Psalm 83

1God, don’t keep silent. Don’t keep silent, and don’t be still, God. 2For, behold, your enemies are stirred up. Those who hate you have lifted up their heads. 3They conspire with cunning against your people. They plot against your cherished ones. 4“Come,” they say, “let’s destroy them as a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more.” 5For they have conspired together with one mind. They form an alliance against you. 6The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites; Moab, and the Hagrites; 7Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek; Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre; 8Assyria also is joined with them. They have helped the children of Lot. Selah. 9Do to them as you did to Midian, as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the river Kishon; 10who perished at Endor, who became as dung for the earth. 11Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, yes, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna, 12who said, “Let’s take possession of God’s pasture lands.” 13My God, make them like tumbleweed, like chaff before the wind. 14As the fire that burns the forest, as the flame that sets the mountains on fire, 15so pursue them with your tempest, and terrify them with your storm. 16Fill their faces with confusion, that they may seek your name, Yahweh. 17Let them be disappointed and dismayed forever. Yes, let them be confounded and perish; 18that they may know that you alone, whose name is Yahweh, are the Most High over all the earth.

This psalm is the last of those that go under the name of Asaph. It is penned, as most of those, upon a public account, with reference to the insults of the church's enemies, who sought its ruin. Some think it was penned upon occasion of the threatening descent which was made upon the land of Judah in Jehoshaphat's time by the Moabites and Ammonites, those children of Lot here spoken of (Psa 83:8), who were at the head of the alliance and to whom all the other states here mentioned were auxiliaries. We have the story Ch2 20:1, where it is said, The children of Moab and Ammon, and others besides them, invaded the land. Others think it was penned with reference to all the confederacies of the neighbouring nations against Israel, from first to last. The psalmist here makes an appeal and application, I. To God's knowledge, by a representation of their designs and endeavours to destroy Israel (Psa 83:1-8). II. To God's justice and jealousy, both for his church and for his own honour, by an earnest prayer for the defeat of their attempt, that the church might be preserved, the enemies humbled, and God glorified (Psa 83:9-18). This, in the singing of it, we may apply to the enemies of the gospel-church, all anti-christian powers and factions, representing to God their confederacies against Christ and his kingdom, and rejoicing in the hope that all their projects will be baffled and the gates of hell shall not prevail against the church.

A song or psalm of Asaph.

Cross-references: Ps 83:8 · 2Chr 20:1 · Ps 83:1 · Ps 83:9

Introduction