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Psalms 83:16

Old Testament Poetry/Hymns ASV (1901)

What does Psalms 83:16 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Fill their faces with confusion, That they may seek thy name, O Jehovah.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Fill their faces with confusion, That they may seek thy name, O Jehovah.
Psalms 83:16 — American Standard Version

Context — Psalms 83

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
13O my God, make them like the whirling dust; As stubble before the wind.
14As the fire that burneth the forest, And as the flame that setteth the mountains on fire,
15So pursue them with thy tempest, And terrify them with thy storm.
16Fill their faces with confusion, That they may seek thy name, O Jehovah.
17Let them be put to shame and dismayed for ever; Yea, let them be confounded and perish;
18That they may know that thou alone, whose name is Jehovah, Art the Most High over all the earth. Psalm 84 For the Chief Musician; set to the Gittith. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
← Psalms 83:15Psalms 83:17 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“Fill their faces with shame, etc.] For their sins, or rather through disappointment, not being able to put their desperate and deep laid schemes into execution: or “with lightness” f1199; instead of a weight of honour and glory upon them, let them be despised. R. Joseph Kimchi renders it, “fill their faces with fire”; let their faces be as if they were on fire, as men’s faces are, who are put to an exceeding great blush, or are most sadly confounded and ashamed: that they may seek thy name, O Lord; not they themselves, who are filled with shame; for it is imprecated, that they be ashamed, and troubled for ever, and so as to perish, (<198317>Psalm 83:17) but others; for the words may be…”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Fill their faces with shame - As those who are disappointed and foiled in their plans - such disappointment and confusion commonly manifesting itself in the face. The prayer here is, that their enemies might be so baffled in their designs - that they might be made so to feel how vain and hopeless were all their plans - that there might be such a manifest interposition of God in the case, as that they should be led to see that Yahweh reigned; that it was in vain to contend with him, and that his people were under his protection. That they may seek thy name, O Lord - That they may be led to seek thee. This explains the drift and design of the whole prayer in the psalm. It is not a malignant…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“May seek - May own and worship thee as the only true God. Next: Psalms Chapter 84”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Psa 6:10, Psa 9:19, Psa 9:20, Psa 34:5 Psalms 83:17”
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Related study paths

Read Psalms 83 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification