Psalm 12 → 94
Reasoning: 8896 Output: 5473 Total: 14369
Argument
Short answer: Psalm 94 can be read as the theological and rhetorical “answer” to the social crisis voiced in Psalm 12. Psalm 12 describes a world in which the faithful have vanished, the arrogant dominate by deceitful speech, and the poor are oppressed; God promises to arise. Psalm 94 resumes that world, names its actors and crimes in fuller detail, calls God to appear as Judge, argues that God certainly sees and disciplines, and ends with the retribution Psalm 12 asked for. The link is strengthened by repeated vocabulary, identical verbal forms, mirrored motifs, and matching moves in the poem’s structure. Details 1) Form and rhetoric - Both are communal laments that open with direct address and imperatives to YHWH and move to confidence: - Ps 12:2 “Hoshia YHWH” vs Ps 94:1–2 “El‑neqamot YHWH… hophia; hinnaseh shofet ha’aretz.” - Both embed quoted speech: - The boast of the wicked: Ps 12:5 “Mi adon lanu?” vs Ps 94:7 “Lo yir’eh‑Yah, v’lo‑yavin Elohei Ya‘aqov.” - Divine speech/promise: Ps 12:6 “Attah aqum, yomar YHWH” is matched by Ps 94’s confident assertions of God’s intervention (94:14–23). - Both end by contrasting the present strutting of the wicked (Ps 12:9) with certain judgment (Ps 94:20–23). 2) Shared vocabulary and identical forms (rarer or more exact matches first) - Identical finite verb form of דבר “to speak” for the wicked: - Ps 12:3 יְדַבְּרוּ; Ps 94:4 יְדַבְּרוּ. In both, this marks arrogant, harmful speech. - The אמר word‑family, clustered in both psalms: - Ps 12:5 אָמְרוּ; 12:6 יֹאמַר; 12:7 אִמֲרוֹת/אֲמָרוֹת. - Ps 94:4 יִתְאַמְּרוּ (Hitpael from אמר, “boast/show themselves”), a rarer, marked form that semantically matches the proud claims in Ps 12:5. - The קום word‑family, creating a deliberate echo: - Ps 12:6 עַתָּה אָקוּם (“Now I will arise,” God’s promise). - Ps 94:16 מִי־יָקוּם לִי (“Who will rise up for me?”), answered by God’s rise to judge (94:2–3, 22–23). This is a strong “problem/promise” to “appeal/fulfilment” link. - Heart vocabulary as moral marker: - Ps 12:3 בְּלֵב וָלֵב (“with a double heart”). - Ps 94:15 יִשְׁרֵי־לֵב (“upright in heart”). Polar opposites, framing the same moral field. - The pair “vain speech/thought”: - Ps 12:3 שָׁוְא יְדַבְּרוּ (“They speak emptiness/falsehood”). - Ps 94:11 מַחְשְׁבוֹת אָדָם כִּי־הֵמָּה הָבֶל (“Man’s thoughts are vanity”). Shav ↔ hevel is a well‑known synonym pair; both target human pretension. - Repeated nouns for the wicked and mankind: - רְשָׁעִים in both (Ps 12:9; Ps 94:3); אָדָם/בְּנֵי אָדָם in both (Ps 12:2; Ps 94:11). - Protection lexemes: - Ps 12:8 “תִּשְׁמְרֵם… תִּצְּרֶנּוּ”; Ps 94:22 “מִשְׂגָּב… צוּר מַחְסִי,” 94:17–19 “עֶזְרָתָה… יִסְעָדֵנִי… תַּנְחוּמֶיךָ.” - Judgment verbs: - Ps 12:4 יַכְרֵת (“cut off”) the flattering lips; Ps 94:23 יַצְמִיתֵם (“exterminate”) the perpetrators. Different verbs, same judicial end. 3) The speech motif (stylistic and thematic) - Psalm 12 is saturated with speech words to diagnose the crisis: שָׁוְא… יְדַבְּרוּ; שְׂפַת חֲלָקוֹת; לָשׁוֹן מְדַבֶּרֶת גְּדֹלוֹת; “Mi adon lanu?” Set against this, God’s אִמֲרוֹת… טְהֹרוֹת. - Psalm 94 picks up the very same register of corrupt speech and intensifies it to policy and violence: “יַבִּיעוּ יְדַבְּרוּ עָתָק; יִתְאַמְּרוּ…; הַיִחָבְרְךָ כִּסֵּא הַוּוֹת… יוֹצֵר עָמָל עֲלֵי־חֹק” (a legal apparatus of harm). It then opposes this with God’s teaching and knowledge: “וּמִתּוֹרָתְךָ תְלַמְּדֶנּוּ… יְהוָה יוֹדֵעַ מַחְשְׁבוֹת אָדָם.” 4) From oppression in Ps 12 to its courtroom sequel in Ps 94 - The oppressed of Ps 12:6 (“מִשֹּׁד עֲנִיִּים מֵאַנְקַת אֶבְיוֹנִים”) reappear, specified and intensified, in Ps 94:5–6 as YHWH’s own people and inheritance, now including widow, sojourner, orphan, and the “innocent blood” of the righteous. This is the same social evil, now itemized for the court. - Psalm 12’s general diagnosis that “the wicked prowl when vileness is exalted among men” (12:9 כְּרוּם זֻלוּת) is met by Psalm 94’s prayer and promise that “judgment will return to righteousness” (94:15), i.e., the reversal of that upside‑down public order. 