Psalm 10 → 38

Reasoning: 5312 Output: 6962 Total: 12274

Argument

Here are lines of argument—moving from broad form to fine-grained Hebrew—that make it plausible to read Psalm 38 as a deliberate “follow‑on” (answer, inversion, or development) of Psalm 10.

1) Macro‑form and flow of thought
- Same genre and movement. Both are individual laments with the classic arc: address to YHWH, complaint about enemies, petition for divine intervention, and closing confidence in God. Psalm 38 adds explicit confession/discipline, but the enemy‑lament core is shared.
- From accusation of the wicked to introspection and confession. Psalm 10 anatomizes the wicked and begs God to act; Psalm 38 turns inward, recognizing personal sin under God’s hand while still surrounded by enemies. That is a natural rhetorical “next step”: after denouncing outside evil (Ps 10), the supplicant faces inner evil (Ps 38).
- Courtroom sequence. Ps 10 ends with God judging for the weak (“לשׁפֹּט יתום ודך”), Ps 38 continues the judicial/disciplinary setting (“אַל־בְקֶצְפְּךָ תּוֹכִיחֵנִי… וּבַחֲמָתְךָ תְיַסְּרֵנִי”), shifting from judgment against the wicked to corrective discipline of the petitioner—another logical sequel.

2) Framing reversals and completions (high‑value, near‑verbatim links)
- Distance/Presence:
  - Ps 10:1 “לָמָה יְהוָה תַעֲמֹד בְּרָחוֹק” (Why do you stand far off?)
  - Ps 38:22 “אֱלֹהַי אַל־תִּרְחַק מִמֶּנִּי” (My God, do not be far from me)
  Direct lexical reversal of “far” (רחוק/תרחק), making Ps 38 an explicit response to the complaint of distance in Ps 10.
- Hiding vs. Nothing is hidden:
  - Ps 10:1 “תַּעְלִים… בַּצָּרָה” and 10:11 “הִסְתִּיר פָּנָיו”
  - Ps 38:10 “וְאַנְחָתִי מִמְּךָ לֹא־נִסְתָּרָה”
  Same root סתר: in Ps 10 God “hides”; in Ps 38 the psalmist insists nothing he suffers is hidden from God—again, a deliberate counter‑movement.
- Forget/Remember:
  - Ps 10:12 “אַל־תִּשְׁכַּח עֲנָוִים” (Do not forget the humble)
  - Ps 38:1 superscription “לְהַזְכִּיר” (to cause to remember; “for remembrance”)
  The rare rubric “להזכיר” answers Ps 10’s “do not forget,” as if Ps 38 is composed precisely to prompt God’s remembrance.

