Psalm 12 → 104
Reasoning: 2186 Output: 7423 Total: 9609
Argument
Below are several ways to argue that Ps 104 can be read as a logical continuation (or “answer/expansion”) of Ps 12. I’ll group the case by (a) thematic/narrative movement, (b) lexeme/root-level links (esp. rarer or identical forms), (c) stylistic/formal links, and (d) “Israelite life / mythic” sequencing. --- ## 1) Thematic “logic”: from social chaos + corrupt speech → God’s reliable word + ordered creation ### A. Ps 12 sets up the problem: human society is destabilized by deceptive speech Ps 12 is driven by *verbal* breakdown: - שָׁוְא יְדַבְּרוּ (“they speak emptiness/falsehood,” 12:3) - שְׂפַת חֲלָקוֹת / לָשׁוֹן מְדַבֶּרֶת גְּדֹלוֹת (“smooth lips… a tongue speaking ‘great things’,” 12:3–5) - The crisis is that trustworthy people have “ceased”: גָמַר חָסִיד … פַסּוּ אֱמוּנִים (12:2) ### B. Ps 12 also gives the hinge: God’s *speech* is pure and God will “arise” - The central counterpoint is **YHWH’s speech**: אִמֲרוֹת יְהוָה אֲמָרוֹת טְהֹרוֹת (“the words of YHWH are pure,” 12:7) - Divine intervention is promised as an oracle: עַתָּה אָקוּם יֹאמַר יְהוָה (“Now I will arise, says YHWH,” 12:6) ### C. Ps 104 “follows” by portraying what it looks like when YHWH has arisen: the world is governed by God’s effective ordering (not by human lies) Ps 104 is essentially a panoramic display of *stable cosmic order* and *ongoing providence*: boundaries fixed, waters restrained, life sustained. That functions as a large-scale demonstration of the reliability/power of YHWH (and implicitly of YHWH’s word/voice), which is exactly what Ps 12 needs after diagnosing the unreliability of human words. So the progression can be framed: - Ps 12: “Human speech is corrupt; save us; your words are pure; arise.” - Ps 104: “Here is the world as ordered and sustained by the (arisen/reigning) YHWH.” --- ## 2) Strong end-to-end link: both psalms culminate in the “wicked still around” problem—and Ps 104 resolves it ### A. Ps 12 ends unresolved: the wicked still “walk about” - סָבִיב רְשָׁעִים יִתְהַלָּכוּן (“All around the wicked walk about,” 12:9) ### B. Ps 104 ends with the wish that the wicked *disappear* - יִתַּמּוּ חַטָּאִים … וּרְשָׁעִים עוֹד אֵינָם (“Let sinners be finished… and the wicked be no more,” 104:35) That creates a particularly neat “logical follow”: the troubling observation of Ps 12:9 receives an answering aspiration in Ps 104:35. --- ## 3) Lexical/root connections (with emphasis on identical forms / rarer matches) Even though the topics differ, there are some notable overlaps that can be used as “stitching.” ### A. Identical lexemes that matter thematically - **רְשָׁעִים** appears in both (12:9; 104:35). In Ps 12 they roam; in Ps 104 they are envisioned as removed. - **אָדָם** (humanity) appears in both (12:2, 9; 104:14, 23). Ps 12 focuses on social breakdown “among בני אדם”; Ps 104 embeds אָדָם inside the created order (work by day, food from the earth). - **לְעוֹלָם** is shared (12:8; 104:5, 31). Ps 12: God’s protection “forever”; Ps 104: earth’s stability “forever and ever” and YHWH’s glory “forever.” ### B. A relatively “good” rare-ish lexical bridge: **חָסִיד / חֲסִידָה** - Ps 12: גָמַר **חָסִיד** (“the faithful/loyal one has vanished,” 