Psalms 83:7-17

7 Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; (and the) aliens with them that dwell in Tyre. (and the peoples of Gebal, and of Ammon, and of Amalek; and the Philistines, and those who live in Tyre.)

8 For Assur cometh with them; they be made into help to the sons of Lot. (And the Assyrians also come with them; they all want to help the sons of Lot.)

9 Make thou to them as to Midian, and Sisera; as to Jabin, in the strand of Kison. (Do thou to them like thou did to the Midianites, and to Sisera; and to Jabin, at the Kishon Stream.)

10 They perished in Endor; they were made as a turd of earth. (They perished at Endor; they were made like a turd upon the earth.)

11 Put thou the princes of them as Oreb and Zeeb; and Zebah and Zalmunna. (Make thou their princes, or their leaders, like Oreb and Zeeb; and like Zebah and Zalmunna.)

12 All the princes of them, that said, Hold we by heritage the saintuary of God. (Yea, all their princes, or their leaders, who said, Let us take for ourselves the land that belongeth to God/the land that belongeth to God's people.)

13 My God, put thou them as a wheel; and as stubble before the face of the wind. (My God, put thou them into a whirlwind; yea, make them like the dust in the wind.)

14 As fire that burneth a wood; and as flame burning hills. (Like the fire that burneth a wood; and the flames that burn the hills,)

15 So thou shalt pursue them in thy tempest; and thou shalt trouble them in thine ire. (so shalt thou pursue after them with thy tempest; and thou shalt made them afraid with thy storm winds.)

16 Lord, fill thou the faces of them with shame; and they shall seek thy name. (Lord, fill thou their faces with shame; and then they shall seek thy name.)

17 Be they ashamed, and be they troubled into the world of world (Be they ashamed, and let them be troubled forever); and be they shamed, and perish they.

Psalms 83:7-17 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.