Psalms 83:2-12

2 For lo, thy enemies are in tumult; those who hate thee have raised their heads.

3 They lay crafty plans against thy people; they consult together against thy protected ones.

4 They say, "Come, let us wipe them out as a nation; let the name of Israel be remembered no more!"

5 Yea, they conspire with one accord; against thee they make a covenant--

6 the tents of Edom and the Ish'maelites, Moab and the Hagrites,

7 Gebal and Ammon and Am'alek, Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre;

8 Assyria also has joined them; they are the strong arm of the children of Lot. [Selah]

9 Do to them as thou didst to Mid'ian, as to Sis'era and Jabin at the river Kishon,

10 who were destroyed at En-dor, who became dung for the ground.

11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmun'na,

12 who said, "Let us take possession for ourselves of the pastures of God."

Psalms 83:2-12 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.