12:2) - Ps 104: **חֲסִידָה** (the stork, 104:17) These are not the same word-class/meaning (adjective/noun vs animal name), but the shared form/root sequence חסיד is unusual enough to function as a catchword link: Ps 12 laments the disappearance of “חסיד”; Ps 104 shows “חסידה” still nested securely in YHWH’s planted world (104:16–17). As an argument, it’s suggestive: human חסיד fails in society, but YHWH’s world still “houses” חסידה. ### C. Identical form: **גְּדֹלוֹת** - Ps 12: לָשׁוֹן מְדַבֶּרֶת **גְּדֹלוֹת** (“a tongue speaking ‘great things’,” 12:4) - Ps 104: חַיּוֹת קְטַנּוֹת עִם־**גְּדֹלוֹת** (“small creatures with great [ones],” 104:25) Same surface form **גדולות** is a decent hook: Ps 12 criticizes human “גדולות” as arrogant speech; Ps 104 relocates “greatness” into the creaturely realm under God’s governance (where “great” is simply size within creation, not boast). ### D. Shared root with thematic payoff: **שׁית** (“set/place”) - Ps 12: אָשִׁית בְּיֵשַׁע (“I will **set** [him] in safety,” 12:6) - Ps 104: גְּבוּל **שַׂמְתָּ** (“You **set** a boundary,” 104:9); תָּשֶׁת חֹשֶׁךְ (“You **set** darkness,” 104:20) This is a strong conceptual bridge: in Ps 12 YHWH “sets” the oppressed in safety; in Ps 104 YHWH “sets” boundaries and cycles that keep chaos in check. Same “God who sets things in their proper, protective place.” ### E. Shared root: **הלך** with a contrastive effect - Ps 12: יִתְהַלָּכוּן (the wicked “walk about,” 12:9) - Ps 104: יְהַלֵּכוּן (streams “go/walk” between mountains, 104:10; ships “go,” 104:26) Same root הלך, but transferred from *aimless predatory social roaming* (Ps 12) to *ordered natural movement* (Ps 104). That contrast itself can be argued as “following”: the poem moves from disordered human walking to ordered cosmic “walking.” ### F. Shared “heart” vocabulary - Ps 12: בְּלֵב וָלֵב (double-hearted speech, 12:3) - Ps 104: יְשַׂמַּח לְבַב־אֱנוֹשׁ / לְחֶם לְבַב־אֱנוֹשׁ (wine/bread gladden/strengthen the human heart, 104:15) Ps 12: the heart is duplicitous; Ps 104: the heart is rightly sustained by God’s provision. --- ## 4) Stylistic/form similarities that make Ps 104 feel like a “next movement” ### A. Both are YHWH-addressing poems with strong second-person orientation Ps 12 is prayer + oracle; Ps 104 is praise, but both keep drawing the reader into direct engagement with YHWH (imperatives, vocatives, second-person verbs). ### B. Imperative opening: plea → blessing - Ps 12 starts with an urgent imperative: **הוֹשִׁיעָה** יְהוָה (“Save!” 12:2) - Ps 104 starts with a liturgical imperative: **בָּרֲכִי** נַפְשִׁי אֶת־יְהוָה (“Bless!” 104:1) That reads like a plausible “after deliverance / after reassurance” shift: petition (12) → doxology (104). ### C. Participial description: what human tongues do vs what God does Ps 104 is full of participles (עֹטֶה, נוֹטֶה, הַמְקָרֶה, הַמְהַלֵּךְ, הַמַּבִּיט…), portraying YHWH’s ongoing governance. Ps 12 also uses participial description for the *problem*: לָשׁוֹן **מְדַבֶּרֶת** גְּדֹלוֹת (“a tongue speaking…,” 12:4). So you can argue an intentional rhetorical replacement: - Ps 12: “the speaking tongue” (human, corrupt) - Ps 104: “the acting God” (divine, ordering) ### D. Sound/voice motif: speech in Ps 12 → thunder/voice in