Psalm 11 → 37
Reasoning: 10496 Output: 6971 Total: 17467
Argument
Here are lines of argument—moving from strongest to more general—that Psalm 37 can be read as a deliberate, logical follow‑on to Psalm 11. A. Catchword and seam: “Refuge in YHWH” - Same rare root, same construction, placed at the frame: - Ps 11:1 opens with the confession ביהוה חסיתי “In YHWH I have taken refuge.” - Ps 37:40 closes with the rationale for deliverance: כי חסו בו “because they have taken refuge in him.” - This creates a tight inclusio if you read 37 after 11: the personal I‑have‑taken‑refuge (1cs perfect) of Ps 11 expands into the plural they‑have‑taken‑refuge (3cp perfect) of Ps 37, supplying the general principle and outcome that Ps 11 assumes. B. Direct lexical/syntactic echoes that set up and then resolve the same scene - The archer motif, with nearly identical wording: - Ps 11:2 הרשעים יִדְרְכוּן קֶשֶׁת … לִירוֹת בְּמוֹ־אֹפֶל לְיִשְׁרֵי־לֵב “the wicked bend the bow … to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart.” - Ps 37:14 חרב פתחו רשעים וְדָרְכוּ קַשְׁתָּם … לִטְבּוֹחַ יִשְׁרֵי־דָרֶךְ “the wicked draw the sword and bend their bow … to slay the upright of way.” - Same verb + object: דרך קשת “bend a bow” (rare outside warfare contexts) in both psalms; same target: ישׁרי־ (upright), though with different complements (לב / דרך). - Immediate resolution in Ps 37 to the attack scene: - Ps 37:15 חַרְבָּם תָּבֹא בְלִבָּם וְקַשְּׁתוֹתָם תִּשָּׁבַרְנָה “their sword will enter their own heart; their bows will be broken.” This directly answers Ps 11:2’s threat with a countermove. C. Light vs. dark as a deliberate answer - Ps 11:2 has the ambush “in darkness” (בְּמוֹ־אֹפֶל). - Ps 37:6 promises public vindication “as light … as noonday” (כָּאוֹר … כַּצָּהֳרָיִם), rhetorically reversing the “dark” setting of the wicked’s attack. D. “What can the righteous do?” answered point by point - Ps 11:3 poses the crisis question: כִּי הַשָּׁתוֹת יֵהָרֵסוּן צַדִּיק מַה־פָּעָל “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” - Ps 37 then functions as an extended didactic answer, stacked with imperatives: בטח ביהוה; עשה־טוב; שכן־ארץ; התענג; גול על־יהוה; דום; הרף מאף; קוה אל־יהוה; שמור דרכו, etc. The rhetorical question of Ps 11 is followed by sustained instruction in Ps 37. E. “Destroy” vs. “establish” as a lexical antithesis - Ps 11:3 “foundations are being destroyed” (יֵהָרֵסוּן). - Ps 37:23 uses the identical form כּוֹנָנוּ (“are established”) for the righteous person’s steps: מֵיְהוָה מִצְעֲדֵי־גֶבֶר כּוֹנָנוּ. The root כון also appears in Ps 11:2 of the wicked preparing/setting their arrows (כּוֹנְנוּ חִצָּם). The same form (כוננו) is reassigned: in Ps 11 the wicked “set” their arrows; in Ps 37 YHWH “establishes” the righteous person’s steps. This is a pointed, form‑level reversal. F. “Portion” vs. “inheritance”: the allotment motif - Ps 11:6 assigns to the wicked their “portion” (מְנַת כּוֹסָם) of fire, brimstone, and scorching wind—Sodom‑type judgment. - Ps 37 answers with the righteous’ “inheritance” in the land: - יִירְשׁוּ־אָרֶץ (vv. 9, 11, 22, 29, 34), and explicitly “their inheritance will be forever” (וְנַחֲלָתָם לְעוֹלָם תִּהְיֶה, v. 18). - Both psalms use the Deuteronomistic “allotment” field: the wicked get a grim “portion,” the righteous receive lasting “inheritance” in the land. G. What YHWH loves/hates—same grammar, complementary objects - Ps 11:5–7: YHWH hates “the lover of violence” (וְאֹהֵב חָמָס … שְׂנָאָה נַפְשׁוֹ) but “YHWH is righteous, he loves righteous deeds” (כִּי־צַדִּיק יְהוָה צְדָקוֹת