5) Promise in Ps 12, appearance in Ps 94 - Ps 12 contains a divine oracle: “עַתָּה אָקוּם… אָשִׁית בְּיֵשַׁע” (12:6). Ps 94 opens with “אֵל נְקָמוֹת… הוֹפִיעַ” (“appear/shine forth,” 94:1) and “הִנָּשֵׂא… הָשֵׁב גְּמוּל” (94:2). The appearance and the act of repayment asked for in 94 are the execution of the resolve announced in 12. - Ps 12 praises God’s pure words (אִמֲרוֹת… טְהֹרוֹת, 12:7); Ps 94 blesses the man whom God disciplines and teaches from “Torah” (94:12). Both contrast human words with God’s reliable instruction as the means of preservation. 6) Rhetorical riposte to the wicked’s boast - Ps 12:5 quotes the defiant claim “מִי אָדוֹן לָנוּ?” (“Who is lord over us?”). Ps 94:7 quotes the theological rationalization “לֹא יִרְאֶה־יָהּ… לֹא יָבִין…” (“Yah does not see/understand”). Psalm 94 then dismantles it point‑by‑point: the God who planted the ear hears; who formed the eye sees; who disciplines nations will reprove; who teaches man knowledge knows (94:9–11). This is a logical continuation and refutation of the stance voiced in Psalm 12. 7) Preservation “from this generation” to “until the pit is dug” - Ps 12:8 asks for perpetual guarding “מִן־הַדּוֹר זוּ לְעוֹלָם.” - Ps 94:13 promises quiet “לְהַשְׁקִיט לוֹ מִימֵי רָע, עַד יִכָּרֶה לָרָשָׁע שָׁחַת.” Both envision sustained protection through an evil age until judgment lands. 8) Historical/social logic - Psalm 12 sketches a breakdown of covenantal society in speech and trust (flattery, boastful tongues) leading to exploitation of the weak. - Psalm 94 is the judicial sequel: the same class of arrogant not only boasts but legislates harm (כִּסֵּא הַוּוֹת… עֲלֵי־חֹק), commits murder, and targets God’s people. The psalm summons the Divine Judge and affirms the covenantal assurance that God will not forsake His people (94:14), answering the crisis of Psalm 12. 9) A compact mapping of progression - 12:1–3 Loss of faithful; corrupt speech → 94:3–6 The same wicked now exult and do violence. - 12:4–5 Proud claims about autonomy → 94:7 Proud claims about God’s ignorance, explicitly refuted. - 12:6 God promises to rise → 94:1–3,16,22–23 God is invoked to appear and is confessed as refuge; the wicked are destroyed. - 12:7 God’s pure words → 94:12–13 God’s Torah discipline/comfort sustains the righteous. - 12:8 Protection from the generation → 94:13–15 Protection until righteousness restores judgment. Conclusion On stylistic, lexical, and thematic grounds, Psalm 94 reads like a deliberate continuation of Psalm 12: it reprises the same actors and sins, reuses key speech/verbal roots (דבר; אמר), echoes the decisive “arise” motif (קום), opposes double‑heartedness with upright hearts, and moves from God’s promise to rise (Ps 12) to His judicial appearing and final recompense (Ps 94). Even where the exact rare words differ, both psalms mark the crisis with marked speech terms (שְׂפַת חֲלָקוֹת; עָתָק; יִתְאַמְּרוּ) and resolve it with God’s reliable word and action. In that sense, Psalm 94 logically follows Psalm 12 as its courtroom realization.
Evaluation
Score: 6.5
Evaluated at: 2026-01-23T02:39:48 (UTC)
Evaluator model: gpt-5
Evaluator version: v2
Reasoning: 3648 Output: 6301 Total: 9949
Checklist
- Has verse refs: Yes
- Factual error detected: No
- Only generic motifs: No
- Counterargument considered: No
- LXX/MT numbering acknowledged: No
Vocabulary specificity: 4.5 / 10
Several precise correspondences (דבר/אמר/קום; 12:6↔94:16; quoted boasts; oppression list) check out, but overlaps are common; no structural/editorial marker; ignores Ps 93–100 cluster counter-explanation. Strong case, not decisive.