3) Shared lexemes and roots, with weighting toward rarer items and exact forms
- תאוה “desire”:
  - Ps 10:3 “עַל־תַּאֲוַת נַפְשׁוֹ” (the wicked exults in his desire)
  - Ps 10:17 “תַּאֲוַת עֲנָוִים שָׁמַעְתָּ” (You have heard the desire of the humble)
  - Ps 38:10 “נֶגְדְּךָ כָּל־תַּאֲוָתִי” (All my desire is before You)
  Identical noun, same semantic slot; Psalm 38 internalizes the term theologically (my desire is before You) after Ps 10 contrasts wicked desire vs. the humble’s desire God hears.
- דרש “seek, inquire”:
  - Ps 10:4 “בַּל יִדְרֹשׁ” (the wicked does not seek)
  - Ps 10:13 “לֹא תִדְרֹשׁ” (You will not call to account?)
  - Ps 10:15 “תִּדְרוֹשׁ” (You will seek out his wickedness)
  - Ps 38:13 “וְדֹרְשֵׁי רָעָתִי” (those who seek my hurt)
  Same root, same verbal idea of “seeking,” but the object shifts from God seeking the wicked (Ps 10) to the wicked seeking the psalmist (Ps 38), keeping the pursuit motif alive.
- עזר “help”:
  - Ps 10:14 “אַתָּה הָיִיתָ עוֹזֵר” (You have been a helper)
  - Ps 38:23 “ח֥וּשָׁה לְעֶזְרָתִי” (Hasten to my help)
  Same root, same theological role; Ps 38 petitions what Ps 10 confesses.
- עזב “forsake, leave”:
  - Ps 10:14 “עָלֶיךָ יַעֲזֹב חֵלֶךָ” (the helpless entrusts/“leaves” it to you)
  - Ps 38:22 “אַל־תַּעַזְבֵנִי יְהוָה” (do not forsake me)
  Same root in different senses, knitting the two pleas thematically.
- מוט “slip, totter” (significant because the exact collocation contrasts):
  - Ps 10:6 boast of the wicked: “בַּל־אֶמּוֹט” (I shall not be moved)
  - Ps 38:17 “בְּמוֹט רַגְלִי עָלַי הִגְדִּילוּ” (when my foot slips they magnify themselves)
  Psalm 38 reuses the verb to describe the psalmist’s vulnerability, inverting the wicked’s boast in Psalm 10.
- מרמות “deceits” (not an everyday noun; weighty when repeated):
  - Ps 10:7 “פִּיהוּ מָלֵא… וּמִרְמוֹת”
  - Ps 38:13 “וּמִרְמוֹת כָּל־הַיּוֹם יֶהְגּוּ”
  Exact noun match and same adversarial context.
- דכא “crush, be crushed” (relatively marked in Psalms):
  - Ps 10:10 “יִדְכֶּה” (he crushes)
  - Ps 38:9 “וְנִדְכֵּיתִי עַד־מְאֹד” (I am utterly crushed)
  Same root, shifting from the oppressor’s action to the psalmist’s experience—a poignant carry‑over.
- יד “hand” in divine action:
  - Ps 10:12 “נְשָׂא יָדֶךָ”; 10:14 “לָתֵת בְּיָדֶךָ”
  - Ps 38:3 “וַתִּנְחַת עָלַי יָדֶךָ”
  Same instrument of divine action: in Ps 10 the petitioner asks God to lift His hand against the wicked; in Ps 38 the petitioner feels that hand’s weight in fatherly discipline.

4) The enemy profile continues seamlessly
- Ambush/scheming speech vs. relentless slander:
  - Ps 10:7–9 paints the ambusher whose mouth is full of “אָלָה… מִרְמוֹת… תַּחַת לְשׁוֹנוֹ עָמָל וָאָוֶן… יֵשֵׁב בְּמַאְרַב… יַהֲרֹג נָקִי”
  - Ps 38:12–13 mirrors the social side: “אֹהֲבַי וְרֵעַי… מֵרָחֹק עָמָדוּ… דִּבְּרוּ הַוּוֹת… וּמִרְמוֹת כָּל־הַיּוֹם יֶהְגּוּ… מְבַקְשֵׁי נַפְשִׁי”
  The vocabulary of speech‑sin (מרמות, הוות) and pursuit (מבקשי נפשי) is continuous from 10 into 38, but 38 adds the isolation of friends—an intensification stage typical in lament sequences.
- Silence strategy vs. the wicked tongue:
  - Ps 10 stresses the wicked’s destructive mouth.
  - Ps 38:14–15 responds with the psalmist’s chosen silence (“כְחֵרֵשׁ… וּכְאִלֵּם”), a wisdom‑style countermeasure that assumes the enemy profile in Ps 10.

5) Theological pivot that “answers” Psalm 10
- Kingship and hope:
  - Ps 10 climaxes with “יְהוָה מֶלֶךְ עוֹלָם וָעֵד… תַּאֲוַת עֲנָוִים שָׁמַעְתָּ… לִשְׁפֹּט יָתוֹם וָדָךְ”
  - Ps 38 claims that hope personally: “כִּי־לְךָ יְהוָה הוֹחָלְתִּי… אַתָּה תַעֲנֶה אֲדֹנָי אֱלֹהָי”
  The communal/confessional confidence of Ps 10 becomes the individual’s grounded hope in Ps 38.

6) Life‑sequence plausibility in Israelite experience
- Public wrong to private repentance. A realistic experiential order: first, suffer at the hands of the arrogant (Ps 10); then, under ongoing pressure and illness, recognize one’s own sin and God’s chastening (Ps 38), while still pleading for protection from the same types of enemies.
- Liturgical logic. Ps 10’s plea “אַל־תִּשְׁכַּח” is naturally followed by a “מִזְמוֹר… לְהַזְכִּיר” (Ps 38 superscription) used in worship precisely to “remind” God—matching ancient liturgical practice (cf. Ps 70).

