Psalm 12 → 90

Reasoning: 11072 Output: 4846 Total: 15918

Argument

Short answer: If you read Psalm 12 as a lament about a corrupt “generation” dominated by arrogant, duplicitous speech, Psalm 90 reads very naturally as the community’s wiser, penitential answer: it relocates the problem of “this generation” within God’s eternity, exposes the hidden sins behind the social breakdown, asks for a wise heart in place of a “double heart,” and prays that God’s “setting” (placing) and “establishing” action will now rest on his servants. That logic is underwritten by a dense set of Hebrew catchwords, parallel motifs, and common lament form.

Key word- and root-links (rarer/identical forms listed first):
- בני אדם “sons of man”: identical form in both psalms (Ps 12:2, 9; Ps 90:3). High weight.
- דור “generation”: Ps 12:8 מן־הדור זו לעולם; Ps 90:1 בדור וָדור. The close (12) on “this generation … forever” is answered by the open (90) “in generation and generation.” High weight.
- לעולם “forever/everlasting”: Ps 12:8; Ps 90:2 (ומעולם עד־עולם). High weight.
- אדון/אדֹנָי: Ps 12:5 the wicked taunt “מי אדון לנו”; Ps 90:1 addresses God as “אֲדֹנָי.” Same root with rhetorical reversal: the boast “Who is lord over us?” is answered, “Lord, you have been our dwelling.” Medium–high weight.
- שׁית “set/put”: Ps 12:6 אָשִׁית בְּיֵשַׁע “I will set in safety”; Ps 90:8 שַׁתָּה עֲוֹנֹתֵינוּ “you have set our iniquities.” Same root; God “sets” salvation vs. “sets” sins before him. Medium–high weight.
- חסד/חסיד (same root): Ps 12:2 “חסיד” has ceased; Ps 90:14 “שַׂבְּעֵנוּ … חַסְדֶּךָ.” The loss of the pious (חסיד) is answered by a plea to be filled with God’s חסד. Medium weight.
- עני/ענה (same root of affliction): Ps 12:6 “מִשֹּׁד עֲנִיִּים … אֶבְיוֹנִים”; Ps 90:15 “כִּימֹת עִנִּיתָנוּ.” The afflicted poor (12) and the days “you have afflicted us” (90) converge. Medium weight.
- לב/לבב “heart”: Ps 12:3 “בְּלֵב וָלֵב” (double heart, rare idiom) vs. Ps 90:12 “לֵבַב חָכְמָה” (a wise heart). Moral diagnosis → remedy. Medium weight.
- “מי”-questions: Ps 12:5 “מִי אַדּוֹן לָנוּ?” (defiant); Ps 90:11 “מִי־יוֹדֵעַ עֹז אַפֶּךָ?” (reverent). Mirrored rhetoric. Medium weight.
- Seven/eight number cluster:
  - Ps 12 title “עַל־הַשְּׁמִינִית” (on the “eighth,” rare in superscriptions).
  - Ps 90:10 “שְׁמֹנִים שָׁנָה” (eighty).
  - Ps 12:7 “מְזֻקָּק שִׁבְעָתָיִם” (sevenfold refined).
  - Ps 90:10 “שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה” (seventy) and 90:14 “שַׂבְּעֵנוּ” (fill/satiate; homographic with “seven” though distinct root).
  The shared sound-pattern and number vocabulary make a deliberate hinge plausible. Medium weight.
- אמר “say/words”: Ps 12 is saturated with אמר/אמרות (esp. “אִמֲרוֹת יְהוָה … טְהֹרוֹת”), culminating in God’s oracle (12:6). Ps 90:3 “וַתֹּאמֶר שׁוּבוּ” features God’s speech; both psalms contrast fragile human talk with decisive divine speech. Low–medium weight (common root).
- Guarding/establishing shelter imagery: Ps 12:8 “אַתָּה … תִּשְׁמְרֵם … תִּצְּרֶנּוּ”; Ps 90:1 “מָעוֹן אַתָּה הָיִיתָ לָּנוּ” and 90:17 “כוֹנְנָה … כּוֹנְנֵהוּ.” Different roots, shared field of protective placement and stability.

Form and genre logic:
- Psalm 12 is a lament that includes a divine oracle (12:6) and a confidence claim (12:7–8) but still ends with an observation of rampant wickedness (12:9). That unresolved ending invites a further communal response.
- Psalm 90 is a communal/wisdom prayer that supplies that response: confession (90:7–9), acknowledgement that God exposes “our hidden things” (90:8), petition for wisdom (90:12), the classic “How long?” (90:13), and a final plea for God to “establish” the work of our hands (90:17). As a liturgical sequence, 90 functions as the penitential/wisdom appropriation of 12’s oracle.