אָהֵב). - Ps 37:28: כִּי יְהוָה אֹהֵב מִשְׁפָּט “For YHWH loves justice.” Same verb אוהב with closely related objects (צדקות / משפט), reinforcing that YHWH’s moral preference grounds the outcome promised in both psalms. H. The “seeing” motif—God sees, you will see - Ps 11:4–5: divine sight/testing: עֵינָיו יֶחֱזוּ … יִבְחֲנוּ בְּנֵי אָדָם; Ps 11:7 ends with vision of God: יָשָׁר יֶחֱזוּ פָנֵימוֹ (“the upright will behold his face”). - Ps 37 develops “seeing” across human and divine perspectives: - God sees the coming day of the wicked (כִּי־רָאָה כִּי־יָבֹא יוֹמוֹ, v. 13). - You will see the cutting off (בְּהִכָּרֵת רְשָׁעִים תִּרְאֶה, v. 34). - The psalmist has seen and then not found the wicked (רָאִיתִי … וְהִנֵּה אֵינֶנּוּ … וְלֹא נִמְצָא, vv. 35–36). - You are told: “Observe the upright” (שְׁמָר־תָּם וּרְאֵה יָשָׁר, v. 37). - Thus Ps 37 carries forward Ps 11’s “seeing” into the ethical sphere: what God sees will be made visible to the faithful. I. “Flee to the mountain” vs. “Dwell in the land” - Ps 11:1 reports advice to flee like a bird to “your mountain” (נודו … הַרְכֶם צִפּוֹר), i.e., abandon the social space when the wicked threaten. - Ps 37 answers with verbs of staying put under God’s care: שְׁכָן־אֶרֶץ “dwell in the land” (v. 3), וְשְׁכֹן לְעוֹלָם “and dwell forever” (v. 27), capped by repeated יִירְשׁוּ־אָרֶץ. It is a deliberate counter‑counsel. J. From crisis moment to seasoned instruction (a life‑sequence) - Ps 11 is an acute crisis/trust psalm. - Ps 37 is an acrostic wisdom discourse that explicitly speaks from long experience: נַעַר הָיִיתִי גַּם־זָקַנְתִּי “I was young and now I am old” (v. 25). It reads naturally as the later, reflective answer to the earlier crisis stance of Ps 11. K. The fate of the wicked—same outcome, different register - Ps 11 uses catastrophic theophanic imagery (ימטר … אֵשׁ וְגָפְרִית … רוּחַ זִלְעָפוֹת) evoking the Sodom tradition. - Ps 37 translates that outcome into wisdom motifs: - Evaporation like grass (vv. 2, 20), being cut off (יכרתון/נכרת, vv. 9, 22, 28, 34, 38), not found when sought (vv. 10, 36). - Both declare certain doom; Ps 37 explains how to live toward that certainty. L. Additional shared vocabulary fields (lower weight but cumulative) - רשע/רשעים and צדיק/צדיקים dominate both; ישׁר/ישׁרים appears in both (Ps 11:2 ישׁרי־לב; Ps 37:14 ישׁרי־דרך; 37:37 יָשָׁר). - Judicial lexemes: Ps 11: יבחן “tests/examines”; Ps 37: משפט “justice,” בהִשָּׁפְטוֹ “when he is judged” (v. 33). - Divine support vs social collapse: Ps 11:3 “foundations destroyed” (יֵהָרֵסוּן); Ps 37:17, 24 “YHWH upholds” (סוֹמֵךְ) and the righteous “will not be hurled headlong.” How this amounts to logical sequence - Ps 11 raises the problem: the wicked prepare ambush; social foundations totter; the righteous are told to flee. Against that, the psalm asserts God’s sovereign sight and sure judgment and ends with the vision of God for the upright. - Ps 37 picks up those exact tensions—same attackers, same target, same divine moral commitments—and provides the programmatic answer: do not fret, do good, stay in the land, wait; God will bring righteousness to light, break the attackers’ weapons, cut off the wicked, and deliver those who—just as Ps 11 began—“take refuge in him.” - The matching catchword (חסה), the rare collocation (דרך קשת), the antithetical light/dark, the “foundations destroyed” vs “steps established,” and the “portion vs inheritance” allotment motif give concrete linguistic and thematic seams that justify reading Psalm 37 as a designed follow‑on to Psalm 11.