Ps 104 Ps 12 is about words (אִמֲרוֹת/אָמַר/יְדַבְּרוּ). Ps 104 features God’s “voice” in creation control language: - מִן־גַּעֲרָתְךָ (“from your rebuke,” 104:7) - מִן־קוֹל רַעַמְךָ (“from the sound of your thunder,” 104:7) So: human speech destroys trust (Ps 12), but YHWH’s “voice” restrains primordial waters and stabilizes the world (Ps 104). Same arena (sound/utterance), opposite effects. --- ## 5) “Life-cycle / day-night” sequencing: Ps 12’s social danger → Ps 104’s cosmic policing of night Ps 12 ends with the wicked “walking about” (12:9). Ps 104 explicitly describes a rhythm where dangerous creatures roam at night and withdraw at sunrise: - Night: תָּשֶׁת חֹשֶׁךְ… בּוֹ תִרְמֹשׂ כָּל־חַיְתוֹ־יָעַר (104:20) - Predators seek food: הַכְּפִירִים… וּלְבַקֵּשׁ מֵאֵל אָכְלָם (104:21) - Day: תִּזְרַח הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ יֵאָסֵפוּן… (104:22) - Then humans go to work: יֵצֵא אָדָם לְפָעֳלוֹ… (104:23) A “follow” argument: Ps 104 universalizes Ps 12’s social anxiety—“wicked roam around”—by placing roaming/predation into a controlled creational schedule. Even what threatens has limits set by God. --- ## 6) Mythic/creation-order connection: restraining chaos (tongues vs waters) Ancient Near Eastern thought often treats chaos as something needing restraint (especially waters/sea). Ps 104 has strong “chaos restrained” imagery: - תְּהוֹם כַּלְּבוּשׁ כִּסִּיתוֹ (“the Deep covered [the earth] like a garment,” 104:6) - God rebukes and waters flee (104:7) - God sets a גבול so they won’t cover the earth again (104:9) Ps 12’s threat is not sea-chaos but *social chaos* unleashed by lying speech. The structural similarity is still usable: - Ps 12: YHWH cuts off (יכרת) destructive lips/tongues (12:4) - Ps 104: YHWH rebukes/sets boundaries so waters cannot transgress (104:7–9) In both, YHWH is the one who **limits** a dangerous, spreading force. --- ### Summary of the strongest “stitch points” If you had to pick the tightest arguments: 1) **Ending link:** רְשָׁעִים (12:9 → 104:35) moves from “they’re still here” to “let them be no more.” 2) **Speech/voice axis:** Ps 12 contrasts human lying speech with YHWH’s pure words; Ps 104 depicts YHWH’s effective “voice” (rebuke/thunder) ordering creation. 3) **שׁית root:** “I will set [him] in safety” (12:6) → “You set boundaries/cycles” (104:9, 20): same God, same ordering/protecting action. 4) **Imperative shift:** הושיעה (plea) → ברכי (praise), a natural liturgical/narrative progression. If you want, I can also map these links as a proposed editorial “catchword chain” (פסוק-by-פסוק hooks), or quantify rarity (hapax/low-frequency items like זֻלּוּת, תְּהוֹם, לִוְיָתָן, etc.) to see whether any additional rare-word stitching is plausible.
Evaluation
Score: 2.0
Evaluated at: 2026-02-02T02:17:45 (UTC)
Evaluator model: gpt-5.2
Evaluator version: v2
Reasoning: 520 Output: 8251 Total: 8771
Checklist
- Has verse refs: Yes
- Factual error detected: Yes
- Only generic motifs: No
- Counterargument considered: No
- LXX/MT numbering acknowledged: No
Vocabulary specificity: 3.0 / 10
Flags: misquote
Several plausible catchwords (רשעים; חסיד/חסידה; גדולות), but a philological error: Ps 104:9 שַׂמְתָּ is root שׂים, not שׁית. Any factual error → max 2.
