Psalm 12 → 55

Reasoning: 6720 Output: 5636 Total: 12356

Argument

Short answer: Psalm 55 reads like the next scene after Psalm 12. Psalm 12 diagnoses a society captured by deceptive, swaggering speech and asks God to cut it off; Psalm 55 shows the consequences of that culture once it has invaded the city, ruptured covenantal bonds, and turned into violence and betrayal—and it asks God to break that same corrupt speech and sustain the righteous.

Details (grouped by kind of evidence)

1) Superscriptions and form
- Both are “to the choirmaster” and “of David” (Ps 12:1; 55:1), signaling affinity in collection and performance context.
- Both are laments that move to confidence: complaint → divine action/appeal → assurance (Ps 12:2–9; Ps 55:2–24).
- Both are musically marked (12: “al ha-sheminit”; 55: “binginot”), suggesting complementary performance settings within a liturgical sequence.

2) Rare/high‑value lexical links centered on deceptive speech
- Root ח-ל-ק “smooth” (rare, and in the speech domain):
  - Ps 12:3–4: שְׂפַת חֲלָקוֹת … יַכְרֵת יְהוָה כָּל־שִׂפְתֵי חֲלָקוֹת
  - Ps 55:22: חָלְקוּ מַחְמָאֹת פִּיו (“his mouth’s compliments are smooth”)
  This is the strongest single lexical bridge: same root, same semantic field (flattery), same speech organs (lips/mouth), same moral target (deceptive speech).
- לָשׁוֹן “tongue”:
  - Ps 12:4: לָשׁוֹן מְדַבֶּרֶת גְּדֹלוֹת (a tongue that boasts)
  - Ps 55:10: פַּלַּג לְשׁוֹנָם (divide their tongue)
  Psalm 55’s prayer “divide their tongue” answers Psalm 12’s problem “tongue speaking great things.”
- Sefatayim/piv (lips/mouth) and devar/imrah (words):
  - Ps 12 contrasts flattering lips with pure divine utterances: שְׂפַת חֲלָקוֹת vs אִמֲרוֹת יְהוָה… טְהֹרוֹת
  - Ps 55 reprises the contrast: חָלְקוּ מַחְמָאֹת פִּיו / רַכּוּ דְבָרָיו מִשֶּׁמֶן וְהֵמָּה פְתִחוֹת (soft words hiding drawn swords). In both, false human speech is slick; only God’s speech is reliable.
- “Double heart” vs inner war:
  - Ps 12:3: בְּלֵב וָלֵב יְדַבֵּרוּ (double-hearted speech)
  - Ps 55:22: וּקְרָב־לִבּוֹ (“war is in his heart”). Same inner duplicity theme: a peaceful exterior masking hostile intent.

3) Thematic and rhetorical progression
- From boast to answer:
  - Ps 12:5 quotes the braggart: “לִלְשֹׁנֵנוּ נַגְבִּיר… מִי אָדוֹן לָנוּ” (“We’ll make our tongue mighty… who is lord over us?”).
  - Ps 55:10 answers by invoking the Lord explicitly: בַּלַּע אֲדֹנָי פַּלַּג לְשׁוֹנָם. The “Who is ‘adon’ over us?” is met with “Adonai, divide their tongue.”
- Social breakdown → urban crisis:
  - Ps 12 ends: סָבִיב רְשָׁעִים יִתְהַלָּכוּן; when זֻלוּת is exalted among humans, the wicked prowl everywhere.
  - Ps 55 shows the next step: the city itself is seized—יוֹמָם וָלַיְלָה יְסוֹבְבֻהָ עַל־חוֹמֹתֶיהָ; חָמָס וְרִיב בָּעִיר; … תֹּךְ וּמִרְמָה בִּקְרְבָּהּ. Psalm 55 is the urbanized, escalated picture of Psalm 12’s closing line.
- God’s preserving action stated two ways:
  - Ps 12:8: אַתָּה־יְהוָה תִּשְׁמְרֵם… תִּצְּרֶנּוּ… לְעוֹלָם (You will keep/guard forever).
  - Ps 55:23: הַשְׁלֵךְ עַל־יְהוָה יְהָבְךָ… לֹא־יִתֵּן לְעוֹלָם מוֹט לַצַּדִּיק (Cast your burden… He will not let the righteous fall forever). Same promise, different idiom—Ps 55 sounds like the pastoral application of Ps 12’s assurance.

