Psalm 10 → 71

Reasoning: 12096 Output: 7199 Total: 19295

Argument

Here is a compact case that Psalm 71 can be read as a coherent “follow‑on” to Psalm 10, organized by the kinds of links you asked to consider and weighted (roughly) by strength: identical forms > identical roots > close stylistic/formal ties > broader thematic/logical fit.

1) “Hook words” and identical/same‑root lexical ties
- Distance/nearness:
  - Ps 10:1 לָמָה יְהוָה תַּעֲמֹד בְּרָחֹק “Why, YHWH, do you stand far off?”
  - Ps 71:12 אֱלֹהִים אַל־תִּרְחַק מִמֶּנִּי “O God, do not be far from me”
  - Shared root רחק and same motif; Ps 71 explicitly answers Ps 10’s complaint by reversing it.
- God’s “ear”:
  - Ps 10:17 תַּקְשִׁיב אָזְנֶךָ “You incline/listen with your ear”
  - Ps 71:2 הַטֵּה־אֵלַי אָזְנְךָ “Incline your ear to me”
  - Identical noun + suffix (אָזְנְךָ), same petitionary function.
- Mouth filled with X (rare, rhetorically striking inversion):
  - Ps 10:7 פִּיהוּ מָלֵא אָלָה … “His mouth is filled with cursing…”
  - Ps 71:8 יִמָּלֵא פִי תְּהִלָּתֶךָ “My mouth will be filled with your praise”
  - Exact same lexemes in inverted order (פֶּה + מָלֵא), turning the wicked’s speech of Ps 10 into the righteous praise of Ps 71.
- Seizing/capturing:
  - Ps 10:2 יִתָּפְשׂוּ … “they are seized/caught” (root תפש)
  - Ps 71:11 רִדְפוּ וְתִפְשֻׂהוּ “Pursue and seize him” (root תפש)
  - Same root in the same “enemy action” slot.
- Arm/hand power:
  - Ps 10:15 שְׁבֹר זְרוֹעַ רָשָׁע “Break the arm of the wicked”
  - Ps 71:18 זְרֹעֲךָ לְדוֹר “Your arm to a generation”
  - Identical noun זְרוֹעַ; in 71 the “arm” is now God’s saving arm, the antithesis to the wicked arm of 10.
- Help:
  - Ps 10:14 יָת֥וֹם אַתָּה הָיִיתָ עוֹזֵר “You have been a helper of the orphan”
  - Ps 71:12 אֱלֹהַי לְעֶזְרָתִי חוּשָׁה “My God, hasten to help me”
  - Same root עזר in both (helper/help).
- Height “on high”:
  - Ps 10:5 מָרוֹם מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ “Your judgments are on high”
  - Ps 71:19 וְצִדְקָתְךָ … עַד־מָרוֹם “Your righteousness up to the height”
  - Identical noun מָרוֹם; juridical (משפט) in Ps 10 becomes salvific/ethical (צדקה) in Ps 71—same vertical imagery, re‑aimed.
- Time marker לְעֵת (rarer than “יום/עת” by itself):
  - Ps 10:1 לְעִתּוֹת בַּצָּרָה “at times of trouble”
  - Ps 71:9 אַל־תַּשְׁלִיכֵנִי לְעֵת זִקְנָה “Do not cast me off at the time of old age”
  - Identical construction לְעֵת marking the crisis‑time.
- Generation motif:
  - Ps 10:6 לְדוֹר וָדוֹר “to generation and generation”
  - Ps 71:18 לְדוֹר … לְכָל־יָבוֹא “to a generation, to all who will come”
  - Same lexeme דור; 71 turns 10’s arrogant “I shall not be moved to generation and generation” into proclamation of God’s arm to the next generation.
- Negative existential “אין X”:
  - Ps 10:4 אֵין אֱלֹהִים “There is no God” (in the wicked’s reckoning)
  - Ps 71:11 אֵ֥ין מַצִּיל “There is no rescuer” (enemies’ taunt)
  - Same rhetorical frame for the faithless claim; 71’s taunt mirrors 10’s creed of the wicked.
- Reliance “on you”:
  - Ps 10:14 עָלֶיךָ יַעֲזֹב חֵלֶכָה “Upon you the helpless entrusts”
  - Ps 71:6 עָלֶיךָ נִסְמַכְתִּי “Upon you I have leaned”
  - Identical preposition + suffix עָלֶיךָ with a reliance verb.
- All‑time intensifiers:
  - Ps 10:5 בְּכָל־עֵת “at every time”
  - Ps 71 concentrates them: תָּמִיד (vv. 3, 6, 14) and כָּל־הַיּוֹם (vv. 8, 15, 24).
- Enemy speech formula:
  - Ps 10:6, 11, 13 אָמַר בְּלִבּוֹ … “He says in his heart…”
  - Ps 71:11 לֵאמֹר אֱלֹהִים עֲזָבוֹ “Saying, ‘God has abandoned him’”
  - Same rhetorical device of reporting enemy speech, now made explicit.
- Earth/nations/cosmic scope:
  - Ps 10:16–18 kingship; nations perish “מֵאַרְצוֹ”; justice for “יָתוֹם וָדָךְ”
  - Ps 71:20 ascent from “מִתְּהֹמוֹת הָאָרֶץ”
  - Shared “ארץ” frame with cosmic up/down (מרום/תהומות) balancing the two.

