Psalms 83:8-18

8 Assyria too has joined them— they are the strong arm for Lot's children. Selah
9 Do to them what you did to Midian, to Sisera, and to Jabin at the Kishon River.
10 They were destroyed at Endor; they become fertilizer for the ground.
11 Make their officials like Oreb and Zeeb, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna—
12 those who said, "Let's take God's pastures for ourselves."
13 My God, make them like tumbleweeds, like chaff blown by wind.
14 Just like a fire consumes a forest, just like flames set mountains ablaze,
15 pursue them with your storm, terrify them with your hurricane.
16 Cover their faces with shame, LORD, so that they might seek your name.
17 Let them be shamed and terrified forever. Let them die in disgrace.
18 Let them know that you— your name is the LORD!— you alone are Most High over all the earth.

Psalms 83:8-18 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.

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