4) Structural echoes and motifs
- “Surrounding” movement:
  - Ps 12:9: סָבִיב רְשָׁעִים יִתְהַלָּכוּן
  - Ps 55:11: יוֹמָם וָלַיְלָה יְסוֹבְבֻהָ עַל־חוֹמֹתֶיהָ
  The “encircling” of wickedness at the end of Ps 12 becomes the wicked encircling the city in Ps 55.
- From “neighbor talk” to betrayal of an intimate:
  - Ps 12:3: יְדַבְּרוּ אִישׁ אֶת־רֵעֵהוּ (empty talk “each to his neighbor”).
  - Ps 55:14–15: וְאַתָּה אֱנוֹשׁ כְּעֶרְכִּי… אַלּוּפִי וּמְיֻדָּעִי… בְּבֵית אֱלֹהִים נְהַלֵּךְ בְּרָגֶשׁ (the neighbor becomes the treacherous close companion). Ps 55 personalizes and intensifies the social duplicity of Ps 12.

5) Shared semantic fields with incremental development
- Oppression words:
  - Ps 12:6: מִשֹּׁד עֲנִיִּים מֵאַנְקַת אֶבְיוֹנִים (violence against the poor, their groaning).
  - Ps 55:4, 11–12: מִפְּנֵי עָקַת רָשָׁע; וְאָוֶן וְעָמָל בְּקִרְבָּהּ; … תֹּךְ וּמִרְמָה (oppression/wrong, mischief, deceit) now saturate the city. The general cry of the poor in Ps 12 becomes the speaker’s own groan (Ps 55:3 אָרִיד בְּשִׂיחִי וְאָהִימָה).
- Divine word vs human word:
  - Ps 12 canonizes God’s words as refined silver sevenfold.
  - Ps 55 counters human words that are “softer than oil” but are actually “drawn swords.” The contrast is the same; the imagery shifts from silver/furnace (purity) to oil/swords (treachery).

6) Intertextual/theological motifs
- Babel motif:
  - Ps 12’s “tongue speaking great things” (לָשׁוֹן… גְּדֹלוֹת) evokes human overreach.
  - Ps 55 prays the Babel remedy: פַּלַּג לְשׁוֹנָם (“divide their tongue”). That is exactly how God judges proud speech in Genesis 11—making Psalm 55 a logical divine response to the arrogance voiced in Psalm 12:5 (“Who is lord over us?”).
- Covenant language inverted:
  - Ps 12:4 prays that YHWH will “cut off” (יַכְרֵת) flattering lips.
  - Ps 55:21 accuses the traitor of profaning “his covenant” (חִלֵּל בְּרִיתוֹ). The shared cutting/dividing field (יַכְרֵת; פַּלַּג) and the covenant-profanation sharpen the idea that corrupt speech erodes covenantal bonds—hence the prayer for God to sever/divide the instruments of deceit.

7) A plausible life-setting sequence
- Ps 12 could arise in a phase of social disintegration where speech is weaponized, the poor are exploited, and arrogant elites deny any Lord over them.
- Ps 55 fits naturally as the next chapter: that speech culture has matured into urban chaos, political conspiracy, and betrayal by an insider (often connected with the Absalom–Ahithophel episode). The psalmist now asks God to answer the braggarts by taking their tongues away (55:10), while he entrusts himself to the preserving God promised in Ps 12 (12:8 ~ 55:23).

