Psalm 83
Psalm 83, A Prayer for Help When War Threatens
Psalm 83 is titled “A Song or Psalm of Asaph.” Asaph was likely the great singer and musician connected with the worship of Israel during the days of David and Solomon. 1 Chronicles 15:17, “So the Levites appointed Heman the son of Joel, and of his brethren, Asaph the son of Berechiah, and of the sons of Merari their brethren, Ethan the son of Kushaiah.” 1 Chronicles 16:5, “Asaph the chief, and next to him Zechariah, Jeiel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Mattithiah, and Eliab, and Benaiah, and Obededom, and Jeiel, with psalteries and with harps, but Asaph made a sound with cymbals.” 1 Chronicles 25:1, “Moreover David and the captains of the host separated to the service of the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who should prophesy with harps, with psalteries, and with cymbals, and the number of the workmen according to their service was.” 2 Chronicles 29:30, “Moreover Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praise unto the LORD with the words of David, and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshipped.”
Psalm 83 is a prayer in a time of national crisis. Israel is surrounded by enemies who are not merely seeking temporary advantage, but the destruction of Israel as a nation. Some connect this psalm with the events of 2 Chronicles 20, when a coalition came against Judah during the reign of Jehoshaphat. Others understand the ten enemies listed here as a broader picture of the constant danger Israel faced from hostile nations. Either way, the burden of the psalm is clear. The enemies of Israel are also the enemies of the LORD, and Asaph asks God not to remain silent. He asks God to act, defend His people, judge their enemies, and make His name known as the Most High over all the earth
A. The Appeal for Help
Psalm 83:1 through Psalm 83:4, Asking God to Take Action Against Those Set on Destroying Israel
Psalm 83:1, “Keep not thou silence, O God, hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God.”
Psalm 83:2, “For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult, and they that hate thee have lifted up the head.”
Psalm 83:3, “They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones.”
Psalm 83:4, “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.”
The psalm begins with urgent prayer, “Keep not thou silence, O God, hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God.” Asaph is not asking casually. He is pleading because Israel faces destruction. If God remains silent, if He does not intervene, if He appears still while the enemies gather, Israel will be overwhelmed. The crisis is national, spiritual, and covenantal.
The plea assumes that God’s silence is the greatest danger. Israel’s enemies are loud, organized, and aggressive. But if God speaks, the enemy’s noise means nothing. The people need God to break His silence and act for His name, His covenant, and His people.
Verse 2 says, “For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult.” Asaph does not describe these nations merely as Israel’s enemies. He calls them God’s enemies. This is important. They are attacking the people God chose, the land God gave, the name God attached to Israel, and the covenant purposes God revealed through Israel. Their opposition is ultimately against God.
The verse continues, “and they that hate thee have lifted up the head.” The lifted head is a picture of pride, boldness, and defiance. The enemies are no longer quiet in their hatred. They are rising openly. They are emboldened. They think the time has come to destroy Israel.
Verse 3 says, “They have taken crafty counsel against thy people.” Their plans are not impulsive. They are strategic. Crafty counsel means scheming, plotting, and calculating. The enemies are not merely angry, they are organized. They are thinking carefully about how to destroy God’s people.
They have also “consulted against thy hidden ones.” This is a tender description of Israel. God’s people are His hidden ones, His sheltered ones, His treasured ones, those kept under His protection. The image is like a hen sheltering her chicks under her wings, or like treasure hidden from thieves. The enemies may see Israel as vulnerable, but God sees them as His guarded people.
Verse 4 reveals the goal of the enemies, “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation.” This is not merely conquest. It is attempted extermination. The nations want Israel removed from history. They want the covenant people erased.
The final phrase makes this even clearer, “that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.” They do not merely want Israel weakened. They want Israel forgotten. They want the name erased from the earth.
This hatred of Israel has appeared repeatedly in history. Ancient enemies sought Israel’s destruction. Later empires oppressed the Jews. Modern antisemites have attempted to erase them as a people. Yet Israel continues to exist because God’s covenant purposes remain. Human hatred has never been able to cancel divine election, divine preservation, or divine purpose.
