Psalms 83

Chapter context

What is happening in Psalms 83?

prayerpraiselamentkingship

Psalms 83 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as Book III. Psalms is the Bible’s great book of sung prayer, teaching the full range of faithful speech from anguish and repentance to jubilation and doxology. Read this chapter with the wider themes of prayer, praise, and lament in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.

¹ 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. 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: 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. 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. 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 helps

Glossary

Edom Place v. 6: Biblical region. Modern identification: Buseira.
Moab Place v. 6: Biblical region. Modern identification: Kerak.
Amalek Place v. 7: Biblical region. Modern identification: Ain el Qudeirat.
Ammon Place v. 7: Biblical region. Modern identification: Amman.
Gebal Place v. 7: A line (or natural boundary, as a mountain range). (1. ) A tract in the land of Edom south of the Dead Sea ( Ps. 83:7 ); now called Djebal. Modern identification: between the Dead Sea and Petra.
Philistia Place v. 7: Biblical region. Modern identification: Tel Ashkelon.
Tyre Place v. 7: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Tyre.
Asshur Place v. 8: Biblical settlement. Modern identification: Assur.
Jabin Person v. 9: Discerner; the wise. (1. ) A king of Hazor, at the time of the entrance of Israel into Canaan.
Kishon Place v. 9: Biblical river. Modern identification: Kishon River.
Midian Place v. 9: Biblical region. Modern identification: Al Bad.
Sisera Person v. 9: (Egypt. Ses-Ra, “servant of Ra”). (1. ) The captain of Jabin’s army ( Judg. 4:2 ), which was routed and destroyed by the army of Barak on the plain of Esdraelon.
En-dor Place v. 10: Fountain of Dor; i. e., “of the age”, a place in the territory of Issachar ( Josh. 17:11 ) near the scene of the great victory which was gained by Deborah and Barak over Sisera and Jabin (comp. Ps. 83:9 , 10). Modern identification: Khirbet es Safsafa.