Psalm 12 → 115
Reasoning: 1406 Output: 4723 Total: 6129
Argument
Below are several *text-internal* ways to argue that Ps 115 reads like a coherent “next step” after Ps 12—moving from a crisis of human speech/faithfulness to a public confession of YHWH’s unique reliability, over against both human boasting and powerless idols. ## 1) A shared “speech contest”: lying speech → who can really speak? **Psalm 12 is dominated by deceptive human speech**, and by contrast the purity of YHWH’s speech: - Ps 12:3–5 piles up speech-terms: **יְדַבְּרוּ / שְׂפַת / לֵב / יְדַבֵּרוּ / שִׂפְתֵי / לָשׁוֹן / מְדַבֶּרֶת / אָמְרוּ**. - Ps 12:7 then counters with **אִמֲרוֹת יְהוָה … טְהֹרוֹת** (“the words of YHWH are pure”). **Psalm 115 picks up the same dispute about “speech”** but relocates it into polemic against idols: - Ps 115:2 **לָמָּה יֹאמְרוּ הַגּוֹיִם** (“why should the nations *say*…?”) - Ps 115:5 about idols: **פֶּה־לָהֶם וְלֹא יְדַבֵּרוּ** (“a mouth they have, but they do not speak”) So Ps 115 can be read as the next logical move: after Ps 12 exposes the collapse of trustworthy human talk, Ps 115 contrasts YHWH (who truly acts and can be trusted) with “gods” who literally *cannot speak*. **Identical/near-identical forms worth noting** - Root **דבר**: Ps 12 (multiple forms), Ps 115:5 **יְדַבֵּרוּ** - Root **אמר**: Ps 12:5 **אָמְרוּ**, Ps 12:6 **יֹאמַר**, Ps 115:2 **יֹאמְרוּ** ## 2) “Who is lord over us?” → “Not to us…to your name give glory” Ps 12’s arrogant opponents explicitly frame the issue as **mastery/authority**: - Ps 12:5 **מִי אָדוֹן לָנוּ** (“who is lord over us?”) Ps 115 answers in a thematically matching way: humans must not claim the credit/authority: - Ps 115:1 **לֹא לָנוּ … כִּי לְשִׁמְךָ תֵּן כָּבוֹד** (“not to us… but to your name give glory”) Read as sequence: Ps 12 reports the rebellion of proud speech (“we will prevail… who is lord?”), and Ps 115 is the communal corrective: glory and sovereignty belong to YHWH alone. ## 3) Collapse of “faithful” people → re-gathering the faithful community to trust Ps 12 opens with the disappearance of the faithful: - Ps 12:2 **גָמַר חָסִיד … פַסּוּ אֱמוּנִים** (“the faithful one is gone… the trustworthy have vanished”) Ps 115 then *reconstitutes* the faithful as three circles, repeatedly commanded to trust: - Ps 115:9 **יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּטַח בַּיהוָה** - Ps 115:10 **בֵּית אַהֲרֹן בִּטְחוּ** - Ps 115:11 **יִרְאֵי יְהוָה בִּטְחוּ** So, narratively: Ps 12 laments the vanishing of **אֱמוּנִים** (faithful/trustworthy people), and Ps 115 responds by summoning Israel/Aaron/YHWH-fearers back into explicit **בטח** (“trust”). **Root/idea linkage** - Ps 12:2 **אֱמוּנִים** (root אמן, “reliability/faithfulness”) - Ps 115:1 **אֲמִתֶּךָ** (“your truth/faithfulness,” closely related semantic field; often paired with חסד) ## 4) A striking material echo: “silver refined” vs “silver idols” One of the strongest “rarer word” links is **כֶּסֶף** (silver): - Ps 12:7 YHWH’s words are **כֶּסֶף צָרוּף** (“refined silver”) - Ps 115:4 idols are **כֶּסֶף וְזָהָב** (“silver and gold”), the work of human hands This creates a neat conceptual progression: - In Ps 12, **silver** symbolizes the tested purity of divine speech. - In Ps 115, **silver** becomes the raw material of lifeless idols—human manufacture masquerading as divine power. The juxtaposition is rhetorically tight: *true* reliability is in YHWH’s “refined” word, not in human-crafted “silver” gods. ## 5) “Saying” vs “doing”: YHWH speaks/acts; idols neither speak nor act Ps 12:6 is a divine intervention oracle: - **עַתָּה אָקוּם