Prompt
Consider Psalm 12 and Psalm 104 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 104 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 104:
Psalm 104
1. בָּרֲכִ֥י
נַפְשִׁ֗י
אֶת־
יְה֫וָ֥ה
יְהוָ֣ה
אֱ֭לֹהַי
גָּדַ֣לְתָּ
מְּאֹ֑ד
ה֖וֹד
וְהָדָ֣ר
לָבָֽשְׁתָּ׃
2. עֹֽטֶה־
א֭וֹר
כַּשַּׂלְמָ֑ה
נוֹטֶ֥ה
שָׁ֝מַ֗יִם
כַּיְרִיעָֽה׃
3. הַ֥מְקָרֶֽה
בַמַּ֗יִם
עֲֽלִיּ֫וֹתָ֥יו
הַשָּׂם־
עָבִ֥ים
רְכוּב֑וֹ
הַֽ֝מְהַלֵּ֗ךְ
עַל־
כַּנְפֵי־
רֽוּחַ׃
4. עֹשֶׂ֣ה
מַלְאָכָ֣יו
רוּח֑וֹת
מְ֝שָׁרְתָ֗יו
אֵ֣שׁ
לֹהֵֽט׃
5. יָֽסַד־
אֶ֭רֶץ
עַל־
מְכוֹנֶ֑יהָ
בַּל־
תִּ֝מּ֗וֹט
עוֹלָ֥ם
וָעֶֽד׃
6. תְּ֭הוֹם
כַּלְּב֣וּשׁ
כִּסִּית֑וֹ
עַל־
הָ֝רִ֗ים
יַ֖עַמְדוּ־
מָֽיִם׃
7. מִן־
גַּעֲרָ֣תְךָ֣
יְנוּס֑וּן
מִן־
ק֥וֹל
רַֽ֝עַמְךָ֗
יֵחָפֵזֽוּן׃
8. יַעֲל֣וּ
הָ֭רִים
יֵרְד֣וּ
בְקָע֑וֹת
אֶל־
מְ֝ק֗וֹם
זֶ֤ה ׀
יָסַ֬דְתָּ
לָהֶֽם׃
9. גְּֽבוּל־
שַׂ֭מְתָּ
בַּל־
יַֽעֲבֹר֑וּן
בַּל־
יְ֝שׁוּב֗וּן
לְכַסּ֥וֹת
הָאָֽרֶץ׃
10. הַֽמְשַׁלֵּ֣חַ
מַ֭עְיָנִים
בַּנְּחָלִ֑ים
בֵּ֥ין
הָ֝רִ֗ים
יְהַלֵּכֽוּן׃
11. יַ֭שְׁקוּ
כָּל־
חַיְת֣וֹ
שָׂדָ֑י
יִשְׁבְּר֖וּ
פְרָאִ֣ים
צְמָאָֽם׃
12. עֲ֭לֵיהֶם
עוֹף־
הַשָּׁמַ֣יִם
יִשְׁכּ֑וֹן
מִבֵּ֥ין
עֳ֝פָאיִ֗ם
יִתְּנוּ־
קֽוֹל׃
13. מַשְׁקֶ֣ה
הָ֭רִים
מֵעֲלִיּוֹתָ֑יו
מִפְּרִ֥י
מַ֝עֲשֶׂ֗יךָ
תִּשְׂבַּ֥ע
הָאָֽרֶץ׃
14. מַצְמִ֤יחַ
חָצִ֨יר ׀
לַבְּהֵמָ֗ה
וְ֭עֵשֶׂב
לַעֲבֹדַ֣ת
הָאָדָ֑ם
לְה֥וֹצִיא
לֶ֝֗חֶם
מִן־
הָאָֽרֶץ׃
15. וְיַ֤יִן ׀
יְשַׂמַּ֬ח
לְֽבַב־
אֱנ֗וֹשׁ
לְהַצְהִ֣יל
פָּנִ֣ים
מִשָּׁ֑מֶן
וְ֝לֶ֗חֶם
לְֽבַב־
אֱנ֥וֹשׁ
יִסְעָֽד׃
16. יִ֭שְׂבְּעוּ
עֲצֵ֣י
יְהוָ֑ה
אַֽרְזֵ֥י
לְ֝בָנ֗וֹן
אֲשֶׁ֣ר
נָטָֽע׃
17. אֲשֶׁר־
שָׁ֭ם
