Psalm 12 → 36
Reasoning: 9600 Output: 4681 Total: 14281
Argument
Thesis: Psalm 36 reads very naturally as a theological and lexical “answer” to Psalm 12. Psalm 12 laments a society ruled by deceitful speech and arrogant denial of God, prays for God to arise, and affirms the purity of God’s words even as the wicked still roam. Psalm 36 picks up the same wickedness motif (especially focused on corrupt speech), diagnoses its root (no fear of God), then pivots to a grand hymn on God’s ḥesed and ’emunah—the very qualities that in Ps 12 are said to have vanished among humans—and ends with the downfall of the evildoers, which is the logical outcome of the prayer of Ps 12. 1) Framing and form - Both are Davidic and “for the choirmaster” (Ps 12:1; Ps 36:1), suggesting liturgical pairing is at least possible. - Both have a similar macro-structure: - Opening focus on the wicked (Ps 12:2–5; Ps 36:2–5). - A divine/attributes pivot that grounds hope (Ps 12:6–8; Ps 36:6–10). - Petition for ongoing protection and a closing outlook on the wicked’s fate (Ps 12:8–9; Ps 36:11–13). - Both contain an oracular element: Ps 12:6 “Now I will arise, says YHWH”; Ps 36:2 “An oracle (נְאֻם) of transgression to the wicked…”—a shared “oracle” framing that bridges lament and divine commentary. 2) Lexical and root connections (rarer or more exact items emphasized) - חלק “smooth/flatter” (rare, and a signature in Ps 12): - Ps 12:3–4 שְׂפַת חֲלָקוֹת; כָּל־שִׂפְתֵי חֲלָקוֹת “smooth lips.” - Ps 36:3 כִּי־הֶחֱלִיק אֵלָיו בְּעֵינָיו “he flatters/smooths to himself in his own eyes.” Same root; Ps 36 explicitly develops the “smooth lips” motif from Ps 12 into inner self-flattery. - דבר “speak/words”: - Ps 12:3–4 שָׁוְא יְדַבְּרוּ… בְּלֵב וָלֵב יְדַבֵּרוּ; Ps 12:7 אִמֲרוֹת יְהוָה אֲמָרוֹת טְהֹרוֹת. - Ps 36:4 דִּבְרֵי־פִיו אָוֶן וּמִרְמָה. Both psalms contrast human words (false) with divine words (pure). - לב “heart”: - Ps 12:3 בְּלֵב וָלֵב (duplicity “with a heart and a heart,” a rare idiom). - Ps 36:2 בְּקֶרֶב לִבִּי; Ps 36:11 לְיִשְׁרֵי־לֵב. Ps 36 answers the duplicity of Ps 12 with an appeal to uprightness of heart. - י־ש־ע “save”: - Ps 12:6 אָשִׁית בְּיֵשַׁע “I will set in safety.” - Ps 36:7 תּוֹשִׁיעַ יְהוָה “You save.” Same root, divine saving action promised in 12 and asserted in 36. - קום “rise”: - Ps 12:6 עַתָּה אָקוּם “Now I will arise,” says YHWH. - Ps 36:13 וְלֹא־יָכְלוּ קוּם “they cannot rise.” The divine arising of Ps 12 issues in the inability of the wicked to rise in Ps 36. - רשע/און “wicked/iniquity”: - Ps 12:9 רְשָׁעִים יִתְהַלָּכוּן. - Ps 36:2 לָרָשָׁע; 36:4 אָוֶן; 36:13 פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן. Strong continuity of target. - בני אדם “sons of Adam/humans” (exact phrase): - Ps 12:2, 9; Ps 36:8. In Ps 12 they are the milieu of faithlessness and “vileness” exalted; in Ps 36 they find refuge under God’s wings—a deliberate reversal. - חסד/אמונה vs חסיד/אמונים (same roots; this is programmatic): - Ps 12:2 כִּי־גָמַר חָסִיד; כִּי־פַסּוּ אֱמוּנִים “the ḥasid is gone; the faithful have vanished.” - Ps 36:6–8 חַסְדֶּךָ… אֱמוּנָתְךָ; מַה־יָּקָר חַסְדְּךָ. Human ḥasid/’emunim may have disappeared (Ps 12), but YHWH’s ḥesed and ’emunah pervade heaven and earth (Ps 36). This is probably the single strongest conceptual-lexical bridge. - Pride/boasting: - Ps 12:4 לָשׁוֹן מְדַבֶּרֶת גְּדֹלוֹת; 12:5 “לִלְשֹׁנֵנוּ נַגְבִּיר… מִי אָדוֹן לָנוּ?”. - Ps 36:12 רֶגֶל גַּאֲוָה; 36:2 אֵין פַּחַד אֱלֹהִים לְנֶגֶד עֵינָיו. The taunt “Who is lord over us?” (Ps 12) is diagnosed as “no fear of God” (Ps 36). 3) Thematic development (how 36 “answers” 12) - From corrupt speech to its inner engine: - Ps 12 catalogs the social symptom: lies, smooth lips, boastful tongue. - Ps 36 exposes the psychology: self-flattery, no fear of God, devising evil on the bed (36:5), words of deceit (36:4). - From the loss of human fidelity to the assertion of divine fidelity: - Ps 12: “The ḥasid is finished; the faithful have vanished.” - Ps 36: God’s ḥesed and ’emunah are cosmic (heavens to skies), and his ṣedaqah and mishpat are massive (mountains and deep) (36:6–7). Divine attributes fill the vacuum left by human failure. - From petition to realization: - Ps 12 prays: “May YHWH cut off …” (12:4); “Now I will arise” (12:6). - Ps 36 narrates the outcome: “There the workers of iniquity fell; they are thrust down and cannot rise” (36:13). The prayer and oracle of Ps 12 culminate in the fait accompli of Ps 36. - From “the wicked prowl” to “refuge under your wings”: - Ps 12 ends bleakly: “The wicked walk all around when vileness is exalted among the sons of man” (12:9). - Ps 36 sets “sons of man” in a new light: “the sons of man take refuge in the shadow of your wings” (36:8), are satiated from God’s house, and drink from his river (36:9–10). It reframes the human condition under divine care. 4) Stylistic/imagistic correspondences - Binary contrast of human falsity vs divine purity: - Ps 12: impure speech vs “the words of YHWH are pure, like silver refined seven times.” - Ps 36: human deceit vs “with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.” Both deploy intense purity metaphors (refined silver; light/fountain) to answer the problem of corrupt words. - Body-part synecdoche for power of evil: - Ps 12: “tongue… lips.” - Ps 36: “foot of pride… hand of the wicked.” The sphere of threat expands from speech to action, and the prayer matches that escalation. 5) Life-setting sequence that makes sense in ancient Israel - Ps 12 fits a communal crisis of social breakdown—oppression of the poor and the ascendancy of brazen, godless elites (“Who is lord over us?”). - Ps 36 reads like a reflective sequel: a wise diagnosis of the same elite wickedness, a liturgical proclamation of God’s covenant attributes (ḥesed/’emunah/ṣedaqah/mishpat), renewed petition for protection, and a confident vision of the wicked’s collapse. This is a plausible liturgical or editorial “next step” after Ps 12’s lament. 6) Especially weighty pairings by your criteria - Identical phrase: בני אדם (Ps 12:2, 9; Ps 36:8). - Same root, same semantic field, with tight cross-psalm logic: - חלק: שְׂפַת חֲלָקוֹת ↔ הֶחֱלִיק. - ישע: בישע ↔ תושיע. - קום: אקום (YHWH) ↔ לא יכלו קום (wicked). - אמן/חסד: חסיד/אמונים (human lack) ↔ חסדך/אמונתך (divine plenitude). - דבר: ידברו/אמרות ↔ דברי־פיו. - לב: בלב ולב ↔ לבי; לישרי־לב. - רשע/און present in both. - Near-synonymous pride words in matching roles: - גדלות (boastful talk) ↔ גאוה (foot of pride). - כרום זלות (exaltation of baseness) ↔ the fall of the evildoers (נפלו… דֹחוּ). Conclusion: On form-critical grounds (lament → oracle/attributes → petition), on multiple strong root-level links (חלק, ישע, קום, אמן/חסד, דבר, לב, רשע), on exact repeated phrases (בני אדם), on mirrored antitheses (human words vs divine words/light; “Now I arise” vs “cannot arise”), and on narrative logic (complaint and prayer in Ps 12; diagnosis, divine plenitude, and downfall in Ps 36), Psalm 36 reads like a deliberate and coherent follow-up to Psalm 12.