2) Stylistic and formal similarities (form‑critical)
- Both are individual laments with the classic elements: complaint about enemies, petition (imperatives/jussives), and a turn to confidence/praise.
- Both move in and out of direct address to God and third‑person description of the wicked/enemies, including quoted enemy speech.
- Both end by anticipating the outcome in God’s favor:
  - Ps 10 ends with enthronement and assurance of justice (vv. 16–18).
  - Ps 71 ends with vowed praise, musical worship, and the enemies’ shame (vv. 22–24).
- The “do not be far/act now” petition is central in both (Ps 10:1, 12; Ps 71:12), with tightly shared diction.

3) Thematic/logical continuities and reversals
- From “God is far/hidden” to “Do not be far/hasten”:
  - Ps 10 laments divine distance and concealment; Ps 71 directly pleads the antidote (אַל־תִּרְחַק … חוּשָׁה).
- The enemy’s creed persists, but is countered:
  - Ps 10: “He says… God has forgotten/hidden; he will not see.”
  - Ps 71: “God has abandoned him; there is no rescuer.”
  - Ps 71 answers by rehearsing lifelong divine faithfulness and expecting renewed deliverance.
- Predatory ambush vs. divine refuge:
  - Ps 10 depicts ambush (מַאְרָב, מִסְתָּרִים) and a lion’s lair (סֻכָּה).
  - Ps 71 asks God to be a place to enter continually (לְצוּר מָעוֹן … לָבוֹא תָמִיד), “my strong refuge” (מַחֲסִי־עֹז).
- The arm motif is resolved:
  - Ps 10 demands: “Break the arm of the wicked.”
  - Ps 71 vows to proclaim: “Your arm to a generation” (i.e., God’s arm is the decisive arm now on display).
- Mouths transformed:
  - Ps 10: the wicked’s mouth is full of cursing and deceit.
  - Ps 71: the psalmist’s mouth is filled with praise; his tongue meditates on God’s righteousness all day (vv. 8, 24).
- From generic oppressed to a life‑story:
  - Ps 10 champions the “יָתוֹם … חֵלְכָה … עֲנָוִים”.
  - Ps 71 personalizes that trajectory: “From the womb” (vv. 5–6), “from my youth” (vv. 5, 17), through “old age and gray hairs” (v. 18). It is the same vulnerable human—now aged—who still faces opponents and still trusts.

4) Life‑cycle, ritual, and mythic arcs
- Life‑cycle: Ps 10’s vulnerable orphan/poor finds voice in Ps 71’s “from the womb … to old age” survivor; the plea becomes testimony to God’s constancy across a lifetime.
- Ritual sequence: Lament with imprecation (Ps 10) is followed by renewed petition plus vowed and actual praise with instruments (Ps 71:22–24), a well‑attested movement in Israelite worship (vow → fulfillment with music).
- Cosmic imagery: Ps 10 sets God “on high” (מָרוֹם) as king; Ps 71 balances “up” and “down” (צִדְקָתְךָ … עַד־מָרוֹם; “from the depths of the earth” תְּהֹמוֹת הָאָרֶץ), matching enthronement with revival from the abyss.

5) Redactional/canonical plausibility
- Psalm 71 is widely recognized as a mosaic that reuses and reframes earlier Book I lament diction (e.g., Ps 31, 35, 22). The specific hooks to Ps 10 listed above fit that editorial habit: the redactors let an older voice (now in old age) answer the earlier crisis vocabulary (distance, ear, arm, seize, mouth filled, “אין X”).
- Ps 10 ends with assurance that God has heard the desire of the humble and will judge for the orphan and the crushed (10:17–18). Ps 71 reads naturally as the case study that follows: one of those humble ones, preserved through decades, still under pressure, now pledges to make God’s arm known “to a generation yet to come” (71:18).

