Psalms 83
Old Testament · King James Version
Psalm 83 is an urgent communal prayer in the face of a coalition determined to erase Israel. It names surrounding peoples, recalls earlier biblical deliverances, and uses severe imprecatory imagery while directing judgment to God. The closing aim is that hostile powers seek and recognize the LORD as Most High over all the earth.
Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God.
For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head.
They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones.
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.
For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:
The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre;
Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah.
Do unto them as unto the Midianites; as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the brook of Kison:
Which perished at En–dor: they became as dung for the earth.
Make their nobles like Oreb, and like Zeeb: yea, all their princes as Zebah, and as Zalmunna:
Who said, Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession.
O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind.
As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire;
So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm.
Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O Lord.
Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish:
That men may know that thou, whose name alone is Jehovah, art the most high over all the earth.
Context
A psalm of Asaph shaped as communal lament and imprecatory prayer. The coalition list belongs to the ancient world of the psalm; attempts to identify it with one precise modern conflict or to map every ancient name directly onto present-day peoples go beyond what the text establishes.
Themes & application
- Threat and conspiracy
- Communal lament
- Imprecatory prayer
- Divine justice
- Deliverance
- Recognition of God
Bring fear and anger to God rather than converting them into private revenge. Resist dehumanizing opponents, protect threatened communities, and seek justice that ultimately leaves judgment with God.
Key verses
The coalition seeks to erase Israel as a nation.
Earlier deliverances are recalled as a precedent for God’s action.
The prayer includes the hope that shame leads enemies to seek God’s name.
The conclusion seeks recognition of the LORD as Most High over all the earth.
Common misreadings of Psalms 83
Misreading: Psalm 83 predicts or authorizes a specific modern war against a present-day ethnic or political group.
In context: The psalm names an ancient coalition in an imprecatory prayer. Direct one-to-one identification with modern peoples or conflicts is not established by the text.
Misreading: The violent imagery permits believers to take revenge.
In context: The prayer directs judgment to God and does not authorize private retaliation.
Cross-references
- Judges 4–8 — Background for Sisera, Jabin, Midian, Oreb, Zeeb, Zebah, and Zalmunna recalled in verses 9–11.
Frequently asked questions about Psalms 83
How should Christians read Psalm 83’s violent prayers?
Sources & editorial notes
- Translation
- Commentary anchored in the public-domain Psalm 83 text used by the site (en).
- Authorship
- The heading identifies a psalm/song of Asaph.
- Editorial process
- Synthesis checked against four literary movements.
References
- Psalm 83 — Primary text and structure.
Author: The Lord Will Editorial Team · Reviewed by: Ugo Candido · Updated: 2026-08-19