Psalms 83

The Nations' Conspiracy and the LORD Most High Over All the Earth

The psalm moves from a plea that God not be silent, to the enemy uproar and conspiracy against His treasured people, to the naming of a broad hostile coalition, to historical appeals for God to repeat His saving judgments, to storm-and-fire imagery of enemy overthrow, and finally to the ultimate purpose that the LORD's name be sought and known as supreme over all the earth.

World English Bible, Public Domain

1 God, don’t keep silent. Don’t keep silent, and don’t be still, God.

2 For, behold, your enemies are stirred up. Those who hate you have lifted up their heads.

3 They 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.”

5 For they have conspired together with one mind. They form an alliance against you.

6 The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites; Moab, and the Hagrites;

7 Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek; Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre;

8 Assyria also is joined with them. They have helped the children of Lot.

9 Do to them as you did to Midian, as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the river Kishon;

10 who perished at Endor, who became as dung for the earth.

11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, yes, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,

12 who said, “Let’s take possession of God’s pasture lands.”

13 My God, make them like tumbleweed, like chaff before the wind.

14 As the fire that burns the forest, as the flame that sets the mountains on fire,

15 so pursue them with your tempest, and terrify them with your storm.

16 Fill their faces with confusion, that they may seek your name, Yahweh.

17 Let them be disappointed and dismayed forever. Yes, let them be confounded and perish;

18 that they may know that you alone, whose name is Yahweh, are the Most High over all the earth.

Key Terms

אֱלֹהִים elohim H430
אַל־תֶּחֱרַשׁ al-techerash H2790
יֶהֱמָיוּן yehemayun H1993
עַמְּךָ ammekha H5971
צְפוּנֶיךָ tsefunekha H6845
לְכוּ lekhu H1980
נַכְחִידֵם nakhchidem H3582
גּוֹי goy H1471
שֵׁם shem H8034

World English Bible (WEB): Public Domain Scripture text · License details