Evaluation
Score: 7.8
Evaluated at: 2025-12-15T03:39:49 (UTC)
Evaluator model: gpt-5
Evaluator version: v2
Reasoning: 2560 Output: 7808 Total: 10368
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 links: opening/closing חסה inclusio (Ps 11:1; 37:40), shared דרך קשת against ישרי– (11:2; 37:14–15) with outcome reversal, and Ps 11:3’s question answered by 37’s imperatives. No decisive editorial marker.
Prompt
Consider Psalm 11 and Psalm 37 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 37 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 37:
Psalm 37
1. לְדָוִ֨ד ׀
אַל־
תִּתְחַ֥ר
בַּמְּרֵעִ֑ים
אַל־
תְּ֝קַנֵּ֗א
בְּעֹשֵׂ֥י
עַוְלָֽה׃
2. כִּ֣י
כֶ֭חָצִיר
מְהֵרָ֣ה
יִמָּ֑לוּ
וּכְיֶ֥רֶק
דֶּ֝֗שֶׁא
יִבּוֹלֽוּן׃
3. בְּטַ֣ח
בַּֽ֭יהוָה
וַעֲשֵׂה־
ט֑וֹב
שְׁכָן־
אֶ֝֗רֶץ
וּרְעֵ֥ה
אֱמוּנָֽה׃
4. וְהִתְעַנַּ֥ג
עַל־
יְהוָ֑ה
וְיִֽתֶּן־
לְ֝ךָ֗
מִשְׁאֲלֹ֥ת
לִבֶּֽךָ׃
5. גּ֣וֹל
עַל־
יְהוָ֣ה
דַּרְכֶּ֑ךָ
וּבְטַ֥ח
עָ֝לָ֗יו
וְה֣וּא
יַעֲשֶֽׂה׃
6. וְהוֹצִ֣יא
כָא֣וֹר
צִדְקֶ֑ךָ
וּ֝מִשְׁפָּטֶ֗ךָ
כַּֽצָּהֳרָֽיִם׃
7. דּ֤וֹם ׀
לַיהוָה֮
וְהִתְח֢וֹלֵ֫ל
ל֥וֹ
אַל־
תִּ֭תְחַר
בְּמַצְלִ֣יחַ
דַּרְכּ֑וֹ
בְּ֝אִ֗ישׁ
עֹשֶׂ֥ה
מְזִמּֽוֹת׃
8. הֶ֣רֶף
מֵ֭אַף
וַעֲזֹ֣ב
חֵמָ֑ה
אַל־
תִּ֝תְחַ֗ר
אַךְ־
לְהָרֵֽעַ׃
9. כִּֽי־
מְ֭רֵעִים
יִכָּרֵת֑וּן