צִפֳּרִ֣ים
יְקַנֵּ֑נוּ
חֲ֝סִידָ֗ה
בְּרוֹשִׁ֥ים
בֵּיתָֽהּ׃
18. הָרִ֣ים
הַ֭גְּבֹהִים
לַיְּעֵלִ֑ים
סְ֝לָעִ֗ים
מַחְסֶ֥ה
לַֽשְׁפַנִּֽים׃
19. עָשָׂ֣ה
יָ֭רֵחַ
לְמוֹעֲדִ֑ים
שֶׁ֝֗מֶשׁ
יָדַ֥ע
מְבוֹאֽוֹ׃
20. תָּֽשֶׁת־
חֹ֭שֶׁךְ
וִ֣יהִי
לָ֑יְלָה
בּֽוֹ־
תִ֝רְמֹ֗שׂ
כָּל־
חַיְתוֹ־
יָֽעַר׃
21. הַ֭כְּפִירִים
שֹׁאֲגִ֣ים
לַטָּ֑רֶף
וּלְבַקֵּ֖שׁ
מֵאֵ֣ל
אָכְלָֽם׃
22. תִּזְרַ֣ח
הַ֭שֶּׁמֶשׁ
יֵאָסֵפ֑וּן
וְאֶל־
מְ֝עוֹנֹתָ֗ם
יִרְבָּצֽוּן׃
23. יֵצֵ֣א
אָדָ֣ם
לְפָעֳל֑וֹ
וְֽלַעֲבֹ֖דָת֣וֹ
עֲדֵי־
עָֽרֶב׃
24. מָֽה־
רַבּ֬וּ
מַעֲשֶׂ֨יךָ ׀
יְֽהוָ֗ה
כֻּ֭לָּם
בְּחָכְמָ֣ה
עָשִׂ֑יתָ
מָלְאָ֥ה
הָ֝אָ֗רֶץ
קִנְיָנֶֽךָ׃
25. זֶ֤ה ׀
הַיָּ֥ם
גָּדוֹל֮
וּרְחַ֢ב
יָ֫דָ֥יִם
שָֽׁם־
רֶ֭מֶשׂ
וְאֵ֣ין
מִסְפָּ֑ר
חַיּ֥וֹת
קְ֝טַנּ֗וֹת
עִם־
גְּדֹלֽוֹת׃
26. שָׁ֭ם
אֳנִיּ֣וֹת
יְהַלֵּכ֑וּן
לִ֝וְיָתָ֗ן
זֶֽה־
יָצַ֥רְתָּ
לְשַֽׂחֶק־
בּֽוֹ׃
27. כֻּ֭לָּם
אֵלֶ֣יךָ
יְשַׂבֵּר֑וּן
לָתֵ֖ת
אָכְלָ֣ם
בְּעִתּֽוֹ׃
28. תִּתֵּ֣ן
לָ֭הֶם
יִלְקֹט֑וּן
תִּפְתַּ֥ח
יָֽ֝דְךָ֗
יִשְׂבְּע֥וּן
טֽוֹב׃
29. תַּסְתִּ֥יר
פָּנֶיךָ֮
יִֽבָּהֵ֫ל֥וּן
תֹּסֵ֣ף
ר֭וּחָם
יִגְוָע֑וּן
וְֽאֶל־
עֲפָרָ֥ם
יְשׁוּֽבוּ֥ן׃t
30. תְּשַׁלַּ֣ח
ר֭וּחֲךָ
יִבָּרֵא֑וּן
וּ֝תְחַדֵּ֗שׁ
פְּנֵ֣י
אֲדָמָֽה׃
31. יְהִ֤י
כְב֣וֹד
יְהוָ֣ה
לְעוֹלָ֑ם
יִשְׂמַ֖ח
יְהוָ֣ה
בְּמַעֲשָֽׂיו׃
32. הַמַּבִּ֣יט
לָ֭אָרֶץ
וַתִּרְעָ֑ד
יִגַּ֖ע
בֶּהָרִ֣ים
וְֽיֶעֱשָֽׁנוּ׃
33. אָשִׁ֣ירָה
לַיהוָ֣ה
בְּחַיָּ֑י
אֲזַמְּרָ֖ה
לֵאלֹהַ֣י
בְּעוֹדִֽי׃
34. יֶעֱרַ֣ב
עָלָ֣יו
שִׂיחִ֑י
אָ֝נֹכִ֗י
אֶשְׂמַ֥ח
בַּיהוָֽה׃
35. יִתַּ֤מּוּ
חַטָּאִ֨ים ׀
מִן־
הָאָ֡רֶץ
וּרְשָׁעִ֤ים ׀
ע֤וֹד
אֵינָ֗ם
בָּרֲכִ֣י
נַ֭פְשִׁי
אֶת־
יְהוָ֗ה
הַֽלְלוּ־
יָֽהּ׃