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵיהֶם תֵּן לָהֶם … אֶל מַעֲשֵׂה יָדָיו” (measure-for-measure: give them according to the work of their hands; they ignore the work of His hands).
  Precisely the same concrete imagery: the divine hand vs. human hands, with retributive symmetry.
- לב “heart”:
  - Ps 10:6, 11, 13: “אָמַר בְּלִבּוֹ” (the wicked’s inner talk).
  - Ps 28:3: “וְרָעָה בִּלְבָבָם” (evil in their heart), 28:7: “בּוֹ בָטַח לִבִּי … וַיַּעֲלֹז לִבִּי” (my heart trusts/exults).
  Same focus on interiority—wicked heart’s duplicity (10; 28:3) versus the faithful heart’s trust and joy (28:7).
- ברך “bless”:
  - Ps 10:3: “וּבֹצֵעַ בֵּרֵךְ נִאֵץ יְהוָה” (perverse blessing of the greedy, spurning YHWH).
  - Ps 28:6, 9: “בָּרוּךְ יְהוָה … וּבָרֵךְ אֶת־נַחֲלָתֶךָ” (proper blessing: YHWH is blessed; the people are blessed).
  An antithetical reversal: twisted blessing in 10 becomes true blessing in 28.
- עולם/עד עולם “forever”:
  - Ps 10:16: “יְהוָה מֶלֶךְ עוֹלָם וָעֶד”.
  - Ps 28:9: “וְנַשְּׂאֵם עַד־הָעוֹלָם”.
  The eternal kingship in 10 coheres with the eternal shepherding/carrying in 28.

3) Matching portraits of the wicked and their requital
- Deceitful speech:
  - Ps 10:7: full of oaths/deceit/oppression; under his tongue “trouble and mischief”.
  - Ps 28:3: “speaking peace with neighbors while evil is in their heart.”
- Boastful blindness vs. reckoning:
  - Ps 10:4, 11, 13: “no God”; “He won’t see/inquire.”
  - Ps 28:5: “they do not understand the works of YHWH … He will tear them down and not build them.”
- Requested judgment:
  - Ps 10:12–15: “Arise … lift your hand … break the arm … seek out his wickedness.”
  - Ps 28:4–5: “Give them according to their work … return their recompense … tear them down.”
  Psalm 28’s imperatives specify the retributive calculus envisioned in Psalm 10.

4) Macro-structure and life-setting
- Psalm 10: individual lament and imprecation culminating in confidence that God hears and will judge for the powerless (vv. 17–18).
- Psalm 28: the same sufferer appears in the sanctuary (28:2 “toward your inner shrine”), pleads that God not be silent (answering 10:1), invokes judgment on the wicked (28:3–5, answering 10:12–15), receives/voices an assurance of being heard (28:6–7, matching 10:17), and extends the outcome to the community and kingly ideology (28:8–9).
- This tracks a well-attested Israelite ritual sequence: complaint → temple approach with uplifted hands → oracle/assurance → thanksgiving → communal blessing. Psalm 28 looks like the liturgical realization of the hope articulated in Psalm 10.

5) Kingship/royal ideology thread
- Ps 10:16: “YHWH is king forever … the nations perish from his land.”
- Ps 28:8–9: “YHWH is strength to them and a fortress of salvations for his anointed; save your people, bless your inheritance; shepherd them and carry them forever.”
- The kingship claim in 10 is concretized in 28 by reference to “his anointed” and to God as shepherd of “your people/your inheritance,” a classic royal-shepherd image, moving from individual deliverance to corporate care.

6) A few smaller but telling correspondences
- From “nets/pit” imagery: 10:9 the wicked “draws” the poor into his net; 28:1–3 fear of being counted with “those going down to the pit” and being “dragged” with the wicked. Same danger reimagined liturgically.
- From “judgments on high” to the “holy inner shrine”: 10:5 “Your judgments are on high, out of his sight”; 28:2 the petitioner turns toward the very place of those judgments (דביר קודשך).