Bottom line
- The two psalms share distinctive speech-centered vocabulary (especially the rare and pointed ח-ל-ק with lips/mouth, plus לָשׁוֹן), parallel structures, and matching motifs (encircling wickedness, divine preservation forever), but Psalm 55 escalates Psalm 12’s diagnosis into a concrete city-and-betrayal crisis and invokes the fitting, Babel-like remedy for arrogant tongues. Those convergences make a strong case that Psalm 55 can be read as a logical and thematic continuation of Psalm 12.

Evaluation

Score: 6.5

Evaluated at: 2026-01-16T02:34:51 (UTC)

Evaluator model: gpt-5

Evaluator version: v2

Reasoning: 3712 Output: 6492 Total: 10204

Vocabulary specificity: 6.0 / 10

Multiple precise links: חלק/‘smooth’ lips (Ps 12:3–4; 55:22), לשון → ‘divide their tongue’ (12:4; 55:10), בלב ובלב vs וקרב לבו (12:3; 55:22), and encircling motif (12:9; 55:11). Strong, but common lament features; no editorial marker.

Prompt

Consider Psalm 12 and Psalm 55 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 55 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 55:
Psalm 55
1. לַמְנַצֵּ֥חַ
        בִּנְגִינֹ֗ת
        מַשְׂכִּ֥יל
        לְדָוִֽד׃
2. הַאֲזִ֣ינָה
        אֱ֭לֹהִים
        תְּפִלָּתִ֑י
        וְאַל־
        תִּ֝תְעַלַּ֗ם
        מִתְּחִנָּתִֽי׃
3. הַקְשִׁ֣יבָה
        לִּ֣י
        וַעֲנֵ֑נִי
        אָרִ֖יד
        בְּשִׂיחִ֣י
        וְאָהִֽימָה׃
4. מִקּ֤וֹל
        אוֹיֵ֗ב
        מִפְּנֵ֣י
        עָקַ֣ת
        רָשָׁ֑ע
        כִּי־
        יָמִ֥יטוּ
        עָלַ֥י
        אָ֝֗וֶן
        וּבְאַ֥ף
        יִשְׂטְמֽוּנִי׃
5. לִ֭בִּי
        יָחִ֣יל
        בְּקִרְבִּ֑י
        וְאֵימ֥וֹת
        מָ֝֗וֶת
        נָפְל֥וּ
        עָלָֽי׃
6. יִרְאָ֣ה
        וָ֭רַעַד
        יָ֣בֹא
        בִ֑י
        וַ֝תְּכַסֵּ֗נִי
        פַּלָּצֽוּת׃
7. וָאֹמַ֗ר
        מִֽי־
        יִתֶּן־
        לִּ֣י
        אֵ֭בֶר
        כַּיּוֹנָ֗ה
        אָע֥וּפָה
        וְאֶשְׁכֹּֽנָה׃
8. הִ֭נֵּה
        אַרְחִ֣יק
        נְדֹ֑ד
        אָלִ֖ין
        בַּמִּדְבָּ֣ר
        סֶֽלָה׃
9. אָחִ֣ישָׁה
        מִפְלָ֣ט
        לִ֑י
        מֵר֖וּחַ
        סֹעָ֣ה
        מִסָּֽעַר׃
10. בַּלַּ֣ע
        אֲ֭דֹנָי
        פַּלַּ֣ג
        לְשׁוֹנָ֑ם
        כִּֽי־
        רָאִ֨יתִי