Bottom line
Multiple independent “hooks”—including identical or near‑identical Hebrew forms (פִּי/מָלֵא; אָזְנְךָ; זְרוֹעַ; מָרוֹם; לְעֵת; עָלֶיךָ; תָּפַשׂ; עָזַר; רָחַק), parallel formulas (“אין X,” quoted enemy speech), and the shared lament‑petition‑praise form—allow Psalm 71 to be read as a logical continuation of Psalm 10. Thematically, 71 converts 10’s crisis and imprecation into mature trust and public praise, using the same vocabulary to show that what was asked in 10 is being lived and proclaimed in 71.

Evaluation

Score: 6.0

Evaluated at: 2025-12-10T03:54:20 (UTC)

Evaluator model: gpt-5

Evaluator version: v2

Reasoning: 3968 Output: 8041 Total: 12009

Vocabulary specificity: 3.0 / 10

Many precise lexical hooks (רחק; אָזְנְךָ; מָלֵא־פִי; תָפַשׂ; זְרוֹעַ; מָרוֹם) correctly cited with plausible reversals; but these are widespread in Psalms (esp. Ps 22/31/70), no unique structural/editorial signal.

Prompt

Consider Psalm 10 and Psalm 71 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 71 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 71:
Psalm 71
1. בְּךָֽ־
        יְהוָ֥ה
        חָסִ֑יתִי
        אַל־
        אֵב֥וֹשָׁה
        לְעוֹלָֽם׃
2. בְּצִדְקָתְךָ֗
        תַּצִּילֵ֥נִי
        וּֽתְפַלְּטֵ֑נִי
        הַטֵּֽה־
        אֵלַ֥י
        אָ֝זְנְךָ֗
        וְהוֹשִׁיעֵֽנִי׃
3. הֱיֵ֤ה
        לִ֨י ׀
        לְצ֥וּר
        מָע֡וֹן
        לָב֗וֹא
        תָּמִ֗יד
        צִוִּ֥יתָ
        לְהוֹשִׁיעֵ֑נִי
        כִּֽי־
        סַלְעִ֖י
        וּמְצוּדָתִ֣י
        אָֽתָּה׃
4. אֱ‍ֽלֹהַ֗י
        פַּ֭לְּטֵנִי
        מִיַּ֣ד
        רָשָׁ֑ע
        מִכַּ֖ף
        מְעַוֵּ֣ל
        וְחוֹמֵץ׃
5. כִּֽי־
        אַתָּ֥ה
        תִקְוָתִ֑י
        אֲדֹנָ֥י
        יְ֝הוִ֗ה
        מִבְטַחִ֥י
        מִנְּעוּרָֽי׃
6. עָלֶ֤יךָ ׀
        נִסְמַ֬כְתִּי
        מִבֶּ֗טֶן
        מִמְּעֵ֣י
        אִ֭מִּי
        אַתָּ֣ה
        גוֹזִ֑י
        בְּךָ֖
        תְהִלָּתִ֣י
        תָמִֽיד׃
7. כְּ֭מוֹפֵת
        הָיִ֣יתִי
        לְרַבִּ֑ים
        וְ֝אַתָּ֗ה
        מַֽחֲסִי־
        עֹֽז׃
8. יִמָּ֣לֵא
        פִ֭י
        תְּהִלָּתֶ֑ךָ
        כָּל־
        הַ֝יּ֗וֹם
        תִּפְאַרְתֶּֽךָ׃
9. אַֽל־
        תַּ֭שְׁלִיכֵנִי
        לְעֵ֣ת
        זִקְנָ֑ה
        כִּכְל֥וֹת
        כֹּ֝חִ֗י
        אַֽל־
        תַּעַזְבֵֽנִי׃
10. כִּֽי־
        אָמְר֣וּ
        אוֹיְבַ֣י
        לִ֑י
        וְשֹׁמְרֵ֥י