יֹאמַר יְהוָה** (“Now I will arise, says YHWH…”) Ps 115:3 stresses YHWH’s effective agency: - **כֹּל אֲשֶׁר־חָפֵץ עָשָׂה** (“he does whatever he pleases”) Whereas the idols are repeatedly negated: **וְלֹא** speak/see/hear/walk, etc. (Ps 115:5–7). That is a logical follow-on to Ps 12’s reassurance that YHWH’s speech is not empty—he rises to act—while false sources (deceptive humans; mute idols) are exposed as powerless. ## 6) Parallel “body-part” imagery (style/form): lips/tongue/heart → mouth/eyes/ears/hands/feet Ps 12 uses concentrated anthropology of speech and intention: - **שָׂפָה / לָשׁוֹן / לֵב** (lips/tongue/heart) Ps 115 expands this into a full-bodied idol parody: - **פֶּה / עֵינַיִם / אָזְנַיִם / אַף / יָדַיִם / רַגְלַיִם / גָּרוֹן** Stylistically, both psalms use *anatomical cataloging* to make theological claims. Ps 115 feels like an elaboration of Ps 12’s focus: the problem isn’t only *what people say*; it’s also *what (or whom) they treat as having real agency*. ## 7) Shared “human sphere” framing: “sons of Adam” and “human-made” Both psalms place the crisis/contrast explicitly in the realm of humanity: - Ps 12:2 **מִבְּנֵי אָדָם** - Ps 12:9 ends **לִבְנֵי אָדָם** - Ps 115:4 **מַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵי אָדָם** - Ps 115:16 **נָתַן לִבְנֵי־אָדָם** This allows a coherent reading: Ps 12 laments what has happened *among בני אדם* (deceptive speech, social inversion), and Ps 115 clarifies the deeper diagnosis: humans even manufacture “gods” (**ידי אדם**) and then trust them—yet the earth’s domain is still administered under YHWH’s sovereignty. ## 8) Time-and-permanence markers: “now…forever” → “from now…forever” Both psalms use temporal framing that moves from crisis to enduring confidence: - Ps 12:6 **עַתָּה** (“now I will arise”) - Ps 12:8 **לְעוֹלָם** (“forever”) - Ps 115:18 **מֵעַתָּה וְעַד־עוֹלָם** (“from now and forever”) So Ps 12’s “now” intervention and “forever” preservation can be heard answered liturgically by Ps 115’s vow of perpetual blessing. ## 9) A plausible life-setting progression (Israelite social + cultic logic) Even without claiming historical sequencing, the *life-logic* is coherent: 1. **Internal breakdown** (Ps 12): trustworthy speech collapses; the poor are oppressed; arrogant elites boast. 2. **Public theological pressure** (Ps 115:2): outsiders (or rival groups) taunt, “Where is your God?” 3. **Cultic/communal response** (Ps 115:9–18): Israel + priests (“house of Aaron”) + YHWH-fearers reaffirm trust, receive blessing language, and commit to ongoing praise. That is a very typical movement in Israelite prayer tradition: lament about injustice → divine assurance → communal confession/doxology. --- ### In one sentence Ps 115 can be argued to “follow” Ps 12 by continuing the same central conflict—**the reliability of words and claims of authority among בני אדם**—and resolving it in a communal confession that **YHWH alone speaks/acts faithfully (חסד/אמת), while human boasting and human-made idols (כסף/ידי אדם) are exposed as empty.**
Evaluation
Score: 4.2
Evaluated at: 2026-02-13T02:16:38 (UTC)
Evaluator model: gpt-5.2
Evaluator version: v2
Reasoning: 831 Output: 5547 Total: 6378
Checklist
- Has verse refs: Yes
- Factual error detected: No
- Only generic motifs: No
- Counterargument considered: No
- LXX/MT numbering acknowledged: Yes
Vocabulary specificity: 3.2 / 10
Many correct verse-anchored lexical echoes (אמר/דבר, כסף, בני־אדם, עתה/לעולם), but all are common Psalter diction and no editorial/structural linkage—especially given huge canonical gap and Ps115’s Hallel context.
