Psalm 11 → 17

Reasoning: 7424 Output: 4100 Total: 11524

Argument

Short answer: Psalm 17 reads like a concrete, personal application of the theology stated in Psalm 11. Psalm 11 declares that YHWH, enthroned in heaven, examines humans and will grant the upright the vision of his face; Psalm 17 is a “Prayer of David” in which the righteous petitioner, having been examined, asks for the just verdict to go forth, for protection from the wicked, and claims the promised beatific vision. The linkage is reinforced by a web of shared and tightly related Hebrew lexemes, motifs, and form.

Key links (from stronger/rarer to broader/common):

1) The climactic vision: חזה + פנים + צדק/ישר
- Ps 11:7: ישר יחזו פנימו “the upright shall behold His face.”
- Ps 17:15: אני בצדק אחזה פניך “I—in righteousness—shall behold Your face.”
- Same root חזה “behold,” same face motif פנים, and the straight/righteous field (ישר/צדק). These are not just similar ideas but near-formulaic echoes that turn Psalm 11’s promise into Psalm 17’s personal claim. The chiastic reversal יהוה–צדק also ties the seams: Ps 11:7 “צדיק יהוה” vs. Ps 17:1 “שמע יהוה צדק.”

2) God’s eyes testing and seeing the upright
- Ps 11:4–5: עיניו יחזו … עפעפיו יבחנו בני אדם; יהוה צדיק יבחן.
- Ps 17:2–3: עיניך תחזינה מישרים … בחנת לבי … צרפתני … בל־תמצא.
- Same rarer root בחן “examine,” and the root חזה “see,” now moved from universal (Ps 11) to particular (Ps 17). Ps 11 states the principle; Ps 17 shows the petitioner has undergone the test (“by night”) and asks for the favorable verdict (משפטי יצא מלפניך).

3) Refuge motif: חסה
- Ps 11:1: ביהוה חסיתי “In YHWH I have taken refuge.”
- Ps 17:7: מושיע חוסים בימינך “you who save those who take refuge.”
- Identical root חסה; Psalm 17 explicitly invokes YHWH as savior of the very identity declared in Psalm 11:1.

4) “Bird” and “wings” as alternative to flight
- Ps 11:1: נודו הרכם ציפור “Flee to your mountain, bird!”
- Ps 17:8: בצל כנפיך תסתירני “Hide me in the shadow of your wings.”
- Psalm 17 answers the ill-counsel of flight in Psalm 11 by reframing “bird” imagery: not self-rescue by flight, but shelter under YHWH’s wings.

5) Darkness vs. night; hidden attack vs. nocturnal testing
- Ps 11:2: לירות במו־אפל “to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart.”
- Ps 17:3: פקדת לילה “you visited by night.”
- The wicked act in dark secrecy; God’s examination occurs at night. The time-setting and secrecy motif matches.

6) Uprightness lexeme: ישר
- Ps 11:2: לישרי־לב; Ps 11:7: ישר יחזו.
- Ps 17:2: עיניך תחזינה מישרים.
- Same root ישר anchors the ethical profile of the psalmist across both psalms.

7) Stability vs. slipping: foundations vs. steps
- Ps 11:3: כי השתות יהרסון … “When the foundations are destroyed…”
- Ps 17:5: בל־נמוטו פעמי “my steps will not slip.”
- Psalm 17 petitions for personal stability precisely where Psalm 11 laments systemic instability.

8) Judicial frame and heavenly court
- Ps 11:4: יהוה בהיכל קדשו … כסאו בשמים … a throne/court scene in heaven.
- Ps 17:2: מלפניך משפטי יצא “From your presence let my verdict go forth.”
- Psalm 17 is a formal plea that assumes Psalm 11’s heavenly court is in session and now seeks the individual ruling that Psalm 11 said God renders.

9) The wicked and violence
- Ps 11:2, 5–6: הרשעים … אוהב חמס; divine retribution (אש וגפרית).
- Ps 17:9–13: רשעים … אויבי … כדמות אריה; “Deliver my soul from the wicked—your sword.”
- Both portray the wicked as violent aggressors; Psalm 17 asks God to execute the retribution Psalm 11 had announced.

10) “Portion” theology: what the wicked get vs. what the righteous get
- Ps 11:6: מנת כוסם “the portion of their cup” (punitive).
- Ps 17:14–15: חלקם בחיים … ואני … אחזה פניך … אשבעה תמונתך.
- Psalm 17 contrasts the worldling’s present “portion” with the righteous’ ultimate portion—God’s face—precisely what Psalm 11 promised the upright.

