Psalm 12 → 73
Reasoning: 6464 Output: 5296 Total: 11760
Argument
Here are the strongest ways to argue that Psalm 73 “follows on” from Psalm 12, moving from a Davidic lament about corrupt speech and social collapse to an Asaphic wisdom-reflection that resolves the problem in the sanctuary. Most-weighty lexical/morphological links (rarer forms; identical forms; same word class) - A hinge noun in identical form: חלקות (ḥalaqot, “smoothness”) - Psalm 12:3–4: “שפת חלקות … כל שפתי חלקות” (“flattering/smooth lips … all lips of smoothness”). - Psalm 73:18: “אך בחלקות תשית למו” (“Surely you set them in slippery [lit. smooth] places”). - Same plural noun, same root, same gender—used first for duplicitous speech (12) and then for the “slippery” footing of the wicked at judgment (73). This reads like an editorial pivot: the “smoothness” they trusted in becomes the “smoothness” that brings them down. - Unusual use of Hitpael of הלך (“to walk about / strut”) - Psalm 12:9: “רשעים יתהלכון סביב” (“the wicked walk about/strut all around”). - Psalm 73:9: “ולשונם תהלך בארץ” (“their tongue walks about in the earth”). - Same stem, closely parallel imagery of arrogant, roaming presence—first the wicked themselves (12), then their tongue (73). This is a rare and rhetorically distinctive overlap. - Dense “speech-organ” cluster and dbr/lshn/sph lexemes - Psalm 12:2–5: שפת, לשון, ידברו/ידברֶת (lips, tongue, “speak”), “מדברת גדולות” (speaks great things). - Psalm 73:8–11: “וידברו … במרום ידברו … שתו בשמים פיהם … ולשונם” (they speak, from on high they speak; they set their mouth in heaven; their tongue). - Both psalms foreground speech, boasting, and verbal oppression; 73 seems to pick up the motif and intensify its cosmic reach (“mouth in heaven … tongue on earth”). - “Generation” (דור) as a marked connective - Psalm 12:8: “מן הדור זו לעולם” (“from this generation forever”). - Psalm 73:15: “דור בניך” (“the generation of your children”). - Movement from being guarded “from this generation” (of the wicked) to self-placement within “the generation of your children.” The term frames a shift of social belonging. - Heart vocabulary with antithetical precision - Psalm 12:3: “בלב ולב ידברו” (“with a heart and a heart”—a double/divided heart). - Psalm 73:1: “לברי לבב” (“to the pure of heart”); vv. 7, 13, 21, 26 repeat לבב. - Identical lemma לב/לבב; 73 answers 12’s “double heart” with the goal-state “pure heart.” Conceptual and thematic continuation - The problem and the response - Problem stated in Psalm 12: rampant deceit, boasting, and oppression; the wicked deny divine rule (“מי אדון לנו?” 12:5). - Same defiance in Psalm 73: “ואמרו איכה ידע-אל? ויש דעה בעליון?” (73:11). The arrogant still mock God’s authority/omniscience. - Psalm 12 asks for judgment: “יכרת יהוה כל שפתי חלקות” (12:4). Psalm 73 shows that judgment arriving: “הפלתם למשואות … ספו תמו … הצמתה” (73:18–20, 27). 