Psalm 10 → 94
Reasoning: 9216 Output: 6225 Total: 15441
Argument
Thesis: Read Psalm 94 as an intentional “answer” to Psalm 10. Psalm 10 laments God’s distance and the impunity of the wicked; Psalm 94 calls the Judge to appear, refutes the wicked’s slogans point by point, and announces the repayment of the proud. The linkage is strengthened by a dense web of shared and relatively distinctive lexemes, legal imagery, and the same social-justice targets. 1) Macro-form and logic of development - From hiddenness to appearance: - Ps 10:1, 11–13: “Why do you stand far off… He has hidden his face… You will not seek” (לא תדרוש). - Ps 94:1–2: “God of vengeance… appear!” (הופיע); “be exalted, Judge of the earth” (השופט הארץ). Psalm 94 is the logical move from “You are hiding” to “Show yourself and judge.” - From complaint to argument and assurance: - Ps 10: Petition climax (“Break the arm of the wicked,” 10:15) and confession of kingship (10:16). - Ps 94: Extended forensic/wisdom argument (94:8–11), assurance (94:12–15), personal trust (94:17–22), and sentence (94:23). This reads like the judicial answer to Ps 10’s plea. 2) Direct reply to the wicked’s slogans - “God does not see/understand” - Ps 10:11, 13: “He has hidden his face; he will never see” (בל יראה), “You will not inquire” (לא תדרוש). - Ps 94:7–11 quotes and refutes the slogan: “They say, ‘Yah will not see…’” (לא יראה־יה), then answers: “He who planted the ear—does he not hear? He who formed the eye—does he not see?” (94:9), “YHWH knows the thoughts of man” (94:11). This is an explicit, line-by-line rebuttal to Psalm 10’s accusation and the wicked’s taunt. 3) High-value lexical links (rarer words, identical forms, same word-class) - נָקִי “innocent” (rare and marked in legal contexts; identical form): - Ps 10:8 יַהֲרֹג נָקִי “he murders the innocent.” - Ps 94:21 דַּם נָקִי “innocent blood.” Same adjective, same forensic sphere (homicide). - דכא “crush” (rarer verb in this sense): - Ps 10:10 יִדְכֶּה “he crushes” (the helpless). - Ps 94:5 יְדַכְּאוּ “they crush” (your people). Same root, same victimization frame. - יָתוֹם “orphan” (privileged Torah-protection term): - Ps 10:14, 18: “Orphan—you have been a helper” … “to judge the orphan.” - Ps 94:6: The list expands: “widow and stranger they kill; orphans they murder.” Psalm 94 widens Psalm 10’s target from orphan/poor to the covenantal triad (גר־אלמנה־יתום), anchoring both psalms in the Torah’s social-justice code (Exod 22; Deut 10; 24; 27). - עָמָל “mischief, trouble” (shared noun; in Psalm 10 with אָוֶן; in 94 with legal twist): - Ps 10:7 “under his tongue are mischief and iniquity” (עָמָל וָאָוֶן); 10:14 “you have seen trouble and vexation” (עָמָל וָכַעַס). - Ps 94:20 “throne… forming mischief by statute” (יֹצֵר עָמָל עֲלֵי־חֹק). Same noun; 94 develops it into institutionalized injustice, answering 10’s street-level violence with courtroom corruption. - אָוֶן “iniquity”: - Ps 10:7 (עָמָל וָאָוֶן). - Ps 94:4, 16: פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן “workers of iniquity.” The pair עמל/און in 10 is split but doubled in 94 with the set phrase. - שׁפט/mishpat (legal core): - Ps 10:5, 18: מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ; “to judge the orphan.” - Ps 94:2 “Judge of the earth” (שֹׁפֵט הָאָרֶץ); 94:15 “mishpat will return to tzedek.” Same root, legal frame heightened. - עָזַב “abandon, forsake” (same yiqtol form, legal-trust idiom): - Ps 10:14 עָלֶיךָ יַעֲזֹב חֵלְכָה “the helpless leaves [his cause] to you.” - Ps 94:14 וְנַחֲלָתוֹ לֹא יַעֲזֹב “he will not abandon his inheritance.” Same