Psalm 10 → 31

Reasoning: 12352 Output: 7621 Total: 19973

Argument

Short answer
Read as a two‑part story, Psalm 10 describes the oppressor’s traps, hiddenness, arrogance and slander, and asks God to rise and act; Psalm 31 narrates the response: God sees, hears, rescues from those very traps, shelters the suppliant in his “secret place,” and turns the community to trust. This is borne out by multiple rare or distinctive lexical hooks and by closely matched motifs and form.

Arguments in detail

1) Rare/marked lexical hooks (identical or nearly identical forms)
- עתּוֹת “times” (rare plural)
  - Ps 10:1 לעִתּוֹת בַּצָּרָה “in times of trouble”
  - Ps 31:16 בְּיָדְךָ עִתֹּתָי “my times are in your hand”
  Logical move: from “Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” to “My times are in your hand.”

- רֶשֶׁת “net”
  - Ps 10:9 בְּמָשְׁכּוֹ בְרִשְׁתּוֹ “he draws [the poor] in his net”
  - Ps 31:5 תּוֹצִיאֵנִי מֵרֶשֶׁת זוּ טָמְנוּ לִי “bring me out of the net they hid for me”
  Logical move: the hunter’s net (Ps 10) → God delivers from that very net (Ps 31).

- זוּ demonstrative, f. sg. (not the most common demonstrative)
  - Ps 10:2 בִּמְזִמּוֹת זוּ חָשָׁבוּ “in the schemes which they devised”
  - Ps 31:5 מֵרֶשֶׁת זוּ טָמְנוּ לִי “from the net which they laid for me”
  Two parallel feminine objects pointed out with the same form “זוּ”: the “scheme” becomes the “net.”

- סֻכָּה / סֵתֶר “booth/shelter” and “secret”
  - Ps 10:9 כְּאַרְיֵה בְסֻכּוֹ; Ps 10:8 בַּמִּסְתָּרִים “in secret places”
  - Ps 31:21 תַּסְתִּירֵם בְּסֵתֶר פָּנֶיךָ; תִּצְפְּנֵם בְּסֻכָּה “you hide them in the secret of your face; you conceal them in a booth”
  The “booth” and “secret places” that in Ps 10 belong to the predator are reversed in Ps 31 as God’s protective shelter.

- אֹזֶן/שָׁמַע “ear/hear”
  - Ps 10:17 תַּקְשִׁיב אָזְנֶךָ “incline your ear”
  - Ps 31:3 הַטֵּה… אָזְנְךָ “incline your ear”; 31:23 שָׁמַעְתָּ קוֹל תַּחֲנוּנַי “you heard the voice of my supplication”
  The request of Ps 10 is explicitly answered in Ps 31.

- יָד “hand” (dense cluster)
  - Ps 10:12 נְשָׂא יָדֶךָ “lift your hand”; 10:14 לָתֵת בְּיָדֶךָ “to put into your hand”
  - Ps 31:6 בְּיָדְךָ אַפְקִיד רוּחִי “into your hand I commit my spirit”; 31:9 לֹא הִסְגַּרְתַּנִי בְיַד־אוֹיֵב “not given me into the hand of the enemy”; 31:16 בְּיָדְךָ עִתֹּתָי; מִיַּד־אוֹיְבַי “from the hand of my enemies”
  From pleading that God use his hand (Ps 10) to entrusting self/times to that hand and being rescued from the enemy’s hand (Ps 31).

- צֹרֵר “adversary”
  - Ps 10:5 כָּל־צֹרְרָיו
  - Ps 31:12 מִכָּל־צֹרְרַי

- זָמַם/מְזִמָּה “to plot/devise”
  - Ps 10:2 בִּמְזִמּוֹת
  - Ps 31:14 זָמָמוּ “they plotted [to take my life]”
  Same root, same theme: the wicked’s plots in Ps 10 are the plots recalled in Ps 31.

- לָשׁוֹן “tongue”
  - Ps 10:7 תַּחַת לְשׁוֹנוֹ עָמָל וָאָוֶן
  - Ps 31:21 מֵרִיב לְשֹׁנוֹת “from the strife of tongues”
  The slanderous tongue in Ps 10 reappears as the social danger from which God shelters (Ps 31).

- בְּגַאֲוָה “in pride”
  - Ps 10:2 בְּגַאֲוַת רָשָׁע
  - Ps 31:19 הַדֹּבְרוֹת… בְּגַאֲוָה; 31:24… עֹשֵׂה גַּאֲוָה
  Pride marks the wicked in both; Ps 31 promises their repayment.