11) The eye motif multiplied
- Ps 11:4: עיניו … עפעפיו; divine sight scrutinizes humanity.
- Ps 17:8: שמרני כאישון בת־עין; 17:11: עיניהם ישיתו.
- The rare “eyelids” in Ps 11 and the rare “apple of the eye” in Ps 17 intensify a shared eye/sight semantic field.

12) Form-critical sequence that makes narrative sense
- Ps 11 is a psalm of trust that rejects panic, asserts divine scrutiny, and promises vision of God to the upright.
- Ps 17 is an individual petition/prayer (תפלה) framed as a legal appeal: the psalmist, having been tested, asks for the verdict, protection, and the fulfillment of the promise to see God’s face. That is a natural “next step” after Ps 11’s programmatic theology.

How the flow reads if you place 17 after 11:
- 11:1–3: Don’t flee; trust YHWH despite collapsing foundations and ambush in the dark.
- 11:4–7: The Judge in heaven sees, tests, and will apportion judgment; the upright will behold His face.
- 17:1–5: Hear the righteous plea; you have tested me—find no deceit; keep my steps from slipping.
- 17:6–13: Save the one who takes refuge; hide me under your wings; confront and fell the wicked.
- 17:14–15: Let the men of this world have their portion now; my portion is to behold Your face, exactly as Psalm 11 promised.

In sum, the cluster of exact or near-exact lexemes (חזה–פנים–צדק/ישר; בחן; חסה), tightly shared motifs (eyes, night/dark attack vs. divine examination, bird/wings shelter), and complementary form (general trust psalm → specific legal prayer) together make a strong case that Psalm 17 is an intentional, logical development of Psalm 11.

Evaluation

Score: 7.8

Evaluated at: 2025-12-14T03:34:28 (UTC)

Evaluator model: gpt-5

Evaluator version: v2

Reasoning: 4416 Output: 4953 Total: 9369

Vocabulary specificity: 7.0 / 10

Strong, text-anchored overlaps: יחזו פנים (11:7; 17:15), בחן/חזה (11:4–5; 17:2–3), חסה (11:1; 17:7), ישר/מישרים, judicial framing, portion. Plausible progression. Counter: motifs are common; Ps 16 links “portion/cup” more tightly.

Prompt

Consider Psalm 11 and Psalm 17 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 17 logically follows on from Psalm 11? 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 11:
Psalm 11
1. לַמְנַצֵּ֗חַ
        לְדָ֫וִ֥ד
        בַּֽיהוָ֨ה ׀
        חָסִ֗יתִי
        אֵ֭יךְ
        תֹּאמְר֣וּ
        לְנַפְשִׁ֑י
        נודו
        נ֝֗וּדִי
        הַרְכֶ֥ם
        צִפּֽוֹר׃
2. כִּ֤י
        הִנֵּ֪ה
        הָרְשָׁעִ֡ים
        יִדְרְכ֬וּן
        קֶ֗שֶׁת
        כּוֹנְנ֣וּ
        חִצָּ֣ם
        עַל־
        יֶ֑תֶר
        לִיר֥וֹת
        בְּמוֹ־
        אֹ֝֗פֶל
        לְיִשְׁרֵי־
        לֵֽב׃
3. כִּ֣י
        הַ֭שָּׁתוֹת
        יֵֽהָרֵס֑וּן
        צַ֝דִּ֗יק
        מַה־
        פָּעָֽל׃
4. יְהוָ֤ה ׀
        בְּֽהֵ֘יכַ֤ל
        קָדְשׁ֗וֹ
        יְהוָה֮
        בַּשָּׁמַ֢יִם
        כִּ֫סְא֥וֹ
        עֵינָ֥יו
        יֶחֱז֑וּ
        עַפְעַפָּ֥יו
        יִ֝בְחֲנ֗וּ
        בְּנֵ֣י
        אָדָֽם׃
5. יְהוָה֮
        צַדִּ֢יק
        יִ֫בְחָ֥ן
        וְ֭רָשָׁע
        וְאֹהֵ֣ב
        חָמָ֑ס
        שָֽׂנְאָ֥ה
        נַפְשֽׁוֹ׃
6. יַמְטֵ֥ר
        עַל־
        רְשָׁעִ֗ים
        פַּ֫חִ֥ים
        אֵ֣שׁ
        וְ֭גָפְרִית
        וְר֥וּחַ
        זִלְעָפ֗וֹת
        מְנָ֣ת
        כּוֹסָֽם׃
7. כִּֽי־
        צַדִּ֣יק
        יְ֭הוָה
        צְדָק֣וֹת
        אָהֵ֑ב
        יָ֝שָׁ֗ר
        יֶחֱז֥וּ
        פָנֵֽימוֹ׃

