Psalm 10 → 142
Reasoning: 11776 Output: 5088 Total: 16864
Argument
Here are several mutually reinforcing ways to argue that Psalm 142 “logically follows” Psalm 10. 1) Catchwords and shared Hebrew roots (rarer items and identical forms first) - זו (rare demonstrative/relative): Ps 10:2 “בִּמְזִמּוֹת זוּ חָשָׁבוּ”; Ps 142:4 “בְאֹרַח זוּ אֲהַלֵּךְ.” The same uncommon form appears in both, functioning as a tight lexical hook. - דרש (seek/inquire, care for): Ps 10:4 “בַּל יִדְרֹשׁ,” 10:13 “לֹא תִדְרֹשׁ,” 10:15 “תִּדְרֹשׁ רִשְׁעוֹ”; Ps 142:5 “אֵין דּוֹרֵשׁ לְנַפְשִׁי.” Psalm 10 laments that the wicked do not “seek” and assume God will not “seek/investigate,” then asks God to do so; Psalm 142 complains from the human side, “there is no one who seeks/care for my life,” leaving God as the only true “doresh.” The shared root and the negated formulas (בל/אין + דרש) are a strong bridge. - קשב (give ear): Ps 10:17 “תַּקְשִׁיב אָזְנֶךָ”; Ps 142:7 “הַקְשִׁיבָה אֶל־רִנָּתִי.” Same root in Hiphil, with Ps 142 picking up exactly the petition Psalm 10 anticipated. - נבט (look): Ps 10:14 “תַּבִּיט”; Ps 142:5 “הַבֵּט יָמִין וּרְאֵה.” Same verb, same Hiphil, moving from assertion (“you do look”) to imperative (“look!”). - צרה (distress): Ps 10:1 “לְעִתּוֹת בַּצָּרָה”; Ps 142:3 “צָרָתִי לְפָנָיו אַגִּיד.” The “time of trouble” of Ps 10 is concretized as “my trouble” in Ps 142. - Pursuit/trapping field: - דלק (pursue hotly, rare in Psalms): Ps 10:2 “יִדְלַק עָנִי.” - רדף (pursue): Ps 142:7 “הַצִּילֵנִי מֵרֹדְפַי.” Different verb, same scenario of being hunted; the rarer דלק in Ps 10 heightens the link. - Ambush/hidden snares: Ps 10:8–9 “יֵשֵׁב בְמַאְרַב … בַּמִּסְתָּרִים … בְרִשְׁתּוֹ”; Ps 142:4 “טָמְנוּ פַח לִי.” Different nouns (רֶשֶׁת ‘net’ vs. פַח ‘snare’) but identical hunting image-set (ambush/hidden traps on the way). - Path/way lexicon: Ps 10:5 “דְרָכָיו” vs. Ps 142:4 “נְתִיבָתִי … בְאֹרַח זוּ אֲהַלֵּךְ.” Both frame danger in terms of the “way/path” the speaker walks. - Hearing/seeing pairing: Both psalms prominently couple “hear” and “see,” and in both cases the petitions are addressed directly to YHWH, reinforcing a shared prayer idiom. 2) Shared images and scenes - Hidden places: Ps 10 stresses the wicked lurking “בַּמִּסְתָּרִים … כְּאַרְיֵה בְסֻכּוֹ”; Ps 142’s superscription sets David “בַמְּעָרָה” (in the cave). The predatory “lair” of Ps 10 becomes the refuge/cave of Ps 142—same topoi of concealment under siege. - Hunter/prey dynamics: Ps 10’s helpless poor (עָנִי/דַּךְ/חֵלְכָּה) are stalked and caught in nets; Ps 142 describes the same dynamic from the victim’s vantage—“they have hidden a snare for me on the path,” “my pursuers are stronger than I.” - Social abandonment: Ps 10 ends with God judging for the “יָתוֹם וָדָךְ”; Ps 142 laments “וְאֵין־לִי מַכִּיר … אֵין דוֹרֵשׁ לְנַפְשִׁי,” an orphan-like isolation that fits the same social space of the unprotected. 3) Form-critical and stylistic alignment - Both are individual laments with the same macro-movements: - Complaint about the present (Ps 10:1–11; Ps 142:2–5). - Description of the enemy’s tactics (ambush/snare/pursuit) and the speaker’s vulnerability. - Direct, urgent petitions in imperatives to YHWH (Ps 10:12, 15; Ps 142:5–8). - Confidence/anticipated outcome (Ps 10:16–18; Ps 142:8). - The petitions themselves are formally parallel: “קוּמָה … נְשָׂא יָדֶךָ … שְׁבֹר זְרוֹעַ” (Ps 10) alongside “הַקְשִׁיבָה … הַצִּילֵנִי … הוֹצִיאָה” (Ps 142). Both deploy short 2ms imperatives piled in sequence. - Intensified second-person address and sensory metaphors (ears/eyes) are a shared stylistic fingerprint. 