Psalms 83:1-8

A song. A psalm of Asaph.

1 [a]O God, do not remain silent; do not turn a deaf ear, do not stand aloof, O God.
2 See how your enemies growl, how your foes rear their heads.
3 With cunning they conspire against your people; they plot against those you cherish.
4 “Come,” they say, “let us destroy them as a nation, so that Israel’s name is remembered no more.”
5 With one mind they plot together; they form an alliance against you—
6 the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, of Moab and the Hagrites,
7 Byblos, Ammon and Amalek, Philistia, with the people of Tyre.
8 Even Assyria has joined them to reinforce Lot’s descendants.[b]

Psalms 83:1-8 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 83

\\<>\\. This is the last of the psalms that bear the name of Asaph, and some think it was written by him on occasion of David's smiting the Philistines, Moabites, Syrians, Edomites, and others, 2Sa 8:1-14, but these did not conjunctly, but separately, fight with David, and were overcome by him; whereas those this psalm makes mention of were in a confederacy together; and besides, the Tyrians in David's time were in friendship with him; but are here mentioned as joining with others against Israel, Ps 83:7, others are of opinion that this was prophetic delivered out with respect to future times, either to the conspiracy of the enemies of the Jews against them in the times of the Maccabees, ``Now when the nations round about heard that the altar was built and the sanctuary renewed as before, it displeased them very much. &c.'' (1 Maccabees 5:1) or rather to the confederacy of the Moabites, Ammonites, and others, in the times of Jehoshaphat, 2Ch 20:1, so Kimchi, Arama, and the generality of interpreters: perhaps reference is had to the enemies of God's people, from age to age, both in the Old and in the New Testament; R. Obadiah understands it of the war of Gog and Magog.

Cross References 19

  • 1. Psalms 28:1; Psalms 35:22; Isaiah 42:14; Isaiah 57:11; Isaiah 62:1; Isaiah 64:12
  • 2. Psalms 2:1; Isaiah 17:12
  • 3. Judges 8:28; Psalms 81:15
  • 4. S Exodus 1:10; S Psalms 31:13
  • 5. Psalms 17:14
  • 6. S Esther 3:6
  • 7. Jeremiah 33:24
  • 8. Jeremiah 11:19
  • 9. Psalms 2:2
  • 10. Psalms 137:7; Isaiah 34:5; Jeremiah 49:7; Amos 1:11
  • 11. 2 Chronicles 20:1
  • 12. S Genesis 25:16
  • 13. S Joshua 13:5
  • 14. Genesis 19:38
  • 15. S Genesis 14:7; S Exodus 17:14
  • 16. Exodus 15:14
  • 17. Isaiah 23:3; Ezekiel 27:3
  • 18. S Genesis 10:11
  • 19. S Deuteronomy 2:9

Footnotes 2

  • [a]. In Hebrew texts 83:1-18 is numbered 83:2-19.
  • [b]. The Hebrew has "Selah" (a word of uncertain meaning) here.
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