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Commentary on Psalms 83 verses 1–8
The Israel of God were now in danger, and fear, and great distress, and yet their prayer is called, A song or psalm; for singing psalms is not unseasonable, no, not when the harps are hung upon the willow-trees.
I. The psalmist here begs of God to appear on the behalf of his injured threatened people (Psa 83:1): "Keep not thou silence, O God! but give judgment for us against those that do us an apparent wrong." Thus Jehoshaphat prayed upon occasion of that invasion (Ch2 20:11), Behold, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession. Sometimes God seems to connive at the unjust treatment which is given to his people; he keeps silence, as one that either did not observe it or did not concern himself in it; he holds his peace, as if he would observe an exact neutrality, and let them fight it out; he is still, and gives not the enemies of his people any disturbance or opposition, but seems to sit by as a man astonished, or as a mighty man that cannot save. Then he gives us leave to call upon him, as here, "Keep not thou silence, O God! Lord, speak to us by the prophets for our encouragement against our fears" (as he did in reference to that invasion, Ch2 20:14, etc.); "Lord, speak for us by the providence and speak against our enemies; speak deliverance to us and disappointment to them." God's speaking is his acting; for with him saying and doing are the same thing.
II. He here gives an account of the grand alliance of the neighbouring nations against Israel, which he begs of God to break, and blast the projects of. Now observe here,
1.Against whom this confederacy is formed; it is against the Israel of God, and so, in effect, against the God of Israel. Thus the psalmist takes care to interest God in their cause, not doubting but that, if it appeared that they were for God, God would make it to appear that he was for them, and then they might set all their enemies at defiance; for whom then could be against them? "Lord," says he, "they are thy enemies, and they hate thee." All wicked people are God's enemies (the carnal mind is enmity against God), but especially wicked persecutors; they hated the religious worshippers of God, because they hated God's holy religion and the worship of him. This was that which made God's people so zealous against them - that they fought against God: They are confederate against thee, Psa 83:5. Were our interest only concerned, we could the better bear it; but, when God himself is struck at, it is time to cry, Help, Lord. Keep not thou silence, O God! He proves that they are confederate against God, for they are so against the people of God, who are near and dear to him, his son, his first-born, his portion, and the lot of his inheritance; he may truly be said to fight against me that endeavours to destroy my children, to root out my family, and to ruin my estate. "Lord," says the psalmist, "they are thy enemies, for they consult against thy hidden ones." Note, God's people are his hidden ones, hidden, (1.) In respect of secresy. Their life is hid with Christ in God; the world knows them not; if they knew them, they would not hate them as they do. (2.) In respect of safety. God takes them under his special protection, hides them in the hollow of his hand; and yet, in defiance of God and his power and promise to secure his people, they will consult to ruin them and cast them down from their excellency (Psa 62:4), and to make a prey of those whom the Lord has set apart for himself, Psa 4:3. They resolve to destroy those whom God resolves to preserve.
2.How this confederacy is managed. The devil is at the bottom of it, and therefore it is carried on, (1.) With a great deal of heat and violence: Thy enemies make a tumult, Psa 83:2. The heathen rage, Psa 2:1. The nations are angry, Rev 11:18. They are noisy in their clamours against the people whom they hope to run down with their loud calumnies. This comes in as a reason why God should not keep silence: "The enemies talk big and talk much; Lord, let them not talk all, but do thou speak to them in thy wrath," Psa 2:5. (2.) With a great deal of pride and insolence: They have lifted up the head. In confidence of their success, they are so elevated as if they could over-top the Most High and overpower the Almighty. (3.) With a great deal of art and policy: They have taken crafty counsel, Psa 83:3. The subtlety of the old serpent appears in their management, and they contrive by all possible means, though ever so base, ever so bad, to gain their point. They areprofound to make slaughter (Hos 5:2), as if they could outwit Infinite Wisdom. (4.) With a great deal of unanimity. Whatever separate clashing interest they have among themselves, against the people of God they consult with one consent (Psa 83:5), nor is Satan's kingdom divided against itself. To push on this unholy war, they lay their heads together, and their horns, and their hearts too. Fas est et ab hoste doceri - Even an enemy may instruct. Do the enemies of the church act with one consent to destroy it? Are the kings of the earth of one mind to give their power and honour to the beast? And shall not the church's friends be unanimous in serving her interests? If Herod and Pilate are made friends, that they may join in crucifying Christ, surely Paul and Barnabas, Paul and Peter, will soon be made friends, that they may join in preaching Christ.
