Psalm 12 → 28
Reasoning: 13184 Output: 4137 Total: 17321
Argument
Here are ways to argue that Psalm 28 is a logical sequel to Psalm 12, with attention to form, style, and especially shared Hebrew vocabulary and roots (rarer or more distinctive items weighted more heavily): Stylistic and form-critical continuities - Both are short Davidic poems of 9 verses ending with a “forever” line (Ps 12:8 לְעוֹלָם; Ps 28:9 עַד־הָעוֹלָם). - Both move from lament/imprecation to confidence in YHWH’s protective action. Ps 12 includes an embedded divine oracle (“Now I will arise,” 12:6), while Ps 28 has the classic lament-to-praise turn (28:6–9). - Both likely fit a cultic sequence: complaint and oracle (Ps 12) → sanctuary prayer and thanksgiving (Ps 28), culminating in a communal blessing (28:9). Tightly shared vocabulary and roots (same or cognate forms) - Identical imperative: הוֹשִׁיעָה “Save!” (12:2; 28:9). Same form, same addressee (YHWH), same salvation root (ישע). - Same noun for the wicked: רְשָׁעִים (12:9; 28:3). The speaker in Ps 28 explicitly asks not to be swept along “with the wicked,” answering Ps 12’s concern that “the wicked prowl all around.” - The “neighbor” word-pair with “speaking”: רֵעַ + דבר. • Ps 12:3 שָׁוְא יְדַבְּרוּ אִישׁ אֶת־רֵעֵהוּ (“They speak vanity each to his neighbor”). • Ps 28:3 דֹּבְרֵי שָׁלוֹם עִם־רֵעֵיהֶם (“Speaking peace with their neighbors…”). This is a rare, sharp overlap: same social circle (רֵעַ) linked to the same verb root דבר (to speak). - The “heart” motif (לב): • Ps 12:3 בְּלֵב וָלֵב (a rare idiom: “with a double heart”). • Ps 28:3 …וְרָעָה בִּלְבָבָם (“but evil in their heart”), and 28:7 לִבִּי (“my heart”) rejoices. 28 expands 12’s double-hearted duplicity into explicit hypocrisy and then contrasts it with a purified, rejoicing heart. - Speech cluster (דבר/אמר–Lips–Tongue–Silence): • Ps 12: heavy on deceitful speech: שְׂפַת חֲלָקוֹת, לָשׁוֹן מְדַבֶּרֶת גְּדֹלוֹת, יְדַבְּרוּ. • Ps 28: “speaking peace” (דֹּבְרֵי שָׁלוֹם) while hiding evil; and crucially a sanctuary request about divine speech/hearing: אַל־תֶּחֱרַשׁ… פֶּן־תֶּחֱשֶׁה (“do not be silent…lest you be silent”), שְׁמַע קוֹל תַּחֲנוּנַי (“hear the voice of my supplications”). This answers Ps 12’s crisis of human speech with a plea for, and then the experience of, divine speech/hearing. - Root ישע “save”: beyond the identical הוֹשִׁיעָה (12:2; 28:9), see Ps 12:6 אֲשִׁית בְּיֵשַׁע and Ps 28:8 מָעוֹז יְשׁוּעוֹת. - Rare but significant “דביר” (28:2 אֶל־דְּבִיר קָדְשֶׁךָ): the “Debir” (inner sanctuary, “oracle”) is linguistically tied to דבר “speak,” and conceptually complements Ps 12’s “אִמֲרוֹת יְהוָה” (12:7). 12 centers on the purity and reliability of YHWH’s words; 28 depicts the worshiper lifting hands toward the place of those oracles/words. - Judgment lexemes: Ps 12:4 יַכְרֵת (“may He cut off”); Ps 28:4–5 תֵּן… הָשֵׁב גְּמוּלָם… יֶהֶרְסֵם וְלֹא יִבְנֵם (“give them… repay… He will tear them down and not build them up”). Different verbs, same imprecatory function—and 28’s “demolish/not build” pointedly reverses the exaltation of vileness in 12:9 (כְּרוּם זֻלוּת). - Protective imagery in matching positions: • Ps 12:8 אַתָּה יְהוָה תִּשְׁמְרֵם; תִּצְּרֶנּוּ… לְעוֹלָם (keep/guard… forever). • Ps 28:7–9 יְהוָה עֻזִּי וּמָגִנִּי; מָעוֹז יְשׁוּעוֹת… הוֹשִׁיעָה אֶת־עַמֶּךָ… וְרַעְעֵם וְנַשְּׂאֵם עַד־הָעוֹלָם (strength, shield, fortress; shepherd and carry… forever). Not the same roots, but the same protective field and the same “forever” horizon in the final lines. Point-for-point thematic/narrative continuation - The social sin is identical: intra-community duplicity. Ps 12:3 “They speak vanity… to a neighbor” with a “double heart”; Ps 28:3 “Speaking peace to their neighbors, but evil in their hearts.” Ps 28 reads like a deliberate elaboration of Ps 12:3, even reusing the rare neighbor/speaking pairing. - Ps 12’s defiant boast “With our tongue we will prevail… who is lord over us?” (12:5) is rebutted by Ps 28’s assertion that YHWH acts: “They do not regard the works of YHWH… He will tear them down” (28:5). Human speech-power is supplanted by divine work-power. - Ps 12’s oracle “Now I will arise… I will set him in safety” (12:6) is matched by Ps 28’s realized praise: “Blessed be YHWH, for He has heard the voice of my supplications” (28:6) and by the protective thanksgiving (28:7–8). In other words, 12 provides the promise; 28 reports the hearing. - Ps 12’s promise “You will guard them… forever” (12:8) expands in Ps 28 into communal intercession and pastoral care: “Save your people… shepherd them and carry them forever” (28:9). The “them” guarded in Ps 12 becomes the “your people/your inheritance” carried forever in Ps 28. Cultic/life-setting linkage - Ps 12 is a community lament against a corrupt generation with an embedded oracle of salvation—exactly the kind of oracle a worshiper would receive at the sanctuary. - Ps 28 explicitly places the worshiper at the sanctuary (“lifting my hands toward your holy Debir,” 28:2), prays not to be swept up with the wicked (28:3), invokes retributive justice (28:4–5), then turns to thanksgiving for being heard (28:6–7) and concludes with a communal blessing (28:9). That is a natural liturgical sequel to Ps 12’s oracle. - In terms of Israelite cultic practice, this sequence—complaint/oracle → sanctuary plea → answered-prayer thanksgiving → communal benediction—fits how individual and communal crises were processed in worship. In sum: Psalm 28 looks like the enacted response to Psalm 12. The same rare neighbor/speaking motif (דבר + רֵעַ), the same heart-doubleness corrected, the same salvation root with the identical imperative הוֹשִׁיעָה, the same “wicked” target, matching “forever” closures, and the movement from divine promise (12:6–8) to divine hearing and communal blessing (28:6–9) all argue that Psalm 28 logically follows Psalm 12.
Evaluation
Score: 6.5
Evaluated at: 2026-01-10T02:43:00 (UTC)
Evaluator model: gpt-5
Evaluator version: v2
Reasoning: 2496 Output: 4975 Total: 7471
Checklist
- Has verse refs: Yes
- Factual error detected: No
- Only generic motifs: No
- Counterargument considered: No
- LXX/MT numbering acknowledged: No
Vocabulary specificity: 5.0 / 10
Strong specific overlaps: rare דבר+רֵעַ pairing (12:3; 28:3), identical הוֹשִׁיעָה (12:2; 28:9), both 9-verse “forever” endings. Yet most motifs are common; no editorial marker; sequence plausibility unproven.
