Psalm 10 → 111
Reasoning: 8832 Output: 4967 Total: 13799
Argument
Short answer: Psalm 111 reads perfectly as the liturgical “answer” to Psalm 10. Psalm 10 is a lament that charges God with hiding, forgetting, and failing to call the wicked to account; Psalm 111 is a hymn that publicly declares that God’s works are manifest, remembered, just, and enduring, and that He has acted in history to redeem and to give Israel the inheritance of the nations. The inter-psalm links are both formal and lexical. Ways Psalm 111 can be read as following Psalm 10 1) Genre/setting: From complaint to fulfilled thanksgiving - Ps 10 is an individual/community lament (Why do you hide? Arise! Judge!). Ps 111 is a public hymn of thanks in the assembly (v. 1 “in the council of the upright and the congregation”). This matches the standard Israelite sequence: crisis lament → divine help → public thanksgiving (todah) performed in the congregation. 2) “Call-and-response” on the same roots/keywords (rarer/shared roots are especially telling) - דרש “seek, require”: - Ps 10:4 “the wicked… will not seek (יִדְרֹשׁ)”; 10:13 “You will not require (תִדְרֹשׁ)”; 10:15 “You will require (תִדְרֹשׁ) his wickedness.” - Ps 111:2 “Great are the works of YHWH, ‘sought out’ (דְּרוּשִׁים) by all who delight in them.” Psalm 111 flips the claim: God’s deeds are precisely what the faithful “seek,” and thus God is manifestly “requiring”/“inquiring” in history. - זכר “remember”: - Ps 10:11 “God has forgotten (שָׁכַח).” - Ps 111:4 “He made a memorial (זֵכֶר) of His wonders”; 111:5 “He will remember (יִזְכֹּר) His covenant forever.” This is an explicit rebuttal to the wicked’s claim that God forgets. - עמד “stand”: - Ps 10:1 “Why, YHWH, do you stand (תַּעֲמֹד) far off?” - Ps 111:3 “His righteousness stands (עֹמֶדֶת) forever,” 111:10 “His praise stands (עֹמֶדֶת) forever.” The “standing” that seemed distant in Ps 10 becomes the permanent, reliable standing of God’s righteousness and praise in Ps 111. - משפט “justice/judgment”: - Ps 10:5 “Your judgments (מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ) are on high, out of his sight”; 10:18 “to judge (לִשְׁפֹּט) the orphan and the crushed.” - Ps 111:7 “The works of His hands are truth and justice (וּמִשְׁפָּט).” What the wicked pretended not to see (Ps 10) is affirmed as the fabric of God’s actions (Ps 111). - נתן “give”: - Ps 10:14 “You look on trouble… to give (לָתֵת) it into Your hand.” - Ps 111:5 “He gave (נָתַן) food to those who fear Him”; 111:6 “to give (לָתֵת) them the inheritance of nations.” The verb that in Ps 10 is petitioned becomes realized in Ps 111. - גּוֹיִם “nations”: - Ps 10:16 “The nations have perished from His land.” - Ps 111:6 “to give them the inheritance of the nations.” Same historical horizon: God’s judgment on/transfer from the nations and Israel’s reception of their inheritance. - עוֹלָם/עַד “forever” (endurance motif): - Ps 10:16 “YHWH is King forever and ever (לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד)”; 10:11 “He will never (לָנֶצַח) see.” - Ps 111:3 “His righteousness stands forever (לָעַד)”; 111:8 “established forever and ever (לָעַד לְעוֹלָם)”; 111:9 “He commanded His covenant forever (לְעוֹלָם)”; 111:10 “His praise stands forever (לָעַד).” Ps 111 saturates the chorus with “forever,” answering the cynical “never.” - לֵב “heart”: - Ps 10:6, 11 “He says in his heart (בְּלִבּוֹ).” - Ps 111:1 “I will thank YHWH with all my heart (בְּכָל־לֵבָב).” The interior speech of the wicked is countered by the wholehearted praise of the righteous. 3) Thematic inversions that read as direct answers - Hiddenness vs. manifestation: - Ps 10:1, 11 “You hide… He hides His face.” - Ps 111:4 “He made a memorial of His wonders,” 111:2 “sought out” works. God is not hiding; He has left markers to be remembered and sought. - “God forgets” vs. “God remembers”: - Ps 10:11 vs. Ps 111:4–5 (see above). This is one of the clearest direct rejoinders. - Moral order denied vs. affirmed: - Ps 10:6 “I shall not be moved” (the wicked’s boast). - Ps 111:3, 8, 10 “stands forever… established forever.” What truly “stands” is God’s righteousness, precepts, and praise—not the wicked. - Profanation vs. holiness: - Ps 10:3 “the greedy he blesses; he despises (נִאֵץ) YHWH”; 10:7 “His mouth is full of cursing.” - Ps 111:9 “Holy and awesome is His Name.” The divine name, despised in Ps 10, is revered in Ps 111. - Petition vs. performance: - Ps 10:12, 15 “Arise… Break the arm of the wicked.” - Ps 111:7–9 “The works of His hands are truth and justice… He sent redemption… He commanded His covenant forever.” The divine “arising” is depicted as concrete redemptive acts. 4) Shared historical-mythic frame: Exodus–conquest pattern - Ps 10 asks God to judge oppressors, remove hostile nations from the land (10:16), and vindicate the orphan and crushed (10:18). - Ps 111 rehearses the classic exodus–wilderness–conquest motifs: wonders remembered (111:4), provision of food (111:5), covenant remembered forever (111:5, 9), the power of His works shown to His people to “give them the inheritance of the nations” (111:6), redemption sent (111:9). In other words, Psalm 111 narrates precisely the kind of acts Psalm 10 begs God to do—rooted in Israel’s foundational saving history. 5) Form and style links - Acrostic affinity: Psalms 9–10 together form an acrostic lament; Psalm 111 is an acrostic hymn. Moving from an acrostic complaint to an acrostic praise makes literary sense as a designed counterbalance. - Vocabulary density around covenantal permanence: Ps 10 has “YHWH is King forever and ever” (10:16). Ps 111 responds with a cluster of “forever” assertions attached to righteousness, precepts, covenant, and praise (111:3, 8–10), turning the theological statement (God’s eternal kingship) into a liturgical program (eternal praise and faithful obedience). 6) Micro-links that reinforce continuity - Hands/arms motif: - Ps 10:14 “to place it into Your hand”; 10:15 “Break the arm (זְרוֹעַ) of the wicked.” - Ps 111:7 “the works of His hands (יָדָיו).” The hand that in Ps 10 must intervene is, in Ps 111, seen actively doing faithful, just works. - Hearing/answering: - Ps 10:17 “You have heard the desire of the humble… You will incline Your ear.” - Ps 111:5, 9 “He gave… He sent redemption.” The hearing of Ps 10 issues in the giving and sending of Ps 111. - Assembly focus: - Ps 10 ends with the assurance of justice for the most vulnerable (orphan/oppressed), a theme typically sealed by public thanks. - Ps 111 opens explicitly as that public thanks “in the council of the upright and the congregation.” Put together, the lexical correspondences (especially the rare/pointed roots דרש, זכר, עמד), the thematic inversions (hide/remember, not-seek/sought, boast/stands-forever), the shared historical script (judgment on nations and Israel’s inheritance), and the form-critical movement from lament to congregational praise make a strong case that Psalm 111 can be read as a deliberate, logical follow-on to Psalm 10.
Evaluation
Score: 6.0
Evaluated at: 2025-12-11T03:44:42 (UTC)
Evaluator model: gpt-5
Evaluator version: v2
Reasoning: 2944 Output: 5824 Total: 8768
Checklist
- Has verse refs: Yes
- Factual error detected: No
- Only generic motifs: No
- Counterargument considered: Yes
- LXX/MT numbering acknowledged: No
Vocabulary specificity: 4.0 / 10
Accurate, text-anchored links (e.g., דרש 10:4/13/15 ↔ 111:2; זכר/שכח 10:11 ↔ 111:4–5; עמד 10:1 ↔ 111:3,10), with plausible inversions. But vocabulary is common, the psalms are non-adjacent, and no decisive cross-psalm marker.
Prompt
Consider Psalm 10 and Psalm 111 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 111 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 111:
Psalm 111
1. הַ֥לְלוּ
יָ֨הּ ׀
אוֹדֶ֣ה
יְ֭הוָה
בְּכָל־
לֵבָ֑ב
בְּס֖וֹד
יְשָׁרִ֣ים
וְעֵדָֽה׃
2. גְּ֭דֹלִים
מַעֲשֵׂ֣י
יְהוָ֑ה
דְּ֝רוּשִׁ֗ים
לְכָל־
חֶפְצֵיהֶֽם׃
3. הוֹד־
וְהָדָ֥ר
פָּֽעֳל֑וֹ
וְ֝צִדְקָת֗וֹ
עֹמֶ֥דֶת
לָעַֽד׃
4. זֵ֣כֶר
עָ֭שָׂה
לְנִפְלְאֹתָ֑יו
חַנּ֖וּן
וְרַח֣וּם
יְהוָֽה׃
5. טֶ֭רֶף
נָתַ֣ן
לִֽירֵאָ֑יו
יִזְכֹּ֖ר
לְעוֹלָ֣ם
בְּרִיתֽוֹ׃
6. כֹּ֣חַ
מַ֭עֲשָׂיו
הִגִּ֣יד
לְעַמּ֑וֹ
לָתֵ֥ת
לָ֝הֶ֗ם
נַחֲלַ֥ת
גּוֹיִֽם׃
7. מַעֲשֵׂ֣י
יָ֭דָיו
אֱמֶ֣ת
וּמִשְׁפָּ֑ט
נֶ֝אֱמָנִ֗ים
כָּל־
פִּקּוּדָֽיו׃
8. סְמוּכִ֣ים
לָעַ֣ד
לְעוֹלָ֑ם
עֲ֝שׂוּיִ֗ם
בֶּאֱמֶ֥ת
וְיָשָֽׁר׃
9. פְּד֤וּת ׀
שָׁ֘לַ֤ח
לְעַמּ֗וֹ
צִוָּֽה־
לְעוֹלָ֥ם
בְּרִית֑וֹ
קָד֖וֹשׁ
וְנוֹרָ֣א
שְׁמֽוֹ׃
10. רֵ֘אשִׁ֤ית
חָכְמָ֨ה ׀
יִרְאַ֬ת
יְהוָ֗ה
שֵׂ֣כֶל
ט֭וֹב
לְכָל־
עֹשֵׂיהֶ֑ם
תְּ֝הִלָּת֗וֹ
עֹמֶ֥דֶת
לָעַֽד׃