4) Theological/narrative progression from Psalm 10 to Psalm 142 - From divine “distance” to divine “refuge”: - Ps 10 opens: “לָמָה יְהוָה תַּעֲמֹד בְּרָחוֹק, תַּעְלִים … בַּצָּרָה”—God seems far/hidden in trouble. - Ps 142 responds: “אַתָּה מַחְסִי, חֶלְקִי בְּאֶרֶץ הַחַיִּים”—the psalmist learns to frame God as his only safe presence when human refuge has failed (“אָבַד מָנוֹס מִמֶּנִּי”). - From general principle to concrete case: - Ps 10 sketches the type of the boastful oppressor who ambushes the weak and assumes God does not see (“שָׁכַח אֵל … בַּל־רָאָה לָנֶצַח”). - Ps 142 is a vivid instantiation: David in a literal cave, with traps on his path, pursuers stronger than he, and no human ally—precisely the scenario Ps 10 describes in general terms. - From God’s pledged attentiveness in Ps 10 to the psalmist’s appeal in Ps 142: - Ps 10:17 promises, “תַּקְשִׁיב אָזְנֶךָ.” - Ps 142:7 leverages that promise: “הַקְשִׁיבָה אֶל־רִנָּתִי.” - From judgment to praise assembly: - Ps 10:18 aims “לִשְׁפֹּט יָתוֹם וָדָךְ … בַּל־יוֹסִיף … לַעֲרֹץ.” - Ps 142:8 envisions the social outcome of that vindication: “בִּי יַכְתִּרוּ צַדִּיקִים, כִּי תִגְמֹל עָלָי”—the righteous encircle the delivered one in thanksgiving. This is exactly the communal praise that follows divine judgment in lament structure. 5) Historical life-setting continuity (David under Saul) - Psalm 142’s superscription places David “in the cave” (Adullam/En-gedi). 1 Samuel portrays David as a hunted fugitive; the lexicon of pursuit (דלק/רדף), snares (רֶשֶׁת/פַח), and ambush (מַאְרָב/מִסְתָּרִים) matches that milieu. - Ps 10’s portrait of a powerful, self-secure oppressor who thinks God won’t call him to account fits the Saul/Doeg horizon. Ps 142 then feels like the on-the-ground prayer of the very “עָנִי/דַּךְ” who is being hunted in Ps 10. In sum - There is a chain of catchwords (especially the rare זו, plus דרש, קשב, נבט, צרה), a shared image-field (pursuit, ambush, hidden places, snares), common form and style (individual lament with stacked imperatives and hear/see petitions), and a coherent theological and historical progression (from the general complaint that God seems distant as the wicked hunt the poor, to David’s specific cave-prayer where he asks God to be the only “seeker,” hearer, and refuge). These convergences justify reading Psalm 142 as a logical narrative and theological continuation of Psalm 10.
Evaluation
Score: 7.6
Evaluated at: 2025-12-13T03:45:45 (UTC)
Evaluator model: gpt-5
Evaluator version: v2
Reasoning: 3008 Output: 5906 Total: 8914
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 precise lexical hooks (rare זו; דרש negations; קשב/נבט Hiphil) and shared trap/pursuit field with verse refs; plausible progression. Generic lament features weaken uniqueness; distant book placement unaddressed.
Prompt
Consider Psalm 10 and Psalm 142 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 142 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 142:
Psalm 142
1. מַשְׂכִּ֥יל
לְדָוִ֑ד
בִּהְיוֹת֖וֹ
בַמְּעָרָ֣ה
תְפִלָּֽה׃
2. ק֭וֹלִי
אֶל־
יְהוָ֣ה
אֶזְעָ֑ק
ק֝וֹלִ֗י
אֶל־
יְהוָ֥ה
אֶתְחַנָּֽן׃
3. אֶשְׁפֹּ֣ךְ
לְפָנָ֣יו
שִׂיחִ֑י
צָ֝רָתִ֗י
לְפָנָ֥יו
אַגִּֽיד׃
4. בְּהִתְעַטֵּ֬ף
עָלַ֨י ׀
רוּחִ֗י
וְאַתָּה֮
יָדַ֢עְתָּ
נְֽתִיבָ֫תִ֥י
בְּאֹֽרַח־
ז֥וּ
אֲהַלֵּ֑ךְ
טָמְנ֖וּ
פַ֣ח
לִֽי׃
5. הַבֵּ֤יט
יָמִ֨ין ׀
וּרְאֵה֮
וְאֵֽין־
לִ֢י
מַ֫כִּ֥יר
אָבַ֣ד
מָנ֣וֹס
מִמֶּ֑נִּי
אֵ֖ין
דּוֹרֵ֣שׁ
לְנַפְשִֽׁי׃
6. זָעַ֥קְתִּי
אֵלֶ֗יךָ
יְה֫וָ֥ה
אָ֭מַרְתִּי
אַתָּ֣ה
מַחְסִ֑י
חֶ֝לְקִ֗י
בְּאֶ֣רֶץ
הַֽחַיִּים׃
7. הַקְשִׁ֤יבָה ׀
אֶֽל־
רִנָּתִי֮
כִּֽי־
דַלּ֢וֹתִ֫י
מְאֹ֥ד
הַצִּילֵ֥נִי
מֵרֹדְפַ֑י
כִּ֖י
אָמְצ֣וּ
מִמֶּֽנִּי׃
8. ה֘וֹצִ֤יאָה
מִמַּסְגֵּ֨ר ׀
נַפְשִׁי֮
לְהוֹד֢וֹת
אֶת־
שְׁ֫מֶ֥ךָ
בִּ֭י
יַכְתִּ֣רוּ
צַדִּיקִ֑ים
כִּ֖י
תִגְמֹ֣ל
עָלָֽי׃