The same principle applies to the church. Many have sought to destroy Christianity, silence the gospel, and erase the name of Christ. The Roman emperor Diocletian boasted that he had extinguished Christianity, yet he died and Christ’s name continues to be preached throughout the earth. The enemies of God may lift up the head for a season, but God preserves His people and His truth.
Psalm 83:5 through Psalm 83:8, The Confederation of Nations Against Israel
Psalm 83:5, “For they have consulted together with one consent, they are confederate against thee.”
Psalm 83:6, “The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites, of Moab, and the Hagarenes.”
Psalm 83:7, “Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek, the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre.”
Psalm 83:8, “Assur also is joined with them, they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah.”
Verse 5 says, “For they have consulted together with one consent.” The enemies are united. Nations that may have had their own differences are joined together by hatred of Israel and opposition to God’s purposes. Shared hostility to God often unites otherwise divided powers.
The verse continues, “they are confederate against thee.” Again, Asaph emphasizes that the coalition is ultimately against God. The true conflict is not merely Israel against the nations. It is God against the rebellious world. This same pattern appears in the trial of Jesus, where former enemies found unity in opposition to Christ. Luke 23:12, “And the same day Pilate and Herod were made friends together, for before they were at enmity between themselves.”
Verses 6 through 8 list ten peoples or nations. Edom descended from Esau and often opposed Israel. The Ishmaelites were descendants of Ishmael. Moab and Ammon descended from Lot and frequently troubled Israel. The Hagarenes were likely a desert tribe connected with the region east of Israel. Gebal may refer to a southern locality rather than the northern Byblos. Amalek was an ancient enemy of Israel from the days of the wilderness. Philistia was one of Israel’s constant enemies on the western coast. Tyre was a powerful Phoenician city. Assur, or Assyria, joined them and strengthened the coalition.
The phrase “they have holpen the children of Lot” likely points to Moab and Ammon as central agitators in this attack, with the other nations assisting them. The list shows Israel surrounded from multiple directions. The odds are overwhelming from a human standpoint. Ten against one is terrible odds, unless God is the One defending the one.
The verse ends with “Selah.” The danger is great enough to require pause. Faith can pause even in crisis because faith knows that God is greater than the coalition. Unbelief rushes in panic. Faith pauses before God.
B. The Cry for Vengeance
Psalm 83:9 through Psalm 83:12, Grant Victory and Deliverance as in the Days of the Judges
Psalm 83:9, “Do unto them as unto the Midianites, as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the brook of Kison.”
Psalm 83:10, “Which perished at Endor, they became as dung for the earth.”
Psalm 83:11, “Make their nobles like Oreb, and like Zeeb, yea, all their princes as Zebah, and as Zalmunna.”
Psalm 83:12, “Who said, Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession.”
Asaph now appeals to God’s past victories. “Do unto them as unto the Midianites.” This refers to God’s deliverance through Gideon in Judges 6 through Judges 8. Israel was oppressed by Midian, but God delivered them through a deliberately reduced army so that the glory would belong to Him. Judges 7:2, “And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.” Judges 7:7, “And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand, and let all the other people go every man unto his place.”
Asaph also mentions Sisera and Jabin at the brook of Kishon. This refers to God’s victory through Deborah and Barak in Judges 4. Judges 4:14, “And Deborah said unto Barak, Up, for this is the day in which the LORD hath delivered Sisera into thine hand, is not the LORD gone out before thee? So Barak went down from mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him.” Judges 4:15, “And the LORD discomfited Sisera, and all his chariots, and all his host, with the edge of the sword before Barak, so that Sisera lighted down off his chariot, and fled away on his feet.”
Verse 10 says, “Which perished at Endor, they became as dung for the earth.” The defeat was complete and disgraceful. Their bodies were left as refuse upon the ground. This is the language of total humiliation for enemies who had threatened God’s people.
Verse 11 names Midianite leaders defeated in Gideon’s day. Oreb and Zeeb were princes of Midian. Judges 7:25, “And they took two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb, and they slew Oreb upon the rock Oreb, and Zeeb they slew at the winepress of Zeeb, and pursued Midian, and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side Jordan.” Zebah and Zalmunna were kings of Midian. Judges 8:21, “Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, Rise thou, and fall upon us, for as the man is, so is his strength. And Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and took away the ornaments that were on their camels’ necks.”