וְקֹוֵ֥י
יְ֝הוָ֗ה
הֵ֣מָּה
יִֽירְשׁוּ־
אָֽרֶץ׃
10. וְע֣וֹד
מְ֭עַט
וְאֵ֣ין
רָשָׁ֑ע
וְהִתְבּוֹנַ֖נְתָּ
עַל־
מְקוֹמ֣וֹ
וְאֵינֶֽנּוּ׃
11. וַעֲנָוִ֥ים
יִֽירְשׁוּ־
אָ֑רֶץ
וְ֝הִתְעַנְּג֗וּ
עַל־
רֹ֥ב
שָׁלֽוֹם׃
12. זֹמֵ֣ם
רָ֭שָׁע
לַצַּדִּ֑יק
וְחֹרֵ֖ק
עָלָ֣יו
שִׁנָּֽיו׃
13. אֲדֹנָ֥י
יִשְׂחַק־
ל֑וֹ
כִּֽי־
רָ֝אָ֗ה
כִּֽי־
יָבֹ֥א
יוֹמֽוֹ׃
14. חֶ֤רֶב ׀
פָּֽתְח֣וּ
רְשָׁעִים֮
וְדָרְכ֢וּ
קַ֫שְׁתָּ֥ם
לְ֭הַפִּיל
עָנִ֣י
וְאֶבְי֑וֹן
לִ֝טְב֗וֹחַ
יִשְׁרֵי־
דָֽרֶךְ׃
15. חַ֭רְבָּם
תָּב֣וֹא
בְלִבָּ֑ם
וְ֝קַשְּׁתוֹתָ֗ם
תִּשָּׁבַֽרְנָה׃
16. טוֹב־
מְ֭עַט
לַצַּדִּ֑יק
מֵ֝הֲמ֗וֹן
רְשָׁעִ֥ים
רַבִּֽים׃
17. כִּ֤י
זְרוֹע֣וֹת
רְ֭שָׁעִים
תִּשָּׁבַ֑רְנָה
וְסוֹמֵ֖ךְ
צַדִּיקִ֣ים
יְהוָֽה׃
18. יוֹדֵ֣עַ
יְ֭הוָה
יְמֵ֣י
תְמִימִ֑ם
וְ֝נַחֲלָתָ֗ם
לְעוֹלָ֥ם
תִּהְיֶֽה׃
19. לֹֽא־
יֵ֭בֹשׁוּ
בְּעֵ֣ת
רָעָ֑ה
וּבִימֵ֖י
רְעָב֣וֹן
יִשְׂבָּֽעוּ׃
20. כִּ֤י
רְשָׁעִ֨ים ׀
יֹאבֵ֗דוּ
וְאֹיְבֵ֣י
יְ֭הוָה
כִּיקַ֣ר
כָּרִ֑ים
כָּל֖וּ
בֶעָשָׁ֣ן
כָּֽלוּ׃
21. לֹוֶ֣ה
רָ֭שָׁע
וְלֹ֣א
יְשַׁלֵּ֑ם
וְ֝צַדִּ֗יק
חוֹנֵ֥ן
וְנוֹתֵֽן׃
22. כִּ֣י
מְ֭בֹרָכָיו
יִ֣ירְשׁוּ
אָ֑רֶץ
וּ֝מְקֻלָּלָ֗יו
יִכָּרֵֽתוּ׃
23. מֵ֭יְהוָה
מִֽצְעֲדֵי־
גֶ֥בֶר
כּוֹנָ֗נוּ
וְדַרְכּ֥וֹ
יֶחְפָּֽץ׃
24. כִּֽי־
יִפֹּ֥ל
לֹֽא־
יוּטָ֑ל
כִּֽי־
יְ֝הוָ֗ה
סוֹמֵ֥ךְ
יָדֽוֹ׃
25. נַ֤עַר ׀
הָיִ֗יתִי
גַּם־
זָ֫קַ֥נְתִּי
