Psalm 83:2 kjv
For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head.
Psalm 83:2 nkjv
For behold, Your enemies make a tumult; And those who hate You have lifted up their head.
Psalm 83:2 niv
See how your enemies growl, how your foes rear their heads.
Psalm 83:2 esv
For behold, your enemies make an uproar; those who hate you have raised their heads.
Psalm 83:2 nlt
Don't you hear the uproar of your enemies?
Don't you see that your arrogant enemies are rising up?
Psalm 83 2 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Psa 2:1-2 | Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed... | Nations' futile rebellion against God. |
| Psa 46:6 | The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted. | Nations' commotion met by God's power. |
| Psa 74:10 | O God, how long shall the adversary reproach? shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for ever? | Complaint about enemy reproach. |
| Psa 75:4-5 | I said unto the fools, Deal not foolishly: and to the wicked, Lift not up the horn: Lift not up your horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck. | Warning against pride and defiance. |
| Psa 94:3-4 | LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph? They utter and speak hard things: they boast themselves. | Lament over wicked triumph and boastfulness. |
| Isa 17:12 | Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas; and to the rushing of nations, that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters! | Nations' tumultuous uproar. |
| Isa 37:23 | Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the Holy One of Israel. | Direct challenge to arrogant defiance against God. |
| Ezek 28:2 | Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God... | Pride leading to self-exaltation. |
| Jer 4:5 | Declare ye in Judah, and publish in Jerusalem; and say, Blow ye the trumpet in the land: cry, gather together, and say, Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the defenced cities. | Imminent enemy invasion and assembly. |
| Nahum 1:2-3 | God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth, and is furious... The LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. | God's vengeful response to adversaries. |
| Hab 1:2-3 | O LORD, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save! Why dost thou shew me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? for spoiling and violence are before me... | Prophet's lament over violence and unanswered prayer. |
| Rom 1:30 | ...backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters... | Description of those who are "haters of God." |
| 2 Tim 3:2 | For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy... | Traits of those with an arrogant disposition in later days. |
| Jam 4:6 | But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. | God's resistance to pride. |
| 1 Pet 5:8 | Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour... | The spiritual adversary and his intent. |
| Psa 7:6 | Arise, O LORD, in thine anger, lift up thyself because of the rage of mine enemies... | Call for God to act against the enemies' rage. |
| Psa 10:4 | The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts. | Arrogance that ignores God. |
| Psa 59:1 | Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God: defend me from them that rise up against me. | Prayer for deliverance from those rising up. |
| Acts 4:25-28 | Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ. | Fulfillment of prophetic rage against God's anointed. |
| Eph 6:12 | For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. | Understanding of ultimate enemies in a spiritual sense. |
| Jude 1:16 | These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage. | Swelling words and arrogant boasting. |
| 2 Chr 20:10-12 | And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir... behold, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession... O our God, wilt thou not judge them? | Facing a confederation of nations threatening God's people. |
Psalm 83 verses
Psalm 83 2 Meaning
Psalm 83:2 vividly describes the immediate, hostile reality faced by the psalmist and God’s people, serving as the basis for the subsequent urgent plea to the Almighty. It declares that God's enemies are actively engaged in a noisy, agitated commotion, signaling their aggressive intentions, while those who hate God have defiantly and arrogantly asserted themselves. This verse establishes the profound and open nature of the threat against the divine and His chosen people.
Psalm 83 2 Context
Psalm 83 is a communal lament and an imprecatory prayer, written by Asaph. It is a plea to God to act decisively against a confederacy of nations threatening to annihilate Israel. The psalm opens with an urgent call for God not to remain silent or inactive (Psa 83:1). Verse 2, then, immediately provides the reason for this desperate cry: the observable, aggressive, and insolent behavior of God's enemies. The historical context likely involves periods where Israel faced a significant military threat from its surrounding neighbors (listed explicitly in Psa 83:6-8), seeing this conflict not just as political but as an attack on God's covenant people and, ultimately, on God Himself. This verse is the crucial observation that ignites the psalm's passionate appeal for divine intervention and vindication of His holy name.