3.What it is that is aimed at in this confederacy. They consult not like the Gibeonites to make a league with Israel, that they might strengthen themselves by such a desirable alliance, which would have been their wisdom. They consult, not only to clip the wings of Israel, to recover their new conquests, and check the progress of their victorious arms, not only to keep the balance even between them and Israel, and to prevent their power from growing exorbitant; this will not serve. It is no less than the utter ruin and extirpation of Israel that they design (Psa 83:4): "Come, let us cut them off from being a nation, as they cut off the seven nations of Canaan; let us leave them neither root nor branch, but lay their country so perfectly waste that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance, no, not in history;" for with them they would destroy their Bibles and burn all their records. Such is the enmity of the serpent's seed against the seed of the woman. It is the secret wish of many wicked men that the church of God might not have a being in the world, that there might be no such thing as religion among mankind. Having banished the sense of it out of their own hearts, they would gladly see the whole earth as well rid of it, all its laws and ordinances abolished, all its restraints and obligations shaken off, and all that preach, profess, or practise it cut off. This they would bring it to if it were in their power; but he that sits in heaven shall laugh at them.
4.Who they are that are drawn into this confederacy. The nations that entered into this alliance are here mentioned (Psa 83:6-8); the Edomites and Ishmaelites, both descendants from Abraham, lead the van; for apostates from the church have been its most bitter and spiteful enemies, witness Julian. These were allied to Israel in blood and yet in alliance against Israel. There are no bonds of nature so strong but the spirit of persecution has broken through them. The brother shall betray the brother to death. Moab and Ammon were the children of righteous Lot; but, as an incestuous, so a degenerate race. The Philistines were long a thorn in Israel's side, and very vexatious. How the inhabitants of Tyre, who in David's time were Israel's firm allies, come in among their enemies, I know not; but that Assur (that is, the Assyrian) also is joined with them is not strange, or that (as the word is) they were an arm to the children of Lot. See how numerous the enemies of God's church have always been. Lord, how are those increased that trouble it! God's heritage was as a speckled bird; all the birds round about were against her (Jer 12:9), which highly magnifies the power of God in preserving to himself a church in the world, in spite of the combined force of earth and hell.
The people of God, then, in this Psalm says, "O God, who shall be like You?" [Psalm 83:1]. Which I suppose to be more fitly taken of Christ, because, being made in the likeness of men, [Philippians 2:7] He was thought by those by whom He was despised to be comparable to other men: for He was even "reckoned among the unrighteous," [Isaiah 53:12] but for this purpose, that He might be judged. But when He shall come to judge, then shall be done what is here said, "O God, who is like You?" For if the Psalms did not use to speak to the Lord Christ, that too would not be spoken which not one of the faithful can doubt was spoken unto Christ. "Your throne, O God, is for ever and ever, a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of Your kingdom." To him therefore also now it is said, "O God, who shall be like You?" For unto many You vouchsafed to be likened in Your humiliation, even so far as to the robbers that were crucified with You: but when in glory You shall come, "who shall be like You?"...
So let them keep quiet, let them now see that the real Hercules is the God to whom the faithful say, "God, who is like you? Do not keep silent, or grow gentle, God." What I had undertaken was to show how "do not grow gentle" means rooting out errors, not people. He does not grow gentle, so he gets angry. But he is God, so he also takes pity. He gets angry, and he takes pity. He gets angry and strikes; he takes pity and heals. He gets angry and does to death; he takes pity and brings to life. In one person he does this. It is not that he does some people to death and brings others to life, but in the same people he is both angry and gentle. He is angry with errors; he is gentle with bad habits put right. "I will strike, and I will heal; I will kill, and I will make alive." One and the same Saul, afterward Paul, he both laid low and raised up. He laid low an unbeliever, he raised up a believer. He both laid low a persecutor, he raised up a preacher.
When Leontius perceived this, he did not think it safe to try to prevent them, for he saw that the people were exceedingly well-disposed toward these excellent men. However, speaking in a courteous manner, he requested that they would perform this act of worship [antiphonal singing] in the churches. They were perfectly well aware of his evil intent. Nevertheless they set about obeying his request and readily summoned their choir to the church, exhorting them to sing praises to the good Lord. Nothing, however, could induce Leontius to correct his wickedness, but he put on the mask of moderation and concealed the iniquity of Stephanus and Placidus. People who had accepted the corruption of the faith of priests and deacons, although they had embraced a life of vile irregularity, he added to the roll; while others adorned with every kind of virtue and firm adherents of apostolic doctrines, he left unrecognized. Thus it came to pass that among the clergy were numbered a majority of men tainted with heresy, while the mass of the laity were champions of the faith, and even professional teachers lacked courage to lay bare their blasphemy. In truth the deeds of impiety and iniquity done by Placidus, Stephanus and Leontius, in Antioch are so many as to want a special history of their own, and so terrible as to be worthy of the lament of David; for of them too it must be said, “For your enemies make a murmuring, and they that hate you lift up their head. They have imagined craftily against the people and taken counsel against your secret ones. They have said, ‘Come and let us root them out that they be no more a people: and that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.’ ”
Moreover, one must know that the word gnōmē, or opinion, is used in many ways and with many meanings. Thus, it sometimes means “advice” as when the divine apostle says, “Now, concerning virgins, I have no commandment of the Lord; but I give counsel.” Sometimes it implies “design,” as when the prophet David says, “They have taken a malicious counsel against your people.” Sometimes it means “judgment,” as when Daniel says: “Why so cruel a sentence has gone forth.” And sometimes it is used in the sense of “faith,” or “notion,” or of “intent”—to put it simply, the word has twenty-eight different meanings.
