Psalm 83 15

Psalm 83:15 kjv

So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm.

Psalm 83:15 nkjv

So pursue them with Your tempest, And frighten them with Your storm.

Psalm 83:15 niv

so pursue them with your tempest and terrify them with your storm.

Psalm 83:15 esv

so may you pursue them with your tempest and terrify them with your hurricane!

Psalm 83:15 nlt

chase them with your fierce storm;
terrify them with your tempest.

Psalm 83 verses

Psalm 83 15 Meaning

Psalm 83:15 is an urgent plea to the Most High for divine intervention and judgment against those who threaten His people and His name. The Psalmist implores God to actively pursue and drive away these enemies with overwhelming power, symbolized by devastating natural forces. Furthermore, it asks that God's presence and power strike them with profound terror and confusion, leading to their dismay and defeat. This is a prayer for God to vindicate His name and sovereignty through a powerful demonstration of judgment.

Psalm 83 15 Context

Psalm 83 is a communal lament and an imprecatory prayer by Asaph. It opens with an urgent cry to God to break His silence and act against a confederacy of nations surrounding Israel. These nations are united by a common malicious purpose: to eradicate Israel and the very memory of its existence, thereby opposing God's covenant people and His name. The psalmist meticulously lists ten nations (or groups) plotting together (vv. 6-8). The preceding verses of the psalm (vv. 9-14) invoke historical precedents of divine judgment (like against Midian, Sisera, Jabin, Zebah, Zalmunna) as a basis for the current plea. Verse 15, therefore, is part of this petition, explicitly calling for divine, naturalistic forces—the tempest and storm—to be employed as instruments of judgment, emphasizing God's overwhelming power to subdue and terrorize the hostile forces. The ultimate aim of this prayer, expressed in subsequent verses, is not mere vengeance but the revelation of God's sovereign identity and even the potential repentance of His enemies.

Psalm 83 15 Word analysis

• אֱדוֹףֵם (edofeim): "So pursue them" or "chase them," "drive them away."
  • This is an imperative form of the verb דוף (duf), meaning to push, to thrust, to drive away, to pursue. It conveys the active and relentless movement of God against the enemies.
  • Significance: It signifies not a passive removal but an active, aggressive pursuit, characteristic of divine intervention in warfare. This implies a forceful and definitive expulsion or destruction of the adversaries.
• בְּסוּפָתֶךָ (b'sufateka): "with your tempest" or "your whirlwind."
  • The prefix בְּ (be-) means "with" or "by means of."
  • סוּפָה (sufah) means a tempest, a storm, a whirlwind. This is a powerful, often destructive, natural phenomenon.
  • Significance: In the Hebrew Bible, the "tempest" or "whirlwind" often symbolizes God's irresistible power and destructive judgment. It appears in contexts of divine wrath and the manifestation of His glory (e.g., Job 38:1; Nah 1:3). It underscores the overwhelming and inescapable nature of God's power when He chooses to act.
• וּבְסַעֲרָתֶךָ (uv'sa'arateka): "and with your storm" or "your gale."
  • The prefix וּ (u-) means "and." The prefix בְּ (be-) means "with."
  • סַעֲרָה (sa'arah) means a storm, a gale, a tempest, or a whirlwind. It is often paired with סוּפָה and carries a similar connotation of violent, uncontrollable weather.
  • Significance: This parallel term intensifies the imagery of divine judgment, emphasizing the sheer force and destructive capacity of God's intervention. It implies a turbulent, chaotic, and terrifying experience for the targeted enemies, reinforcing the overwhelming nature of the divine onslaught.
• תְּבַהֲלֵם (t'vahaleim): "terrify them" or "throw them into confusion."
  • This is an imperative form of the verb בָּהַל (bahal), meaning to be disturbed, dismayed, terrified, to hasten in panic. In the Hiphil stem, as here, it means "to cause terror," "to throw into confusion or panic."
  • Significance: This verb describes the internal psychological impact of God's action. The goal is not just physical defeat but an emotional and mental paralysis, where the enemies are disoriented and overcome by sudden dread. This "panic" is a recurring divine judgment in biblical warfare, breaking enemy resolve and leading to their rout (Exod 14:24; Josh 10:10).

Words-Group Analysis:

• אֱדוֹףֵם בְּסוּפָתֶךָ (edofeim b'sufateka): "So pursue them with your tempest."
  • This phrase unites the active divine pursuit with the chosen instrument of destruction: the powerful and overwhelming "tempest." It signifies a relentless and forceful divine advance, a spiritual and physical chase enacted through the force of nature, highlighting God's direct, personal, and irresistible involvement in His people's defense. It evokes an image of an unyielding divine hunter using cosmic forces to run down His prey.
• וּבְסַעֲרָתֶךָ תְּבַהֲלֵם (uv'sa'arateka t'vahaleim): "and with your storm terrify them."
  • This second parallel clause deepens the impact. The "storm" (an intensified natural force) is directly linked to causing utter terror and confusion. This isn't merely a physical scattering but a psychological dismantling of the enemy's will. The divine storm brings not just external devastation but internal panic and disorientation, which is often a prelude to their self-destruction or decisive defeat in biblical narratives of divine warfare.

Psalm 83 15 Bonus section

The "tempest" and "storm" imagery in Psalm 83:15 draws heavily on ancient Near Eastern literary motifs and Israel's own historical experiences. In many cultures, powerful deities were associated with storms. The psalmist's appeal to YHWH as the one who commands the tempest is thus a subtle yet powerful polemic, asserting YHWH's absolute and exclusive sovereignty over all creation, demonstrating His superiority over any pagan storm god or national deity that the conspiring nations might worship. This also echoes pivotal events in Israel's history, such as the dividing of the Red Sea by a strong east wind (Exod 14:21) or God appearing in a whirlwind (e.g., to Job in Job 38). These events underscore God's control over nature as a means of defending His people and executing His will. The terror (תְּבַהֲלֵם) inflicted is not merely fear but a state of discomfiture and panic that incapacitates enemies, reflecting a recurring divine strategy where psychological warfare orchestrated by God precedes physical defeat. This serves as a reminder that the spiritual battle precedes and informs the physical one, with God's power acting on both fronts.

Psalm 83 15 Commentary

Psalm 83:15 serves as a potent request for divine justice, where the Psalmist implores God to act decisively against those who seek to extinguish Israel's name and challenge God's supreme authority. The use of "tempest" and "storm" vividly portrays God's power as overwhelming, uncontrollable, and devastating, reflecting His dominion over creation as an instrument of His judgment. This imagery transcends human military capability, emphasizing that only God possesses the capacity to inflict such pervasive and terrifying confusion that can lead to an enemy's ultimate defeat. The prayer for terror to grip the enemies reveals a profound trust that God can disarm them psychologically as well as physically, leading to their internal unraveling. While fiercely imprecatory, this request aligns with the larger prayer of the psalm, where the desired outcome is not simply annihilation but for all to recognize YHWH's unique sovereignty as the "Most High over all the earth," and even, ideally, to seek His name. Thus, the plea for judgment carries within it the hope for the revelation of God's glory and the potential for a transformative realization on the part of His adversaries.