Psalm 10 → 147
Reasoning: 11328 Output: 6013 Total: 17341
Argument
Thesis: Read Psalm 147 as the “answer” Psalm to the complaints and petitions of Psalm 10. What Psalm 10 asks God to do for the wronged, Psalm 147 declares that God is now doing—both for the humble individual and for Zion as a whole. 1) High‑weight lexical links (same form or same root; rarer items listed first) - ענוים (identical form, same noun): Ps 10:17 תַּאֲוַת עֲנָוִים; Ps 147:6 מְעוֹדֵד עֲנָוִים. Exact form match and the same social group at the heart of both psalms. - שבר (same root, closely parallel use): • Ps 10:15 שְׁבֹר זְרוֹעַ רָשָׁע “break the arm of the wicked” • Ps 147:3 הָרֹפֵא לִשְׁבוּרֵי לֵב “heals the brokenhearted” Petition to “break” the oppressor is balanced by healing the “broken” victim—same root, opposite sides of the same justice act. - כון Hiphil (same root, same binyan): • Ps 10:17 תָּכִין לִבָּם “you will establish/prepare their heart” • Ps 147:8 הַמֵּכִין לָאָרֶץ מָטָר “who prepares rain for the earth” The God appealed to in 10 as the one who “establishes” the heart appears in 147 as actively “preparing” (same causative) the world for flourishing. - משפט (same noun, covenant‑justice theme): • Ps 10:5 מָרוֹם מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ • Ps 147:19–20 חֻקָּיו וּמִשְׁפָּטָיו לְיִשְׂרָאֵל … וּמִשְׁפָּטִים בַּל־יְדָעוּם In 10 the wicked treat God’s mishpat as distant; in 147 God’s mishpat is explicitly given to Israel. - רשע/רשעים (same root, adversary): • Ps 10 passim רָשָׁע • Ps 147:6 מַשְׁפִּיל רְשָׁעִים 147 announces the very humbling of the wicked that 10 pleads for. - גוי/גוים (same noun, nations in relation to God’s people): • Ps 10:16 אָבְדוּ גוֹיִם מֵאַרְצוֹ • Ps 147:20 לֹא עָשָׂה כֵן לְכָל־גּוֹי A national differentiation that in 10 is framed as removal of hostile nations and in 147 as Israel’s unique privilege. - ארץ (shared, tied to justice outcome): • Ps 10:18 … מִן־הָאָרֶץ • Ps 147:6 מַשְׁפִּיל רְשָׁעִים עֲדֵי־אֶרֶץ; also 147:8, 15, 18 In 10 the “man of the earth” must no longer terrorize; in 147 the wicked are brought down “to the earth.” - עמד (same root, rhetorical parallel): • Ps 10:1 לָמָה … תַעֲמֹד בְּרָחוֹק • Ps 147:17 לִפְנֵי קָרָתוֹ מִי יַעֲמֹד 10 asks why God “stands far off,” 147 affirms no one can “stand” before His power. Lower‑weight but suggestive - לב (same noun): Ps 10:6, 11, 13, 17; Ps 147:3 “לִשְׁבוּרֵי לֵב”. The inward sphere God “establishes” (10) is what He “heals” (147). - אמר (same root): Ps 10:6, 11, 13 אָמַר בְּלִבּוֹ (the wicked’s inner speech) vs. Ps 147:15 אִמְרָתוֹ “His utterance” sent into the world. Inner boasting of the wicked is countered by God’s effective utterance. 2) Petition–fulfillment mapping (idea‑for‑idea) - Hiddenness vs swift action: • 10:1 “Why do you stand afar; why hide in trouble?” • 147:15–18 “He sends His utterance to the earth; His word runs swiftly … He sends His word and melts [the ice].” The complaint of divine remoteness is answered with emphatic, rapid agency. - The humble vs the wicked: • 10:2, 9, 17–18 The wicked hunts the עָנִי; God, please judge for the יָתוֹם and דַּךְ; You hear the desire of the עֲנָוִים. • 147:6 “The LORD supports the עֲנָוִים; He brings the wicked down to the ground.” Exact beneficiary and exact adversary are named in both, with the outcome realized in 147. - Breaking oppression vs securing Zion: • 10:15 “Break the arm of the wicked.” • 147:13 “He strengthens the bars of your gates; He blesses your children within you.” The arm of the oppressor broken; the bars (i.e., ‘arms’) of the city fortified—antithetical images of the same deliverance. - God’s kingship vs Zion’s restoration: • 10:16 “The LORD is King forever; nations perish from His land.” • 147:2, 12–14 “The LORD builds Jerusalem, gathers Israel’s outcasts … sets your boundary peace, satisfies you with the finest wheat.” Royal rule