7) Additional shared or artfully inverted items
- “אָמַר בְּלִבּוֹ” (wicked’s inner speech, Ps 10:6, 11, 13) vs. “כִּי־אָמַרְתִּי” (psalmist’s inner speech, Ps 38:17). Same verb; the “inner talk” shifts from the wicked’s presumption to the sufferer’s prudence.
- “נֶגֶד”/“נֶגְדִּי”:
  - Ps 10:5 “מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ מִנֶּגְדּוֹ”
  - Ps 38:12 “מִנֶּגֶד נִגְעִי”; 38:18 “מַכְאוֹבִי נֶגְדִּי תָמִיד”
  Recurrence of the “before/against” viewpoint vocabulary.
- Enemies “grow great”:
  - Ps 10:5 “כָּל־צֹרְרָיו יָפִיחַ בָּהֶם” (he snorts/blusters over enemies)
  - Ps 38:17 “עָלַי הִגְדִּילוּ” (they magnify themselves over me)
  Similar boasting/magnification language keeps the same social dynamic in play.

Why these links are strong
- Several are exact lexical matches (מרמות, תאוה, דרש/דֹרְשֵׁי, עזר, מוט), or deliberate antonymic replies on the same root (רחוק/תרחק; סתר/לא נסתרה), or very rare markers (להזכיר) that directly answer Ps 10’s “אל־תשכח.”
- The same word classes are preserved in many cases (nouns-to-nouns, verbs-to-verbs), strengthening the signal.
- The rhetoric moves naturally from external injustice (Ps 10) to internal penitence under discipline without abandoning the enemy‑lament frame—exactly the kind of experiential and liturgical sequence one expects in Israelite prayer.

In sum: Psalm 38 reads as a crafted sequel to Psalm 10—answering its opening complaints (distance, hiddenness, forgetfulness), continuing its enemy profile with shared vocabulary, and advancing the theology from God’s public judgment for the humble to God’s personal discipline and rescue of the same sufferer who now confesses and hopes.

Evaluation

Score: 6.5

Evaluated at: 2025-12-09T03:42:33 (UTC)

Evaluator model: gpt-5

Evaluator version: v2

Reasoning: 3328 Output: 7809 Total: 11137

Vocabulary specificity: 4.0 / 10

Multiple precise lexeme links (רחוק/תרחק; סתר/לא נסתרה; להַזְכִּיר vs אל־תִשְׁכַּח; מרמות, תאוה, מוט) and plausible sequel logic. Yet much is common lament diction, ignoring Ps 9–10 acrostic linkage and Ps 6–38 parallels.

