Psalm 12 → 117

Reasoning: 1850 Output: 3051 Total: 4901

Argument

You can argue that Psalm 117 reads like the *logical “praise-answer”* to the crisis described in Psalm 12, on several tightly linkable levels (lexical, thematic, and formal):

## 1) Direct “who is lord?” → “Praise YHWH!” (answering Psalm 12:5)
Psalm 12 reports the arrogant slogan of the deceivers:

- **Ps 12:5**: *“שְׂפָתֵינוּ אִתָּנוּ / מִי אָדוֹן לָנוּ”* — “Our lips are with us; **who is lord over us?**”

Psalm 117 functions as a direct rebuttal: it assumes precisely who the true אדון is and commands universal acknowledgement:

- **Ps 117:1**: *“הַלְלוּ אֶת־יְהוָה כָּל־גּוֹיִם”* — “**Praise YHWH**, all nations…”

So the defiant autonomy of the “lips” in Psalm 12 is corrected by the proper use of speech in Psalm 117: praise directed to YHWH.

## 2) A very strong shared-root pivot: גבר (“prevail”) in both psalms
A particularly telling link is the shared root **ג־ב־ר**, with a reversal of who “prevails”:

- **Ps 12:5**: *“לִלְשֹׁנֵנוּ נַגְבִּיר”* — “With our tongue **we will prevail**” (Hifil 1cp)
- **Ps 117:2**: *“כִּי גָבַר עָלֵינוּ חַסְדּוֹ”* — “For **his ḥesed has prevailed** over us” (Qal 3ms)

This is an elegant theological overturning: the wicked claim “prevailing power” through speech; the later response is that YHWH’s covenant-love is what truly “prevails.”

## 3) Human “faithfulness/truth” disappears → divine אמת endures (אמן-root chain)
Psalm 12 opens with social collapse of reliability:

- **Ps 12:2**: *“פַּסּוּ אֱמוּנִים”* — “the faithful / trustworthy have vanished” (אֱמוּנִים, from **אמן**)

Psalm 117 grounds praise in the opposite reality—YHWH’s reliability:

- **Ps 117:2**: *“וֶאֱמֶת־יְהוָה לְעוֹלָם”* — “and the **truth/faithfulness of YHWH** is forever” (אֱמֶת, also from **אמן**)

So Psalm 117 can be read as the resolution to Psalm 12’s complaint: what humans lack (אֱמוּנִים) is supplied permanently by YHWH (אֱמֶת־יְהוָה).

## 4) חסיד “is gone” → חסדו “has prevailed” (חסד-root development)
Psalm 12 laments the disappearance of the *ḥāsîd*:

- **Ps 12:2**: *“גָמַר חָסִיד”* — “the ḥāsîd is finished / has vanished” (חָסִיד from **חסד**)

Psalm 117 explains the ground of worship:

- **Ps 117:2**: *“גָבַר עָלֵינוּ חַסְדּוֹ”* — “his **ḥesed** has prevailed over us” (**חסד**)

Even if covenant-loyal people (חָסִיד) disappear from society (Ps 12), covenant-loyal love itself (חַסְדּוֹ) is not gone—indeed it “prevails” (Ps 117). That’s a coherent theological progression.

## 5) “Forever” as the hinge: God’s guarding ↔ God’s truth (לעולם in both)
Both psalms land on *lasting* divine reliability:

- **Ps 12:8**: *“אַתָּה יְהוָה תִּשְׁמְרֵם… לְעוֹלָם”* — “You, YHWH, will keep them… **forever**”
- **Ps 117:2**: *“וֶאֱמֶת־יְהוָה לְעוֹלָם”* — “the truth/faithfulness of YHWH is **forever**”

Psalm 12’s confidence (“you will keep… forever”) becomes Psalm 117’s public doxology (“your faithfulness is forever”).

## 6) Speech corrupted → speech purified into praise (a thematic “speech arc”)
Psalm 12 is saturated with speech-ethics vocabulary: *שָׂפָה, שְׂפָתַיִם, לָשׁוֹן, יְדַבְּרוּ, אָמְרוּ, אִמֲרוֹת*—and contrasts:

- Human speech: *“שְׂפַת חֲלָקוֹת… בְּלֵב וָלֵב”* (smooth/flattering, double-hearted)
- Divine speech: *“אִמֲרוֹת יְהוָה אֲמָרוֹת טְהֹרוֹת”* (YHWH’s words are pure)

Psalm 117 is almost nothing *but* rightly-directed speech (imperatives of vocal worship: **הַלְלוּ**, **שַׁבְּחוּהוּ**). So, read sequentially: once lying/arrogant speech is judged and replaced by the purity of YHWH’s “words,” the fitting human response is purified speech—praise.

## 7) Form: lament-with-“כי” grounds → hymn-with-“כי” grounds
Both psalms use a similar logic marker **כִּי** to justify the main imperative:

- **Ps 12:2**: *“הוֹשִׁיעָה יְהוָה כִּי…”* — “Save, YHWH, **for**…”
- **Ps 117:2**: *“… כִּי גָבַר עָלֵינוּ חַסְדּוֹ”* — “... **for** his ḥesed has prevailed…”

So Psalm 12 is a “because…” prayer in crisis; Psalm 117 is a “because…” praise after (or on the basis of) God’s demonstrated character.

## 8) Social horizon widens: “from בני אדם” → “to all nations”
Psalm 12 is framed by the moral crisis “among בני אדם” (2, 9). Psalm 117 opens that horizon outward:

- From: faithfulness missing *“מִבְּנֵי אָדָם”*
- To: praise demanded from *“כָּל־גּוֹיִם… כָּל־הָאֻמִּים”*

That widening can be read as a narrative/theological move common in Israel’s imagination: YHWH’s decisive intervention against internal injustice becomes a testimony compelling acknowledgment beyond Israel.

---

### Put together as a “sequence”
1) Psalm 12: society’s speech collapses; the wicked boast “who is lord?” and “we will prevail”; the faithful vanish.  
2) YHWH answers: he will arise; his words are pure; he will keep his people forever.  
3) Psalm 117: therefore the right speech replaces the wrong speech—universal praise—because YHWH’s **ḥesed** (not the tongue) “prevails,” and YHWH’s **’emet** (not human אמונים) endures forever.

If you want, I can also map these links as a table (Ps 12 phrase → Ps 117 echo/reversal), or quantify which roots are genuinely rare vs. common across Psalms to weigh the strength of each connection.

Evaluation

Score: 5.0

Evaluated at: 2026-02-15T02:16:38 (UTC)

Evaluator model: gpt-5.2

Evaluator version: v2

Reasoning: 893 Output: 3876 Total: 4769

Vocabulary specificity: 4.0 / 10

Multiple verified lexical links (גבר, אמן, חסד, לעולם) with correct refs, plus speech/praise contrast. But terms/‘כי’ are common, Ps 117 is far from Ps 12, no editorial marker; many alternative pairings fit.

Prompt

Consider Psalm 12 and Psalm 117 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 117 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 117:
Psalm 117
1. הַֽלְל֣וּ
        אֶת־
        יְ֭הוָה
        כָּל־
        גּוֹיִ֑ם
        שַׁ֝בְּח֗וּהוּ
        כָּל־
        הָאֻמִּֽים׃
2. כִּ֥י
        גָ֘בַ֤ר
        עָלֵ֨ינוּ ׀
        חַסְדּ֗וֹ
        וֶֽאֱמֶת־
        יְהוָ֥ה
        לְעוֹלָ֗ם
        הַֽלְלוּ־
        יָֽהּ׃