| Psalm 83 | |
| Subtitle: | "Keep not thou silence, O God" |
| Text: | by Asaph |
| Language: | Hebrew (original) |
Psalm 83 is the 83rd psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "Keep not thou silence, O God". In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate translations of the Bible, this psalm is Psalm 82. In Latin, it is known as "Deus quis similis erit tibi ne taceas".[1] It is one of the 12 Psalms of Asaph.[2] This psalm is the last of the Psalms of Asaph, which include Psalms 50 and 73 to 83. It is also the last of the "Elohist" collection, Psalms 42–83, in which the one of God's titles, Elohim, is mainly used.[3] [4] It is generally seen as a national lament provoked by the threat of an invasion of Israel by its neighbors.
The psalm forms a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and other Protestant liturgies. It has been set to music, including works by Heinrich Schütz and Alexander von Zemlinsky.
The following table shows the Hebrew text[5] [6] of the Psalm with vowels alongside an English translation based upon the JPS 1917 translation (now in the public domain).
| Verse | Hebrew | English translation (JPS 1917) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Song, a Psalm of Asaph. | |
| 2 | O God, keep not Thou silence; Hold not Thy peace, and be not still, O God. | |
| 3 | For, lo, Thine enemies are in an uproar; And they that hate Thee have lifted up the head. | |
| 4 | They hold crafty converse against Thy people, And take counsel against Thy treasured ones. | |
| 5 | 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.' | |
| 6 | For they have consulted together with one consent; Against Thee do they make a covenant; | |
| 7 | The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites; Moab, and the Hagrites; | |
| 8 | Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre; | |
| 9 | Assyria also is joined with them; They have been an arm to the children of Lot. Selah | |
| 10 | Do Thou unto them as unto Midian; As to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the brook Kishon; | |
| 11 | Who were destroyed at En-dor; They became as dung for the earth. | |
| 12 | Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, And like Zebah and Zalmunna all their princes; | |
| 13 | Who said: 'Let us take to ourselves in possession The habitations of God.' | |
| 14 | O my God, make them like the whirling dust; As stubble before the wind. | |
| 15 | As the fire that burneth the forest, And as the flame that setteth the mountains ablaze; | |
| 16 | So pursue them with Thy tempest, And affright them with Thy storm. | |
| 17 | Fill their faces with shame; That they may seek Thy name, O LORD. | |
| 18 | Let them be ashamed and affrighted for ever; Yea, let them be abashed and perish; | |
| 19 | That they may know that it is Thou alone whose name is the LORD, The Most High over all the earth. | |
Some have indicated that the specific naming of particular nations indicates that it does refer to a specific historical period, even though the prayer itself would be offered in the Temple in Jerusalem.[7] The dating of its composition is debated, but the reference in verse 9 to Assyria is seen by many commentators as an indication that the Psalm was written during the time of Assyrian ascendancy, the 9th to 7th centuries BC.[8] Others have placed the composition of the psalm from the time of Saul onwards, up to the age of the Maccabees,[7] suggested by Theodore of Mopsuestia.[9]
Do not keep silent, O God!
Do not hold Your peace,
And do not be still, O God![10] The specific meaning of this verse is disputed. The verb can be translated to refer to either speech ("be not silent") or motion ("be not inactive").[8] The fact that the verse requests the assistance of God three times emphasizes the urgency of the situation and of the people's prayer.[3]
In the text of the psalm, specifically verses 2 through 5, the speaker makes the assumption that individuals who plot against the nation of Israel must inherently be enemies of God.[11] He also ascribes to them the intention of the complete extinction of the people of Israel, as that is the meaning of verse 4, which indicates that the name of Israel will be obliterated or remembered no more.[7]
These verses provide the names of the ten nations which have evidently formed a coalition against Israel, the Edomites, the Ishmaelites, Moab, the Hagrites, Gebal, Ammon, Amalek, the Philistines, Tyre, and Assyria.[8]
The narrator goes on to assume that God himself will fight on Israel's side in the upcoming battle, based on the stories contained in the 4th through 8th chapters of the Book of Judges, citing individual actions attributed to God in that book.[11]
In these verses, the narrator specifically requests that God make the opponents of Israel suffer and experience shame and die in disgrace for opposing Israel, and, by extension, God himself.[11] The specifics mentioned, including chaff, fire and storm, are references to the Sirocco.[8]
In this verse, the narrator states that he wishes God perform these various acts so that all might know that God is the most powerful entity and has sway over all the Earth.[11] This verse, with verse 16, indicates that, although the bulk of the psalm is a prayer for the destruction of the enemies of Israel, there is some positive hope that the enemies of Israel might come to acknowledge the god of Israel.[7] While the King James Version most often translates the tetragrammaton-YHWH (which occurs in the Hebrew scriptures 6,828 times) as "LORD", this verse has one of the several occurrences in which it is translated as "JEHOVAH". This translation renders those four letters, known as the Tetragrammaton, "Jehovah". That name is by far the most frequently occurring name in the Bible. It is one of the few verses where the phrases "whose name is" or "that is my name" are used (Isa 42:8, Jer 33:2, etc.) in the whole Bible. Notably, for these reasons this particular verse in the King James Bible is widely quoted, particularly by Jehovah's Witnesses, as evidence that "Jehovah" is the personal name of God.[12]
Different translations interpret the verse as follows:
| Translation | Psalm 83:18 | |
|---|---|---|
| ASV | "That they may know that thou alone, whose name is JEHOVAH, Art the Most High over all the earth." | |
| KJV | "That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth." | |
| NKJV | "That they may know that You, whose name alone is the Lord, Are the Most High over all the earth." | |
| NAB | "Show them you alone are the LORD, the Most High over all the earth." (as verse 19) | |
| NWT | "May people know that you, whose name is Jehovah, You alone are the Most High over all the earth." | |
| REB | "So let it be known that you, whose name is the LORD, are alone Most High over all the earth." | |
| RSV | "Let them know that thou alone, whose name is the LORD, art the Most High over all the earth." | |
| WEB | "that they may know that you alone, whose name is YAHWEH, are the Most High over all the earth." | |
| YLT | "And they know that Thou – (Thy name [is] JEHOVAH – by Thyself,) [Art] the Most High over all the earth!" |
In the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer, this psalm is appointed to be read in the evening of the 16th day of the month.[13]
Heinrich Schütz set Psalm 83 in a metred version in German, "Gott, schweig du nicht so ganz und gar", SWV 180, as part of the Becker Psalter, first published in 1628.
Alexander von Zemlinsky composed a setting for choir and orchestra, using selected verses in German, Psalm 83, in 1900.
. James Dunn (theologian) . John W. Rogerson . Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible . William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company . Grand Rapids, MI . 2003 . 0-8028-3711-5.