73 functions as narrative-theological fulfillment of 12’s petition. - Divine “arising/awakening” - Psalm 12:6: “עתה אקום יאמר יהוה” (“Now I will arise, says YHWH”). - Psalm 73:20: “כחלום מהקיץ … אדני בעיר צלמם תבזה” (when you awake/rouse, Lord, you despise their image). - Shared awakening/arising motif links God’s promised action (12) to its execution (73). - From human words vs. God’s words to the sanctuary verdict - Psalm 12 contrasts lying lips with “אמרות יהוה … טהורות” (12:7). - Psalm 73 reaches insight only “עד אבוא אל־מקודשי־אל” (73:17), then vows to “לספר כל־מעלֹותיך” (73:28). - Movement: corrupt human speech (12) → God’s pure words (12) → sanctuary insight (73) → the righteous speaking rightly of God (73). - Oppression of the weak - Psalm 12:6: “משוד עניים מאנקת אביונים” (plunder/violence against the poor). - Psalm 73:6, 8: “חמס” and “עֹשק” (violence/oppression) characterize the same wicked. - 73 continues the social-ethical horizon opened in 12. - “Heaven and earth” axis of hubris and its reversal - Psalm 12:5: “מי אדון לנו?”—they claim no lord above them. - Psalm 73:9, 25: the wicked “set their mouth in the heavens … tongue on earth,” but the psalmist confesses “מי־לי בשמים” (Who have I in heaven but you?). 73 resolves 12’s defiant question with a confession of allegiance. Form and stylistic alignment - Both are headed “מזמור” with a named performer/author and cultic orientation (12: “למנצח על השמינית … לדוד”; 73: “מזמור לאסף”). - Historically plausible sequence: a Davidic lament “to the choirmaster” is followed by an Asaphic, sanctuary-centered reflection (Asaph being a guild leader attached to the sanctuary; cf. 1 Chr 16). Liturgically, 73 could be the wisdom homily that answers the lament sung in 12. - Lament-to-wisdom arc - Psalm 12 is an individual/community lament ending with the unresolved reality: “סביב רשעים יתהלכון …” (12:9). - Psalm 73 opens by naming that unresolved reality as a crisis of faith (“כי-קנאתי בהוללים … שלום רשעים אראה” 73:3), and then resolves it after entering the sanctuary (73:17ff). Structurally, 73 reads like the next act in the drama set up by 12. Event-sequence plausibility in ancient Israelite life - Public complaint → divine oracle → sanctuary clarification → praise/testimony - Psalm 12 contains the cry (vv. 2–5) and an embedded oracle: “עתה אקום … אשית בישע” (v. 6). - Psalm 73 narrates the worshiper’s entry into the “מקדשי־אל” (v. 17), grasp of the wicked’s end (vv. 18–20), recommitment (vv. 23–26), and testimonial vow (v. 28). - This fits a real cultic sequence: lament in assembly, priestly/prophetic assurance, pilgrimage to sanctuary, insight and renewed trust. How Psalm 73 resolves Psalm 12 point-by-point - Flattering “smooth” lips (12) → “slippery” footing (73): identical noun חלקות marks poetic justice. - “Cut off … lips” (12:4) → “you cast them down to ruin … they are destroyed” (73:18–20, 27). - “With a double heart they speak” (12:3) → “pure of heart” (73:1) as the community to whom God is good. - “Now I will arise” (12:6) → “when you awake” (73:20). - “The wicked walk about” (12:9) → “their tongue walks the earth” (73:9), then their end is seen in the sanctuary (73:17–20). - “You, YHWH, will keep/guard” (12:8) → “God … my refuge … you hold my right hand … you guide me” (73:23–28). Bottom line - On lexical, stylistic, thematic, and cultic grounds, Psalm 73 can plausibly be read as the deliberate continuation and resolution of the crisis posed in Psalm 12. The most decisive textual hooks are the identical, rare plural noun חלקות and the shared Hitpael “walk about” usage, embedded within parallel “speech of the wicked” motifs and answered by sanctuary judgment and renewed confession.
