HEBREW WORD STUDY – KEEP NOT THOU SILENCE  –  ‘AL DEMI LAKE   ל כ דמי אל  

Ps 83:1 (2): “A Song [or] Psalm of Asaph. Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God.”

I John 5:14 tell us that we must ask what we want from God.  If we do not ask amiss – that is for our own passions we should expect a positive answer, but we must at least ask.  Asaph is very specific in what he is asking for.  He wants God to not be silent, to not hold His peace and to not be still.  Asaph’s nation is under threat of foreign enemies.  Not only is he concerned for his own gizzard but for the testimony of God that the nation has to the world. 

But these three things he is asking for make little sense.  What does he mean for God to not be silent?  I mean like God is always silent.  He never speaks up.  Our enemies will not hear a voice out of  heaven saying: “Ok, you guys now cut that out.” 

What about this holding His peace? I mean if my enemies are about to attack, I would sure like them to suddenly feel the peace of God.  God fills them with His peace they are not likely to attack, they will just spend their time basking in His presence.

I can understand this idea of asking God to not be still, however.  I mean I would like some action if I had enemies surrounding me.

The word for silence is dami which could come from the root word damam which means to rest or be silent.  Rabbi Samson Hirsch the 19^th Century linguist and Hebrew master, however, says it is most likely from the root word damah which means to imitate or behave in a similar fashion.   The God I know and love would most likely not damam imitate the wickedness that the enemies plan against Israel but would respond as Jesus taught (Matthew 5:44) “Love  your enemies, pray for those who persecute you.” In fact, if we march to a different tune than most our church sponsored translators march to we would say the root word is really damah (do not imitate) rather than damam (do not be silent).  For one thing, it makes more sense than God being silent in the sense of vocalizing which He usually is.  It also would fit the teachings of His Son.  In fact, that is exactly what Asaph is doing here is praying for His enemies.

How else do you explain the next remark, “Don’t hold your peace?”  Well, the word here for peace is not shalom but charash which is a word for plowing a field. It also means to be deaf which is what some translation says.  Really, do you believe God is deaf or turns a deaf ear to our troubles?  Do you honestly think a Godly man like Asaph who enjoys a personal relationship with would find God turning a deaf ear?  Actually, the word for charash in its Semitic origins comes from the Akkadian for an artisan, a craftsman. It eventually came to mean one who is cunning, crafty, conspiratorial.  In others words, Asaph is asking God to not think of some crafty form of vengeance but only bring them peace.  

He then concludes with be not still. The word still is shaqat which means to rest or be undisturbed.  In other words do not be undisturbed by what the enemy is planning. Go into action bring some peace.  

I know what you are thinking, I am really stretching this to make Asaph look good and for that matter to make God look good and not look like He is part of a conspiratorial plan to really blow the enemy out of the water.   But, hey, all the alternative English words I have used here for the Hebrew words in the text, I am merely presenting an alternative as I will do for the rest of these verses.  Yes, I am biased, biased to believe in a God of love who taught us to love our enemies and pray for them like Asaph.    I wish to show that Psalms 83 and, should I live long enough, the rest of the Old Testament is not a book about a wrathful, vengeance, hateful God but the loving God that we find in the New Testament.  The Old Testament teaches the same God we find in the New Testament and I wish to introduce you to the alternative renderings for your consideration.