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SUMMARY
Psalms 83:1, a superscription and opening plea from Asaph, functions as an urgent, threefold appeal to God to break His perceived silence and inaction in the face of an imminent national threat. This verse sets the tone for a desperate communal lament, articulating a profound human experience of feeling that God is distant or unresponsive during severe crisis, yet simultaneously expressing an underlying conviction in God's ultimate sovereignty and power to deliver His people from a confederacy of nations conspiring against them.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Psalms 83:1 is rich in literary devices that amplify its urgent message and emotional intensity. The most prominent is Anaphora, the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses, which is powerfully evident in the repeated negative imperatives: "Keep not thou silence," "hold not thy peace," and "be not still." This threefold repetition creates a profound sense of urgency, desperation, and persistence, underscoring the psalmist's intense desire for God to act. Furthermore, the direct address, Apostrophe, to "O God" twice within the verse, emphasizes the personal and direct nature of the supplication, highlighting the psalmist's conviction that only God can provide the necessary intervention. The use of three distinct but semantically related verbs for inaction (silence, holding peace, being still) constitutes a form of Synonymia or Climax, where each verb intensifies the preceding one, building a crescendo of fervent appeal for divine activity. This cumulative effect conveys the profound anguish, unwavering faith, and desperate hope of the psalmist in the face of overwhelming odds.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Psalms 83:1 articulates a universal human and theological dilemma: the experience of perceived divine silence in the midst of suffering. This initial cry establishes a foundational theme of lament in the Psalms, where the worshiper, despite profound distress, continues to address God directly, implicitly affirming His sovereignty and ultimate power to intervene. The threefold plea for God to break His silence is not a sign of unbelief but rather a testament to a deep, abiding faith that God is indeed attentive, just, and capable of acting on behalf of His people. It connects to the broader biblical narrative of God's covenant faithfulness, where He is consistently portrayed as a God who hears the cries of His people and acts to deliver them, even when His timing or methods are not immediately apparent. This verse invites believers to bring their rawest emotions and deepest fears before God, trusting that He is sovereign even when He seems silent.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Psalms 83:1 offers profound encouragement and permission for believers navigating seasons of perceived divine silence or overwhelming adversity. In a world often marked by chaos, injustice, and personal struggles, it is natural to feel that God is distant or unresponsive. This psalm validates the authenticity of such feelings, demonstrating that it is not only permissible but spiritually healthy to voice our deepest laments and frustrations directly to God. Asaph's urgent, repeated plea models a persistent and fervent prayer life, reminding us that even when answers are not immediate, our call is to continue seeking God's face and His intervention. This verse calls us to anchor our hope not in our circumstances or our understanding of God's immediate actions, but in His unchanging character—His justice, His power, and His unwavering faithfulness to His covenant promises. It is a powerful reminder that even in our most desperate moments, the act of crying out to God is an act of profound faith, acknowledging His ultimate sovereignty and ability to deliver.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why does the psalmist repeat the plea to God to "keep not silence, hold not thy peace, and be not still"?
Answer: The threefold repetition and use of distinct but related verbs emphasize the extreme urgency and desperation of the psalmist's plea. It's a powerful rhetorical device known as anaphora and synonymia, designed to intensify the cry for divine intervention. The psalmist is not merely asking God to speak, but to actively listen, acknowledge, and decisively act. This repetition conveys the depth of the national crisis and the profound desire for God to break His perceived inaction and demonstrate His presence and power on behalf of His people. It highlights the psalmist's conviction that only God can resolve the overwhelming threat they face, echoing the desperate pleas found in other laments throughout the Psalms, such as when the psalmist cries out to God to "Awake! Why are you sleeping, O Lord?" in Psalms 44:23.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Psalms 83:1, with its urgent cry for God to break His silence and intervene, finds profound Christ-centered fulfillment in several ways. Firstly, Jesus himself experienced the ultimate perceived divine silence and abandonment on the cross, crying out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (quoting Psalms 22:1), embodying the deep lament of humanity. Yet, this profound silence was not ultimate abandonment but a crucial part of God's redemptive plan for the salvation of the world, culminating in the glorious resurrection. Secondly, while the psalmist cries for God to act against earthly enemies, the New Testament reveals that our ultimate enemy is sin and death (Romans 6:23). Christ, through His atoning sacrifice and triumphant resurrection, decisively acted to defeat these spiritual foes, fulfilling the deepest longing for divine intervention and deliverance (Colossians 2:15). Finally, Jesus now serves as our great High Priest, who "always lives to intercede for them" (Hebrews 7:25). He is never silent concerning our needs but continually advocates for us before the Father, ensuring that God hears and responds to the cries of His people, ultimately bringing about the full and final victory of God's kingdom, where all enemies will be put under His feet (1 Corinthians 15:25).