Psalms 83:4

4 “Come,” they say, “let us wipe out Israel as a nation. We will destroy the very memory of its existence.”

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 Don’t you hear the uproar of your enemies? Don’t you see that your arrogant enemies are rising up?

3 They devise crafty schemes against your people; they conspire against your precious ones.

4 “Come,” they say, “let us wipe out Israel as a nation. We will destroy the very memory of its existence.”

5 Yes, this was their unanimous decision. They signed a treaty as allies against you—

6 these Edomites and Ishmaelites; Moabites and Hagrites;