Thematic progression (idea-links):
- “This generation” vs. “all generations”: Ps 12 fears “this generation” (מן־הדור זו לעולם). Ps 90 reframes time under God’s eternity and care “in generation and generation” and “from everlasting to everlasting.” The fear of a single corrupt דור is absorbed into the stability of God across דורות.
- Human speech vs. divine word: Ps 12 denounces deceitful lips and boasts; counters with “the sayings of YHWH are pure.” Ps 90 builds on this by living under that word—God says “Return, sons of man” (90:3)—and by asking for a heart of wisdom (90:12) fit to respond to God’s speech.
- Hidden duplicity vs. exposed secrets: Ps 12’s “בְּלֵב וָלֵב” (double heart) is met by Ps 90:8 “עֲוֹנֹתֵינוּ … עֲלֻמֵינוּ לִמְאוֹר פָּנֶיךָ” (our iniquities and hidden things set in the light of your face).
- Afflicted poor → days of affliction: The cry “from the plunder of the poor, the groan of the needy” (12:6) flows into “make us glad as many days as you have afflicted us” (90:15). The social wound becomes a prayer for redemptive proportion.
- Arrogance answered: The proud challenge “Who is lord over us?” (12:5) is answered immediately by “Lord, you have been our dwelling place” (90:1) and by “who knows the power of your anger?” (90:11). The question “who?” is answered with Adonai’s identity and power.
- Preservation → establishment: Ps 12 promises God will “keep/guard” the oppressed; Ps 90 asks that God now “establish” the work—moving from mere survival to constructive stability under God’s favor (90:17).

Cultural-historical plausibility:
- Both psalms fit lament liturgy. A common pattern in Israelite worship is: complaint about social evil → divine assurance → communal penitence/wisdom and petition for restoration. Psalm 12 supplies the complaint and oracle; Psalm 90 supplies the communal penitence and wisdom ask (“teach us to number our days”), culminating in a prayer that God’s favor rest on the community’s life and labor.
- The “Moses” superscription in Ps 90 invites hearing the prayer against the backdrop of the “wilderness generation” (a דור defined by judgment and mortality). That sits naturally after Ps 12’s concern with a corrupt דור: the community reads its present “generation” problem in light of the paradigmatic דור of the wilderness and seeks mercy.

Why this yields a logical sequence:
- Psalm 12 leaves the reader with a promised divine “setting in safety” but an unhealed social landscape (12:9). Psalm 90 picks up that promise with the only things that can heal the landscape: repentance, a wise heart, the recognition of God’s eternity over fleeting human days, and the plea that God himself “set/establish” our work and let his pleasantness be “upon us.”
- The tight net of shared expressions—especially בני אדם, דור/לעולם, the אדון/אדני reversal, the שִׁית “set” verb, לב/לבב, and the seven/eight number cluster (שִׁבְעָתַיִם; שִׁבְעִים; שְׁמֹנִים; הַשְּׁמִינִית)—makes it plausible that Psalm 90 was designed (or can be read) as the next liturgical or literary step after Psalm 12.

Evaluation

Score: 6.5

Evaluated at: 2026-01-23T02:36:13 (UTC)

Evaluator model: gpt-5

Evaluator version: v2

Reasoning: 3456 Output: 5676 Total: 9132

Vocabulary specificity: 3.5 / 10

Multiple correct verse-linked hooks (דור/לעולם; בני אדם; אדון↔אדֹנָי; שׁית), coherent progression. But most vocabulary is commonplace; seven/eight play is speculative; and 12–90 are far apart canonically. Moderately persuasive.

