Psalms 83:9 Meaning: Imprecatory Prayer and Loving Your Enemy
Do to them as you did to Midian, as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the river Kishon;
Do unto them as unto the Midianites; as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the brook of Kison:
Do thou unto them as unto Midian, As to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the river Kishon;
Do to them as to Midian, As to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the stream Kishon.
Do unto them as to Midian; as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the torrent of Kishon:
Meaning in one sentence
Discover how Psalm 83:9's call for divine justice against enemies aligns with Jesus' command to love. A thoughtful study of imprecatory prayer.
Context
Psalm 83 is a prayer of Asaph, likely set in the days of King Jehoshaphat when a coalition of surrounding nations threatened to wipe out Israel. The psalm lists the peoples who have banded together against God's people, Edom, Moab, Ammon, and others. In verse 9, the psalmist appeals to God's past acts of deliverance: victories over Midian under Gideon, and over the Canaanite king Jabin and his commander Sisera under Deborah and Barak. Those were moments when God fought for Israel and overcame overwhelming odds. The cry is for God to act again in a similar way, not out of personal vengeance, but out of trust in God's faithful protection of His covenant people.
Key Words
The psalmist prays using history as his vocabulary. Midian calls to mind Gideon's battle, when God caused the enemy army to turn on one another (Judges 7). Sisera and Jabin are the Canaanite commander and king who oppressed Israel; Sisera was killed by Jael, and Jabin was eventually destroyed (Judges 4). The river Kishon is the stream that swept away the enemy's dead (Judges 5:21). These are not random names, they are memories of God acting when His people were helpless. The verb do is a plea: “Do to them as You did.” It assumes God can repeat what He has done before. The prayer is built on Scripture. It says, in effect, “You have rescued us. Rescue us again.” This is not a wish for personal revenge; it is a claim on God's consistent character.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians have understood this verse in different ways. Some see imprecatory psalms as the voice of the Spirit declaring God's coming judgment against all that opposes Him. Others read them as honest human cries that are recorded for us to learn from, not necessarily to imitate. Reformed traditions often have used such psalms as grounds for praying for the overthrow of evil regimes. The early church saw their ultimate fulfillment in the final judgment. All agree that Jesus taught us to love our enemies, but that does not cancel the reality of God's justice. Many believers today pray this verse in the spirit of “Your kingdom come”, that every force opposed to God will be defeated, while still entrusting personal enemies to God's mercy.
A common misunderstanding
A common misreading is to treat this verse as a license to pray for personal enemies to be harmed, a neighbor, a coworker, an ex-spouse. In fact, the psalm is about a national coalition intent on destroying God's covenant people. It is a cry for God to defend His church, not a way to curse someone who hurt you. The New Testament calls us to bless those who persecute us and to let God handle vengeance. The proper use is to trust God to bring justice in His time, while we love even our enemies.
Main takeaway: God's past faithfulness is our reason to trust Him with the future, even when we face enemies we cannot overcome.
Questions People Ask
What does 'as you did to Midian' refer to?
It refers to God's victory over the Midianites through Gideon, as recorded in Judges 7. Gideon's army of only 300 men surrounded the Midianite camp, and God caused the enemy to turn their swords on each other. The psalmist uses this example to plead for a similar deliverance when Israel faced a new coalition of enemies.
Who were Sisera and Jabin?
Sisera was the commander of the Canaanite army under King Jabin. Both were defeated by the Israelites led by Deborah and Barak. Sisera fled and was killed by Jael, a woman who drove a tent peg through his head (Judges 4). Jabin's power was eventually broken. The psalmist recalls this overwhelming defeat as proof that God fights for His people.
How should Christians understand imprecatory psalms like this?
Many Christians view these psalms as expressions of God's ultimate justice against evil, not as commands for us to curse our personal enemies. They can be prayed as cries for God to right wrongs and defend the oppressed. Others see them as prophetic declarations of judgment. All Christians agree that Jesus calls us to love our enemies, and that final justice belongs to God alone.
Does this verse contradict Jesus' command to love your enemies?
Not when understood in context. The psalm is a corporate prayer for God's justice against those attacking His people, not a personal vendetta. Jesus' command addresses our personal relationships; He does not forbid crying out for justice when the innocent suffer. The same Bible that says 'love your enemies' also says 'avenge not yourselves, but leave room for God's wrath' (Romans 12:19). These truths work together.
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