Psalms 83:4

4 "Let's wipe this nation from the face of the earth," they say; "scratch Israel's name off the books."

Psalms 83:4 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 83:4

They have said
Secretly in their hearts, or openly to one another, and gave it out in the most public manner, as what they had consulted and determined upon; see ( Psalms 74:8 ) ,

come, and let us cut them off from being a nation;
they were not content to invade their country, take their cities, plunder them of their substance, and carry them captives, but utterly to destroy them, root and branch; so that they might be no more a body politic, under rule and government, in their own land, nor have so much as a name and place in others; this was Haman's scheme, ( Esther 3:8 Esther 3:9 )

that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance;
but this desperate and dreadful scheme, and wretched design of theirs, took not effect; but, on the contrary, the several nations hereafter mentioned, who were in this conspiracy, are no more, and have not had a name in the world for many hundreds of years; while the Jews are still a people, and are preserved, in order to be called and saved, as all Israel will be in the latter day, ( Romans 11:25 ) . So Dioclesian thought to have rooted the Christian name out of the world; but in vain: the name of Christ, the name of Christianity, the name of a Christian church, will endure to the end of the world; see ( Psalms 72:17 ) ( Proverbs 10:7 ) . Compare with this ( Jeremiah 11:19 ) .

Psalms 83:4 In-Context

2 Your enemies are out there whooping it up, the God-haters are living it up;
3 They're plotting to do your people in, conspiring to rob you of your precious ones.
4 "Let's wipe this nation from the face of the earth," they say; "scratch Israel's name off the books."
5 And now they're putting their heads together, making plans to get rid of you.
6 Edom and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagrites,
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.