Psalm 12 → 112

Reasoning: 2704 Output: 4043 Total: 6747

Argument

Below are several mutually reinforcing ways to argue that **Psalm 112 can be read as a “logical sequel” to Psalm 12**—as though Psalm 12 poses the crisis (collapse of faithful speech / social trust; oppression of the poor; the seeming triumph of the vile), and Psalm 112 presents the resolved world (the stable righteous person; a blessed “upright generation”; the needy cared for; the wicked finally frustrated).

## 1) From “the faithful are gone” (Ps 12) to “here is the faithful man” (Ps 112)
**Ps 12:2** laments a disappearance:
- **גָמַר חָסִיד** (“the faithful / loyal one is finished/gone”)
- **פַסּוּ אֱמוּנִים** (“the trustworthy have vanished”)

**Ps 112** opens by immediately supplying what Ps 12 says is missing: an ideal portrait of the God-fearer:
- **אַשְׁרֵי־אִישׁ יָרֵא אֶת־יְהוָה** (112:1)

So Ps 112 can function as an answer to Ps 12’s “where did the faithful go?”: *this is what the חסיד/אֱמוּן looks like in practice—fear of YHWH, love of mitzvot, justice, generosity, and inner stability.*

## 2) “This generation” vs “a generation of the upright” (shared rare-ish framing with דור)
Psalm 12 fears being trapped under the pressure of a corrupt age:
- **תִּצְּרֶנּוּ … מִן־הַדּוֹר זוּ לְעוֹלָם** (12:8) “guard … from **this generation** forever”

Psalm 112 pictures the alternative social reality:
- **דּוֹר יְשָׁרִים יְבֹרָךְ** (112:2) “a **generation of the upright** will be blessed”

This is a clean conceptual continuation: Ps 12’s “דור זו” (a threatening, morally inverted public world) is met by Ps 112’s “דור ישרים” (a restored moral community).

## 3) The needy (אביונים) move from “crying out” to “being given to” (identical form אביונים)
A very strong lexical bridge is the identical plural noun **אֶבְיוֹנִים / אביונים**:

- Ps 12: **מֵאַנְקַת אֶבְיוֹנִים** (12:6) “from the groaning of the needy”
- Ps 112: **נָתַן לָאֶבְיוֹנִים** (112:9) “he gave to the needy”

Read sequentially, the logic is tight:
1) Ps 12: the needy groan; YHWH says “Now I will arise” (12:6).
2) Ps 112: the God-fearer becomes a concrete agent of that risen justice—he *gives to the needy* (112:9), and orders his affairs “with justice” (112:5).

So Ps 112 looks like the social *implementation* (in the life of the righteous) of Ps 12’s divine promise to respond to oppression.

## 4) Speech corruption (lips/tongue) vs speech ordered by justice (shared root דבר + thematic continuation)
Ps 12 is intensely about **speech as social poison**:
- **שָׁוְא יְדַבְּרוּ** (“they speak vanity/falsehood”, 12:3)
- **שְׂפַת חֲלָקוֹת** (“smooth/flattering lips”, 12:3–4)
- **לָשׁוֹן מְדַבֶּרֶת גְּדֹלוֹת** (“a tongue speaking boasts”, 12:4)

Ps 112 reintroduces the speech theme in a repaired mode, using the same root-class area:
- **יְכַלְכֵּל דְּבָרָיו בְּמִשְׁפָּט** (112:5) “he orders/maintains **his words/matters** with justice”

Even if **דָּבָר** can mean “matter/affair,” the overlap with Ps 12’s obsession with corrupt “speaking” makes a good sequel point: *in Ps 112, the righteous man’s “דְּבָרִים” are governed by משפט, not manipulation.*

## 5) “Double heart” vs “steadfast heart” (shared לב; identical noun class)
Ps 12 diagnoses the moral problem as internal duplicity that expresses itself in speech:
- **בְּלֵב וָלֵב יְדַבֵּרוּ** (12:3) literally “with a heart and a heart” (double-hearted)

Ps 112 depicts the healed inner life of the righteous (same noun **לֵב**, repeatedly):
- **נָכוֹן לִבּוֹ** (112:7) “his heart is firm/steadfast”
- **סָמוּךְ לִבּוֹ** (112:8) “his heart is supported/steady”

So the psychological/spiritual sequel works: the “two-hearted” world of Ps 12 is answered by the “steady-hearted” האדם of Ps 112.

## 6) Wicked “all around” vs wicked finally undone (both end with רשעים + end-focused wickedness)
Both psalms end by focusing on the wicked, giving them an “end-frame.”

- Ps 12 closes: **סָבִיב רְשָׁעִים יִתְהַלָּכוּן** (12:9) “the wicked prowl all around…”
- Ps 112 closes: **תַּאֲוַת רְשָׁעִים תֹּאבֵד** (112:10) “the desire of the wicked will perish”

This reads like narrative progression: *first they surround and dominate the public space; finally their inner drive collapses and comes to nothing.*

## 7) A striking reversal: “vileness is exalted” (רום + זולות) vs “his horn is exalted in honor” (רום + כבוד)
Psalm 12’s final line is famously bleak and uses rare vocabulary:
- **כְּרֻם זֻלּוּת לִבְנֵי אָדָם** (12:9) “when **vileness** is exalted among the sons of man”
  - **זֻלּוּת** is relatively rare and rhetorically strong.

