Psalm 10 → 55
Reasoning: 9088 Output: 6506 Total: 15594
Argument
Thesis in one line: Psalm 55 reads like a deliberate, personal “answer” to Psalm 10, picking up and reversing its key complaints about God’s seeming hiddenness and the unchecked speech and violence of the wicked. The connection is supported by several unusually tight lexical links (including rare collocations), shared images and form, and a plausible life-setting sequence. 1) Strong lexical hooks (rare and/or exact collocations; same roots; same word class) - Hiding vs. not hiding (same root על”ם, verbal forms) - Ps 10:1 תעלים (“you hide”) - Ps 55:2 אל־תתעלם (“do not hide yourself”) This is a direct, verbal response: Psalm 55 begins by asking God not to do what Psalm 10 lamented that God was doing. - Hearing/ear (same semantic field, same roots; prayer-hearing vocabulary) - Ps 10:17 תַּקְשִׁיב אָזְנֶךָ (“you incline your ear”) - Ps 55:2–3 הַאֲזִינָה … הַקְשִׁיבָה (“give ear … pay attention”); 55:18–20 וַיִּשְׁמַע קוֹלִי … יִשְׁמַע אֵל (“he heard my voice … God will hear”) Psalm 55 foregrounds the very “listening” Psalm 10 asked for. - Mouth/tongue deceit (same nouns; same semantic field; multiple exact overlaps) - Ps 10:7 אֲלָה פיהו מלא וּמִרְמוֹת וָתֹךְ; תַּחַת לְשׁוֹנוֹ עָמָל וָאָוֶן - Ps 55:10 בלע … פלַּג לְשׁוֹנָם; 55:11–12 וְאָוֶן וְעָמָל בְּקִרְבָּהּ … תֹּךְ וּמִרְמָה; 55:21–22 חָלְקוּ מַחְמָאוֹת פִּיו … רַכּוּ דְבָרָיו … וְהֵמָּה פְתִחוֹת Notes: - The pair אָוֶן וְעָמָל appears in both (same words, same order), and is relatively marked. - The pair תֹךְ ומִרְמָה (deceit/injury) appears in both psalms (10:7; 55:12) with the same two nouns, even reversing order once—suggesting intentional echo. - “Tongue/mouth” is a controlling motif in both: 10:7; 55:10–12, 21–22. - “Tottering” motif, with rhetorical reversal (same verb מוט) - Ps 10:6 The wicked boasts: בַּל־אֶמּוֹט (“I shall not be moved”) - Ps 55:23 Promise for the righteous: לֹא־יִתֵּן לְעוֹלָם מוֹט לַצַּדִּיק (“He will never allow the righteous to be moved”) Psalm 55 turns the wicked’s arrogant claim in Psalm 10 into a promise for the righteous—an elegant, verbal counterpoint. - God’s eternality and kingship (time-language; enthronement) - Ps 10:16 יְהוָה מֶלֶךְ עוֹלָם וָעֶד - Ps 55:20 יֹשֵׁב קֶדֶם (“enthroned from of old”) Psalm 55’s “from of old” matches 10’s “forever and ever,” sustaining the same theological time horizon. - Anger/hostility terms - Ps 10:4 כְּגֹבַהּ אַפּוֹ (“height of his nose/anger”) - Ps 55:4 וּבְאַף יִשְׂטְמֻנִי (“in anger they bear a grudge against me”) - “Man/enosh” and the wicked - Ps 10:18 לַעֲרֹץ אֱנוֹשׁ (“that man of the earth may no longer terrify”) - Ps 55:14 וְאַתָּה אֱנוֹשׁ כְּעֶרְכִּי (“but you, a man, my equal”); 55:24 אַנְשֵׁי דָמִים וּמִרְמָה The same human term frames violence and betrayal. - “Hand/arm” actions (opposed agents; same body-part field) - Ps 10:12 נְשָׂא יָדֶךָ (“lift your hand”); 10:15 שְׁבֹר זְרוֹעַ רָשָׁע (“break the arm of the wicked”) - Ps 55:21 שָׁלַח יָדָיו בִּשְׁלֹמָיו (“he stretched out his hands against his allies”) Psalm 55’s treacherous “hands” answer Psalm 10’s plea for God’s hand to act. 2) Form and structure: same genre moves, but 55 answers 10 - Both are laments with the classic arc: complaint about the wicked → petition → imprecation → confidence. - Psalm 10 is a general societal complaint (the predatory rasha’ stalking the poor, God seeming distant) ending with confidence that God hears the humble and judges (10:16–18). - Psalm 55 begins precisely where 10 complained: “do not hide” (55:2) and “hear me” (55:3) → then names the same social sins (deceitful speech, violence) → and ends with a trust formula and promise that answers 10:6 (55:23 “not to give the righteous to tottering”). 