Chapter 83
Themes, discussion questions, Christ connections, and denomination lenses.
Just read this chapter →Scripture
KJV1Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God.
2For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head.
3They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:
6The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
7Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre;
8Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah.
9Do unto them as unto the Midianites; as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the brook of Kison:
10Which perished at Endor: they became as dung for the earth.
11Make their nobles like Oreb, and like Zeeb: yea, all their princes as Zebah, and as Zalmunna:
12Who said, Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession.
13O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind.
14As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire;
15So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm.
16Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O LORD.
17Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish:
18That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.
“That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.”
Overview
Psalm 83 is the final psalm attributed to Asaph and is an urgent prayer for God to act against a coalition of nations conspiring to destroy Israel. The enemies have taken crafty counsel and formed an alliance with one purpose: 'Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.' The psalmist calls on God to deal with them as He dealt with Midian, Sisera, and Jabin — to make them like the whirling dust and stubble before the wind, that they may know the LORD is Most High over all the earth.
Key Themes
A Conspiracy Against God's People
The nations unite not merely against Israel but against God Himself — they conspire against His 'hidden ones' and seek to erase His people from memory.
Appealing to God's Past Victories
The psalmist grounds his plea in God's historical track record of defeating Israel's enemies, trusting that the same God acts in the present.
That All May Know the LORD
The ultimate purpose of the prayer is not mere vengeance but the revelation of God's supremacy — that the nations may know the LORD is Most High.
Study Questions
What does the conspiracy to wipe out Israel (vv. 2-8) teach about the spiritual dimension of opposition against God's people?
Why does the psalmist rehearse God's past victories over Midian and Sisera (vv. 9-12)?
How does the psalm's ultimate purpose — 'that men may know that thou...art the most high' (v. 18) — reframe prayers for deliverance?
How should Christians pray when facing organized opposition today?
What does it mean that the enemies have 'consulted together with one consent' (v. 5) against God?
Connection to Christ
The nations raged against Christ at the cross — Herod, Pilate, Gentiles, and Israel conspired together (Acts 4:27). Yet God turned their conspiracy into the means of salvation. Christ is the one through whom God's name is exalted above all the earth, and at His return every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord.
Personal Reflection
Take time to journal or meditate on what God is teaching you through Psalms 83. How can these truths transform your thinking and actions today?