Prompt

Consider Psalm 12 and Psalm 90 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 90 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 90:
Psalm 90
1. תְּפִלָּה֮
        לְמֹשֶׁ֢ה
        אִֽישׁ־
        הָאֱלֹ֫הִ֥ים
        אֲ‍ֽדֹנָ֗י
        מָע֣וֹן
        אַ֭תָּה
        הָיִ֥יתָ
        לָּ֗נוּ
        בְּדֹ֣ר
        וָדֹֽר׃
2. בְּטֶ֤רֶם ׀
        הָ֘רִ֤ים
        יֻלָּ֗דוּ
        וַתְּח֣וֹלֵֽל
        אֶ֣רֶץ
        וְתֵבֵ֑ל
        וּֽמֵעוֹלָ֥ם
        עַד־
        ע֝וֹלָ֗ם
        אַתָּ֥ה
        אֵֽל׃
3. תָּשֵׁ֣ב
        אֱ֭נוֹשׁ
        עַד־
        דַּכָּ֑א
        וַ֝תֹּ֗אמֶר
        שׁ֣וּבוּ
        בְנֵי־
        אָדָֽם׃
4. כִּ֤י
        אֶ֪לֶף
        שָׁנִ֡ים
        בְּֽעֵינֶ֗יךָ
        כְּי֣וֹם
        אֶ֭תְמוֹל
        כִּ֣י
        יַעֲבֹ֑ר
        וְאַשְׁמוּרָ֥ה
        בַלָּֽיְלָה׃
5. זְ֭רַמְתָּם
        שֵׁנָ֣ה
        יִהְי֑וּ
        בַּ֝בֹּ֗קֶר
        כֶּחָצִ֥יר
        יַחֲלֹֽף׃
6. בַּ֭בֹּקֶר
        יָצִ֣יץ
        וְחָלָ֑ף
        לָ֝עֶ֗רֶב
        יְמוֹלֵ֥ל
        וְיָבֵֽשׁ׃
7. כִּֽי־
        כָלִ֥ינוּ
        בְאַפֶּ֑ךָ
        וּֽבַחֲמָתְךָ֥
        נִבְהָֽלְנוּ׃
8. שת
        שַׁתָּ֣ה
        עֲוֺנֹתֵ֣ינוּ
        לְנֶגְדֶּ֑ךָ
        עֲ֝לֻמֵ֗נוּ
        לִמְא֥וֹר
        פָּנֶֽיךָ׃
9. כִּ֣י
        כָל־
        יָ֭מֵינוּ
        פָּנ֣וּ
        בְעֶבְרָתֶ֑ךָ
        כִּלִּ֖ינוּ
        שָׁנֵ֣ינוּ
        כְמוֹ־
        הֶֽגֶה׃
10. יְמֵֽי־
        שְׁנוֹתֵ֨ינוּ
        בָהֶ֥ם
        שִׁבְעִ֪ים
        שָׁנָ֡ה
        וְאִ֤ם
        בִּגְבוּרֹ֨ת ׀
        שְׁמ֘וֹנִ֤ים
        שָׁנָ֗ה
        וְ֭רָהְבָּם
        עָמָ֣ל
        וָאָ֑וֶן
        כִּי־
        גָ֥ז
        חִ֝֗ישׁ
        וַנָּעֻֽפָה׃
11. מִֽי־
        י֭וֹדֵעַ
        עֹ֣ז
        אַפֶּ֑ךָ
        וּ֝כְיִרְאָתְךָ֗
        עֶבְרָתֶֽךָ׃
12. לִמְנ֣וֹת
        יָ֭מֵינוּ
        כֵּ֣ן
        הוֹדַ֑ע
        וְ֝נָבִ֗א
        לְבַ֣ב
        חָכְמָֽה׃
13. שׁוּבָ֣ה
        יְ֭הוָה
        עַד־
        מָתָ֑י
        וְ֝הִנָּחֵ֗ם
        עַל־
        עֲבָדֶֽיךָ׃
14. שַׂבְּעֵ֣נוּ
        בַבֹּ֣קֶר
        חַסְדֶּ֑ךָ
        וּֽנְרַנְּנָ֥ה
        וְ֝נִשְׂמְחָ֗ה
        בְּכָל־
        יָמֵֽינוּ׃
15. שַׂ֭מְּחֵנוּ
        כִּימ֣וֹת
        עִנִּיתָ֑נוּ
        שְׁ֝נ֗וֹת
        רָאִ֥ינוּ
        רָעָֽה׃
16. יֵרָאֶ֣ה
        אֶל־
        עֲבָדֶ֣יךָ
        פָעֳלֶ֑ךָ
        וַ֝הֲדָרְךָ֗
        עַל־
        בְּנֵיהֶֽם׃
17. וִיהִ֤י ׀
        נֹ֤עַם
        אֲדֹנָ֥י
        אֱלֹהֵ֗ינוּ
        עָ֫לֵ֥ינוּ
        וּמַעֲשֵׂ֣ה
        יָ֭דֵינוּ
        כּוֹנְנָ֥ה
        עָלֵ֑ינוּ
        וּֽמַעֲשֵׂ֥ה
        יָ֝דֵ֗ינוּ
        כּוֹנְנֵֽהוּ׃