in 10 issues in a rebuilt, secure, provisioned Zion in 147. - God’s justice and revelation: • 10:5, 13, 15 The wicked denies “You will inquire”; petition that God “seek out” his wickedness. • 147:19–20 “He declares His word to Jacob, His statutes and judgments to Israel … not so for any nation.” What was said to be “far off” in 10 is now declared and administered among Israel in 147. - God’s care for the helpless: • 10:14 “To You the helpless leaves it; You have been a helper of the orphan.” • 147:3, 9 “Heals the brokenhearted … gives food to the beasts, to the young ravens that call.” The motif is identical: God answers the cry of the helpless. 3) Stylistic and formal ties - Participial profiling: 10 strings participles/imperfects to portray the ongoing craft of the wicked (יֵשֵׁב … יֶאֱרֹב … יִדְלַק). 147 strings participles to portray God’s ongoing craft (בּוֹנֶה, הָרֹפֵא, מוֹנֶה, מְעוֹדֵד, הַמְכַסֶּה, הַמֵּכִין, הַמַּצְמִיחַ, נוֹתֵן). The subject simply flips: from the wicked’s “works” in 10 to the LORD’s “works” in 147. - Rhetorical questions: 10 opens with a “Why?”; 147 includes “Who can stand?”—both frame divine–human distance, then resolve it. - Second‑person address alternating with third‑person description in both psalms, fitting a lament→hymn progression. 4) Narrative/historical logic (Israelite life-pattern) - Crisis → plea → kingship affirmed → Zion restored: 10 describes social violence, prays for the King’s intervention (10:16–18). 147 depicts the aftermath: the King has acted—Jerusalem is being rebuilt (147:2), the dispersed gathered, borders peaceful, and life‑supporting rains and harvests arrive (147:8–14). This tracks a familiar Israelite pattern of deliverance, return, and temple‑centered praise. - Covenant uniqueness: 10 anticipates the removal of hostile nations from God’s land (10:16); 147 closes by affirming Israel’s unique reception of God’s “word/statutes/judgments” (147:19–20)—a covenantal sealing of the deliverance prayed for in 10. 5) Conceptual reversals that read like direct answers - “He will not see” (10:11) vs “He counts the stars … calls them all by name; His understanding is without number” (147:4–5). The cosmic omniscience of 147 corrects the wicked’s theology in 10. - The runner changes: “the wicked pursues (יִדְלַק) the poor” (10:2) vs “His word runs swiftly” (147:15). The agency and speed are now God’s, not the oppressor’s. Why these links are probative - Several are high‑weight because they involve identical forms (ענוים), the same roots used in closely parallel ways (שבר; כון Hiphi), and the same key covenantal nouns (משפט; גוי; ארץ). These are not generic overlaps but targeted—poor vs wicked, justice vs nations, inner heart vs divine action—precisely the axes of Psalm 10. - The formal shift from lament to hallel is precisely what one would expect if 147 were placed as the narrative‑theological sequel: the petitions of 10 are not rebutted but reported as fulfilled. In sum: Psalm 147 reads naturally as the logical sequel to Psalm 10—lexically (ענוים; שבר; כון; משפט; גוי; ארץ; עמד), thematically (God’s perceived distance → God’s swift, visible action), judicially (plea for mishpat → gift of mishpat), socially (oppressed/ orphan → supported humble), and historically (kingly intervention → rebuilt, gathered, and provisioned Zion).
Evaluation
Score: 6.5
Evaluated at: 2025-12-13T03:50:57 (UTC)
Evaluator model: gpt-5
Evaluator version: v2
Reasoning: 2816 Output: 6841 Total: 9657
Checklist
- Has verse refs: Yes
- Factual error detected: No
- Only generic motifs: No
- Counterargument considered: No
- LXX/MT numbering acknowledged: No
Vocabulary specificity: 4.5 / 10
Multiple accurate links (ענוים; שבר; כון; משפט; רשע; 10:1 vs 147:15–18) and a coherent petition→fulfillment arc. But many lexemes are common across Psalms; no editorial marker; counterpoints unaddressed.
