Psalms 83:1-6

1 O God, do not keep silence; 1do not hold your peace or be still, O God!
2 For behold, your enemies 2make an uproar; those who hate you have 3raised their heads.
3 They lay 4crafty plans against your people; they consult together against your 5treasured ones.
4 They say, "Come, 6let us wipe them out as a nation; let the name of Israel be remembered no more!"
5 For they conspire with one accord; against you they make a covenant--
6 the tents of 7Edom and 8the Ishmaelites, 9Moab and 10the Hagrites,

Psalms 83:1-6 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 10

  • 1. See Psalms 28:1
  • 2. [Psalms 2:1]
  • 3. Judges 8:28
  • 4. [Nehemiah 4:8]
  • 5. See Psalms 27:5; Psalms 31:20
  • 6. Jeremiah 48:2; [Psalms 74:8; Esther 3:6]
  • 7. Psalms 137:7; See 2 Chronicles 20:10
  • 8. See Genesis 25:12-16
  • 9. 2 Chronicles 20:10
  • 10. 1 Chronicles 5:10
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