Psalms 83:7-17

7 the people of Byblos, Ammon, Amalek, Philistia, and Tyre.

8 Even Assyria has joined them to help Ammon and Moab, the descendants of Lot.Selah

9 God, do to them what you did to Midian, what you did to Sisera and Jabin at the Kishon River.

10 They died at Endor, and their bodies rotted on the ground.

11 Do to their important leaders what you did to Oreb and Zeeb. Do to their princes what you did to Zebah and Zalmunna.

12 They said, "Let's take for ourselves the pasturelands that belong to God."

13 My God, make them like tumbleweed, like chaff blown away by the wind.

14 Be like a fire that burns a forest or like flames that blaze through the hills.

15 Chase them with your storm, and frighten them with your wind.

16 Cover them with shame. Then people will look for you, Lord.

17 Make them afraid and ashamed forever. Disgrace them and destroy them.

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.