Evaluation
Score: 7.0
Evaluated at: 2026-01-12T02:34:21 (UTC)
Evaluator model: gpt-5
Evaluator version: v2
Reasoning: 3392 Output: 5512 Total: 8904
Checklist
- Has verse refs: Yes
- Factual error detected: No
- Only generic motifs: No
- Counterargument considered: No
- LXX/MT numbering acknowledged: No
Vocabulary specificity: 6.0 / 10
Multiple text-anchored links (חלק lips→החליק, חסיד/אמונים→חסדך/אמונתך; קום; בני־אדם; oracular pivot) and coherent progression. However, many items are common across Psalms and no decisive editorial marker; pairing remains arguable.
Prompt
Consider Psalm 12 and Psalm 36 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 36 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 36:
Psalm 36
1. לַמְנַצֵּ֬חַ ׀
לְעֶֽבֶד־
יְהוָ֬ה
לְדָוִֽד׃
2. נְאֻֽם־
פֶּ֣שַׁע
לָ֭רָשָׁע
בְּקֶ֣רֶב
לִבִּ֑י
אֵֽין־
פַּ֥חַד
אֱ֝לֹהִ֗ים
לְנֶ֣גֶד
עֵינָֽיו׃
3. כִּֽי־
הֶחֱלִ֣יק
אֵלָ֣יו
בְּעֵינָ֑יו
לִמְצֹ֖א
עֲוֺנ֣וֹ
לִשְׂנֹֽא׃
4. דִּבְרֵי־
פִ֭יו
אָ֣וֶן
וּמִרְמָ֑ה
חָדַ֖ל
לְהַשְׂכִּ֣יל
לְהֵיטִֽיב׃
5. אָ֤וֶן ׀
יַחְשֹׁ֗ב
עַֽל־
מִשְׁכָּ֫ב֥וֹ
יִ֭תְיַצֵּב
עַל־
דֶּ֣רֶךְ
לֹא־
ט֑וֹב
רָ֝֗ע
לֹ֣א
יִמְאָֽס׃
6. יְ֭הוָה
בְּהַשָּׁמַ֣יִם
חַסְדֶּ֑ךָ
אֱ֝מֽוּנָתְךָ֗
עַד־
שְׁחָקִֽים׃
7. צִדְקָֽתְךָ֨ ׀
כְּֽהַרְרֵי־
אֵ֗ל
מִ֭שְׁפָּטֶךָ
תְּה֣וֹם
רַבָּ֑ה
אָ֤דָֽם־
וּבְהֵמָ֖ה
תוֹשִׁ֣יעַ
יְהוָֽה׃
8. מַה־
יָּקָ֥ר
חַסְדְּךָ֗
אֱלֹ֫הִ֥ים
וּבְנֵ֥י
אָדָ֑ם
בְּצֵ֥ל
כְּ֝נָפֶ֗יךָ
יֶחֱסָיֽוּן׃
9. יִ֭רְוִיֻן
מִדֶּ֣שֶׁן
בֵּיתֶ֑ךָ
וְנַ֖חַל
עֲדָנֶ֣יךָ
תַשְׁקֵֽם׃
10. כִּֽי־
עִ֭מְּךָ
מְק֣וֹר
חַיִּ֑ים
בְּ֝אוֹרְךָ֗
נִרְאֶה־
אֽוֹר׃
11. מְשֹׁ֣ךְ
חַ֭סְדְּךָ
לְיֹדְעֶ֑יךָ
וְ֝צִדְקָֽתְךָ֗
לְיִשְׁרֵי־
לֵֽב׃
12. אַל־
תְּ֭בוֹאֵנִי
רֶ֣גֶל
גַּאֲוָ֑ה
וְיַד־
רְ֝שָׁעִ֗ים
אַל־
תְּנִדֵֽנִי׃
13. שָׁ֣ם
נָ֭פְלוּ
פֹּ֣עֲלֵי
אָ֑וֶן
דֹּ֝ח֗וּ
וְלֹא־
יָ֥כְלוּ
קֽוּם׃