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Psalm 83:18

that they may know that you alone, whose name is the LORD, are the Most High over all the earth.

16Fill their faces with confusion, that they may seek your name, LORD.
17Let them be disappointed and dismayed forever. Yes, let them be confounded and perish;
18that they may know that you alone, whose name is the LORD, are the Most High over all the earth.
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← Psalm 83:17
Notice

The plea that enemies know YHWH follows a prayer for their destruction, making recognition of God’s rule the stated aim of this severe ending.

Questions to write on. Each one opens a new entry with this verse already attached.

What do you notice about the request for knowledge that follows the prayer for enemies to perish?

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What difference does “over all the earth” make to the scope of this prayer?

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Where do you find it hard to acknowledge that God alone is Most High?

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Connect

Where else Scripture says this

12 passages readers most often link with this verse, and the thread each one shares with it.

This verse's connections, by chapterThe Bible's strongest chapter linksHover or tap a book to trace it
Psalm 46:10“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted on the earth.”Both passages link knowing God with acknowledging his supremacy across the earth.
Isaiah 42:8“I am the LORD. That is my name. I will not give my glory to another, nor my praise to engraved images.Both identify God by the name LORD and declare an honor that belongs to him alone.
Isaiah 12:2Behold, God is my salvation. I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD, the LORD, is my strength and song; and he has become my salvation.”Both passages name the LORD as God; Isaiah adds a confession of trust in him as salvation.
Isaiah 57:15For the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy, says: “I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also who is of a contrite and humble …Both speak of God’s exalted position; Isaiah also describes his presence with the humble and contrite.
Exodus 6:3I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty; but by my name the LORD I was not known to them.The name LORD is central to both passages, each connecting that name with knowledge of God.
Psalm 20:1For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David. May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble. May the name of the God of Jacob set you up on high,Both prayers appeal to the LORD’s name, though one seeks help and the other recognition of his rule.
Exodus 15:3The LORD is a man of war. The LORD is his name.Both identify LORD as God’s name within words about conflict and divine power.
Psalm 9:2I will be glad and rejoice in you. I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.Both use the title Most High and speak of God’s name, one in petition and one in praise.
Ezekiel 38:23I will magnify myself and sanctify myself, and I will make myself known in the eyes of many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD.”’Both look toward people knowing that God is the LORD, with his greatness acknowledged beyond one nation.
Luke 4:8Jesus answered him, “Get behind me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and you shall serve him only.’”Psalm 83 declares God alone supreme; Jesus commands worship and service of God alone.
Psalm 59:13Consume them in wrath. Consume them, and they will be no more. Let them know that God rules in Jacob, to the ends of the earth. Selah.Both prayers ask for enemies’ destruction and for them to know that God’s rule reaches across the earth.
Jeremiah 16:21“Therefore behold, I will cause them to know, this once I will cause them to know my hand and my might. Then they will know that my name is the LORD.”Both connect knowledge of God’s power with recognition that his name is the LORD.
Where this verse fits

Injustice and anger. fear for the future. sermon or Bible study notes.

What the Bible says about anger →What the Bible says about fear →
One step

Something small to carry out of this verse

Read Psalm 83:16–18 before praying verse 18

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Encouragement

This prayer arises from threats against God’s people and asks for severe judgment. Its final words name the reach of his authority: YHWH rules over all the earth.

Now put it in your words.

Start an entry on Psalm 83:18. Write what it stirs. Psalmlog sets your words beside Scripture and gives you one next step. Your first entry is free, no account needed.

Keep goingPsalm 83 · the whole chapter with its connection mapPsalms · every chapterBuild a reading plan through Psalms

Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).