- בָּרַךְ “bless”
  - Ps 10:3 וּבֹצֵעַ בֵּרֵךְ נִאֵץ יְהוָה “he blesses the greedy; he despises YHWH”
  - Ps 31:22 בָּרוּךְ יְהוָה “Blessed be YHWH”
  Irony: the wicked misdirect “blessing” in Ps 10; the psalmist rightly blesses YHWH in Ps 31.

- רָאָה/פָּנִים “see/face”
  - Ps 10:11 “He has hidden his face; he will never see”; 10:14 רָאִתָּה… תַּבִּיט “you have seen… you look”
  - Ps 31:8 רָאִיתָ אֶת־עָנְיִי “you saw my affliction”; 31:17 הָאִירָה פָּנֶיךָ “make your face shine”; 31:23 “I said, ‘I am cut off from before your eyes,’ nevertheless you heard…”
  The taunt “God does not see” (Ps 10) is explicitly overturned (Ps 31).

- Possibly also צפן “hide/store up”
  - Ps 10:8 (עֵינָיו… יִצְפֹּנוּ “his eyes lurk/lie in wait” is commonly parsed from צפן)
  - Ps 31:20 מָה־רַב טוּבְךָ אֲשֶׁר־צָפַנְתָּ “how great your goodness which you have stored up…”
  Another reversal: the wicked hides himself; God “hides up” goodness for those who fear him.

2) Thematic and logical progressions
- Hiddenness → Manifest presence:
  - Ps 10 opens: “Why, YHWH, do you stand afar, hide yourself in times of trouble?” (10:1) and cites the boast “He has hidden his face; he will never see” (10:11).
  - Ps 31 answers: “Incline your ear” (31:3), “you saw my affliction” (31:8), “Make your face shine” (31:17), and the testimonial “You heard the voice of my supplications” (31:23).

- Predatory ambush → Divine shelter:
  - Ps 10:8–10 describes ambush, secret places, nets, a lair (סֻכָּה), and the seizing of the poor.
  - Ps 31:5–6, 21 depicts rescue “from the net,” and God hiding his own “in the secret of your face… in a booth” from “strife of tongues.”

- The poor/humble vindicated:
  - Ps 10 focuses on the עָנִי/דַּךְ/יָתוֹם and prays for justice (10:12–18).
  - Ps 31 echoes “You saw my affliction (עָנְיִי)” (31:8), celebrates deliverance, and ends by exhorting the faithful while promising that God “repays the one who acts in pride” (31:24)—the exact antithesis of Ps 10:2.

- Hands and agency:
  - Ps 10:12–15 asks God to lift his hand and break the arm of the wicked.
  - Ps 31 reframes everything in terms of hands: not into the hand of the enemy (31:9), my spirit and my times in your hand (31:6, 16), rescue me from the hand of enemies (31:16). The plea of Ps 10 has become a posture of trust.

- Speech ethics:
  - Ps 10:7 the oppressor’s mouth/tongue: curses, deceit, mischief.
  - Ps 31:19–21 asks for the silencing of lying, arrogant lips and for shelter “from the strife of tongues.” Same social evil, now judged.

- Shame/boast reversal:
  - Ps 10:6 the wicked boasts “I shall not be moved forever.”
  - Ps 31 twice prays “Let me not be ashamed” and then: “Let the wicked be ashamed; let them be silent in Sheol” (31:18). The “unshakable” boast of Ps 10 is turned back on the wicked in Ps 31.

3) Similar form and movement
- Both are individual laments moving toward confidence; both end with a generalizing, communal note:
  - Ps 10 closes with the kingship assertion and the purpose clause of justice for the orphan and crushed (10:16–18).
  - Ps 31 closes with a beatitude/exhortation to the faithful community (31:24–25).
  That is the standard lament → trust → instruction arc, so Ps 31 functions naturally as the “answer” or sequel to Ps 10’s plea.

4) Plausible life‑setting sequence
- Ps 10 depicts banditry/violence in the countryside (בְּמַאְרַב חֲצֵרִים; ambush in villages) with social predation of the vulnerable.
- Ps 31 recalls deliverance “in a city under siege” (בְּעִיר מָצוֹר, 31:22). A realistic sequence in ancient Israel: raiding/predation in the hinterland escalates to a siege; God’s intervention is then celebrated.
- The same enemies who “plot” (Ps 10:2) later “form a council together against me… to take my life—they plotted” (Ps 31:14), tying the episodes into a continuous narrative.

5) Weighing by your criteria
- Highest-weight identical forms: עתּוֹת; רֶשֶׁת; זוּ; מִסְתָּרִים/בְּסֵתֶר; לָשׁוֹן; צֹרְרַי/צֹרְרָיו; בְּגַאֲוָה; the dense יָד cluster; repeated imperatives to God’s “ear” and “face.”
- Same root, different forms: זָמַם/מְזִמָּה; צָפַן; שָׁמַע; רָאָה; הֵאִיר פָּנֶיךָ vs הִסְתִּיר פָּנָיו; הוֹשִׁיעַ/פָּלַט; עָנִי.
- Shared but less marked ideas: pride vs humility, slanderous speech, God’s justice for the weak.

Conclusion
Read consecutively, Psalm 31 specifically answers the questions and taunts of Psalm 10 with matched vocabulary and mirrored images: the same “times” (עתּוֹת) once shaded by divine hiddenness are now “in your hand”; the wicked’s “nets/secret places/booth” become God’s “net‑rescue/secret of your face/booth”; the plea for God’s ear and hand becomes testimony that he heard and that life and “times” are in his hand; the proud who boasted are the ones shamed. Form, imagery, and several rare or distinctive Hebrew forms make a strong case that Psalm 31 can be read as the logical sequel to Psalm 10.

Evaluation

Score: 7.5

Evaluated at: 2025-12-08T04:15:33 (UTC)

Evaluator model: gpt-5

Evaluator version: v2

Reasoning: 3520 Output: 8447 Total: 11967

Vocabulary specificity: 7.0 / 10

Flags: injection_attempt

Multiple precise lexical hooks (עתות, רשת, זו, סכה/בסתר, יד) with correct refs and coherent reversals; no factual errors. Some links are common lament motifs; distance/adjacency and alternatives unaddressed. Strong but not decisive.

Prompt

Consider Psalm 10 and Psalm 31 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 31 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 31:
Psalm 31
1. לַמְנַצֵּ֗חַ
        מִזְמ֥וֹר
        לְדָוִֽד׃
2. בְּךָֽ־t
        יְהוָ֣ה
        חָ֭סִיתִי
        אַל־
        אֵב֣וֹשָׁה
        לְעוֹלָ֑ם
        בְּצִדְקָתְךָ֥
        פַלְּטֵֽנִי׃
3. הַטֵּ֤ה
        אֵלַ֨י ׀
        אָזְנְךָ֮
        מְהֵרָ֢ה
        הַצִּ֫ילֵ֥נִי
        הֱיֵ֤ה
        לִ֨י ׀
        לְֽצוּר־
        מָ֭עוֹז
        לְבֵ֥ית
        מְצוּד֗וֹת
        לְהוֹשִׁיעֵֽנִי׃
4. כִּֽי־
        סַלְעִ֣י
        וּמְצוּדָתִ֣י
        אָ֑תָּה
        וּלְמַ֥עַן
        שִׁ֝מְךָ֗
        תַּֽנְחֵ֥נִי
        וּֽתְנַהֲלֵֽנִי׃
5. תּוֹצִיאֵ֗נִי
        מֵרֶ֣שֶׁת
        ז֭וּ
        טָ֣מְנוּ
        לִ֑י
        כִּֽי־
        אַ֝תָּה
        מָֽעוּזִּי׃
6. בְּיָדְךָ֮
        אַפְקִ֢יד
        ר֫וּחִ֥י
        פָּדִ֖יתָה
        אוֹתִ֥י
        יְהוָ֗ה
        אֵ֣ל
        אֱמֶֽת׃
7. שָׂנֵ֗אתִי
        הַשֹּׁמְרִ֥ים
        הַבְלֵי־
        שָׁ֑וא
        וַ֝אֲנִ֗י
        אֶל־
        יְהוָ֥ה
        בָּטָֽחְתִּי׃
8. אָגִ֥ילָה
        וְאֶשְׂמְחָ֗ה
        בְּחַ֫סְדֶּ֥ךָ
        אֲשֶׁ֣ר
        רָ֭אִיתָ
        אֶת־
        עָנְיִ֑י
        יָ֝דַ֗עְתָּ
        בְּצָר֥וֹת
        נַפְשִֽׁי׃
9. וְלֹ֣א
        הִ֭סְגַּרְתַּנִי
        בְּיַד־
        אוֹיֵ֑ב
        הֶֽעֱמַ֖דְתָּ
        בַמֶּרְחָ֣ב
        רַגְלָֽי׃
10. חָנֵּ֥נִי
        יְהוָה֮
        כִּ֤י
