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Psalm 83:1

ESV O God, do not keep silence; do not hold your peace or be still, O God!
NIV A song. A psalm of Asaph. O God, do not remain silent; do not turn a deaf ear, do not stand aloof, O God.
NASB God, do not remain quiet; Do not be silent and, God, do not be still.
CSB A song. A psalm of Asaph. God, do not keep silent. Do not be deaf, God; do not be quiet.
NLT O God, do not be silent! Do not be deaf. Do not be quiet, O God.
KJV A Song or Psalm of Asaph. Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God.
NKJV {A Song. A Psalm of Asaph.} Do not keep silent, O God! Do not hold Your peace, And do not be still, O God!

What does Psalm 83:1 mean?

Asaph prays for God not to rest. He is aware that Israel's enemies are constructing threats against the nation (Psalm 83:3); Asaph's appeal is that God would intervene before there is an attack. Rather than allowing this to happen, the psalmist prays for God to exercise His power. Later verses include a long list of enemy nations banding together to see Israel destroyed.

Asaph addresses his plea to Elohim, the plural form of "god." The second "O God" uses El, referring to God's great power. Asaph knows God is omnipotent and therefore capable of warding off any threat that is raised against His people. The apostle Paul shares this concept of God as all-powerful. He realized that if God is for His people, no one can prevail against them. He tells the believers at Rome: "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31), and declares, "We are more than conquerors through him who loved us" (Romans 8:37). When a child of God senses that he is in danger, he can do what Asaph did, appeal to the Mighty One to arise and act on his behalf. God will answer his prayer (Jeremiah 33:3; Philippians 4:4–8; 1 Peter 5:7; 1 John 5:13–15).
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