Conclusion: The two psalms share distinctive lexemes (esp. משך; נשא + יד; עזר; און; the tight “hand(s)” motif), parallel speech and heart imagery, and the same theological arc, but in reversed poles: the silence/hiddenness of Psalm 10 is replaced by hearing and help in Psalm 28; the wicked’s perverse blessing and inner plotting become the righteous blessing and inner trust; the call for judgment becomes a concrete imprecation with retributive symmetry; and YHWH’s kingship over the oppressors opens into protection of “his anointed” and “his inheritance.” In terms of Israelite life and liturgy, Psalm 28 plausibly enacts the sanctuary-stage response to the plea of Psalm 10, so that Psalm 28 can be read as logically following Psalm 10.

Evaluation

Score: 6.5

Evaluated at: 2025-12-08T04:11:49 (UTC)

Evaluator model: gpt-5

Evaluator version: v2

Reasoning: 3392 Output: 6354 Total: 9746

Vocabulary specificity: 5.0 / 10

Accurate, verse-anchored links (e.g., משך; נשא–יד; silence→hearing reversal) and a plausible lament→sanctuary→assurance→blessing arc. But motifs are common, Ps 9–10 form a unit, and no superscriptional/editorial linkage.

Prompt

Consider Psalm 10 and Psalm 28 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 28 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 28:
Psalm 28
1. לְדָוִ֡ד
        אֵ֘לֶ֤יךָ
        יְהוָ֨ה ׀
        אֶקְרָ֗א
        צוּרִי֮
        אַֽל־
        תֶּחֱרַ֢שׁ
        מִּ֫מֶּ֥נִּי
        פֶּן־
        תֶּֽחֱשֶׁ֥ה
        מִמֶּ֑נִּי
        וְ֝נִמְשַׁ֗לְתִּי
        עִם־
        י֥וֹרְדֵי
        בֽוֹר׃
2. שְׁמַ֤ע
        ק֣וֹל
        תַּ֭חֲנוּנַי
        בְּשַׁוְּעִ֣י
        אֵלֶ֑יךָ
        בְּנָשְׂאִ֥י
        יָ֝דַ֗י
        אֶל־
        דְּבִ֥יר
        קָדְשֶֽׁךָ׃
3. אַל־
        תִּמְשְׁכֵ֣נִי
        עִם־
        רְשָׁעִים֮
        וְעִם־
        פֹּ֢עֲלֵ֫י
        אָ֥וֶן
        דֹּבְרֵ֣י
        שָׁ֭לוֹם
        עִם־
        רֵֽעֵיהֶ֑ם
        וְ֝רָעָ֗ה
        בִּלְבָבָֽם׃
4. תֶּן־
        לָהֶ֣ם
        כְּפָעֳלָם֮
        וּכְרֹ֢עַ
        מַֽעַלְלֵ֫יהֶ֥ם
        כְּמַעֲשֵׂ֣ה
        יְ֭דֵיהֶם
        תֵּ֣ן
        לָהֶ֑ם
        הָשֵׁ֖ב
        גְּמוּלָ֣ם
        לָהֶֽם׃
5. כִּ֤י
        לֹ֤א
        יָבִ֡ינוּ
        אֶל־
        פְּעֻלֹּ֣ת
        יְ֭הוָה
        וְאֶל־
        מַעֲשֵׂ֣ה
        יָדָ֑יו
        יֶ֝הֶרְסֵ֗ם
        וְלֹ֣א
        יִבְנֵֽם׃
6. בָּר֥וּךְ
        יְהוָ֑ה
        כִּי־
        שָׁ֝מַע
        ק֣וֹל
        תַּחֲנוּנָֽי׃
7. יְהוָ֤ה ׀
        עֻזִּ֥י
        וּמָגִנִּי֮
        בּ֤וֹ
        בָטַ֥ח
        לִבִּ֗י
        וְֽנֶ֫עֱזָ֥רְתִּי
        וַיַּעֲלֹ֥ז
        לִבִּ֑י
        וּֽמִשִּׁירִ֥י
        אֲהוֹדֶנּוּ׃c
8. יְהוָ֥ה
        עֹֽז־
        לָ֑מוֹ
        וּמָ֘ע֤וֹז
        יְשׁוּע֖וֹת
        מְשִׁיח֣וֹ
        הֽוּא׃
9. הוֹשִׁ֤יעָה ׀
        אֶת־
        עַמֶּ֗ךָ
        וּבָרֵ֥ךְ
        אֶת־
        נַחֲלָתֶ֑ךָ
        וּֽרְעֵ֥ם
        וְ֝נַשְּׂאֵ֗ם
        עַד־
        הָעוֹלָֽם׃