        חָמָ֖ס
        וְרִ֣יב
        בָּעִֽיר׃
11. יוֹמָ֤ם
        וָלַ֗יְלָה
        יְסוֹבְבֻ֥הָ
        עַל־
        חוֹמֹתֶ֑יהָ
        וְאָ֖וֶן
        וְעָמָ֣ל
        בְּקִרְבָּֽהּ׃
12. הַוּ֥וֹת
        בְּקִרְבָּ֑הּ
        וְֽלֹא־
        יָמִ֥ישׁ
        מֵ֝רְחֹבָ֗הּ
        תֹּ֣ךְ
        וּמִרְמָֽה׃
13. כִּ֤י
        לֹֽא־
        אוֹיֵ֥ב
        יְחָֽרְפֵ֗נִי
        וְאֶ֫שָּׂ֥א
        לֹֽא־
        מְ֭שַׂנְאִי
        עָלַ֣י
        הִגְדִּ֑יל
        וְאֶסָּתֵ֥ר
        מִמֶּֽנּוּ׃
14. וְאַתָּ֣ה
        אֱנ֣וֹשׁ
        כְּעֶרְכִּ֑י
        אַ֝לּוּפִ֗י
        וּמְיֻדָּֽעִי׃
15. אֲשֶׁ֣ר
        יַ֭חְדָּו
        נַמְתִּ֣יק
        ס֑וֹד
        בְּבֵ֥ית
        אֱ֝לֹהִ֗ים
        נְהַלֵּ֥ךְ
        בְּרָֽגֶשׁ׃
16. ישימות
        יַשִּׁ֤י
        מָ֨וֶת ׀
        עָלֵ֗ימוֹ
        יֵרְד֣וּ
        שְׁא֣וֹל
        חַיִּ֑ים
        כִּֽי־
        רָע֖וֹת
        בִּמְגוּרָ֣ם
        בְּקִרְבָּֽם׃
17. אֲ֭נִי
        אֶל־
        אֱלֹהִ֣ים
        אֶקְרָ֑א
        וַ֝יהוָ֗ה
        יוֹשִׁיעֵֽנִי׃
18. עֶ֤רֶב
        וָבֹ֣קֶר
        וְ֭צָהֳרַיִם
        אָשִׂ֣יחָה
        וְאֶהֱמֶ֑ה
        וַיִּשְׁמַ֥ע
        קוֹלִֽי׃
19. פָּ֘דָ֤ה
        בְשָׁל֣וֹם
        נַ֭פְשִׁי
        מִקֲּרָב־
        לִ֑י
        כִּֽי־
        בְ֝רַבִּ֗ים
        הָי֥וּ
        עִמָּדִֽי׃
20. יִשְׁמַ֤ע ׀
        אֵ֨ל ׀
        וְֽיַעֲנֵם֮
        וְיֹ֤שֵׁ֥ב
        קֶ֗דֶם
        סֶ֥לָה
        אֲשֶׁ֤ר
        אֵ֣ין
        חֲלִיפ֣וֹת
        לָ֑מוֹ
        וְלֹ֖א
        יָרְא֣וּ
        אֱלֹהִֽים׃
21. שָׁלַ֣ח
        יָ֭דָיו
        בִּשְׁלֹמָ֗יו
        חִלֵּ֥ל
        בְּרִיתֽוֹ׃
22. חָלְק֤וּ ׀
        מַחְמָאֹ֣ת
        פִּיו֮
        וּֽקֲרָב־
        לִ֫בּ֥וֹ
        רַכּ֖וּ
        דְבָרָ֥יו
        מִשֶּׁ֗מֶן
        וְהֵ֣מָּה
        פְתִחֽוֹת׃
23. הַשְׁלֵ֤ךְ
        עַל־
        יְהוָ֨ה ׀
        יְהָבְךָ֮
        וְה֢וּא
        יְכַ֫לְכְּלֶ֥ךָ
        לֹא־
        יִתֵּ֖ן
        לְעוֹלָ֥ם
        מ֗וֹט
        לַצַּדִּֽיק׃
24. וְאַתָּ֤ה
        אֱלֹהִ֨ים ׀
        תּוֹרִדֵ֬ם ׀
        לִבְאֵ֬ר
        שַׁ֗חַת
        אַנְשֵׁ֤י
        דָמִ֣ים
        וּ֖dמִרְמָה
        לֹא־
        יֶחֱצ֣וּ
        יְמֵיהֶ֑ם
        וַ֝אֲנִ֗י
        אֶבְטַח־
        בָּֽךְ׃