3) Thematic and scene continuity: from general predation to personal betrayal, citywide breakdown - Psalm 10 sketches the wicked as an ambusher in hidden places, killing the innocent, ensnaring the poor (10:8–10). It’s the macro-picture of predation. - Psalm 55 zooms in: the violence has filled the city (55:10–12), and the threat becomes intimate—the treachery of a close worship companion (55:13–15). This is a plausible life-setting sequence: the public evil Psalm 10 laments erupts as personal betrayal in Psalm 55. - “Divide their tongues” (55:10) targets the instrument Psalm 10 highlighted: the mouth/tongue of the wicked. It also evokes the Babel mythos (confusion of tongues) as a divine remedy for conspiratorial speech—apt after Psalm 10’s portrait of scheming. 4) Rhetorical reversals and completions - The wicked’s creed vs. the psalmist’s creed: - 10:6 “I shall not be moved” (wicked) → 55:23 “He will not allow the righteous to be moved.” - 10:11 “God has hidden his face; he will never see” (wicked’s claim) → 55:2–3 “Do not hide … hear me,” 55:18–20 “He heard my voice … God will hear.” - 10 ends with the assurance that God prepares the humble heart and listens (10:17). 55 enacts that assurance: the speaker prays repeatedly, and God hears (55:18–20), then instructs: “Cast your burden on YHWH” (55:23). 5) Stylistic echoes that feel intentional - The double pairings are especially weighty: אָוֶן–עָמָל and תֹךְ–מִרְמָה appear in both, and “mouth/tongue” dominate both poems. Such exact pairings and motif clusters suggest purposeful echo rather than coincidence. - Both juxtapose hostile speech and violent action; both move from the wicked’s speech to God’s speech-acts (hearing, judging). 6) A plausible historical-literary arc in Israelite experience - Psalm 10’s rural/liminal ambush imagery (ambushes, lion in thicket, nets) reflects social predation against the weak; Psalm 55’s urban crisis (walls, streets, civil strife) and palace-level betrayal fit the Davidic coup milieu (often associated with Absalom/Ahithophel). The two together trace the spectrum from general injustice to political/relational treachery—an arc well attested in Israel’s narratives. Bottom line - On lexical grounds (shared rare collocations; identical roots and word classes), on form-critical grounds (shared lament structure with Psalm 55 explicitly answering Psalm 10’s opening and closing concerns), and on thematic-development grounds (from general oppression to personal betrayal, from “God hides” to “God hears”), Psalm 55 can persuasively be read as logically following Psalm 10. The strongest anchors are: - תעלים ↔ אל־תתעלם (10:1 ↔ 55:2) - אָוֶן וְעָמָל and תֹךְ–מִרְמָה in both (10:7 ↔ 55:11–12) - בל־אמות (wicked) ↔ לא יתן … מוט לצדיק (10:6 ↔ 55:23) - Ear/hearing motifs (10:17 ↔ multiple in 55) - Mouth/tongue as the wicked’s weapon (10:7 ↔ 55:10–12, 21–22) Together these create a tight, sequential conversation across the two psalms.
Evaluation
Score: 2.0
Evaluated at: 2025-12-09T04:04:09 (UTC)
Evaluator model: gpt-5
Evaluator version: v2
Reasoning: 3200 Output: 7359 Total: 10559
Checklist
- Has verse refs: Yes
- Factual error detected: Yes
- Only generic motifs: No
- Counterargument considered: No
- LXX/MT numbering acknowledged: No
Vocabulary specificity: 6.5 / 10
Flags: misquote
Strong hooks: תעלים↔אל־תתעלם (10:1;55:2), מוט reversal (10:6;55:23). But factual error: claims אָוֶן–עָמָל same order—10:7 is עמל–אָוֶן vs 55:11 אָוֶן–עמל. Hard cap: MAX 2.
