Psalm 12 → 107
Reasoning: 2465 Output: 7395 Total: 9860
Argument
Below are several ways to argue that **Psalm 107 “logically follows” Psalm 12**—i.e., that Psalm 107 reads well as the *answer, expansion, or communal fulfillment* of themes introduced in Psalm 12. --- ## 1) Lament → divine oracle → public thanksgiving: a natural liturgical sequence **Psalm 12** is a classic **individual lament**: - crisis described: the faithful disappear; society is dominated by deceitful speech (12:2–5) - petition: **הוֹשִׁיעָה יְהוָה** “Save, YHWH” (12:2) - divine response/oracle: **עַתָּה אָקוּם יֹאמַר יְהוָה** “Now I will arise, says YHWH” (12:6) - confidence: YHWH will guard (12:8), though the wicked still roam (12:9) **Psalm 107** is a **communal thanksgiving/hymn** structured around repeated cycles: - distress → cry → deliverance → thanksgiving refrain (**יֹודוּ לַיהוָה חַסְדּוֹ…**) (107:8, 15, 21, 31) So Psalm 107 can be read as what comes *after* Psalm 12’s “Now I will arise”: it is a catalog of cases where people cried out and YHWH in fact delivered them. --- ## 2) Direct lexical continuity in the “salvation” vocabulary (ישע) Psalm 12 opens with a salvation plea and then uses salvation language in YHWH’s oracle: - **הוֹשִׁיעָה** (Hiphil imperative of ישע) (12:2) - **אָשִׁית בְּיֵשַׁע** “I will place [him] in salvation” (12:6) Psalm 107 repeatedly uses the same root in the climactic line of each vignette: - **יוֹשִׁיעֵם** “He saved them” (107:13, 19) - plus the same general “rescue” framework (e.g., **יַצִּילֵם** 107:6; **יוֹצִיאֵם** 107:14, 28) So Psalm 107 strongly resembles a narrative/communal “worked examples” section after Psalm 12’s opening plea and promised action. **Significance:** this is not just a thematic similarity; it is reuse of the *same salvation root* and in prominent structural positions. --- ## 3) The poor/oppressed who motivate YHWH’s action in Psalm 12 reappear as the rescued in Psalm 107 (עני / אביון) Psalm 12 grounds YHWH’s “arising” in the plight of the vulnerable: - **מִשֹּׁד עֲנִיִּים מֵאַנְקַת אֶבְיוֹנִים** (12:6) Psalm 107 repeatedly returns to the same social category: - **אֲסִירֵי עֳנִי** “prisoners of affliction/poverty” (107:10) - **וַיְשַׂגֵּב אֶבְיוֹן מֵע֑וֹנִי** “He set the needy on high from affliction” (107:41) This looks like a direct continuation of the logic: > Psalm 12: “Because of the oppression of the poor and the groaning of the needy, I will arise.” > Psalm 107: here are multiple concrete instances of that arising-and-rescuing, including