Psalm 83:9

Psalm 83:9, in plain English

Now the psalmist shifts from describing the threat to calling on God to act the way He has acted before—remember Midian, remember Sisera and Jabin, and do it again.

Why it's here

These are specific historical victories from Israel's past. Midian was defeated by Gideon and his small band (Judges 6-8). Sisera and Jabin were Canaanite generals defeated by Deborah and Barak (Judges 4). The psalmist isn't making up these examples—his audience lived with the stories of these miraculous deliverances. He's reminding God (and himself and Israel) of His track record.

Who's speaking

Asaph, now appealing to God's past faithfulness as the basis for his petition.

Where it sits in the story

This is how faith works in the psalms—you don't pray in a vacuum. You pray by remembering what God has already done. You're saying to Him, 'You've come through before; come through again.'

The scholarly reading

The psalmist calls upon God to replicate the devastating military victories He granted in ancient times, specifically invoking the Midianite and Canaanite campaigns.

Language and setting

The reference to Midian invokes Judges 7-8, where Gideon's forces miraculously defeated the Midianite confederation through divine intervention. Sisera and Jabin recall Judges 4-5, the victory of Deborah and Barak over the Canaanite forces. The psalmist employs what scholars call 'memorial rhetoric'—rehearsing past divine acts as precedent for future intervention. This isn't mere nostalgia but theo-logic: if God acted thus before, He can act thus again, for His character remains constant (what the Hebrew tradition calls Hesed—covenantal loyalty).

Voice

The psalmist appealing to historical precedent.

Significance

These victories constitute the foundational narratives of tribal confederation—the period when God demonstrated His power to establish Israel in the land, narratives that crystallized Israel's identity as a people rescued and vindicated by divine intervention.

7of Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek, of Philistia with the people of Tyre.

8Even Assyria has joined them, lending strength to the sons of Lot.

9Do to them as You did to Midian, as to Sisera and Jabin at the River Kishon,

10who perished at Endor and became like dung on the ground.

11Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, and all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,

Read all of Psalm 83 — Every enemy of Israel has allied against them. Do to them as you did to Midian — let them know that You alone are the Most High.