verb, same theological reassurance. - גֵּאִים / גַּאֲוָה “proud/pride”: - Ps 10:2 בְּגַאֲוַת רָשָׁע “in the pride of the wicked.” - Ps 94:2 “repay upon the proud” (עַל־גֵּאִים). The target class is the same. - Eye/ear pair (rare to find together as a theological proof): - Ps 10:14 רָאִיתָ… תַּבִּיט “you have seen… you behold”; 10:17 תַּקְשִׁיב אָזְנֶךָ “your ear attends.” - Ps 94:9 אֹזֶן… יִשְׁמָע / עַיִן… יַבִּיט “He who planted the ear… He who formed the eye…” The exact senses (see/hear) and organs (eye/ear) are paired in both psalms to resolve the “God doesn’t see/hear” claim. - רְשָׁעִים “wicked,” פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן “workers of iniquity,” גּוֹיִם “nations”: - Shared stock, but here they occur in the same forensic-judgment frame (Ps 10:2–15; 94:3–5, 10, 16, 23), culminating in destruction of the wicked in both (10:15–18; 94:23). 4) Shared scenes, now escalated - Ambush/murder vs. institutional perversion: - Ps 10:8–10: the wicked ambush in villages, murder the innocent. - Ps 94:20: the “throne of iniquity… forming mischief by statute” (כִּסֵּא הַוּוֹת… עֲלֵי־חֹק) and 94:21 “they band together against the life of the righteous” (יָגוֹדּוּ עַל־נֶפֶשׁ צַדִּיק). Psalm 94 shows the same violence moving from the alleyway to the bench—an historically plausible sequence in Israel’s experience: local predation hardens into captured courts and oppressive policy. - Social-justice progression: - Ps 10: focuses on עָנִי/עֲנָוִים and יָתוֹם. - Ps 94: adds אַלְמָנָה and גֵּר for the full Torah triad, bringing the complaint into covenantal legal terms. 5) Structural and canonical fit - Ps 10 confesses: “YHWH is king forever” (יְהוָה מֶלֶךְ עוֹלָם וָעֶד, 10:16) and prays for judicial intervention (10:15, 18). - Ps 94 belongs to the 93–100 “YHWH reigns/Judge” cluster and opens by summoning that king as Judge (94:2), then narrates the very intervention Psalm 10 asked for (94:23). Canonically and thematically, 94 reads as the next step after 10’s royal-juridical appeal. 6) Verse-to-verse “answer lines” (suggestive pairings) - 10:1 “Why do you stand far off…?” → 94:1 “God of vengeance… appear!” - 10:11, 13 “He will not see/You will not inquire” → 94:7–11 “He sees, hears, knows.” - 10:8 “he murders the innocent (נָקִי)” → 94:21 “they condemn innocent blood (דַּם נָקִי).” - 10:14 “You have seen trouble (עָמָל)” → 94:20 “they form mischief (עָמָל) by law.” - 10:15 “Break the arm of the wicked” → 94:23 “He repays them their iniquity; He will annihilate them.” - 10:18 “to judge the orphan… so that no mortal terrify again” → 94:14–15 “He will not forsake His people… mishpat will return to tzedek.” Conclusion: The movement from hiddenness to appearance, the explicit refutation of the wicked’s slogans, and the unusually dense set of shared legal-social lexemes—including rare or marked items like נָקִי, דכא, עָמָל/אָוֶן, יָתוֹם, the eye/ear proof, שׁפט/mishpat, גֵּאִים—make a strong case that Psalm 94 can be read as the logical continuation and answer to Psalm 10’s lament.
Evaluation
Score: 7.5
Evaluated at: 2025-12-11T03:27:36 (UTC)
Evaluator model: gpt-5
Evaluator version: v2
Reasoning: 3840 Output: 7056 Total: 10896
Checklist
- Has verse refs: Yes
- Factual error detected: No
- Only generic motifs: No
- Counterargument considered: No
- LXX/MT numbering acknowledged: No
Vocabulary specificity: 6.0 / 10
Strong, text-anchored correspondences (לא יראה/ear–eye; נקי; דכא; עמל/און; יתום; משפט) and reply structure. Minor weaknesses: many terms are common, 10 is paired with 9, and 10–94 are far apart canonically.