explicit **אֶבְיוֹן**. **Significance:** the identical nouns **עֲנִיִּים / אֶבְיוֹנִים** are stronger than merely related ethical themes. --- ## 4) Human speech is corrupt in Psalm 12; Psalm 107 rehabilitates speech as testimony/praise Psalm 12 is dominated by *bad speech*: - **שָׁוְא יְדַבְּרוּ** “they speak emptiness/falsehood” (12:3) - **שְׂפַת חֲלָקוֹת… לָשׁוֹן מְדַבֶּרֶת גְּדֹלוֹת** (12:3–4) - boast: “Our lips are with us; who is lord over us?” (12:5) Psalm 107 answers with *right speech*: - **יֹאמְרוּ גְּאוּלֵי יְהוָה** “Let the redeemed of YHWH say…” (107:2) - the repeated liturgical imperative: **יוֹדוּ לַיהוָה** “Let them thank YHWH” (107:8 etc.) - **וִיסַפְּרוּ מַעֲשָׂיו** “Let them recount his deeds” (107:22) So Psalm 107 can be read as the communal reversal of Psalm 12: - Psalm 12: speech is weaponized by the wicked. - Psalm 107: speech is reclaimed as confession and praise by the redeemed. --- ## 5) “Words of YHWH” are pure in Psalm 12; in Psalm 107 YHWH’s word becomes an instrument of healing/deliverance Psalm 12 foregrounds divine speech as uniquely reliable: - **אִמֲרוֹת יְהוָה אֲמָרוֹת טְהֹרוֹת** (12:7) Psalm 107 returns to the same semantic field (אמר/דבר) but now “word” is not only pure—it is *effective*: - **הִמְרוּ אִמְרֵי־אֵל** “they rebelled against the words of God” (107:11) - **יִשְׁלַח דְּבָרוֹ וְיִרְפָּאֵם** “He sent his word and healed them” (107:20) This reads like a developed theology of Psalm 12’s claim: - Psalm 12: YHWH’s words are pure. - Psalm 107: those words are also powerful—rebel against them and you fall into trouble; receive them and you are healed/rescued. **Significance:** identical word-class reuse (**אִמְרֵי / אֲמָרוֹת**) plus the tight conceptual link “word ↔ rescue.” --- ## 6) “Arise” (קום) in Psalm 12 is echoed by “He made stand / He raised” actions in Psalm 107 Psalm 12’s turning point is YHWH’s declaration: - **עַתָּה אָקוּם** (12:6) Psalm 107 uses the same root in YHWH’s sovereign interventions (notably in the sea episode): - **וַיֹּאמֶר וַיַּעֲמֵד רוּחַ סְעָרָה** “He spoke and made a storm-wind stand” (107:25) That makes Psalm 107 a plausible narrative fleshing-out of the “Now I will arise” moment: YHWH arises and history/nature “stand” at his command. --- ## 7) “For the sons of Adam” (בני אדם): same audience marker, same rhetorical horizon Psalm 12 frames the crisis as a human-society problem: - **מִבְּנֵי אָדָם** (12:2) - **לִבְנֵי אָדָם** (12:9) Psalm 107 uses the phrase as a refrain-anchor for YHWH’s wonders: - **וְנִפְלְאוֹתָיו לִבְנֵי אָדָם** (107:8, 15, 21, 31) So Psalm 107 can be read as answering Psalm 12’s bleak human scene with a repeated counter-claim: > even “among the sons of Adam,” YHWH’s steadfast love and wonders are publicly observable. --- ## 8) “Wicked walking about” (הלך) vs. “God leads in a straight way” (דרך ישרה): a thematic correction using overlapping motion-language Psalm 12 ends with a disorienting social picture: - **סָבִיב רְשָׁעִים יִתְהַלָּכוּן** “the wicked walk about on every side” (12:9) Psalm 107 opens its first vignette with disorientation and then divine guidance: - **תָּעוּ בַמִּדְבָּר… דָּרֶךְ… לֹא מָצָאוּ** “they wandered… a way they did not find” (107:4) - **וַיַּדְרִיכֵם בְּדֶרֶךְ יְשָׁרָה** “he led them by a straight way” (107:7) Shared movement language (הלך/דרך/תעו) makes Psalm 107 read like the remedy to Psalm 12’s closing problem: when wicked “walk around,” YHWH can still “lead straight.” --- ## 9) Mouth/tongue theme: Psalm 12 condemns arrogant tongues; Psalm 107 ends with the silencing of “injustice’s mouth” Psalm 12 is saturated with “mouth parts” vocabulary: - **שָׂפָה / שְׂפָתַיִם / לָשׁוֹן** (12:3–5) Psalm 107’s conclusion includes a striking closure line: - **וְכָל־עַוְלָה קָפְצָה פִּיהָ** “all injustice has shut its mouth” (107:42) That is a neat logical endpoint: - Psalm 12: the mouth/tongue of the wicked dominates. - Psalm 107: the “mouth” of injustice is finally stopped. Because Psalm 107:42 is a relatively marked expression, it works well as an intentional-looking resolution to Psalm 12’s speech-crisis. --- ## 10) A shared “forever” horizon (לעולם): Psalm 12’s preservation promise → Psalm 107’s חסד “forever” Psalm 12 promises ongoing protection: - **לְעוֹלָם** (12:8) Psalm 107 begins by grounding praise in the same time-horizon: - **כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ** (107:1) So Psalm 107’s opening can be heard as the theological basis for Psalm 12’s confidence: the reason YHWH can “guard… forever” is that his **חֶסֶד** is “forever.” --- ## 11) Life-setting / history logic: Psalm 12’s social collapse → Psalm 107’s “case studies” of Israelite distress Even on a “real life / national memory” level, the sequence makes sense: - Psalm 12 depicts a society where trust and fidelity have evaporated (fits court-corruption, persecution, or exile-malaise). - Psalm 107 then narrates archetypal distress situations deeply embedded in Israel’s experience and mythology of deliverance: - wilderness wandering and