וְֽלֹא־
רָ֭אִיתִי
צַדִּ֣יק
נֶעֱזָ֑ב
וְ֝זַרְע֗וֹ
מְבַקֶּשׁ־
לָֽחֶם׃
26. כָּל־
הַ֭יּוֹם
חוֹנֵ֣ן
וּמַלְוֶ֑ה
וְ֝זַרְע֗וֹ
לִבְרָכָֽה׃
27. ס֣וּר
מֵ֭רָע
וַעֲשֵׂה־
ט֗וֹב
וּשְׁכֹ֥ן
לְעוֹלָֽם׃
28. כִּ֤י
יְהוָ֨ה ׀
אֹ֘הֵ֤ב
מִשְׁפָּ֗ט
וְלֹא־
יַעֲזֹ֣ב
אֶת־
חֲ֭סִידָיו
לְעוֹלָ֣ם
נִשְׁמָ֑רוּ
וְזֶ֖רַע
רְשָׁעִ֣ים
נִכְרָֽת׃
29. צַדִּיקִ֥ים
יִֽירְשׁוּ־
אָ֑רֶץ
וְיִשְׁכְּנ֖וּ
לָעַ֣ד
עָלֶֽיהָ׃
30. פִּֽי־
צַ֭דִּיק
יֶהְגֶּ֣ה
חָכְמָ֑ה
וּ֝לְשׁוֹנ֗וֹ
תְּדַבֵּ֥ר
מִשְׁפָּֽט׃
31. תּוֹרַ֣ת
אֱלֹהָ֣יו
בְּלִבּ֑וֹ
לֹ֖א
תִמְעַ֣ד
אֲשֻׁרָיו׃c
32. צוֹפֶ֣ה
רָ֭שָׁע
לַצַּדִּ֑יק
וּ֝מְבַקֵּ֗שׁ
לַהֲמִיתוֹ׃
33. יְ֭הוָה
לֹא־
יַעַזְבֶ֣נּוּ
בְיָד֑וֹ
וְלֹ֥א
יַ֝רְשִׁיעֶ֗נּוּ
בְּהִשָּׁפְטֽוֹ׃
34. קַוֵּ֤ה
אֶל־
יְהוָ֨ה ׀
וּשְׁמֹ֬ר
דַּרְכּ֗וֹ
וִֽ֭ירוֹמִמְךָ
לָרֶ֣שֶׁת
אָ֑רֶץ
בְּהִכָּרֵ֖ת
רְשָׁעִ֣ים
תִּרְאֶֽה׃
35. רָ֭אִיתִי
רָשָׁ֣ע
עָרִ֑יץ
וּ֝מִתְעָרֶ֗ה
כְּאֶזְרָ֥ח
רַעֲנָֽן׃
36. וַ֭יַּֽעֲבֹר
וְהִנֵּ֣ה
אֵינֶ֑נּוּ
וָֽ֝אֲבַקְשֵׁ֗הוּ
וְלֹ֣א
נִמְצָֽא׃
37. שְׁמָר־
תָּ֭ם
וּרְאֵ֣ה
יָשָׁ֑ר
כִּֽי־
אַחֲרִ֖ית
לְאִ֣ישׁ
שָׁלֽוֹם׃
38. וּֽ֭פֹשְׁעִים
נִשְׁמְד֣וּ
יַחְדָּ֑ו
אַחֲרִ֖ית
רְשָׁעִ֣ים
נִכְרָֽתָה׃
39. וּתְשׁוּעַ֣ת
צַ֭דִּיקִים
מֵיְהוָ֑ה
מָֽ֝עוּזָּ֗ם
בְּעֵ֣ת
צָרָֽה׃
40. וַֽיַּעְזְרֵ֥ם
יְהוָ֗ה
וַֽיְפַלְּ֫טֵ֥ם
יְפַלְּטֵ֣ם
מֵ֭רְשָׁעִים
וְיוֹשִׁיעֵ֑ם
כִּי־
חָ֥סוּ
בֽוֹ׃