Prompt
Consider Psalm 10 and Psalm 94 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 94 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 94:
Psalm 94
1. אֵל־
נְקָמ֥וֹת
יְהוָ֑ה
אֵ֖ל
נְקָמ֣וֹת
הוֹפִֽיעַt׃
2. הִ֭נָּשֵׂא
שֹׁפֵ֣ט
הָאָ֑רֶץ
הָשֵׁ֥ב
גְּ֝מ֗וּל
עַל־
גֵּאִֽים׃
3. עַד־
מָתַ֖י
רְשָׁעִ֥ים ׀
יְהוָ֑ה
עַד־
מָ֝תַ֗י
רְשָׁעִ֥ים
יַעֲלֹֽזוּ׃
4. יַבִּ֣יעוּ
יְדַבְּר֣וּ
עָתָ֑ק
יִֽ֝תְאַמְּר֗וּ
כָּל־
פֹּ֥עֲלֵי
אָֽוֶן׃
5. עַמְּךָ֣
יְהוָ֣ה
יְדַכְּא֑וּ
וְֽנַחֲלָתְךָ֥
יְעַנּֽוּ׃
6. אַ֭לְמָנָה
וְגֵ֣ר
יַהֲרֹ֑גוּ
וִֽיתוֹמִ֣ים
יְרַצֵּֽחוּ׃
7. וַ֭יֹּ֣אמְרוּ
לֹ֣א
יִרְאֶה־
יָּ֑הּ
וְלֹא־
יָ֝בִ֗ין
אֱלֹהֵ֥י
יַעֲקֹֽב׃
8. בִּ֭ינוּ
בֹּעֲרִ֣ים
בָּעָ֑ם
וּ֝כְסִילִ֗ים
מָתַ֥י
תַּשְׂכִּֽילוּ׃
9. הֲנֹ֣טַֽע
אֹ֭זֶן
הֲלֹ֣א
יִשְׁמָ֑ע
אִֽם־
יֹ֥צֵֽר
עַ֝֗יִן
הֲלֹ֣א
יַבִּֽיט׃
10. הֲיֹסֵ֣ר
גּ֭וֹיִם
הֲלֹ֣א
יוֹכִ֑יחַ
הַֽמְלַמֵּ֖ד
אָדָ֣ם
דָּֽעַת׃
11. יְֽהוָ֗ה
יֹ֭דֵעַ
מַחְשְׁב֣וֹת
אָדָ֑ם
כִּי־
הֵ֥מָּה
הָֽבֶל׃
12. אַשְׁרֵ֤י ׀
הַגֶּ֣בֶר
אֲשֶׁר־
תְּיַסְּרֶ֣נּוּ
יָּ֑הּ
וּֽמִתּוֹרָתְךָ֥
תְלַמְּדֶֽנּוּ׃
13. לְהַשְׁקִ֣יט
ל֭וֹ
מִ֣ימֵי
רָ֑ע
עַ֤ד
יִכָּרֶ֖ה
לָרָשָׁ֣ע
שָֽׁחַת׃
14. כִּ֤י ׀
לֹא־
יִטֹּ֣שׁ
יְהוָ֣ה
עַמּ֑וֹ
וְ֝נַחֲלָת֗וֹ
לֹ֣א
יַעֲזֹֽב׃
15. כִּֽי־
עַד־
צֶ֭דֶק
יָשׁ֣וּב
מִשְׁפָּ֑ט
וְ֝אַחֲרָ֗יו
כָּל־
יִשְׁרֵי־
לֵֽב׃
16. מִֽי־
יָק֣וּם
לִ֭י
עִם־
מְרֵעִ֑ים
מִֽי־
יִתְיַצֵּ֥ב
לִ֝י
עִם־
פֹּ֥עֲלֵי
אָֽוֶן׃
17. לוּלֵ֣י
יְ֭הוָה
עֶזְרָ֣תָה
לִּ֑י
כִּמְעַ֓ט ׀
שָֽׁכְנָ֖ה
דוּמָ֣ה
נַפְשִֽׁי׃
18. אִם־
אָ֭מַרְתִּי
מָ֣טָה
רַגְלִ֑י
חַסְדְּךָ֥
יְ֝הוָ֗ה
יִסְעָדֵֽנִי׃
19. בְּרֹ֣ב
שַׂרְעַפַּ֣י
בְּקִרְבִּ֑י
תַּ֝נְחוּמֶ֗יךָ
יְֽשַׁעַשְׁע֥וּ
נַפְשִֽׁי׃
20. הַֽ֭יְחָבְרְךָ
כִּסֵּ֣א
הַוּ֑וֹת
יֹצֵ֖ר
עָמָ֣ל
עֲלֵי־
חֹֽק׃
21. יָ֭גוֹדּוּ
עַל־
נֶ֣פֶשׁ
צַדִּ֑יק
וְדָ֖ם
נָקִ֣י
יַרְשִֽׁיעוּ׃
22. וַיְהִ֬י
יְהוָ֣ה
לִ֣י
לְמִשְׂגָּ֑ב
וֵ֝אלֹהַ֗י
לְצ֣וּר
מַחְסִֽי׃
23. וַיָּ֤שֶׁב
עֲלֵיהֶ֨ם ׀
אֶת־
אוֹנָ֗ם
וּבְרָעָתָ֥ם
יַצְמִיתֵ֑ם
יַ֝צְמִיתֵ֗ם
יְהוָ֥ה
אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ׃