Table of Contents
Background and Context
Psalm 83 is the final psalm in the collection of Asaph. It is a desperate national lament and a fierce imprecatory prayer, a cry to God from a nation facing an existential threat. The psalmist reports that a massive coalition of ten surrounding nations has formed a confederacy with a single, terrifying goal: to completely annihilate Israel, to wipe its name from the pages of history forever.
The specific historical event that prompted this psalm is not certain, as no single battle in the Old Testament records this exact alliance of ten nations. However, the situation strongly resonates with several periods of crisis. A likely candidate is the invasion of Judah during the reign of King Jehoshaphat, as recorded in 2 Chronicles 20, where a “vast army” of Moabites, Ammonites, and others came against the nation. Jehoshaphat’s response—a national prayer meeting appealing to God to fight on their behalf—is a perfect match for the spirit of this psalm.
Regardless of the specific event, Psalm 83 stands as a timeless prayer for God’s people when they face overwhelming and hateful opposition. It is an appeal for the silent God to arise and act, to defend not only His people but His own name.
Theological Themes
This psalm is a powerful model of how to pray in a time of national crisis, rooted in several key theological truths.
An Attack on God’s People is an Attack on God: The psalmist understands that the conspiracy is not just against the nation of Israel; it is ultimately an attack against God Himself. The enemies are described as “your enemies” who “make an uproar” and “form a crafty plot against your people… against your treasured ones” (verses 2-3). By seeking to destroy the people of the covenant, the nations are directly challenging the God of the covenant.
The Power of Remembering God’s Past Victories: A central part of the psalmist’s prayer strategy is to appeal to history. He asks God to deal with the present enemies in the same way He dealt with the enemies of the past during the time of the Judges. He specifically names the victories over Sisera, Jabin, the Midianites, and their princes. This act of remembering God’s past deliverances serves to build faith and to call upon God to act consistently with His proven character as a Divine Warrior and Savior.
Imprecation with a Redemptive Goal: This psalm contains some of the fiercest imprecatory language in the Psalter, praying for the enemies to be scattered like chaff and consumed like a forest fire. However, the goal of this judgment is surprisingly redemptive. The psalmist prays, “Cover their faces with shame, LORD, so that they will seek your name” (verse 16). The ultimate purpose of the judgment is not mere destruction, but that the enemies would be brought to a place of desperation where they might actually turn to the one true God.
The Vindication of God’s Name: The final and ultimate goal of the prayer is the universal acknowledgment of God’s supreme sovereignty. The psalmist prays that the enemies would be put to shame “so that they may know that you, whose name is the LORD—that you alone are the Most High over all the earth” (verse 18). The deliverance of Israel is the means to a greater end: the glory and vindication of God’s name throughout the world.
Literary Structure and Genre
Psalm 83 is a national lament that also functions as an imprecatory psalm. Its structure is a clear and passionate appeal to the divine court.
- Part 1: The Plea (verse 1): A short, urgent cry for God to break His silence and inaction.
- Part 2: The Indictment (verses 2-8): A detailed report on the enemy coalition, their conspiracy, and their genocidal intent.
- Part 3: The Petition for Judgment (verses 9-18): A prayer for God to defeat the current enemies by reenacting His great victories from the past, with the ultimate goal of vindicating His name.
Verse by Verse Commentary on Psalm 83
Verse 1: A Cry Against Divine Silence
“O God, do not keep silent; do not hold your peace, do not be still, O God.”
The psalm opens with a dramatic, three-part plea. The psalmist perceives God as being silent, peaceful, and still in the face of an existential threat. He implores God to break this silence and spring into action. It is a cry of desperation from a people who feel that God is their only hope, but He seems dangerously inactive.
Verses 2-8: The Conspiracy of Hate
“See how your enemies growl, how your foes rear their heads… ‘Come,’ they say, ‘let us destroy them as a nation, so that Israel’s name is remembered no more.’ With one mind they plot together; they form an alliance against you—the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, of Moab and the Hagrites, Gebal, Ammon and Amalek, Philistia, with the people of Tyre. Even Assyria has joined them.”
The psalmist lays out the case before God. God’s own enemies are making an uproar, proudly rebelling against Him. Their specific plot is against God’s “treasured ones“—His covenant people. Their stated goal is nothing less than genocide: to completely destroy Israel as a nation so that its very name is erased from memory.
Verses 6-8 provide the terrifying “roll call” of the enemy coalition. It is a massive alliance of Israel’s historic enemies from every direction: Edom, Moab, and Ammon from the east; Ishmaelites from the south; Philistia and Tyre from the west; and even the mighty empire of Assyria from the far north. This is a complete encirclement, a conspiracy of hate with seemingly overwhelming odds.
Verses 9-18: A Prayer for a Historic Defeat
“Do to them as you did to Midian, as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon… Make them like tumbleweed, my God, like chaff before the wind… Cover their faces with shame, LORD, so that they will seek your name… Let them know that you, whose name is the LORD—that you alone are the Most High over all the earth.”
The psalmist now turns to his petition. He asks God to intervene in the present crisis by re-enacting His most famous victories from the past, specifically from the book of Judges. He prays for a defeat like that of Midian (Judges 7-8) and of Sisera and Jabin (Judges 4-5). He asks God to make the enemy leaders as disgraced as the Midianite princes Oreb, Zeeb, Zebah, and Zalmunna. He is asking for a complete and miraculous rout.
The prayer then uses a series of powerful similes to describe the desired defeat. May the enemy be as rootless and scattered as tumbleweed and chaff blown by the wind. May God’s judgment pursue them like a raging forest fire that consumes everything in its path.
Yet, in the middle of this fierce prayer, the goal is stated in verse 16: “that they will seek your name.” The shame of their defeat is meant to break their pride and lead them to acknowledge the Lord. The final verse clarifies this purpose. The ultimate goal is that through this great act of judgment and deliverance, the whole world will come to know that Yahweh, the God of Israel, is the one true “Most High over all the earth.“
Practical Lessons for Today
Recognize that Opposition to God’s People is Opposition to God: When you face hostility because of your faith, it can feel like a personal attack. This psalm reminds us that such opposition is ultimately directed at God. We can take comfort in knowing that we are His “treasured ones” and that He takes the threats against us personally.
Pray with History in Mind: The psalmist fueled his prayer by remembering God’s past faithfulness. When we pray, it is powerful to recall God’s great acts of salvation in Scripture—the Exodus, the cross, the resurrection—and to remember His faithfulness in our own lives. This builds our confidence that the God who acted then can and will act now.
Pray for the Conversion of Your Enemies: It is startling that in the middle of a fierce prayer for judgment, the psalmist includes a prayer for the enemy to “seek your name.” This is a profound model for us. While it is right to pray for justice and for evil plans to be thwarted, our ultimate desire should be for our enemies to come to know the truth and be saved.
Be Passionate for the Glory of God’s Name: The final goal of the psalmist’s prayer was not Israel’s comfort, but God’s glory. He wanted the world to know who God is. This should be the ultimate goal of all our prayers. We should long for our lives, our church, and our world to see and acknowledge that the LORD “alone is the Most High over all the earth.”
Cross References
2 Chronicles 20:1, 10-12: “A vast army from Edom, Moab and Ammon came to wage war against Jehoshaphat… and now they are invading our country… Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” King Jehoshaphat’s prayer in the face of a similar coalition perfectly captures the spirit of Psalm 83.
Judges 4-5: These chapters contain the story of Deborah and Barak’s victory over the Canaanite general Sisera and his king, Jabin, at the Kishon River. The psalmist in Psalm 83:9 explicitly recalls this event as a model for the kind of deliverance he is asking for.
Judges 7-8: These chapters tell the story of Gideon’s miraculous victory over the vast army of the Midianites and the subsequent capture and execution of their princes Oreb, Zeeb, Zebah, and Zalmunna, all of whom are named in Psalm 83:11.
Isaiah 17:13: “Although the peoples roar like the roar of surging waters, when he rebukes them they flee far away, driven before the wind like chaff on the hills, like tumbleweed before a gale.” The prophet Isaiah uses the exact same similes of chaff and tumbleweed as the psalmist in Psalm 83:13 to describe the fate of the nations that rage against God.