Psalms 83:1-6

A song. A psalm of Asaph.

1 God, don't keep silent. God, don't keep quiet. Don't be still.
2 See how your enemies are getting ready for action. See how they are rising up against you.
3 They make clever plans against your people. They make evil plans against those you love.
4 "Come," they say. "Let's destroy that whole nation. Then the name of Israel won't be remembered anymore."
5 All of them agree on the evil plans they have made. They join forces against you.
6 Their forces include the people of Edom, Ishmael, Moab and Hagar.

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.

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