        צַ֫ר־
        לִ֥י
        עָשְׁשָׁ֖ה
        בְכַ֥עַס
        עֵינִ֗י
        נַפְשִׁ֥י
        וּבִטְנִֽי׃
11. כִּ֤י
        כָל֪וּ
        בְיָג֡וֹן
        חַיַּי֮
        וּשְׁנוֹתַ֢י
        בַּאֲנָ֫חָ֥ה
        כָּשַׁ֣ל
        בַּעֲוֺנִ֣י
        כֹחִ֑י
        וַעֲצָמַ֥י
        עָשֵֽׁשׁוּ׃
12. מִכָּל־
        צֹרְרַ֨י
        הָיִ֪יתִי
        חֶרְפָּ֡ה
        וְלִשֲׁכֵנַ֨י ׀
        מְאֹד֮
        וּפַ֢חַד
        לִֽמְיֻדָּ֫עָ֥י
        רֹאַ֥י
        בַּח֑וּץ
        נָדְד֥וּ
        מִמֶּֽנִּי׃
13. נִ֭שְׁכַּחְתִּי
        כְּמֵ֣ת
        מִלֵּ֑ב
        הָ֝יִ֗יתִי
        כִּכְלִ֥י
        אֹבֵֽד׃
14. כִּ֤י
        שָׁמַ֨עְתִּי ׀
        דִּבַּ֥ת
        רַבִּים֮
        מָג֢וֹר
        מִסָּ֫בִ֥יב
        בְּהִוָּסְדָ֣ם
        יַ֣חַד
        עָלַ֑י
        לָקַ֖חַת
        נַפְשִׁ֣י
        זָמָֽמוּ׃
15. וַאֲנִ֤י ׀
        עָלֶ֣יךָ
        בָטַ֣חְתִּי
        יְהוָ֑ה
        אָ֝מַ֗רְתִּי
        אֱלֹהַ֥י
        אָֽתָּה׃
16. בְּיָדְךָ֥
        עִתֹּתָ֑י
        הַצִּ֘ילֵ֤נִי
        מִיַּד־
        א֝וֹיְבַ֗י
        וּמֵרֹדְפָֽי׃
17. הָאִ֣ירָה
        פָ֭נֶיךָ
        עַל־
        עַבְדֶּ֑ךָ
        ה֖וֹשִׁיעֵ֣נִי
        בְחַסְדֶּֽךָ׃
18. יְֽהוָ֗ה
        אַל־
        אֵ֭בוֹשָׁה
        כִּ֣י
        קְרָאתִ֑יךָ
        יֵבֹ֥שׁוּ
        רְ֝שָׁעִ֗ים
        יִדְּמ֥וּ
        לִשְׁאֽוֹל׃
19. תֵּ֥אָלַ֗מְנָה
        שִׂפְתֵ֫י
        שָׁ֥קֶר
        הַדֹּבְר֖וֹת
        עַל־
        צַדִּ֥יק
        עָתָ֗ק
        בְּגַאֲוָ֥ה
        וָבtוּז׃
20. מָ֤ה
        רַֽב־
        טוּבְךָ֮
        אֲשֶׁר־
        צָפַ֢נְתָּ
        לִּֽירֵ֫אֶ֥יךָ
        פָּ֭עַלְתָּ
        לַחֹסִ֣ים
        בָּ֑ךְ
        נֶ֝֗גֶד
        בְּנֵ֣י
        אָדָם׃
21. תַּסְתִּירֵ֤ם ׀
        בְּסֵ֥תֶר
        פָּנֶיךָ֮
        מֵֽרֻכְסֵ֫י
        אִ֥ישׁ
        תִּצְפְּנֵ֥ם
        בְּסֻכָּ֗ה
        מֵרִ֥יב
        לְשֹׁנֽוֹת׃
22. בָּר֥וּךְ
        יְהוָ֑ה
        כִּ֥י
        הִפְלִ֘יא
        חַסְדּ֥וֹ
        לִ֝֗י
        בְּעִ֣יר
        מָצֽוֹר׃
23. וַאֲנִ֤י ׀
        אָ֘מַ֤רְתִּי
        בְחָפְזִ֗י
        נִגְרַזְתִּי֮
        מִנֶּ֢גֶד
        עֵ֫ינֶ֥יךָ
        אָכֵ֗ן
        שָׁ֭מַעְתָּ
        ק֥וֹל
        תַּחֲנוּנַ֗י
        בְּשַׁוְּעִ֥י
        אֵלֶֽיךָ׃
24. אֶֽהֱב֥וּ
        אֶת־
        יְהוָ֗ה
        כָּֽל־
        חֲסִ֫ידָ֥יו
        אֱ֭מוּנִים
        נֹצֵ֣ר
        יְהוָ֑ה
        וּמְשַׁלֵּ֥ם
        עַל־
        יֶ֝֗תֶר
        עֹשֵׂ֥ה
        גַאֲוָֽה׃
25. חִ֭זְקוּ
        וְיַאֲמֵ֣ץ
        לְבַבְכֶ֑ם
        כָּל־
        הַ֝מְיַחֲלִ֗ים
        לַיהוָֽה׃