Which perished at Endor: they became as dung for the earth.

PSALMS 83:10KJV
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Psalms 83:10 (KJV)

What does Psalms 83:10 mean?

Psalms 83:10 describes how certain enemies of Israel were completely defeated at Endor, their bodies left to decay and become like fertilizer for the ground. The verse uses strong language to show the total destruction and humiliation of these foes.

The psalmist is recalling a past event where Israel’s enemies perished near a place called Endor. This is part of a larger prayer asking God to deal with current enemies as He did with those in the past. The vivid imagery of becoming “as dung for the earth” emphasizes not just defeat, but utter disgrace and removal from the land.

The Hebrew behind Psalms 83:10

  • perished (שָׁמַד, shamad): This word means to be destroyed or wiped out, highlighting that the defeat was complete and left nothing of the enemy.
  • Endor (עֵין־דּוֹר, ‘En-dor): This is a real place north of Israel, reminding the reader that the event was historical and specific.
  • dung (דֹּמֶן, domen): This word means manure or refuse, showing that the defeated enemies were not only killed but treated as worthless, their remains serving only to fertilize the earth.
  • earth (אֲדָמָה, adamah): This word means the ground or soil, reinforcing the image that the enemies’ bodies returned to the earth in disgrace.

Why Psalms 83:10 matters

  • The verse clears up that the defeat at Endor was not just a military loss but a total and humiliating destruction, with the enemies left unburied.
  • By referencing a specific historical event, the psalmist is urging God to act in the present as He did in the past, connecting past deliverance to current hope.
  • The strong language about becoming “dung for the earth” shows the seriousness of opposing God’s people and the completeness of God’s judgment in this context.

Where else these words appear

“Endor” Hebrew H5874 · used in 3 verses

  • Joshua 17:11 And Manasseh had in Issachar and in Asher Bethshean and her towns, and Ibleam and her towns, and the inhabitants of Dor and her towns, and the inhabitants of Endor and her towns, and the inhabitants of Taanach and her towns, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and her towns, even three countries.
  • 1 Samuel 28:7 Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and enquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor.

“dung” Hebrew H1828 · used in 6 verses

  • 2 Kings 9:37 And the carcase of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel; so that they shall not say, This is Jezebel.
  • Jeremiah 8:2 And they shall spread them before the sun, and the moon, and all the host of heaven, whom they have loved, and whom they have served, and after whom they have walked, and whom they have sought, and whom they have worshipped: they shall not be gathered, nor be buried; they shall be for dung upon the face of the earth.
  • Jeremiah 16:4 They shall die of grievous deaths; they shall not be lamented; neither shall they be buried; but they shall be as dung upon the face of the earth: and they shall be consumed by the sword, and by famine; and their carcases shall be meat for the fowls of heaven, and for the beasts of the earth.

“perished” Hebrew H8045 · used in 86 verses

  • Genesis 34:30 And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.
  • Deuteronomy 31:3 The LORD thy God, he will go over before thee, and he will destroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt possess them: and Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as the LORD hath said.
  • Esther 4:8 Also he gave him the copy of the writing of the decree that was given at Shushan to destroy them, to shew it unto Esther, and to declare it unto her, and to charge her that she should go in unto the king, to make supplication unto him, and to make request before him for her people.