Psalm 83:1

A Request to Act against Israel’s Neighbors

A song. A psalm of Asaph.

1 O God, do not rest [silently]. Do not keep silent or be still, O God.

Psalm 83:1 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 83:1

Keep not thou silence, O God
Which he is thought and said to do, when he does not answer the prayers of his people, nor plead their cause, nor rebuke their enemies; when he does not speak a good word to them, or one for them, or one against those that hate and persecute them;

hold not thy peace;
or "be not deaf" ^F2 to the cries and tears of his people, and to the reproaches, menaces, and blasphemies of wicked men:

and be not still, O God;
or "quiet" ^F3, at rest and ease, inactive and unconcerned, as if he cared not how things went; the reason follows.

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FOOTNOTES:

F2 (vrxt-la) "ne obsurdescas", Vatablus; "ne surdum agas", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; "ne quasi surdus et mutus sis", Michaelis.
F3 (jqvt la) "ne quiescas", Pagninus, Montanus, Musculus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Gejerus; "neque quietus sis", Michaelis.

Psalm 83:1 In-Context

1 O God, do not rest [silently]. Do not keep silent or be still, O God.

2 For look, your enemies roar, and those who hate you have lifted [their] head.

3 They devise cunning schemes against your people, and consult together against your protected ones.

4 They say, "Come, let us annihilate them from [being] a nation, so that the name of Israel will be remembered no more."

5 For they have consulted together {with a unified purpose}. They have made a covenant against you:

Footnotes

• [a] The Hebrew Bible counts the superscription as the first verse of the psalm; the English verse number is reduced by one