Prompt
Consider Psalm 10 and Psalm 147 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 147 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 147:
Psalm 147
1. הַ֥לְלוּ
יָ֨הּ ׀
כִּי־
ט֭וֹב
זַמְּרָ֣ה
אֱלֹהֵ֑ינוּ
כִּֽי־
נָ֝עִים
נָאוָ֥ה
תְהִלָּֽה׃
2. בּוֹנֵ֣ה
יְרוּשָׁלִַ֣ם
יְהוָ֑ה
נִדְחֵ֖י
יִשְׂרָאֵ֣ל
יְכַנֵּֽס׃
3. הָ֭רֹפֵא
לִשְׁב֣וּרֵי
לֵ֑ב
וּ֝מְחַבֵּ֗שׁ
לְעַצְּבוֹתָֽם׃
4. מוֹנֶ֣ה
מִ֭סְפָּר
לַכּוֹכָבִ֑ים
לְ֝כֻלָּ֗ם
שֵׁמ֥וֹת
יִקְרָֽא׃
5. גָּד֣וֹל
אֲדוֹנֵ֣ינוּ
וְרַב־
כֹּ֑חַ
לִ֝תְבוּנָת֗וֹ
אֵ֣ין
מִסְפָּֽר׃
6. מְעוֹדֵ֣ד
עֲנָוִ֣ים
יְהוָ֑ה
מַשְׁפִּ֖יל
רְשָׁעִ֣ים
עֲדֵי־
אָֽרֶץ׃
7. עֱנ֣וּ
לַיהוָ֣ה
בְּתוֹדָ֑ה
זַמְּר֖וּ
לֵאלֹהֵ֣ינוּ
בְכִנּֽוֹר׃
8. הַֽמְכַסֶּ֬ה
שָׁמַ֨יִם ׀
בְּעָבִ֗ים
הַמֵּכִ֣ין
לָאָ֣רֶץ
מָטָ֑ר
הַמַּצְמִ֖יחַ
הָרִ֣ים
חָצִֽיר׃
9. נוֹתֵ֣ן
לִבְהֵמָ֣ה
לַחְמָ֑הּ
לִבְנֵ֥י
עֹ֝רֵ֗ב
אֲשֶׁ֣ר
יִקְרָֽאוּ׃
10. לֹ֤א
בִגְבוּרַ֣ת
הַסּ֣וּס
יֶחְפָּ֑ץ
לֹֽא־
בְשׁוֹקֵ֖י
הָאִ֣ישׁ
יִרְצֶֽה׃
11. רוֹצֶ֣ה
יְ֭הוָה
אֶת־
יְרֵאָ֑יו
אֶת־
הַֽמְיַחֲלִ֥ים
לְחַסְדּֽוֹ׃
12. שַׁבְּחִ֣י
יְ֭רוּשָׁלִַם
אֶת־
יְהוָ֑ה
הַֽלְלִ֖י
אֱלֹהַ֣יִךְ
צִיּֽוֹן׃
13. כִּֽי־
חִ֭זַּק
בְּרִיחֵ֣י
שְׁעָרָ֑יִךְ
בֵּרַ֖ךְ
בָּנַ֣יִךְ
בְּקִרְבֵּֽךְ׃
14. הַשָּׂם־
גְּבוּלֵ֥ךְ
שָׁל֑וֹם
חֵ֥לֶב
חִ֝טִּ֗ים
יַשְׂבִּיעֵֽךְ׃
15. הַשֹּׁלֵ֣חַ
אִמְרָת֣וֹ
אָ֑רֶץ
עַד־
מְ֝הֵרָ֗ה
יָר֥וּץ
דְּבָרֽוֹ׃
16. הַנֹּתֵ֣ן
שֶׁ֣לֶג
כַּצָּ֑מֶר
כְּ֝פ֗וֹר
כָּאֵ֥פֶר
יְפַזֵּֽר׃
17. מַשְׁלִ֣יךְ
קַֽרְח֣וֹ
כְפִתִּ֑ים
לִפְנֵ֥י
קָ֝רָת֗וֹ
מִ֣י
יַעֲמֹֽד׃
18. יִשְׁלַ֣ח
דְּבָר֣וֹ
וְיַמְסֵ֑ם
יַשֵּׁ֥ב
ר֝וּח֗וֹ
יִזְּלוּ־
מָֽיִם׃
19. מַגִּ֣יד
דברו
דְּבָרָ֣יו
לְיַעֲקֹ֑ב
חֻקָּ֥יו
וּ֝מִשְׁפָּטָ֗יו
לְיִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
20. לֹ֘א
עָ֤שָׂה
כֵ֨ן ׀
לְכָל־
גּ֗וֹי
וּמִשְׁפָּטִ֥ים
בַּל־
יְדָע֗וּם
הַֽלְלוּ־
יָֽהּ׃