Psalm 10 → 66
Reasoning: 10368 Output: 6180 Total: 16548
Argument
Short answer: Read Psalm 66 as the “todah” (thanksgiving/vow‑fulfilment) that answers the cry of distress in Psalm 10. A cluster of rare, exact Hebrew echoes and tightly matched images show that what Psalm 10 prays for, Psalm 66 narrates as accomplished. Most probative verbal/formal links (rarer words, identical forms, and reversals) - “Under the tongue” + the mouth/tongue motif: - Ps 10:7 “תחת לשונו עמל ואון” (under his tongue are mischief and iniquity) - Ps 66:17 “וְרוֹמַם תַּחַת לְשׁוֹנִי” (praise was under my tongue) This is an unusually marked phrase repeated with only the pronominal suffix changed (3ms → 1cs) and with a reversal of content (iniquity vs. praise). Both psalms pivot on the mouth/tongue: 10:7 “אָלָה פִיהוּ מָלֵא … וּמִרְמוֹת,” versus 66:17 “אֵלָיו פִי קָרָאתִי.” - אָוֶן “iniquity” (a marked noun): - Ps 10:7 ends with “וָאָוֶן” - Ps 66:18 “אָוֶן אִם־רָאִיתִי בְלִבִּי לֹא יִשְׁמַע אֲדֹנָי” The righteous worshiper explicitly disavows the very אָוֶן that characterized the wicked of Psalm 10. - “Hear”/“give ear” pair (same roots, closely matched forms): - Ps 10:17 “תַּאֲוַת עֲנָוִים שָׁמַעְתָּ … תַּקְשִׁיב אָזְנֶךָ” - Ps 66:19–20 “אָכֵן שָׁמַע אֱלֹהִים; הִקְשִׁיב בְּקוֹל תְּפִלָּתִי … לֹא־הֵסִיר תְּפִלָּתִי” Psalm 66 is crafted as the explicit fulfillment of Psalm 10’s expectation: God both “heard” and “paid attention.” - מוט “to totter/slip” (same root, close forms; a pointed reversal): - Ps 10:6 the wicked boasts: “בַּל־אֶמּוֹט” (I shall not be moved) - Ps 66:9 “וְלֹא־נָתַן לַמּוֹט רַגְלֵנוּ” (he did not let our feet slip) Psalm 66 reassigns the motif of stability from the wicked’s boast to God’s gift to the faithful. - אֱנוֹשׁ “mortal/man” (rarer than אִישׁ/אָדָם): - Ps 10:18 “לַעֲרֹץ אֱנוֹשׁ מִן־הָאָרֶץ” - Ps 66:12 “הִרְכַּבְתָּ אֱנוֹשׁ לְרֹאשֵׁנוּ” The “man of the earth” who terrorizes in Psalm 10 becomes the instrument of testing whom God overrules in Psalm 66. - Kingship/rule forever (same lexeme עוֹלָם, same domain): - Ps 10:16 “יְהוָה מֶלֶךְ עוֹלָם וָעֶד” - Ps 66:7 “מֹשֵׁל בִּגְבוּרָתוֹ עוֹלָם” Both anchor deliverance in God’s everlasting reign. - Eye/“to watch” vs. “to lurk” (same subject noun, phonetic play on צפ”ן/צפ”ה): - Ps 10:8 “עֵינָיו … יִצְפֹּנוּ” (his eyes lurk/hide for the helpless; root צפן) - Ps 66:7 “עֵינָיו בַּגּוֹיִם תִּצְפֶּינָה” (his eyes keep watch on the nations; root צפה) The sound-play highlights a reversal: the wicked’s hidden “watching” is trumped by God’s vigilant “watching.” - Net/ambush imagery (same semantic field): - Ps 10:8–9 “יֵשֵׁב בְּמַאְרַב … יֶאֱרֹב … בְּרִשְׁתּוֹ” (ambush, net) - Ps 66:11 “הֲבֵאתָנוּ בַמְּצוּדָה” (you brought us into the snare/net) What is predatory in Psalm 10 is reinterpreted as God-governed testing in Psalm 66. - Curse vs. blessing (same root בר”ך plus the explicit “curse”): - Ps 10:3,7 “וּבֹצֵעַ בֵּרֵךְ … אָלָה פִיהוּ מָלֵא” (perverse “blessing” of greed; mouth full of cursing) - Ps 66:8,20 “בָּרְכוּ עַמִּים אֱלֹהֵינוּ … בָּרוּךְ אֱלֹהִים” A deliberate polarity: illicit “blessing” and cursing of Psalm 10 are replaced by proper blessing of God. - Distress/צר: - Ps 10:1 “לְעִתּוֹת בַּצָּרָה” - Ps 66:14 “בַּצַּר לִי” The vow of Psalm 66 was made “in distress,” the same context that frames Psalm 10. - Nations/earth motif: - Ps 10:16 “אָבְדוּ גוֹיִם מֵאַרְצוֹ” - Ps 66:1,4,7 “הָרִיעוּ לֵאלֹהִים כָּל־הָאָרֶץ … כָּל־הָאָרֶץ יִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לְךָ … עֵינָיו בַּגּוֹיִם” The end of oppressing nations in Psalm 10 opens (in Psalm 66) into the vision of all the earth worshiping. Stylistic/formal fit: lament → thanksgiving/todah - Psalm 10 is a complaint and petition with a trust section (vv. 12–18). Psalm 66 is a classic thanksgiving/todah: - Communal praise of God’s mighty acts (vv. 1–12). - Vow fulfillment with explicit sacrifices (vv. 13–15), a hallmark of todah practice. - Public testimony to answered prayer (vv. 16–20). - Psalm 66:14 explicitly references a vow made “in my distress,” exactly what one expects to follow a lament like Psalm 10. Event‑sequence logic in Israel’s life and story - Oppression → prayer → divine testing/deliverance → vow fulfillment: - Psalm 10 describes the oppressor’s hunt (ambush/net), the crushing of the poor, God urged to arise and judge. - Psalm 66 reframes the ordeal as divinely governed testing (“You brought us into the net … we went through fire and water”), capped by exodus imagery (sea into dry land; river crossed on foot), and climaxes in deliverance and worship. - The exodus/Jordan motifs in Psalm 66 (vv. 6, 12) fit Psalm 10’s theological claim (10:16–18): God the eternal king removes nations from his land, hears the humble, and judges the oppressor. Conceptual reversals that “answer” Psalm 10 - The wicked’s boast “I shall not be moved” (10:6) is corrected by “He did not let our feet slip” (66:9). - The wicked’s mouth full of cursing/deceit (10:7) is answered by the worshiper’s mouth crying to God and tongue full of praise (66:17). - The wicked hiding and preying (10:8–10) is answered by God’s watchful reign and subjugation of rebels (66:3,7). - The claim “God won’t see/hear” (10:11,13) is directly answered: “Truly God has heard; he has attended to my prayer” (66:19–20). Secondary but reinforcing overlaps (same root, different form) - הל”ל: 10:3 “הִלֵּל רָשָׁע” (the wicked “boasts”), vs. 66:2 “תְּהִלָּתוֹ” (his praise). - בר”ך: 10:3 vs. 66:8,20 (see above). - Height/pride lexicon: 10:4 “כְּגֹבַהּ אַפּוֹ,” 10:5 “מָרוֹם מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ,” answered by 66:7 “הַסּוֹרְרִים אַל־יָרֻימוּ” (let not the rebellious exalt themselves). Overall synthesis - Psalm 10 asks God to see, hear, arise, judge, and secure the humble from predation; Psalm 66 publicly records that God has done so, interprets the ordeal as divine testing, fulfills the vow made during the “distress,” and invites the world to join Israel’s praise. The shared and, in several cases, rare/identical Hebrew expressions (especially “תחת לשון,” אָוֶן, שׁמע/הקשיב, מוט, אֱנוֹשׁ) plus the matching imagery (ambush/net → net/testing; wicked eyes lurking → God’s eyes watching; curse → blessing) make a strong case that Psalm 66 logically follows Psalm 10 as its narrative and liturgical resolution.
Evaluation
Score: 7.8
Evaluated at: 2025-12-10T03:48:17 (UTC)
Evaluator model: gpt-5
Evaluator version: v2
Reasoning: 3520 Output: 7004 Total: 10524
Checklist
- Has verse refs: Yes
- Factual error detected: No
- Only generic motifs: No
- Counterargument considered: No
- LXX/MT numbering acknowledged: No
Vocabulary specificity: 6.5 / 10
Multiple exact, rare Hebrew echoes (תחת לשון; מוט; אנוש; שׁמע/הקשיב) with reversals and todah structure; no errors. But no editorial marker, wide separation, many overlaps still common motifs—so not decisive.
