Psalm 12 → 126

Reasoning: 1464 Output: 3451 Total: 4915

Argument

Below are several *text-internal* and *Israel-in-history* arguments that make Psalm 126 read like a logical “next step” after Psalm 12—moving from a world dominated by corrupt speech and oppression to a world where YHWH’s action produces truthful testimony and restored joy.

## 1) From urgent plea for rescue → experienced rescue and restoration
- **Ps 12 opens with an imperative plea:** הוֹשִׁיעָה יְהוָה (“Save, YHWH,” 12:2).
- **Ps 126 opens by narrating precisely that kind of saving reversal:** בְּשׁוּב יְהוָה אֶת־שִׁיבַת צִיּוֹן (“When YHWH restored the fortunes of Zion,” 126:1).

So Ps 12’s *request* for divine intervention is followed by Ps 126’s *report* (and renewed request) of intervention in national-scale terms.

## 2) A tight “speech” thread: lying tongues → singing tongues (shared vocabulary)
Psalm 12 is saturated with speech-organs and speech-acts used for deceit; Psalm 126 reuses the same body-part lexicon but with speech transformed into praise/joy.

**Shared/near-shared key terms**
- **לָשׁוֹן / לשוננו (tongue)**  
  - Ps 12: לָשׁוֹן מְדַבֶּרֶת גְּדֹלוֹת (“a tongue speaking arrogances,” 12:4) and **לִלְשֹׁנֵנוּ** (“by/with our tongue,” 12:5).  
  - Ps 126: **וּלְשׁוֹנֵנוּ** רִנָּה (“and our tongue [was] song/cry of joy,” 126:2).  
  The form **לשוננו** is essentially identical (same noun + 1cp suffix), and that’s a strong linkage: the “tongue” that was weaponized in Ps 12 becomes the instrument of joy in Ps 126.

- **“Lips / mouth” complex (same semantic field)**
  - Ps 12: שְׂפַת חֲלָקוֹת / שְׂפָתֵינוּ (“smooth lips / our lips,” 12:3,5).
  - Ps 126: פִּינוּ (“our mouth,” 126:2).  
  Not identical lexemes, but same speech-organ domain, reinforcing a deliberate reversal: speech that was false/boastful becomes laughter and testimony.

## 3) A “who speaks?” progression: YHWH speaks in Ps 12 → nations speak in Ps 126
A striking structural link is the movement from divine utterance to human (international) acknowledgment.

- **Ps 12:6** contains a divine oracle formula: עַתָּה אָקוּם **יֹאמַר יְהוָה** (“Now I will arise, says YHWH”).
- **Ps 126:2** echoes with a human/national speech report: אָז **יֹאמְרוּ** בַגּוֹיִם (“Then they said among the nations…”).

This can be read as: *YHWH’s decisive speech* (“I will arise”) in Ps 12 produces *the world’s responsive speech* (“YHWH has done great things”) in Ps 126.

(Time markers intensify this logic: **עַתָּה** “now” in 12:6 → **אָז** “then” in 126:2.)

## 4) The “greatness” (גדל) reversal: arrogant boasting → YHWH’s acknowledged greatness (shared root, closely related forms)
Psalm 12 condemns boastful speech; Psalm 126 celebrates “great things” done by YHWH.

- Ps 12: לָשׁוֹן מְדַבֶּרֶת **גְּדֹלוֹת** (“speaking great/boastful things,” 12:4).
- Ps 126: **הִגְדִּיל** יְהוָה לַעֲשׂוֹת (“YHWH has done great things,” 126:2–3).

Same root **גדל**. In Ps 12 “greatness” is the content of human arrogance; in Ps 126 “greatness” is reattached to YHWH’s saving action and publicly confessed—even “among the nations.”

## 5) Oppression/tears → joy/harvest: a coherent life-sequence (and a national one)
Psalm 12 is triggered by social collapse and predation:
- מִשֹּׁד עֲנִיִּים מֵאַנְקַת אֶבְיוֹנִים (“because of the devastation of the poor, the groaning of the needy,” 12:6)

Psalm 126’s second half uses agricultural imagery of suffering-to-joy:
- הַזֹּרְעִים בְּדִמְעָה בְּרִנָּה יִקְצֹרוּ (“Those who sow in tears will reap with song,” 126:5)

That is a natural “sequence of events” in Israelite experience:
- oppression → groaning/tears → divine reversal → restoration → joy (often framed as harvest/homecoming).
So Ps 126 can function as the lived outcome of Ps 12’s plea: the poor who groan/weep are not left there; they return with sheaves.