Psalm 112 gives an answering exaltation, again with the “raising” idea (root **רום**):
- **קַרְנוֹ תָּרוּם בְּכָבוֹד** (112:9) “his horn will be **raised** in honor”

So you can argue Ps 112 *corrects* Ps 12’s upside-down world:
- Ps 12: what is contemptible gets “raised” publicly.
- Ps 112: the righteous (and his “horn”) gets “raised” with **כָּבוֹד**, not זֻלּוּת.

## 8) YHWH’s “pure words” (אמרות) → the human who delights in YHWH’s commands (מצוות)
Ps 12 pivots on a contrast between lying human speech and divine speech:
- **אִמֲרוֹת יְהוָה אֲמָרוֹת טְהֹרוֹת** (12:7) “the words of YHWH are pure words…”

Ps 112 begins with the man whose life is organized around those divine utterances:
- **בְּמִצְוֺתָיו חָפֵץ מְאֹד** (112:1) “he greatly delights in His commandments”

So the logic is: *because YHWH’s words are pure (Ps 12), the stable alternative to a lying society is delight in/obedience to those words (Ps 112).*

## 9) Genre-shift as a “life-cycle” sequence: lament → oracle of divine action → wisdom portrait of the righteous
Ps 12 contains:
- urgent plea (**הוֹשִׁיעָה**),
- social diagnosis (deceit, boasting),
- and a divine oracle: **“עַתָּה אָקוּם”** (12:6).

Ps 112 reads like what comes *after* that oracle in lived reality: a wisdom-style depiction of the righteous man who (a) trusts YHWH, (b) is unafraid, (c) acts justly and generously, and (d) outlasts the wicked.

That sequence maps well onto a common Israelite theological rhythm:
1) corruption/oppression,
2) divine arising to save,
3) restoration expressed as righteous living and public reversal.

---

If you want, I can also lay this out as a table of **shared lexemes/forms** (אביונים, דור, לב, רשעים, דבר, רום) with verse references and brief comments on which links are strongest by your criteria (identical form > similar form; rarer word > common word).

Evaluation

Score: 4.0

Evaluated at: 2026-02-10T02:17:01 (UTC)

Evaluator model: gpt-5.2

Evaluator version: v2

Reasoning: 787 Output: 4864 Total: 5651

Vocabulary specificity: 3.5 / 10

Multiple correct verse-linked overlaps (אביונים, דור, לב, רום/זלות), but most are common Psalm vocabulary and there’s no editorial/structural signal—especially given Ps 12 and 112 are far apart in the Psalter.

Prompt

Consider Psalm 12 and Psalm 112 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 112 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 112:
Psalm 112
1. הַ֥לְלוּ
        יָ֨הּ ׀
        אַשְׁרֵי־
        אִ֭ישׁ
        יָרֵ֣א
        אֶת־
        יְהוָ֑ה
        בְּ֝מִצְוֺתָ֗יו
        חָפֵ֥ץ
        מְאֹֽד׃
2. גִּבּ֣וֹר
        בָּ֭אָרֶץ
        יִהְיֶ֣ה
        זַרְע֑וֹ
        דּ֖וֹר
        יְשָׁרִ֣ים
        יְבֹרָֽךְ׃
3. הוֹן־
        וָעֹ֥שֶׁר
        בְּבֵית֑וֹ
        וְ֝צִדְקָת֗וֹ
        עֹמֶ֥דֶת
        לָעַֽד׃
4. זָ֘רַ֤ח
        בַּחֹ֣שֶׁךְ
        א֭וֹר
        לַיְשָׁרִ֑ים
        חַנּ֖וּן
        וְרַח֣וּם
        וְצַדִּֽיק׃
5. טֽוֹב־
        אִ֭ישׁ
        חוֹנֵ֣ן
        וּמַלְוֶ֑ה
        יְכַלְכֵּ֖ל
        דְּבָרָ֣יו
        בְּמִשְׁפָּֽט׃
6. כִּֽי־
        לְעוֹלָ֥ם
        לֹא־
        יִמּ֑וֹט
        לְזֵ֥כֶר
        ע֝וֹלָ֗ם
        יִהְיֶ֥ה
        צַדִּֽיק׃
7. מִשְּׁמוּעָ֣ה
        רָ֭עָה
        לֹ֣א
        יִירָ֑א
        נָכ֥וֹן
        לִ֝בּ֗וֹ
        בָּטֻ֥חַ
        בַּיהוָֽה׃
8. סָמ֣וּךְ
        לִ֭בּוֹ
        לֹ֣א
        יִירָ֑א
        עַ֖ד
        אֲשֶׁר־
        יִרְאֶ֣ה
        בְצָרָֽיו׃
9. פִּזַּ֤ר ׀
        נָ֘תַ֤ן
        לָאֶבְיוֹנִ֗ים
        צִ֭דְקָתוֹ
        עֹמֶ֣דֶת
        לָעַ֑ד
        קַ֝רְנ֗וֹ
        תָּר֥וּם
        בְּכָבֽוֹד׃
10. רָ֘שָׁ֤ע
        יִרְאֶ֨ה ׀
        וְכָעָ֗ס
        שִׁנָּ֣יו
        יַחֲרֹ֣ק
        וְנָמָ֑ס
        תַּאֲוַ֖ת
        רְשָׁעִ֣ים
        תֹּאבֵֽד׃