Prompt
Consider Psalm 10 and Psalm 66 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 66 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 66:
Psalm 66
1. לַ֭מְנַצֵּחַ
שִׁ֣יר
מִזְמ֑וֹר
הָרִ֥יעוּ
לֵ֝אלֹהִים
כָּל־
הָאָֽרֶץ׃
2. זַמְּר֥וּ
כְבֽוֹד־
שְׁמ֑וֹ
שִׂ֥ימוּ
כָ֝ב֗וֹד
תְּהִלָּֽתוֹ׃
3. אִמְר֣וּ
לֵ֭אלֹהִים
מַה־
נּוֹרָ֣א
מַעֲשֶׂ֑יךָ
בְּרֹ֥ב
עֻ֝זְּךָ֗
יְֽכַחֲשׁ֖וּ
לְךָ֣
אֹיְבֶֽיךָ׃
4. כָּל־
הָאָ֤רֶץ ׀
יִשְׁתַּחֲו֣וּ
לְ֭ךָ
וִֽיזַמְּרוּ־
לָ֑ךְ
יְזַמְּר֖וּ
שִׁמְךָ֣
סֶֽלָה׃
5. לְכ֣וּ
וּ֭רְאוּ
מִפְעֲל֣וֹת
אֱלֹהִ֑ים
נוֹרָ֥א
עֲ֝לִילָ֗ה
עַל־
בְּנֵ֥י
אָדָֽם׃
6. הָ֤פַךְ
יָ֨ם ׀
לְֽיַבָּשָׁ֗ה
בַּ֭נָּהָר
יַֽעַבְר֣וּ
בְרָ֑גֶל
שָׁ֝֗ם
נִשְׂמְחָה־
בּֽוֹ׃
7. מֹ֘שֵׁ֤ל
בִּגְבוּרָת֨וֹ ׀
עוֹלָ֗ם
עֵ֭ינָיו
בַּגּוֹיִ֣ם
תִּצְפֶּ֑ינָה
הַסוֹרְרִ֓ים ׀
אַל־
ירימו
יָר֖וּמוּ
לָ֣מוֹ
סֶֽלָה׃
8. בָּרְכ֖וּ
עַמִּ֥ים ׀
אֱלֹהֵ֑ינוּ
וְ֝הַשְׁמִ֗יעוּ
ק֣וֹל
תְּהִלָּתֽוֹ׃
9. הַשָּׂ֣ם
נַ֭פְשֵׁנוּ
בַּֽחַיִּ֑ים
וְלֹֽא־
נָתַ֖ן
לַמּ֣וֹט
רַגְלֵֽנוּ׃
10. כִּֽי־
בְחַנְתָּ֥נוּ
אֱלֹהִ֑ים
צְ֝רַפְתָּ֗נוּ
כִּצְרָף־
כָּֽסֶף׃
11. הֲבֵאתָ֥נוּ
בַמְּצוּדָ֑ה
שַׂ֖מְתָּ
מוּעָקָ֣ה
בְמָתְנֵֽינוּ׃
12. הִרְכַּ֥בְתָּ
אֱנ֗וֹשׁ
לְרֹ֫אשֵׁ֥נוּ
בָּֽאנוּ־
בָאֵ֥שׁ
וּבַמַּ֑יִם
וַ֝תּוֹצִיאֵ֗נוּ
לָֽרְוָיָֽה׃
13. אָב֣וֹא
בֵיתְךָ֣
בְעוֹל֑וֹת
אֲשַׁלֵּ֖ם
לְךָ֣
נְדָרָֽי׃
14. אֲשֶׁר־
פָּצ֥וּ
שְׂפָתָ֑י
וְדִבֶּר־
פִּ֝֗י
בַּצַּר־
לִֽי׃
15. עֹ֘ל֤וֹת
מֵחִ֣ים
אַעֲלֶה־
לָּ֭ךְ
עִם־
קְטֹ֣רֶת
אֵילִ֑ים
אֶ֥עֱשֶֽׂה
בָקָ֖ר
עִם־
עַתּוּדִ֣ים
סֶֽלָה׃
16. לְכֽוּ־
שִׁמְע֣וּ
וַ֭אֲסַפְּרָה
כָּל־
יִרְאֵ֣י
אֱלֹהִ֑ים
אֲשֶׁ֖ר
עָשָׂ֣ה
לְנַפְשִֽׁי׃
17. אֵלָ֥יו
פִּֽי־
קָרָ֑אתִי
וְ֝רוֹמַ֗ם
תַּ֣חַת
לְשׁוֹנִֽי׃
18. אָ֭וֶן
אִם־
רָאִ֣יתִי
בְלִבִּ֑י
לֹ֖א
יִשְׁמַ֣ע ׀
אֲדֹנָֽי׃
19. אָ֭כֵן
שָׁמַ֣ע
אֱלֹהִ֑ים
הִ֝קְשִׁ֗יב
בְּק֣וֹל
תְּפִלָּתִֽי׃
20. בָּר֥וּךְ
אֱלֹהִ֑ים
אֲשֶׁ֥ר
לֹֽא־
הֵסִ֘יר
תְּפִלָּתִ֥י
וְ֝חַסְדּ֗וֹ
מֵאִתִּֽי׃