Prompt
Consider Psalm 10 and Psalm 55 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 55 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 55:
Psalm 55
1. לַמְנַצֵּ֥חַ
בִּנְגִינֹ֗ת
מַשְׂכִּ֥יל
לְדָוִֽד׃
2. הַאֲזִ֣ינָה
אֱ֭לֹהִים
תְּפִלָּתִ֑י
וְאַל־
תִּ֝תְעַלַּ֗ם
מִתְּחִנָּתִֽי׃
3. הַקְשִׁ֣יבָה
לִּ֣י
וַעֲנֵ֑נִי
אָרִ֖יד
בְּשִׂיחִ֣י
וְאָהִֽימָה׃
4. מִקּ֤וֹל
אוֹיֵ֗ב
מִפְּנֵ֣י
עָקַ֣ת
רָשָׁ֑ע
כִּי־
יָמִ֥יטוּ
עָלַ֥י
אָ֝֗וֶן
וּבְאַ֥ף
יִשְׂטְמֽוּנִי׃
5. לִ֭בִּי
יָחִ֣יל
בְּקִרְבִּ֑י
וְאֵימ֥וֹת
מָ֝֗וֶת
נָפְל֥וּ
עָלָֽי׃
6. יִרְאָ֣ה
וָ֭רַעַד
יָ֣בֹא
בִ֑י
וַ֝תְּכַסֵּ֗נִי
פַּלָּצֽוּת׃
7. וָאֹמַ֗ר
מִֽי־
יִתֶּן־
לִּ֣י
אֵ֭בֶר
כַּיּוֹנָ֗ה
אָע֥וּפָה
וְאֶשְׁכֹּֽנָה׃
8. הִ֭נֵּה
אַרְחִ֣יק
נְדֹ֑ד
אָלִ֖ין
בַּמִּדְבָּ֣ר
סֶֽלָה׃
9. אָחִ֣ישָׁה
מִפְלָ֣ט
לִ֑י
מֵר֖וּחַ
סֹעָ֣ה
מִסָּֽעַר׃
10. בַּלַּ֣ע
אֲ֭דֹנָי
פַּלַּ֣ג
לְשׁוֹנָ֑ם
כִּֽי־
רָאִ֨יתִי
חָמָ֖ס
וְרִ֣יב
בָּעִֽיר׃
11. יוֹמָ֤ם
וָלַ֗יְלָה
יְסוֹבְבֻ֥הָ
עַל־
חוֹמֹתֶ֑יהָ
וְאָ֖וֶן
וְעָמָ֣ל
בְּקִרְבָּֽהּ׃
12. הַוּ֥וֹת
בְּקִרְבָּ֑הּ
וְֽלֹא־
יָמִ֥ישׁ
מֵ֝רְחֹבָ֗הּ
תֹּ֣ךְ
וּמִרְמָֽה׃
13. כִּ֤י
לֹֽא־
אוֹיֵ֥ב
יְחָֽרְפֵ֗נִי
וְאֶ֫שָּׂ֥א
לֹֽא־
מְ֭שַׂנְאִי
עָלַ֣י
הִגְדִּ֑יל
וְאֶסָּתֵ֥ר
מִמֶּֽנּוּ׃
14. וְאַתָּ֣ה
אֱנ֣וֹשׁ
כְּעֶרְכִּ֑י
אַ֝לּוּפִ֗י
וּמְיֻדָּֽעִי׃
15. אֲשֶׁ֣ר
יַ֭חְדָּו
נַמְתִּ֣יק
ס֑וֹד
בְּבֵ֥ית
אֱ֝לֹהִ֗ים
נְהַלֵּ֥ךְ
בְּרָֽגֶשׁ׃
16. ישימות
יַשִּׁ֤י
מָ֨וֶת ׀
עָלֵ֗ימוֹ
יֵרְד֣וּ
שְׁא֣וֹל
חַיִּ֑ים
כִּֽי־
רָע֖וֹת
בִּמְגוּרָ֣ם
בְּקִרְבָּֽם׃
17. אֲ֭נִי
אֶל־
אֱלֹהִ֣ים
אֶקְרָ֑א
וַ֝יהוָ֗ה
יוֹשִׁיעֵֽנִי׃
18. עֶ֤רֶב
וָבֹ֣קֶר
וְ֭צָהֳרַיִם
אָשִׂ֣יחָה
וְאֶהֱמֶ֑ה
וַיִּשְׁמַ֥ע
קוֹלִֽי׃
19. פָּ֘דָ֤ה
בְשָׁל֣וֹם
נַ֭פְשִׁי
מִקֲּרָב־
לִ֑י
כִּֽי־
בְ֝רַבִּ֗ים
הָי֥וּ
עִמָּדִֽי׃
20. יִשְׁמַ֤ע ׀
אֵ֨ל ׀
וְֽיַעֲנֵם֮
וְיֹ֤שֵׁ֥ב
קֶ֗דֶם
סֶ֥לָה
אֲשֶׁ֤ר
אֵ֣ין
חֲלִיפ֣וֹת
לָ֑מוֹ
וְלֹ֖א
יָרְא֣וּ
אֱלֹהִֽים׃
21. שָׁלַ֣ח
יָ֭דָיו
בִּשְׁלֹמָ֗יו
חִלֵּ֥ל
בְּרִיתֽוֹ׃
22. חָלְק֤וּ ׀
מַחְמָאֹ֣ת
פִּיו֮
וּֽקֲרָב־
לִ֫בּ֥וֹ
רַכּ֖וּ
דְבָרָ֥יו
מִשֶּׁ֗מֶן
וְהֵ֣מָּה
פְתִחֽוֹת׃
23. הַשְׁלֵ֤ךְ
עַל־
יְהוָ֨ה ׀
יְהָבְךָ֮
וְה֢וּא
יְכַ֫לְכְּלֶ֥ךָ
לֹא־
יִתֵּ֖ן
לְעוֹלָ֥ם
מ֗וֹט
לַצַּדִּֽיק׃
24. וְאַתָּ֤ה
אֱלֹהִ֨ים ׀
תּוֹרִדֵ֬ם ׀
לִבְאֵ֬ר
שַׁ֗חַת
אַנְשֵׁ֤י
דָמִ֣ים
וּ֖dמִרְמָה
לֹא־
יֶחֱצ֣וּ
יְמֵיהֶ֑ם
וַ֝אֲנִ֗י
אֶבְטַח־
בָּֽךְ׃