Evaluation
Score: 2.0
Evaluated at: 2026-01-19T02:38:15 (UTC)
Evaluator model: gpt-5
Evaluator version: v2
Reasoning: 5888 Output: 6133 Total: 12021
Checklist
- Has verse refs: Yes
- Factual error detected: Yes
- Only generic motifs: No
- Counterargument considered: No
- LXX/MT numbering acknowledged: No
Vocabulary specificity: 5.0 / 10
Flags: misquote
Strong lexical links (חלקות; התהלך) with verse refs, but misquote at 73:28 (‘לספר כל מעלותיך’ vs provided ‘מלאכותיך’) triggers max-2 cap. Many motifs (speech, לבב, דור) are common; ‘awakening’ (73:20) interpretive.
Prompt
Consider Psalm 12 and Psalm 73 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 73 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 73:
Psalm 73
1. מִזְמ֗וֹר
לְאָ֫סָ֥ף
אַ֤ךְ
ט֖וֹב
לְיִשְׂרָאֵ֥ל
אֱלֹהִ֗ים
לְבָרֵ֥י
לֵבָֽב׃
2. וַאֲנִ֗י
כִּ֭מְעַט
נטוי
נָטָ֣יוּ
רַגְלָ֑י
כְּ֝אַ֗יִן
שפכה
שֻׁפְּכ֥וּ
אֲשֻׁרָֽי׃
3. כִּֽי־
קִ֭נֵּאתִי
בַּֽהוֹלְלִ֑ים
שְׁל֖וֹם
רְשָׁעִ֣ים
אֶרְאֶֽה׃
4. כִּ֤י
אֵ֖ין
חַרְצֻבּ֥וֹת
לְמוֹתָ֗ם
וּבָרִ֥יא
אוּלָֽם׃
5. בַּעֲמַ֣ל
אֱנ֣וֹשׁ
אֵינֵ֑מוֹ
וְעִם־
אָ֝דָ֗ם
לֹ֣א
יְנֻגָּֽעוּ׃
6. לָ֭כֵן
עֲנָקַ֣תְמוֹ
גַאֲוָ֑ה
יַעֲטָף־
שִׁ֝֗ית
חָמָ֥ס
לָֽמוֹ׃
7. יָ֭צָא
מֵחֵ֣לֶב
עֵינֵ֑מוֹ
עָ֝בְר֗וּ
מַשְׂכִּיּ֥וֹת
לֵבָֽב׃
8. יָמִ֤יקוּ ׀
וִידַבְּר֣וּ
בְרָ֣ע
עֹ֑שֶׁק
מִמָּר֥וֹם
יְדַבֵּֽרוּ׃
9. שַׁתּ֣וּ
בַשָּׁמַ֣יִם
פִּיהֶ֑ם
וּ֝לְשׁוֹנָ֗ם
תִּֽהֲלַ֥ךְ
בָּאָֽרֶץ׃
10. לָכֵ֤ן ׀
ישיב
יָשׁ֣וּב
עַמּ֣וֹ
הֲלֹ֑ם
וּמֵ֥י
מָ֝לֵ֗א
יִמָּ֥צוּ
לָֽמוֹ׃
11. וְֽאָמְר֗וּ
אֵיכָ֥ה
יָדַֽע־
אֵ֑ל
וְיֵ֖שׁ
דֵּעָ֣ה
בְעֶלְיֽוֹן׃
12. הִנֵּה־
אֵ֥לֶּה
רְשָׁעִ֑ים
וְשַׁלְוֵ֥י
ע֝וֹלָ֗ם
הִשְׂגּוּ־
חָֽיִל׃
13. אַךְ־
רִ֭יק
זִכִּ֣יתִי
לְבָבִ֑י
וָאֶרְחַ֖ץ
בְּנִקָּי֣וֹן
כַּפָּֽי׃
14. וָאֱהִ֣י
נָ֭גוּעַ
כָּל־
הַיּ֑וֹם
וְ֝תוֹכַחְתִּ֗י
לַבְּקָרִֽים׃
15. אִם־
אָ֭מַרְתִּי
אֲסַפְּרָ֥ה
כְמ֑וֹ
הִנֵּ֤ה
ד֭וֹר
בָּנֶ֣יךָ
בָגָֽדְתִּי׃
16. וָֽ֭אֲחַשְּׁבָה
לָדַ֣עַת
זֹ֑את
עָמָ֖ל
היא
ה֣וּא
בְעֵינָֽי׃
17. עַד־
אָ֭בוֹא
אֶל־
מִקְדְּשֵׁי־
אֵ֑ל
אָ֝בִ֗ינָה
לְאַחֲרִיתָֽם׃
18. אַ֣ךְ
בַּ֭חֲלָקוֹת
תָּשִׁ֣ית
לָ֑מוֹ
הִ֝פַּלְתָּ֗ם
לְמַשּׁוּאֽוֹת׃
19. אֵ֤יךְ
הָי֣וּ
לְשַׁמָּ֣ה
כְרָ֑גַע
סָ֥פוּ
תַ֝֗מּוּ
מִן־
בַּלָּהֽוֹת׃
20. כַּחֲל֥וֹם
מֵהָקִ֑יץ
אֲ֝דֹנָי
בָּעִ֤יר ׀
צַלְמָ֬ם
תִּבְזֶֽה׃
21. כִּ֭י
יִתְחַמֵּ֣ץ
לְבָבִ֑י
וְ֝כִלְיוֹתַ֗י
אֶשְׁתּוֹנָֽן׃
22. וַאֲנִי־
בַ֭עַר
וְלֹ֣א
אֵדָ֑ע
בְּ֝הֵמ֗וֹת
הָיִ֥יתִי
עִמָּֽךְ׃
23. וַאֲנִ֣י
תָמִ֣יד
עִמָּ֑ךְ
אָ֝חַ֗זְתָּ
בְּיַד־
יְמִינִֽי׃
24. בַּעֲצָתְךָ֥
תַנְחֵ֑נִי
וְ֝אַחַ֗ר
כָּב֥וֹד
תִּקָּחֵֽנִי׃
25. מִי־
לִ֥י
בַשָּׁמָ֑יִם
וְ֝עִמְּךָ֗
לֹא־
חָפַ֥צְתִּי
בָאָֽרֶץ׃
26. כָּלָ֥ה
שְׁאֵרִ֗י
וּלְבָ֫בִ֥י
צוּר־
לְבָבִ֥י
וְחֶלְקִ֗י
אֱלֹהִ֥ים
לְעוֹלָֽם׃
27. כִּֽי־
הִנֵּ֣ה
רְחֵקֶ֣יךָ
יֹאבֵ֑דוּ
הִ֝צְמַ֗תָּה
כָּל־
זוֹנֶ֥ה
מִמֶּֽךָּ׃
28. וַאֲנִ֤י ׀
קִֽרֲבַ֥ת
אֱלֹהִ֗ים
לִ֫י־
ט֥וֹב
שַׁתִּ֤י ׀
בַּאדֹנָ֣י
יְהֹוִ֣ה
מַחְסִ֑י
לְ֝סַפֵּ֗ר
כָּל־
מַלְאֲכוֹתֶֽיךָ׃