Psalm 10 → 117
Reasoning: 10752 Output: 4356 Total: 15108
Argument
Here are several converging ways to argue that Psalm 117 “logically follows” Psalm 10—lexically, stylistically, thematically, and in terms of Israelite life-patterns and theology. 1) Shared vocabulary and roots (with weight toward rarer/stronger signals) - הלל “praise/boast” (same root; Piel in both): - Ps 10:3 הִלֵּל רָשָׁע “the wicked boasts/praises (himself)” - Ps 117:1–2 הַלְלוּ… הַלְלוּ־יָהּ “praise!” (imperatives) Significance: the same root shifts from misdirected human boasting (10) to rightly directed doxology (117). This is a meaningful root-level link with rhetorical reversal. - גוֹיִם “nations” (same noun): - Ps 10:16 אָבְדוּ גוֹיִם מֵאַרְצוֹ “the nations have perished from his land” - Ps 117:1 הַלְלוּ… כָּל־גּוֹיִם “Praise the Lord, all nations” Significance: The same word closes Ps 10 and opens Ps 117, supporting a narrative move: the nations that figured as a problem in 10 are now the audience of praise in 117. One can read 10:16 specifically as invaders/hostiles removed “from his land,” not annihilated from existence; then 117 calls all nations (in general) to praise, including those who have seen YHWH’s acts. - עוֹלָם “forever” (same idea, overlapping form): - Ps 10:16 יְהוָה מֶלֶךְ עוֹלָם וָעֶד “The LORD is King forever and ever” - Ps 117:2 אֱמֶת־יְהוָה לְעוֹלָם “the faithfulness of the LORD is forever” Significance: Both psalms anchor their climaxes in YHWH’s permanence. Ps 10 announces his everlasting kingship; Ps 117 celebrates his everlasting faithfulness—two facets of the same eternal reality. The pairing YHWH + עולם occurs in both. - “Reason” construction with כִּי + verb + עַל: - Ps 10:3 כִּי הִלֵּל רָשָׁע עַל־תַּאֲוַת נַפְשׁוֹ “for the wicked boasts according to the desire of his soul” - Ps 117:2 כִּי גָבַר עָלֵינוּ חַסְדּוֹ “for his steadfast love has prevailed over us” Significance: The parallel syntax (כִּי + verbal clause + עַל + object) moves from the wicked’s self-directed cause (“according to his desire”) to God’s kindness directed “upon us.” It is a neat structural echo with opposite moral valence. - “All” as a universalizing signal: - Ps 10:5 דְּרָכָיו בְּכָל־עֵת “His ways are at all times” (perpetuity claim from the wicked’s angle) - Ps 117:1 כָּל־גּוֹיִם … כָּל־הָאֻמִּים “all nations … all peoples” Significance: Ps 10’s “all times” (claimed by the wicked) is countered by YHWH’s true “forever” (10:16; 117:2), and Ps 117 universalizes the beneficiaries/audience: “all nations/peoples.” 2) Thematic and rhetorical reversal - From misdirected speech to right praise: - Ps 10:3, 7: the wicked “praises” himself; his mouth is “full of cursing/deceit/oppression” - Ps 117:1–2: the right object and mode of speech—“praise” and “laud” YHWH—are restored. This is a tidy antithesis: perverted praise in 10 becomes purified praise in 117. - From “God will never see” to “God’s faithfulness forever”: - Ps 10:11: the wicked says God has hidden his face and “will never see” (לָנֶצַח) - Ps 10:14: “You have seen” - Ps 117:2: “the faithfulness (אֱמֶת) of the LORD is forever” The false “never” of the wicked is answered by the true “forever” of YHWH. - From plea to doxology (imperative shift): - Ps 10:12 קוּמָה… נְשָׂא יָדֶךָ “Arise… lift your hand!”—imperatives addressed to God - Ps 117:1 הַלְלוּ… שַׁבְּחֻהוּ—imperatives addressed to the nations This matches a classic lament-to-praise arc: the psalmist first commands God to act; afterward he commands people to praise. 3) Judicial and kingship motifs progressing to universal worship - Ps 10: legal/judicial language culminates: - מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ (10:5), תִּדְרוֹשׁ רִשְׁעוֹ (10:15), לִשְׁפֹּט יָתוֹם וָדָךְ (10:18) - Climax: יְהוָה מֶלֶךְ עוֹלָם וָעֶד; “The LORD is King forever and ever” (10:16). - Ps 117: universal recognition of that kingship: - All nations/peoples are summoned to praise the eternal King whose “steadfast love” and “faithfulness” stand forever. The move is coherent: the Judge-King acts (10), then the world responds in worship (117). 