Psalms 83:18 Explained in Context

Read It With

• Psalms 83:9–18
• Psalms 83:1–18

Read Psalms 83:18 with 83:9–18 and 83:1–18. Read alone, “That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art…” could lose the communal voice, the parallel line or movement it develops, and the psalm's outcome. The complete movement establishes: Within Psalms 83:9–18, the communal voice carries the movement “Past defeats become a severe judgment plea” as part of “A communal plea amid a coalition of enemies.” Its communal-imprecation form and poetic parallelism hold the petitions, images, memories, or praise together before any single line is applied.

Why This Verse Appears Here

Psalms 83:9–18 intensifies “A named coalition conspires” within Psalm 83 by carrying “Past defeats become a severe judgment plea.” The turn from “Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah” to “Do unto them as unto the Midianites; as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the brook of Kison” explains why this movement occurs here. Within that relationship, Psalm 83:18 adds the distinct poetic line “That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most…” within “Past defeats become a severe judgment plea,” where its parallel neighbors determine emphasis and scope.