Prompt
Consider Psalm 12 and Psalm 94 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 94 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 94:
Psalm 94
1. אֵל־
נְקָמ֥וֹת
יְהוָ֑ה
אֵ֖ל
נְקָמ֣וֹת
הוֹפִֽיעַt׃
2. הִ֭נָּשֵׂא
שֹׁפֵ֣ט
הָאָ֑רֶץ
הָשֵׁ֥ב
גְּ֝מ֗וּל
עַל־
גֵּאִֽים׃
3. עַד־
מָתַ֖י
רְשָׁעִ֥ים ׀
יְהוָ֑ה
עַד־
מָ֝תַ֗י
רְשָׁעִ֥ים
יַעֲלֹֽזוּ׃
4. יַבִּ֣יעוּ
יְדַבְּר֣וּ
עָתָ֑ק
יִֽ֝תְאַמְּר֗וּ
כָּל־
פֹּ֥עֲלֵי
אָֽוֶן׃
5. עַמְּךָ֣
יְהוָ֣ה
יְדַכְּא֑וּ
וְֽנַחֲלָתְךָ֥
יְעַנּֽוּ׃
6. אַ֭לְמָנָה
וְגֵ֣ר
יַהֲרֹ֑גוּ
וִֽיתוֹמִ֣ים
יְרַצֵּֽחוּ׃
7. וַ֭יֹּ֣אמְרוּ
לֹ֣א
יִרְאֶה־
יָּ֑הּ
וְלֹא־
יָ֝בִ֗ין
אֱלֹהֵ֥י
יַעֲקֹֽב׃
8. בִּ֭ינוּ
בֹּעֲרִ֣ים
בָּעָ֑ם
וּ֝כְסִילִ֗ים
מָתַ֥י
תַּשְׂכִּֽילוּ׃
9. הֲנֹ֣טַֽע
אֹ֭זֶן
הֲלֹ֣א
יִשְׁמָ֑ע
אִֽם־
יֹ֥צֵֽר
עַ֝֗יִן
הֲלֹ֣א
יַבִּֽיט׃
10. הֲיֹסֵ֣ר
גּ֭וֹיִם
הֲלֹ֣א
יוֹכִ֑יחַ
הַֽמְלַמֵּ֖ד
אָדָ֣ם
דָּֽעַת׃
11. יְֽהוָ֗ה
יֹ֭דֵעַ
מַחְשְׁב֣וֹת
אָדָ֑ם
כִּי־
הֵ֥מָּה
הָֽבֶל׃
12. אַשְׁרֵ֤י ׀
הַגֶּ֣בֶר
אֲשֶׁר־
תְּיַסְּרֶ֣נּוּ
יָּ֑הּ
וּֽמִתּוֹרָתְךָ֥
תְלַמְּדֶֽנּוּ׃
13. לְהַשְׁקִ֣יט
ל֭וֹ
מִ֣ימֵי
רָ֑ע
עַ֤ד
יִכָּרֶ֖ה
לָרָשָׁ֣ע
שָֽׁחַת׃
14. כִּ֤י ׀
לֹא־
יִטֹּ֣שׁ
יְהוָ֣ה
עַמּ֑וֹ
וְ֝נַחֲלָת֗וֹ
לֹ֣א
יַעֲזֹֽב׃
15. כִּֽי־
עַד־
צֶ֭דֶק
יָשׁ֣וּב
מִשְׁפָּ֑ט
וְ֝אַחֲרָ֗יו
כָּל־
יִשְׁרֵי־
לֵֽב׃
16. מִֽי־
יָק֣וּם
לִ֭י
עִם־
מְרֵעִ֑ים
מִֽי־
יִתְיַצֵּ֥ב
לִ֝י
עִם־
פֹּ֥עֲלֵי
אָֽוֶן׃
17. לוּלֵ֣י
יְ֭הוָה
עֶזְרָ֣תָה
לִּ֑י
כִּמְעַ֓ט ׀
שָֽׁכְנָ֖ה
דוּמָ֣ה
נַפְשִֽׁי׃
18. אִם־
אָ֭מַרְתִּי
מָ֣טָה
רַגְלִ֑י
חַסְדְּךָ֥
יְ֝הוָ֗ה
יִסְעָדֵֽנִי׃
19. בְּרֹ֣ב
שַׂרְעַפַּ֣י
בְּקִרְבִּ֑י
תַּ֝נְחוּמֶ֗יךָ
יְֽשַׁעַשְׁע֥וּ
נַפְשִֽׁי׃
20. הַֽ֭יְחָבְרְךָ
כִּסֵּ֣א
הַוּ֑וֹת
יֹצֵ֖ר
עָמָ֣ל
עֲלֵי־
חֹֽק׃
21. יָ֭גוֹדּוּ
עַל־
נֶ֣פֶשׁ
צַדִּ֑יק
וְדָ֖ם
נָקִ֣י
יַרְשִֽׁיעוּ׃
22. וַיְהִ֬י
יְהוָ֣ה
לִ֣י
לְמִשְׂגָּ֑ב
וֵ֝אלֹהַ֗י
לְצ֣וּר
מַחְסִֽי׃
23. וַיָּ֤שֶׁב
עֲלֵיהֶ֨ם ׀
אֶת־
אוֹנָ֗ם
וּבְרָעָתָ֥ם
יַצְמִיתֵ֑ם
יַ֝צְמִיתֵ֗ם
יְהוָ֥ה
אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ׃