Prompt
Consider Psalm 12 and Psalm 28 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 28 logically follows on from Psalm 12? 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 12:
Psalm 12
1. לַמְנַצֵּ֥חַ
עַֽל־
הַשְּׁמִינִ֗ית
מִזְמ֥וֹר
לְדָוִֽד׃
2. הוֹשִׁ֣יעָה
יְ֭הוָה
כִּי־
גָמַ֣ר
חָסִ֑יד
כִּי־
פַ֥סּוּ
אֱ֝מוּנִ֗ים
מִבְּנֵ֥י
אָדָֽם׃
3. שָׁ֤וְא ׀
יְֽדַבְּרוּ֮
אִ֤ישׁ
אֶת־
רֵ֫עֵ֥הוּ
שְׂפַ֥ת
חֲלָק֑וֹת
בְּלֵ֖ב
וָלֵ֣ב
יְדַבֵּֽרוּ׃
4. יַכְרֵ֣ת
יְ֭הוָה
כָּל־
שִׂפְתֵ֣י
חֲלָק֑וֹת
לָ֝שׁ֗וֹן
מְדַבֶּ֥רֶת
גְּדֹלֽוֹת׃
5. אֲשֶׁ֤ר
אָֽמְר֨וּ ׀
לִלְשֹׁנֵ֣נוּ
נַ֭גְבִּיר
שְׂפָתֵ֣ינוּ
אִתָּ֑נוּ
מִ֖י
אָד֣וֹן
לָֽנוּ׃
6. מִשֹּׁ֥ד
עֲנִיִּים֮
מֵאַנְקַ֢ת
אֶבְי֫וֹנִ֥ים
עַתָּ֣ה
אָ֭קוּם
יֹאמַ֣ר
יְהוָ֑ה
אָשִׁ֥ית
בְּ֝יֵ֗שַׁע
יָפִ֥יחַֽ
לֽוֹ׃
7. אִֽמֲר֣וֹת
יְהוָה֮
אֲמָר֢וֹת
טְהֹ֫ר֥וֹת
כֶּ֣סֶף
צָ֭רוּף
בַּעֲלִ֣יל
לָאָ֑רֶץ
מְ֝זֻקָּ֗ק
שִׁבְעָתָֽיִם׃
8. אַתָּֽה־
יְהוָ֥ה
תִּשְׁמְרֵ֑ם
תִּצְּרֶ֓נּוּ ׀
מִן־
הַדּ֖וֹר
ז֣וּ
לְעוֹלָֽם׃
9. סָבִ֗יב
רְשָׁעִ֥ים
יִתְהַלָּכ֑וּן
כְּרֻ֥ם
זֻ֝לּ֗וּת
לִבְנֵ֥י
אָדָֽם׃
Psalm 28:
Psalm 28
1. לְדָוִ֡ד
אֵ֘לֶ֤יךָ
יְהוָ֨ה ׀
אֶקְרָ֗א
צוּרִי֮
אַֽל־
תֶּחֱרַ֢שׁ
מִּ֫מֶּ֥נִּי
פֶּן־
תֶּֽחֱשֶׁ֥ה
מִמֶּ֑נִּי
וְ֝נִמְשַׁ֗לְתִּי
עִם־
י֥וֹרְדֵי
בֽוֹר׃
2. שְׁמַ֤ע
ק֣וֹל
תַּ֭חֲנוּנַי
בְּשַׁוְּעִ֣י
אֵלֶ֑יךָ
בְּנָשְׂאִ֥י
יָ֝דַ֗י
אֶל־
דְּבִ֥יר
קָדְשֶֽׁךָ׃
3. אַל־
תִּמְשְׁכֵ֣נִי
עִם־
רְשָׁעִים֮
וְעִם־
פֹּ֢עֲלֵ֫י
אָ֥וֶן
דֹּבְרֵ֣י
שָׁ֭לוֹם
עִם־
רֵֽעֵיהֶ֑ם
וְ֝רָעָ֗ה
בִּלְבָבָֽם׃
4. תֶּן־
לָהֶ֣ם
כְּפָעֳלָם֮
וּכְרֹ֢עַ
מַֽעַלְלֵ֫יהֶ֥ם
כְּמַעֲשֵׂ֣ה
יְ֭דֵיהֶם
תֵּ֣ן
לָהֶ֑ם
הָשֵׁ֖ב
גְּמוּלָ֣ם
לָהֶֽם׃
5. כִּ֤י
לֹ֤א
יָבִ֡ינוּ
אֶל־
פְּעֻלֹּ֣ת
יְ֭הוָה
וְאֶל־
מַעֲשֵׂ֣ה
יָדָ֑יו
יֶ֝הֶרְסֵ֗ם
וְלֹ֣א
יִבְנֵֽם׃
6. בָּר֥וּךְ
יְהוָ֑ה
כִּי־
שָׁ֝מַע
ק֣וֹל
תַּחֲנוּנָֽי׃
7. יְהוָ֤ה ׀
עֻזִּ֥י
וּמָגִנִּי֮
בּ֤וֹ
בָטַ֥ח
לִבִּ֗י
וְֽנֶ֫עֱזָ֥רְתִּי
וַיַּעֲלֹ֥ז
לִבִּ֑י
וּֽמִשִּׁירִ֥י
אֲהוֹדֶנּוּ׃c
8. יְהוָ֥ה
עֹֽז־
לָ֑מוֹ
וּמָ֘ע֤וֹז
יְשׁוּע֖וֹת
מְשִׁיח֣וֹ
הֽוּא׃
9. הוֹשִׁ֤יעָה ׀
אֶת־
עַמֶּ֗ךָ
וּבָרֵ֥ךְ
אֶת־
נַחֲלָתֶ֑ךָ
וּֽרְעֵ֥ם
וְ֝נַשְּׂאֵ֗ם
עַד־
הָעוֹלָֽם׃