Psalm 83 2 Word analysis
- For (כִּי, ki): A conjunctive particle. Here it acts as an intensifier and an explanatory conjunction, introducing the reason or evidence for the preceding urgent plea (Psa 83:1, "keep not silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still"). It underscores that the psalmist's distress is not arbitrary but founded on an observable and dangerous reality.
- lo (הִנֵּה, hinnê): An emphatic interjection meaning "behold!" or "look!". It serves to draw immediate and urgent attention to the unfolding situation, highlighting the psalmist's plea as based on immediate observation. It's a call to witness the open aggression of the enemies.
- thine enemies (אֹויְבֶיךָ, 'oyĕveyḵā): From 'oyev (foe, adversary). This explicitly identifies the antagonists as enemies of God, not merely of Israel. This framing is critical; the conflict is a divine struggle, thus requiring divine intervention. An attack on God's people is seen as an attack on God's sovereignty and covenant.
- make a tumult (יֶהֱמוּן, yehemūn): From the verb hamah (הָמָה), meaning to make a loud noise, rage, roar, be agitated, or be in a commotion. It describes a restless, boisterous, and agitated state. This is not silent plotting, but a public display of aggressive intention, possibly referring to the sounds of military assembly, battle preparations, war councils, or the noisy boasts of hostile nations. It conveys a sense of active, turbulent opposition.
- and they that hate thee (וְשׂוֹנְאֶיךָ, vĕsoneʾeyḵā): From sane' (שָׂנֵא), to hate or be hostile toward. This phrase runs in parallel with "thine enemies," emphasizing the deep-seated antipathy these groups have towards God. It denotes active animosity and ill-will, underscoring their malevolent intent against His being and His ways.
- have lifted up the head (נָשְׂאוּ רֹאשׁ, nasĕʾu roʾš): This idiomatic Hebrew expression (nasa' ro'sh) signifies arrogance, pride, defiance, insolence, or an aggressive, self-exalting posture. It suggests a bold display of power, an open challenge, and a feeling of superiority or triumph even before actual victory. In contrast, "lowering the head" signifies defeat or submission. Thus, "lifting up the head" here describes an act of boastful and direct rebellion against divine authority, revealing their lack of fear or reverence for God.
Psalm 83 2 Bonus section
The active and demonstrative nature of the enemies described in Psa 83:2 — their "tumult" and "lifted up head" — is a critical element in the psalmist's urgent appeal. This is not a description of enemies in contemplation, but of enemies in motion and in open display of defiance. The urgency of the plea in Psalm 83:1 stems directly from the observable, active hostility depicted in verse 2. This suggests that believers should not ignore overt acts of spiritual or physical aggression against God's people, but rather use them as a direct impetus for prayer and reliance on divine intervention. Furthermore, the explicit identification of these adversaries as God's enemies, rather than just Israel's, underscores a profound theological truth: opposition to God's chosen ones or His purposes is ultimately opposition to God Himself. This principle elevates human conflict to a divine encounter, grounding the psalmist's confidence that God will ultimately act for His own name's sake.
Psalm 83 2 Commentary
Psalm 83:2 provides the core rationale for the psalmist's urgent intercession, laying bare the aggressive nature of God's adversaries. The use of "For, lo," immediately grabs attention, pointing to a stark, undeniable reality. The enemies are not merely plotting in secret; they are "making a tumult," a noisy, agitated commotion that signals their aggressive intent and preparations. This "tumult" conveys an impression of chaos and hostile energy, akin to an angry mob or an army preparing for assault. Coupled with this, the phrase "they that hate thee have lifted up the head" adds a dimension of insolence and overt defiance. This "lifting up the head" is an ancient gesture of arrogant confidence and public assertion of power, demonstrating not just hostility, but a contemptuous disregard for God's sovereignty. By identifying these foes as God's enemies and haters, the psalmist elevates the conflict beyond mere national skirmishes, appealing to God's honor and justice to intervene. It sets the stage for a plea rooted in a profound theological understanding that an attack on His people is a direct affront to the Most High. This verse therefore forms a crucial observation that compels the prayer, emphasizing the enemies' overt, active, and arrogant opposition to the divine.