A song. A Psalm of Asaph. O God, be not silent; be not speechless; be not still, O God.
Parallel translations
- WEB A song. A Psalm by Asaph. God, don’t keep silent. Don’t keep silent, and don’t be still, God.
- KJV Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God.
- NKJV Donot keep silent, O God! Do not hold Your peace, And do not be still, O God!
- NASB God, do not remain quiet; Do not be silent and, God, do not be still.
- NLT O God, do not be silent! Do not be deaf. Do not be quiet, O God.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The psalmist urgently begs God not to keep silent or stay still in the face of danger. The prayer pleads for God to act when His people are threatened.
Overview
Psalm 83 is a national lament against a coalition of enemies. The opening cry that God not remain silent expresses faith that His apparent inaction is not abandonment. It models bringing urgent fears to God, trusting that the God who seems silent will rise to defend His people and His name.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Ps 28:1Of David. To You, O LORD, I call; be not deaf to me, O my Rock. For if You remain silent, I will be like those descending to the Pit.
- Ps 35:22O LORD, You have seen it; be not silent. O Lord, be not far from me.
- Ps 50:3Our God approaches and will not be silent! Consuming fire precedes Him, and a tempest rages around Him.
- Isa 42:14“I have kept silent from ages past; I have remained quiet and restrained. But now I will groan like a woman in labor; I will at once gasp and pant.
- Ps 109:1–2For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O God of my praise, be not silent.
- Ps 44:23Wake up, O Lord! Why are You sleeping? Arise! Do not reject us forever.
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 83:1 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.