Prompt

Consider Psalm 10 and Psalm 38 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 38 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 38:
Psalm 38
1. מִזְמ֖וֹר
        לְדָוִ֣ד
        לְהַזְכִּֽיר׃
2. יְֽהוָ֗ה
        אַל־
        בְּקֶצְפְּךָ֥
        תוֹכִיחֵ֑נִי
        וּֽבַחֲמָתְךָ֥
        תְיַסְּרֵֽנִי׃
3. כִּֽי־
        חִ֭צֶּיךָ
        נִ֣חֲתוּ
        בִ֑י
        וַתִּנְחַ֖ת
        עָלַ֣י
        יָדֶֽךָ׃
4. אֵין־
        מְתֹ֣ם
        בִּ֭בְשָׂרִי
        מִפְּנֵ֣י
        זַעְמֶ֑ךָ
        אֵין־
        שָׁל֥וֹם
        בַּ֝עֲצָמַ֗י
        מִפְּנֵ֥י
        חַטָּאתִֽי׃
5. כִּ֣י
        עֲ֭וֺנֹתַי
        עָבְר֣וּ
        רֹאשִׁ֑י
        כְּמַשָּׂ֥א
        כָ֝בֵ֗ד
        יִכְבְּד֥וּ
        מִמֶּֽנִּי׃
6. הִבְאִ֣ישׁוּ
        נָ֭מַקּוּ
        חַבּוּרֹתָ֑י
        מִ֝פְּנֵ֗י
        אִוַּלְתִּֽי׃
7. נַעֲוֵ֣יתִי
        שַׁחֹ֣תִי
        עַד־
        מְאֹ֑ד
        כָּל־
        הַ֝יּ֗וֹם
        קֹדֵ֥ר
        הִלָּֽכְתִּי׃
8. כִּֽי־
        כְ֭סָלַי
        מָלְא֣וּ
        נִקְלֶ֑ה
        וְאֵ֥ין
        מְ֝תֹ֗ם
        בִּבְשָׂרִֽי׃
9. נְפוּג֣וֹתִי
        וְנִדְכֵּ֣יתִי
        עַד־
        מְאֹ֑ד
        שָׁ֝אַ֗גְתִּי
        מִֽנַּהֲמַ֥ת
        לִבִּֽי׃
10. אֲ‍ֽדנָ֗tי
        נֶגְדְּךָ֥
        כָל־
        תַּאֲוָתִ֑י
        וְ֝אַנְחָתִ֗י
        מִמְּךָ֥
        לֹא־
        נִסְתָּֽרָה׃
11. לִבִּ֣י
        סְ֭חַרְחַר
        עֲזָבַ֣נִי
        כֹחִ֑י
        וְֽאוֹר־
        עֵינַ֥י
        גַּם־
        הֵ֝֗ם
        אֵ֣ין
        אִתִּֽי׃
12. אֹֽהֲבַ֨י ׀
        וְרֵעַ֗י
        מִנֶּ֣גֶד
        נִגְעִ֣י
        יַעֲמֹ֑דוּ
        וּ֝קְרוֹבַ֗י
        מֵרָחֹ֥ק
        עָמָֽדוּ׃
13. וַיְנַקְשׁ֤וּ ׀
        מְבַקְשֵׁ֬י
        נַפְשִׁ֗י
        וְדֹרְשֵׁ֣י
        רָ֭עָתִי
        דִּבְּר֣וּ
        הַוּ֑וֹת
        וּ֝מִרְמ֗וֹת
        כָּל־
        הַיּ֥וֹם
        יֶהְגּֽוּ׃
14. וַאֲנִ֣י
        כְ֭חֵרֵשׁ
        לֹ֣א
        אֶשְׁמָ֑ע
        וּ֝כְאִלֵּ֗ם
        לֹ֣א
        יִפְתַּח־
        פִּֽיו׃
15. וָאֱהִ֗י
        כְּ֭אִישׁ
        אֲשֶׁ֣ר
        לֹא־
        שֹׁמֵ֑עַ
        וְאֵ֥ין
        בְּ֝פִ֗יו
        תּוֹכָֽחוֹת׃
16. כִּֽי־
        לְךָ֣
        יְהוָ֣ה
        הוֹחָ֑לְתִּי
        אַתָּ֥ה
        תַ֝עֲנֶ֗ה
        אֲדֹנָ֥י
        אֱלֹהָֽי׃
17. כִּֽי־
        אָ֭מַרְתִּי
        פֶּן־
        יִשְׂמְחוּ־
        לִ֑י
        בְּמ֥וֹט
        רַ֝גְלִ֗י
        עָלַ֥י
        הִגְדִּֽילוּ׃
18. כִּֽי־
        אֲ֭נִי
        לְצֶ֣לַע
        נָכ֑וֹן
        וּמַכְאוֹבִ֖י
        נֶגְדִּ֣י
        תָמִֽיד׃
19. כִּֽי־
        עֲוֺנִ֥י
        אַגִּ֑יד
        אֶ֝דְאַ֗ג
        מֵ֖חַטָּאתִֽי׃
20. וְֽ֭אֹיְבַי
        חַיִּ֣ים
        עָצֵ֑מוּ
        וְרַבּ֖וּ
        שֹׂנְאַ֣י
        שָֽׁקֶר׃
21. וּמְשַׁלְּמֵ֣י
        רָ֭עָה
        תַּ֣חַת
        טוֹבָ֑ה
        יִ֝שְׂטְנ֗וּנִי
        תַּ֣חַת
        רדופי־
        רָֽדְפִי־
        טֽוֹב׃
22. אַל־
        תַּֽעַזְבֵ֥נִי
        יְהוָ֑ה
        אֱ֝לֹהַ֗י
        אַל־
        תִּרְחַ֥ק
        מִמֶּֽנִּי׃
23. ח֥וּשָׁה
        לְעֶזְרָתִ֑י
        אֲ֝דֹנָ֗י
        תְּשׁוּעָתִֽי׃