## 6) “Words” contrast: corrupt human words → reliable YHWH-words → public testimony
Psalm 12 explicitly contrasts human deception with divine purity:
- שָׁוְא יְדַבְּרוּ (“They speak emptiness,” 12:3)
- אִמֲרוֹת יְהוָה אֲמָרוֹת טְהֹרוֹת (“The words of YHWH are pure words,” 12:7)

Psalm 126 depicts a world where speech about YHWH becomes true and widespread:
- יֹאמְרוּ בַגּוֹיִם… / הִגְדִּיל יְהוָה… (“They said among the nations… YHWH has done great things,” 126:2–3)

Thus the “speech problem” of Ps 12 is resolved not merely by silencing liars, but by generating a new, truthful discourse about YHWH’s deeds.

## 7) A plausible history/mythic-national storyline: from corrupt generation to restored Zion
- Ps 12 ends with a bleak social picture: “the wicked prowl all around” (12:9), i.e., a threatened community needing divine safeguarding.
- Ps 126 is explicitly Zion/return-oriented: restoration of “the fortunes of Zion” (126:1,4).

In an Israelite historical imagination, one coherent macro-sequence is:
1) internal corruption/oppression (Ps 12’s social chaos),
2) collapse/judgment/exile (often the implied consequence of such corruption in Israel’s narrative world),
3) divine “arising” to save,
4) restoration/return (Ps 126’s Zion restoration), leading to joy and international recognition.

Even if one does not pin Ps 12 to a specific event, Ps 126 reads naturally as the communal “after” to the kind of crisis Ps 12 depicts.

---

### Condensed thesis
Psalm 126 can be read as the narrative and theological sequel to Psalm 12: the “tongue” motif and the “say/says” chain (יֹאמַר יְהוָה → יֹאמְרוּ בַגּוֹיִם), plus the גדל reversal (boastful “greatness” → YHWH’s “great deeds”), create a tight logical bridge from lament over corrupt speech and oppressed poor (Ps 12) to restored Zion, transformed speech, and joy recognized even by the nations (Ps 126).

Evaluation

Score: 5.0

Evaluated at: 2026-02-24T02:16:32 (UTC)

Evaluator model: gpt-5.2

Evaluator version: v2

Reasoning: 909 Output: 4274 Total: 5183

Vocabulary specificity: 4.0 / 10

Several correct, text-anchored links (לשוננו, יאמר/יאמרו, גדל; oppression→joy), but these are common Psalm diction; no editorial/structural signal and it ignores strong counterpoint: Ps 12 and 126 are far apart.

Prompt

Consider Psalm 12 and Psalm 126 (reproduced below). What arguments could you make to justify that Psalm 126 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 126:
Psalm 126
1. שִׁ֗יר
        הַֽמַּ֫עֲל֥וֹת
        בְּשׁ֣וּב
        יְ֭הוָה
        אֶת־
        שִׁיבַ֣ת
        צִיּ֑וֹן
        הָ֝יִ֗ינוּ
        כְּחֹלְמִֽים׃
2. אָ֤ז
        יִמָּלֵ֪א
        שְׂח֡וֹק
        פִּינוּ֮
        וּלְשׁוֹנֵ֢נוּ
        רִ֫נָּ֥ה
        אָ֭ז
        יֹאמְר֣וּ
        בַגּוֹיִ֑ם
        הִגְדִּ֥יל
        יְ֝הוָ֗ה
        לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת
        עִם־
        אֵֽלֶּה׃
3. הִגְדִּ֣יל
        יְ֭הוָה
        לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת
        עִמָּ֗נוּ
        הָיִ֥ינוּ
        שְׂמֵחִֽים׃
4. שׁוּבָ֣ה
        יְ֭הוָה
        אֶת־
        שבותנו
        שְׁבִיתֵ֑נוּ
        כַּאֲפִיקִ֥ים
        בַּנֶּֽגֶב׃
5. הַזֹּרְעִ֥ים
        בְּדִמְעָ֗ה
        בְּרִנָּ֥ה
        יִקְצֹֽרוּ׃
6. הָ֘ל֤וֹךְ
        יֵלֵ֨ךְ ׀
        וּבָכֹה֮
        נֹשֵׂ֢א
        מֶֽשֶׁךְ־
        הַ֫זָּ֥רַע
        בֹּֽא־
        יָב֥וֹא
        בְרִנָּ֑ה
        נֹ֝שֵׂ֗א
        אֲלֻמֹּתָֽיו׃