Asaph asks God to make the present enemy leaders like those former enemies. He wants the ringleaders of rebellion judged, not merely the common soldiers. When leaders plan destruction against God’s people, justice must reach them.
Verse 12 gives the enemy’s motive, “Who said, Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession.” The enemies coveted what belonged to God. They wanted the land, the dwellings, and the pastures God had given His people. This again shows that their war was not merely against Israel, but against the LORD’s inheritance.
The land of Israel is called God’s possession because God gave it by covenant. The enemies thought they were seizing Israelite territory, but they were attempting to possess what God called His own.
Psalm 83:13 through Psalm 83:15, Bring Them to Destruction
Psalm 83:13, “O my God, make them like a wheel, as the stubble before the wind.”
Psalm 83:14, “As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire.”
Psalm 83:15, “So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm.”
Asaph intensifies his prayer. “O my God, make them like a wheel, as the stubble before the wind.” The word translated “wheel” can refer to something rolling or whirling, possibly tumbleweed. The picture is of something rootless, weightless, and driven helplessly by the wind. Asaph asks God to scatter the enemies who gathered themselves against Israel.
The phrase “as the stubble before the wind” adds the image of chaff or dry plant matter blown away. The enemies seem organized and strong, but before God they can be made weightless and helpless.
Verse 14 adds the image of fire, “As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire.” Fire in a forest or on mountains spreads quickly and consumes what stands before it. Asaph asks that God’s judgment would overtake the enemies with the same unstoppable force.
Verse 15 says, “So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm.” The tempest and storm are pictures of divine power. To ancient people, storms were among the most terrifying forces in creation. Asaph asks God to pursue the enemies with overwhelming power and fill them with fear.
This prayer is severe, but the threat was severe. These nations wanted to erase Israel from existence. Asaph asks God to scatter, consume, pursue, and terrify them so that His people may be preserved and His name vindicated.
Psalm 83:16 through Psalm 83:18, Bring These Enemies to the Knowledge of the True God
Psalm 83:16, “Fill their faces with shame, that they may seek thy name, O LORD.”
Psalm 83:17, “Let them be confounded and troubled for ever, yea, let them be put to shame, and perish.”
Psalm 83:18, “That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.”
The final section gives an unexpected depth to the prayer. Asaph does ask for judgment, shame, and destruction, but he also prays, “that they may seek thy name, O LORD.” The purpose of their humiliation is not merely vengeance. It is that they might be brought low enough to seek the LORD.
This is a profound truth. Men often do not seek God until their pride is broken. Shame can become mercy if it turns a man from idols to the living God. The punishments of God are often intended to humble men, strip away false confidence, and bring them to seek His name.
Verse 17 says, “Let them be confounded and troubled for ever, yea, let them be put to shame, and perish.” This shows that if they will not repent, judgment must be final. Those who remain enemies of God and His people will perish. The psalm does not soften the reality of divine judgment. God is merciful, but He is also just.
Verse 18 gives the ultimate purpose, “That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.” The goal is the universal knowledge of the LORD. The nations must know that Yahweh alone is God. His name alone is Jehovah. He is not one tribal deity among many. He is the Most High over all the earth.
This ending transforms the whole psalm. The prayer began with a plea for God not to be silent. It ends with the desire that God’s name would be known throughout the earth. God’s intervention for Israel is not merely national defense. It is global testimony. When God breaks His silence and acts, the nations learn that He alone is the Most High.
Psalm 83 therefore teaches that threats against God’s people are not merely political threats. They are spiritual assaults against God’s covenant purposes. It teaches believers to bring national and spiritual crises before God, to remember His past victories, to ask Him for justice, and to desire even the humbling of enemies so that they may know the LORD.
The ultimate fulfillment belongs to Christ. All nations are accountable to Him. All enemies will finally be placed beneath His feet. Psalm 2:8, “Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.” Psalm 2:9, “Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron, thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” Philippians 2:10, “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth.” Philippians 2:11, “And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