finding a “city to dwell in” (107:4–7) evokes exodus/tradition - imprisonment in “darkness” (107:10–16) evokes exile/captivity - sickness near “gates of death” (107:17–20) - chaos waters subdued by YHWH’s command (107:23–30) evokes creation/sea-chaos motifs In that sense, Psalm 107 is a historically “thicker,” communal-scale enactment of Psalm 12’s plea: when human fidelity fails, YHWH’s saving interventions (in Israel’s core narratives) are what restore order. --- ### Summary claim you could defend A coherent editorial/theological reading is: 1. **Psalm 12**: human speech and loyalty collapse; the poor suffer; YHWH promises “Now I will arise,” and his words are pure and protective. 2. **Psalm 107**: the arisen YHWH is seen in repeated deliverances; the needy are lifted; God’s word heals; the redeemed replace deceitful speech with confession and thanksgiving; finally injustice’s “mouth” is shut. If you want, I can also: - list every shared lexeme/root between the two psalms (with verse references), - rank them by “rarity/significance” (e.g., marked phrases like **קָפְצָה פִּיהָ** vs common formulae), - or sketch how Psalm 107’s four vignettes map onto Psalm 12’s specific tensions (speech, oppression, divine word, preservation).
Evaluation
Score: 5.8
Evaluated at: 2026-02-05T02:17:13 (UTC)
Evaluator model: gpt-5.2
Evaluator version: v2
Reasoning: 872 Output: 8228 Total: 9100
Checklist
- Has verse refs: Yes
- Factual error detected: No
- Only generic motifs: No
- Counterargument considered: No
- LXX/MT numbering acknowledged: No
Vocabulary specificity: 4.0 / 10
Many accurate verse-anchored lexical links (ישע, עני/אביון, בני אדם, אמרות/דבר, mouth imagery). But motifs/roots are common across Psalms; no editorial/structural signal and ignores major counterpoint: Psalms are far apart (12 vs 107).
Prompt
Consider Psalm 12 and Psalm 107 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 107 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 107:
Psalm 107
1. הֹד֣וּ
לַיהוָ֣ה
כִּי־
ט֑וֹב
כִּ֖י
לְעוֹלָ֣ם
חַסְדּֽוֹ׃
2. יֹ֭אמְרוּ
גְּאוּלֵ֣י
יְהוָ֑ה
אֲשֶׁ֥ר
גְּ֝אָלָ֗ם
מִיַּד־
צָֽר׃
3. וּֽמֵאֲרָצ֗וֹת
קִ֫בְּצָ֥ם
מִמִּזְרָ֥ח
וּמִֽמַּעֲרָ֑ב
מִצָּפ֥וֹן
וּמִיָּֽם׃
4. תָּע֣וּ
בַ֭מִּדְבָּר
בִּישִׁימ֣וֹן
דָּ֑רֶךְ
עִ֥יר
מ֝וֹשָׁ֗ב
לֹ֣א
מָצָֽאוּ׃
5. רְעֵבִ֥ים
גַּם־
צְמֵאִ֑ים
נַ֝פְשָׁ֗ם
בָּהֶ֥ם
תִּתְעַטָּֽף׃
6. וַיִּצְעֲק֣וּ
אֶל־
יְ֭הוָה
בַּצַּ֣ר
לָהֶ֑ם
מִ֝מְּצֽוּקוֹתֵיהֶ֗ם
יַצִּילֵֽם׃
7. וַ֭יַּֽדְרִיכֵם
בְּדֶ֣רֶךְ
יְשָׁרָ֑ה
לָ֝לֶ֗כֶת
אֶל־
עִ֥יר
מוֹשָֽׁב׃
8. יוֹד֣וּ
לַיהוָ֣ה
חַסְדּ֑וֹ