Psalm 17:
Psalm 17
1. תְּפִלָּ֗ה
        לְדָ֫וִ֥ד
        שִׁמְעָ֤ה
        יְהוָ֨ה ׀
        צֶ֗דֶק
        הַקְשִׁ֥יבָה
        רִנָּתִ֗י
        הַאֲזִ֥ינָה
        תְפִלָּתִ֑י
        בְּ֝לֹ֗א
        שִׂפְתֵ֥י
        מִרְמָֽה׃
2. מִ֭לְּפָנֶיךָ
        מִשְׁפָּטִ֣י
        יֵצֵ֑א
        עֵ֝ינֶ֗יךָ
        תֶּחֱזֶ֥ינָה
        מֵישָׁרִֽים׃
3. בָּ֘חַ֤נְתָּ
        לִבִּ֨י ׀
        פָּ֘קַ֤דְתָּ
        לַּ֗יְלָה
        צְרַפְתַּ֥נִי
        בַל־
        תִּמְצָ֑א
        זַ֝מֹּתִ֗י
        בַּל־
        יַעֲבָר־
        פִּֽי׃
4. לִפְעֻלּ֣וֹת
        אָ֭דָם
        בִּדְבַ֣ר
        שְׂפָתֶ֑יךָ
        אֲנִ֥י
        שָׁ֝מַ֗רְתִּי
        אָרְח֥וֹת
        פָּרִֽיץ׃
5. תָּמֹ֣ךְ
        אֲ֭שֻׁרַי
        בְּמַעְגְּלוֹתֶ֑יךָ
        בַּל־
        נָמ֥וֹטּוּ
        פְעָמָֽי׃
6. אֲנִֽי־
        קְרָאתִ֣יךָ
        כִֽי־
        תַעֲנֵ֣נִי
        אֵ֑ל
        הַֽט־
        אָזְנְךָ֥
        לִ֝֗י
        שְׁמַ֣ע
        אִמְרָתִֽי׃
7. הַפְלֵ֣ה
        חֲ֭סָדֶיךָ
        מוֹשִׁ֣יעַ
        חוֹסִ֑ים
        מִ֝מִּתְקוֹמְמִ֗ים
        בִּֽימִינֶֽךָ׃
8. שָׁ֭מְרֵנִי
        כְּאִישׁ֣וֹן
        בַּת־
        עָ֑יִן
        בְּצֵ֥ל
        כְּ֝נָפֶ֗יךָ
        תַּסְתִּירֵֽנִי׃
9. מִפְּנֵ֣י
        רְ֭שָׁעִים
        ז֣וּ
        שַׁדּ֑וּנִי
        אֹיְבַ֥י
        בְּ֝נֶ֗פֶשׁ
        יַקִּ֥יפוּ
        עָלָֽי׃
10. חֶלְבָּ֥מוֹ
        סָּגְר֑וּ
        פִּ֝֗ימוֹ
        דִּבְּר֥וּ
        בְגֵאֽוּת׃
11. אַ֭שֻּׁרֵינוּ
        עַתָּ֣ה
        סבבוני
        סְבָב֑וּנוּ
        עֵינֵיהֶ֥ם
        יָ֝שִׁ֗יתוּ
        לִנְט֥וֹת
        בָּאָֽרֶץ׃
12. דִּמְיֹנ֗וֹ
        כְּ֭אַרְיֵה
        יִכְס֣וֹף
        לִטְר֑וֹף
        וְ֝כִכְפִ֗יר
        יֹשֵׁ֥ב
        בְּמִסְתָּרִֽים׃
13. קוּמָ֤ה
        יְהוָ֗ה
        קַדְּמָ֣ה
        פָ֭נָיו
        הַכְרִיעֵ֑הוּ
        פַּלְּטָ֥ה
        נַ֝פְשִׁ֗י
        מֵרָשָׁ֥ע
        חַרְבֶּֽךָ׃
14. מִֽמְתִ֥ים
        יָדְךָ֨ ׀
        יְהוָ֡ה
        מִֽמְתִ֬ים
        מֵחֶ֗לֶד
        חֶלְקָ֥ם
        בַּֽחַיִּים֮
        וצפינך
        וּֽצְפוּנְךָ֮
        תְּמַלֵּ֢א
        בִ֫טְנָ֥ם
        יִשְׂבּ֥עוּ
        בָנִ֑ים
        וְהִנִּ֥יחוּ
        יִ֝תְרָ֗ם
        לְעוֹלְלֵֽיהֶם׃
15. אֲנִ֗י
        בְּ֭צֶדֶק
        אֶחֱזֶ֣ה
        פָנֶ֑יךָ
        אֶשְׂבְּעָ֥ה
        בְ֝הָקִ֗יץ
        תְּמוּנָתֶֽךָ׃