4) Covenant attributes in action (10) named as attributes (117) - Ps 10: God hears the humble, strengthens hearts, judges the orphan and oppressed, helps the fatherless (10:14, 17–18)—classic expressions of covenant care. - Ps 117: God’s covenant qualities are explicitly named as the grounds for praise: חֶסֶד (steadfast love) and אֱמֶת (faithfulness)—a pair well-known from Exod 34:6 and many psalms. Thus, 117 verbalizes in abstract (חֶסֶד/אֱמֶת) what 10 displays concretely (hearing, helping, judging justly). 5) Nations: from threat to testimony - Ps 10:16 “the nations have perished from his land” = removal of hostile nations from YHWH’s domain. - Ps 117:1 “all nations/peoples” are now addressed as potential worshipers. Two reconciliations: - Category shift: Ps 10 speaks of hostile intruders “from his land”; Ps 117 speaks of the world at large. The judgment that purges the land becomes the testimony that draws the nations. - Outcome logic: God’s decisive acts (Ps 10) lead to global acknowledgment (Ps 117), a familiar biblical pattern (Exod 15; 1 Kgs 8:41–43; Isa 2; Ps 67; 96–98). 6) Strength motif redirected - Ps 10: God is asked to “lift [his] hand” (10:12) and to “break the arm of the wicked” (10:15). - Ps 117: “His steadfast love has prevailed (גָבַר) over us” (117:2)—a strength verb used of covenant mercy. The same divine power that crushes oppression in 10 is felt as saving love in 117. 7) Form-critical and liturgical logic - Ps 10 is an individual/focal lament that ends in confidence and a kingship affirmation (10:16–18). - Ps 117 is a mini-hymn/doxology (a two-verse “call + reason” hymn). In Israelite worship, laments often move to praise; vows and trust are fulfilled by public thanksgiving. One can plausibly stage Ps 117 as the communal doxology that follows the heard prayer and deliverance envisioned at the end of Ps 10. 8) Book-level/theological arc (optional reinforcement) - Ps 9–10 already widen to the “nations” and YHWH’s everlasting throne. Reading Ps 117 after Ps 10 continues that arc: from God’s eternal enthronement over the nations (9–10) to the nations’ praise (117). In short: Psalm 10 pleads for, and then confidently asserts, YHWH’s just intervention and everlasting kingship, climaxing with the removal of hostile nations from his land and the defense of the oppressed. Psalm 117 is exactly the kind of compact, universal doxology that would follow such an intervention: the same LORD whose kingship is “forever and ever” (10:16) now has “faithfulness forever” (117:2), and the very “nations” that featured in Psalm 10 are summoned to praise him. The shared root הלל (misdirected boasting vs. true praise), the repeated “nations,” the “forever” motif around YHWH, the parallel כִּי…עַל constructions, and the move from courtroom and rescue (10) to global liturgical summons (117) together make a strong case that Psalm 117 logically follows Psalm 10.
Evaluation
Score: 6.0
Evaluated at: 2025-12-12T03:43:19 (UTC)
Evaluator model: gpt-5
Evaluator version: v2
Reasoning: 3136 Output: 5180 Total: 8316
Checklist
- Has verse refs: Yes
- Factual error detected: No
- Only generic motifs: No
- Counterargument considered: Yes
- LXX/MT numbering acknowledged: No
Vocabulary specificity: 3.0 / 10
Multiple verse-anchored links (הלל, גוים, עולם; כי…על; imperatives) with neat reversals, but most are common across Psalms; no editorial markers; ignores 117’s Hallel context and distance from 10. Plausible, not decisive.
Prompt
Consider Psalm 10 and Psalm 117 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 117 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 117:
Psalm 117
1. הַֽלְל֣וּ
אֶת־
יְ֭הוָה
כָּל־
גּוֹיִ֑ם
שַׁ֝בְּח֗וּהוּ
כָּל־
הָאֻמִּֽים׃
2. כִּ֥י
גָ֘בַ֤ר
עָלֵ֨ינוּ ׀
חַסְדּ֗וֹ
וֶֽאֱמֶת־
יְהוָ֥ה
לְעוֹלָ֗ם
הַֽלְלוּ־
יָֽהּ׃