Prompt
Consider Psalm 12 and Psalm 115 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 115 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 115:
Psalm 115
1. לֹ֤א
לָ֥נוּ
יְהוָ֗ה
לֹ֫א
לָ֥נוּ
כִּֽי־
לְ֭שִׁמְךָ
תֵּ֣ן
כָּב֑וֹד
עַל־
חַ֝סְדְּךָ֗
עַל־
אֲמִתֶּֽךָ׃
2. לָ֭מָּה
יֹאמְר֣וּ
הַגּוֹיִ֑ם
אַיֵּה־
נָ֝֗א
אֱלֹהֵיהֶֽם׃
3. וֵֽאלֹהֵ֥ינוּ
בַשָּׁמָ֑יִם
כֹּ֖ל
אֲשֶׁר־
חָפֵ֣ץ
עָשָֽׂה׃
4. עֲֽ֭צַבֵּיהֶם
כֶּ֣סֶף
וְזָהָ֑ב
מַ֝עֲשֵׂ֗ה
יְדֵ֣י
אָדָֽם׃
5. פֶּֽה־
לָ֭הֶם
וְלֹ֣א
יְדַבֵּ֑רוּ
עֵינַ֥יִם
לָ֝הֶ֗ם
וְלֹ֣א
יִרְאֽוּ׃
6. אָזְנַ֣יִם
לָ֭הֶם
וְלֹ֣א
יִשְׁמָ֑עוּ
אַ֥ף
לָ֝הֶ֗ם
וְלֹ֣א
יְרִיחֽוּן׃
7. יְדֵיהֶ֤ם ׀
וְלֹ֬א
יְמִישׁ֗וּן
רַ֭גְלֵיהֶם
וְלֹ֣א
יְהַלֵּ֑כוּ
לֹֽא־
יֶ֝הְגּ֗וּ
בִּגְרוֹנָֽם׃
8. כְּ֭מוֹהֶם
יִהְי֣וּ
עֹשֵׂיהֶ֑ם
כֹּ֖ל
אֲשֶׁר־
בֹּטֵ֣חַ
בָּהֶֽם׃
9. יִ֭שְׂרָאֵל
בְּטַ֣ח
בַּיהוָ֑ה
עֶזְרָ֖ם
וּמָגִנָּ֣ם
הֽוּא׃
10. בֵּ֣ית
אַ֭הֲרֹן
בִּטְח֣וּ
בַיהוָ֑ה
עֶזְרָ֖ם
וּמָגִנָּ֣ם
הֽוּא׃
11. יִרְאֵ֣י
יְ֭הוָה
בִּטְח֣וּ
בַיהוָ֑ה
עֶזְרָ֖ם
וּמָגִנָּ֣ם
הֽוּא׃
12. יְהוָה֮
זְכָרָ֢נוּ
יְבָ֫רֵ֥ךְ
יְ֭בָרֵךְ
אֶת־
בֵּ֣ית
יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל
יְ֝בָרֵ֗ךְ
אֶת־
בֵּ֥ית
אַהֲרֹֽן׃
13. יְ֭בָרֵךְ
יִרְאֵ֣י
יְהוָ֑ה
הַ֝קְּטַנִּ֗ים
עִם־
הַגְּדֹלִֽים׃
14. יֹסֵ֣ף
יְהוָ֣ה
עֲלֵיכֶ֑ם
עֲ֝לֵיכֶ֗ם
וְעַל־
בְּנֵיכֶֽם׃
15. בְּרוּכִ֣ים
אַ֭תֶּם
לַיהוָ֑ה
עֹ֝שֵׂ֗ה
שָׁמַ֥יִם
וָאָֽרֶץ׃
16. הַשָּׁמַ֣יִם
שָׁ֭מַיִם
לַיהוָ֑ה
וְ֝הָאָ֗רֶץ
נָתַ֥ן
לִבְנֵי־
אָדָֽם׃
17. לֹ֣א
הַ֭מֵּתִים
יְהַֽלְלוּ־
יָ֑הּ
וְ֝לֹ֗א
כָּל־
יֹרְדֵ֥י
דוּמָֽה׃
18. וַאֲנַ֤חְנוּ ׀
נְבָ֘רֵ֤ךְ
יָ֗הּ
מֵֽעַתָּ֥ה
וְעַד־
עוֹלָ֗ם
הַֽלְלוּ־
יָֽהּ׃