Psalms83

Psalm 83 is an urgent prayer by Asaph, imploring God to break His silence and act against a confederacy of nations plotting to destroy Israel and erase its name. The psalmist calls upon God to defeat these enemies with the same decisive power He displayed against past foes like the Midianites and Sisera. The ultimate aim is for God's adversaries to be shamed, or for all to acknowledge JEHOVAH as the Most High over all the earth.
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The Psalmist Cries for God's Intervention

1
A Song or Psalm of Asaph. Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God. ​
2
For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head.

The Conspiracy Against God's People

3
They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones. ​
4
They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance. ​
5
For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:

The Alliance of Enemy Nations

6
The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes; ​
7
Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre;
8
Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah. ​

Prayer for Judgment Based on Past Acts

9
Do unto them as unto the Midianites; as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the brook of Kison: ​
10
Which perished at Endor: they became as dung for the earth.
11
Make their nobles like Oreb, and like Zeeb: yea, all their princes as Zebah, and as Zalmunna: ​
12
Who said, Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession.

The Ultimate Goal: God's Sovereignty Revealed

13
O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind. ​
14
As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire;
15
So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm.
16
Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O LORD. ​
17
Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish:
18
That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth. ​

Study Notes for Psalms 83

Verse 1

This opening is a strong plea (imprecation) typical of Psalms of complaint, urging God to break His silence concerning the oppression faced by Israel by actively intervening.

Verse 3

They have 'consulted against thy hidden ones.' The term 'hidden ones' likely refers to God's protected people (Israel), suggesting they are a treasure hidden and guarded under His care.

Verse 4

The goal of the confederacy is explicitly genocidal: the complete eradication of the nation and the memory of Israel, highlighting the existential threat faced by God's covenant people.

Verse 6

This list includes traditional enemies surrounding Israel (Edom, Moab, Ammon). The reference to 'Ishmaelites' and 'Hagarenes' links the alliance to powerful desert tribes often associated with conflict.

Verse 8

The inclusion of 'Assur' (Assyria) is significant, as Assyria often represented the dominant world power of the era, uniting the smaller nations under a formidable military umbrella.

Verse 9

The psalmist appeals to historical precedents of divine victory, specifically referencing the crushing defeat of the Midianites by Gideon (Judges 7) and the military defeat of Sisera and Jabin by Deborah and Barak (Judges 4-5).

Verse 11

Oreb, Zeeb, Zebah, and Zalmunna were specific Midianite leaders defeated and executed by Gideon, providing concrete examples of God's power to swiftly humiliate powerful enemies (Judges 7-8).

Verse 13

The imagery here uses rapid destruction metaphors (a rolling thorn bush, chaff carried by the wind) to emphasize the swift, comprehensive, and unstoppable nature of God’s desired judgment.

Verse 16

Crucially, the purpose of judgment is not only destruction but repentance. Humiliation is intended to drive the enemies to 'seek thy name,' acknowledging and turning toward the true God.

Verse 18

This powerful conclusion reveals the theological purpose of the entire psalm: that the nations may know that Yahweh (JEHOVAH/LORD) alone is the sovereign Most High over all the earth.

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