Psalms 83:4-14

4 They say, "Come, let's wipe them out as a nation; let the name of Isra'el be remembered no more!"

5 With one mind they plot their schemes; the covenant they have made is against you

6 the tents of Edom and the Yishma'elim, Mo'av and the Hagrim,

7 G'val, 'Amon and 'Amalek, P'leshet with those living in Tzor; (Selah)

8 Ashur too is allied with them, to reinforce the descendants of Lot.

9 Do to them as you did to Midyan, to Sisra and Yavin at Vadi Kishon

10 they were destroyed at 'Ein-Dor and became manure for the ground.

11 Make their leaders like 'Orev and Ze'ev, all their princes like Zevach and Tzalmuna,

12 who said, "Let's take possession of God's meadows for ourselves."

13 My God, make them like whirling dust, like chaff driven by the wind.

14 Like fire burning up the forest, like a flame that sets the mountains ablaze,

Psalms 83:4-14 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.