Psalms 83:16

"Fill their faces with confusion, that they may seek your name, LORD."

Key Reflection

In Psalms 83:16, the psalmist prays for the enemies of God's people to be humiliated and disgraced ("fill their faces with confusion") so that they might seek the Lord. This verse reflects a common Hebrew poetic imagery where physical states are used metaphorically to convey internal conditions; thus, the "confusion" or "dismay" on the face symbolizes a change in heart, prompting these enemies to seek God's presence and name. This plea for divine intervention highlights the psalmist's desire that even those who oppose God might experience a turning toward Him through His mercy and truth.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

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.

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