        נַ֝פְשִׁ֗י
        נוֹעֲצ֥וּ
        יַחְדָּֽו׃
11. לֵ֭אמֹר
        אֱלֹהִ֣ים
        עֲזָב֑וֹ
        רִֽדְפ֥וּ
        וְ֝תִפְשֻׂ֗וּהוּ
        כִּי־
        אֵ֥ין
        מַצִּֽיל׃
12. אֱ֭לֹהִים
        אַל־
        תִּרְחַ֣ק
        מִמֶּ֑נִּי
        אֱ֝לֹהַ֗י
        לְעֶזְרָ֥תִי
        חישה
        חֽוּשָׁה׃
13. יֵבֹ֣שׁוּ
        יִכְלוּ֮
        שֹׂטְנֵ֢י
        נַ֫פְשִׁ֥י
        יַֽעֲט֣וּ
        חֶ֭רְפָּה
        וּכְלִמָּ֑ה
        מְ֝בַקְשֵׁ֗י
        רָעָתִֽי׃
14. וַ֭אֲנִי
        תָּמִ֣יד
        אֲיַחֵ֑ל
        וְ֝הוֹסַפְתִּ֗י
        עַל־
        כָּל־
        תְּהִלָּתֶֽךָ׃
15. פִּ֤י ׀
        יְסַפֵּ֬ר
        צִדְקָתֶ֗ךָ
        כָּל־
        הַיּ֥וֹם
        תְּשׁוּעָתֶ֑ךָ
        כִּ֤י
        לֹ֖א
        יָדַ֣עְתִּי
        סְפֹרֽוֹת׃
16. אָב֗וֹא
        בִּ֭גְבֻרוֹת
        אֲדֹנָ֣י
        יְהִ֑cוה
        אַזְכִּ֖יר
        צִדְקָתְךָ֣
        לְבַדֶּֽךָ׃
17. אֱ‍ֽלֹהִ֗ים
        לִמַּדְתַּ֥נִי
        מִנְּעוּרָ֑י
        וְעַד־
        הֵ֝֗נָּה
        אַגִּ֥יד
        נִפְלְאוֹתֶֽיךָ׃
18. וְגַ֤ם
        עַד־
        זִקְנָ֨ה ׀
        וְשֵׂיבָה֮
        אֱלֹהִ֢ים
        אַֽל־
        תַּעַ֫זְבֵ֥נִי
        עַד־
        אַגִּ֣יד
        זְרוֹעֲךָ֣
        לְד֑וֹר
        לְכָל־
        יָ֝ב֗וֹא
        גְּבוּרָתֶֽךָ׃
19. וְצִדְקָתְךָ֥
        אֱלֹהִ֗ים
        עַד־
        מָ֫ר֥וֹם
        אֲשֶׁר־
        עָשִׂ֥יתָ
        גְדֹל֑וֹת
        אֱ֝לֹהִ֗ים
        מִ֣י
        כָמֽוֹךָ׃
20. אֲשֶׁ֤ר
        הראיתנו
        הִרְאִיתַ֨נִי ׀
        צָר֥וֹת
        רַבּ֗וֹת
        וְרָ֫ע֥וֹת
        תָּשׁ֥וּב
        תחיינו
        תְּחַיֵּ֑ינִי
        וּֽמִתְּהֹמ֥וֹת
        הָ֝אָ֗רֶץ
        תָּשׁ֥וּב
        תַּעֲלֵֽנִי׃
21. תֶּ֤רֶב ׀
        גְּֽדֻלָּתִ֗י
        וְתִסֹּ֥ב
        תְּֽנַחֲמֵֽנִי׃
22. גַּם־
        אֲנִ֤י ׀
        אוֹדְךָ֣
        בִכְלִי־
        נֶבֶל֮
        אֲמִתְּךָ֢
        אֱלֹ֫הָ֥י
        אֲזַמְּרָ֣ה
        לְךָ֣
        בְכִנּ֑וֹר
        קְ֝ד֗וֹשׁ
        יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
23. תְּרַנֵּ֣נָּ֣ה
        שְׂ֭פָתַי
        כִּ֣י
        אֲזַמְּרָה־
        לָּ֑ךְ
        וְ֝נַפְשִׁ֗י
        אֲשֶׁ֣ר
        פָּדִֽיתָ׃
24. גַּם־
        לְשׁוֹנִ֗י
        כָּל־
        הַ֭יּוֹם
        תֶּהְגֶּ֣ה
        צִדְקָתֶ֑ךָ
        כִּי־
        בֹ֥שׁוּ
        כִֽי־
        חָ֝פְר֗וּ
        מְבַקְשֵׁ֥י
        רָעָתִֽי׃