וְ֝נִפְלְאוֹתָ֗יו
לִבְנֵ֥י
אָדָֽם׃
9. כִּי־
הִ֭שְׂבִּיעַ
נֶ֣פֶשׁ
שֹׁקֵקָ֑ה
וְנֶ֥פֶשׁ
רְ֝עֵבָה
מִלֵּא־
טֽוֹב׃
10. יֹ֭שְׁבֵי
חֹ֣שֶׁךְ
וְצַלְמָ֑וֶת
אֲסִירֵ֖י
עֳנִ֣י
וּבַרְזֶֽל׃
11. כִּֽי־
הִמְר֥וּ
אִמְרֵי־
אֵ֑ל
וַעֲצַ֖ת
עֶלְי֣וֹן
נָאָֽצוּ׃
12. וַיַּכְנַ֣ע
בֶּעָמָ֣ל
לִבָּ֑ם
כָּ֝שְׁל֗וּ
וְאֵ֣ין
עֹזֵֽר׃
13. וַיִּזְעֲק֣וּ
אֶל־
יְ֭הוָה
בַּצַּ֣ר
לָהֶ֑ם
מִ֝מְּצֻֽקוֹתֵיהֶ֗ם
יוֹשִׁיעֵֽם׃
14. יֽ֭וֹצִיאֵם
מֵחֹ֣שֶׁךְ
וְצַלְמָ֑וֶת
וּמוֹסְר֖וֹתֵיהֶ֣ם
יְנַתֵּֽק׃
15. יוֹד֣וּ
לַיהוָ֣ה
חַסְדּ֑וֹ
וְ֝נִפְלְאוֹתָ֗יו
לִבְנֵ֥י
אָדָֽם׃
16. כִּֽי־
שִׁ֭בַּר
דַּלְת֣וֹת
נְחֹ֑שֶׁת
וּבְרִיחֵ֖י
בַרְזֶ֣ל
גִּדֵּֽעַ׃
17. אֱ֭וִלִים
מִדֶּ֣רֶךְ
פִּשְׁעָ֑ם
וּֽ֝מֵעֲוֺ֥נֹתֵיהֶ֗םt
יִתְעַנּֽוּ׃
18. כָּל־
אֹ֭כֶל
תְּתַעֵ֣ב
נַפְשָׁ֑ם
וַ֝יַּגִּ֗יעוּ
עַד־
שַׁ֥עֲרֵי
מָֽוֶת׃
19. וַיִּזְעֲק֣וּ
אֶל־
יְ֭הוָה
בַּצַּ֣ר
לָהֶ֑ם
מִ֝מְּצֻֽקוֹתֵיהֶ֗ם
יוֹשִׁיעֵֽם׃
20. יִשְׁלַ֣ח
דְּ֭בָרוֹ
וְיִרְפָּאֵ֑ם
וִֽ֝ימַלֵּ֗ט
מִשְּׁחִיתוֹתָֽם׃
8
21. יוֹד֣וּ
לַיהוָ֣ה
חַסְדּ֑וֹ
וְ֝נִפְלְאוֹתָ֗יו
לִבְנֵ֥י
אָדָֽם׃
8
22. וְ֭יִזְבְּחוּ
זִבְחֵ֣י
תוֹדָ֑ה
וִֽיסַפְּר֖וּ
מַעֲשָׂ֣יו
בְּרִנָּֽה׃
8
23. יוֹרְדֵ֣י
הַ֭יָּם
בָּאֳנִיּ֑וֹת
עֹשֵׂ֥י
מְ֝לָאכָ֗ה
בְּמַ֣יִם
רַבִּֽים׃
8
24. הֵ֣מָּה
רָ֭אוּ
מַעֲשֵׂ֣י
יְהוָ֑ה
וְ֝נִפְלְאוֹתָ֗יו
בִּמְצוּלָֽה׃
8
25. וַיֹּ֗אמֶר
וַֽ֭יַּעֲמֵד
ר֣וּחַ
סְעָרָ֑ה
וַתְּרוֹמֵ֥ם
גַּלָּֽיו׃
8
26. יַעֲל֣וּ
שָׁ֭מַיִם
יֵרְד֣וּ
תְהוֹמ֑וֹת
נַ֝פְשָׁ֗ם
בְּרָעָ֥ה
תִתְמוֹגָֽג׃
27. יָח֣וֹגּוּ
וְ֭יָנוּעוּ
כַּשִּׁכּ֑וֹר
וְכָל־
חָ֝כְמָתָ֗ם
תִּתְבַּלָּֽע׃
28. וַיִּצְעֲק֣וּ
אֶל־
יְ֭הוָה
בַּצַּ֣ר
לָהֶ֑ם
וּֽ֝מִמְּצֽוּקֹתֵיהֶ֗ם
יוֹצִיאֵֽם׃
29. יָקֵ֣ם
סְ֭עָרָה
לִדְמָמָ֑ה
וַ֝יֶּחֱשׁ֗וּ
גַּלֵּיהֶֽם׃
30. וַיִּשְׂמְח֥וּ
כִֽי־
יִשְׁתֹּ֑קוּ
וַ֝יַּנְחֵ֗ם
אֶל־
מְח֥וֹז
חֶפְצָֽם׃
31. יוֹד֣וּ
לַיהוָ֣ה
חַסְדּ֑וֹ
וְ֝נִפְלְאוֹתָ֗יו
לִבְנֵ֥י
אָדָֽם׃
32. וִֽ֭ירֹמְמוּהוּ
בִּקְהַל־
עָ֑ם
וּבְמוֹשַׁ֖ב
זְקֵנִ֣ים
יְהַלְלֽוּהוּ׃
33. יָשֵׂ֣ם
נְהָר֣וֹת
לְמִדְבָּ֑ר
וּמֹצָ֥אֵי
מַ֝֗יִם
לְצִמָּאֽוֹן׃
34. אֶ֣רֶץ
פְּ֭רִי
לִמְלֵחָ֑ה
מֵ֝רָעַ֗ת
יֹ֣שְׁבֵי
בָֽהּ׃
35. יָשֵׂ֣ם
מִ֭דְבָּר
לַֽאֲגַם־
מַ֑יִם
וְאֶ֥רֶץ
צִ֝יָּ֗ה
לְמֹצָ֥אֵי
מָֽיִם׃
36. וַיּ֣וֹשֶׁב
שָׁ֣ם
רְעֵבִ֑ים
וַ֝יְכוֹנְנ֗וּ
עִ֣יר
מוֹשָֽׁב׃
37. וַיִּזְרְע֣וּ
שָׂ֭דוֹת
וַיִּטְּע֣וּ
כְרָמִ֑ים
וַ֝יַּעֲשׂ֗וּ
פְּרִ֣י
תְבֽוּאָה׃
38. וַיְבָרֲכֵ֣ם
וַיִּרְבּ֣וּ
מְאֹ֑ד
וּ֝בְהֶמְתָּ֗ם
לֹ֣א
יַמְעִֽיט׃
39. וַיִּמְעֲט֥וּ
וַיָּשֹׁ֑חוּ
מֵעֹ֖צֶר
רָעָ֣ה
וְיָגֽוֹן׃
8
40. שֹׁפֵ֣ךְ
בּ֭וּז
עַל־
נְדִיבִ֑ים
וַ֝יַּתְעֵ֗ם
בְּתֹ֣הוּ
לֹא־
דָֽרֶךְ׃
41. וַיְשַׂגֵּ֣ב
אֶבְי֣וֹן
מֵע֑וֹנִי
וַיָּ֥שֶׂם
כַּ֝צֹּ֗אן
מִשְׁפָּחֽוֹת׃
42. יִרְא֣וּ
יְשָׁרִ֣ים
וְיִשְׂמָ֑חוּ
וְכָל־
עַ֝וְלָ֗ה
קָ֣פְצָה
פִּֽיהָ׃
43. מִי־
חָכָ֥ם
וְיִשְׁמָר־
אֵ֑לֶּה
וְ֝יִתְבּֽוֹנְנ֗וּ
חַֽסְדֵ֥י
יְהוָֽה׃