Bible Commentaries
Psalms 83

Introduction

The short prayer that God would help, Psalms 83:1, is followed, in Psalms 83:2-8, by a representation of the trouble which occasions the prayer: first, in Psalms 83:2-4, the doings of the enemies,—they roar, they take crafty counsel, they aim at nothing less than the entire destruction of Israel;—second, their number, in Psalms 83:5-8,—no fewer than ten nations assembled around Ammon and Moab as the centre-point, are united against Israel. The representation of the distress is followed, in Psalms 83:9-18, by the developed prayer. This prayer first reminds God of the wonderful assistance which, in similar circumstances, he had vouchsafed to his people in the days of old, Psalms 83:9-12; next it calls upon him to let loose the storm and the tempest of his wrath upon the enemies, Psalms 83:13-15, and finally, by the destruction of the enemies, to promote his own glory upon the earth, Psalms 83:16-18.

The formal arrangement admits of being ascertained with ease and certainty. If we cut off the title and the preliminary prayer in Psalms 83:1 which in reality belongs to it, we have two main divisions, which are also externally separated by the Selah, viz., the representation of the trouble, Psalms 83:2-8, and the prayer, Psalms 83:9-16. The seven of the first is divided into a three and a four, the quality of the enemies, and their quantity; the ten of the second by a seven, which again falls into a four and a three (the reversed relation of the three and the four of the first half) and a three. The ten hostile nations, in Psalms 83:5-7, correspond to the number ten of the verses of the second half: there are as many verses of petitions as there are enemies; while the number of individual petitions of this half is complete in twelve, the signature of the people of the covenant. This number ten of the nations is divided exactly in the same way as the verses: 4, 3, 3. In like manner, the number seven of the names of the enemies of the times of old, who were annihilated by the omnipotence of God, at the beginning of the second part, Psalms 83:9-11, corresponds to the number seven of the verses of the first half, which speaks of the rage and the crowd of the enemies. Accident here cannot possibly exist.

There is no room for doubt as to the historical occasion of the Psalm. It refers to the war of Jehoshaphat against the allied Edomites, Moabites, Ammonites, and other nations, and forms the earliest as to subject of a series of cognate Psalms. While it makes mention of the help of God in the midst of danger, the forty-seventh Psalm was sung, after the discomfiture of the enemy, on the field of battle, and the forty-eighth at the thanksgiving service in the temple. The following reasons may be urged in favour of this view—a view which has been taken by all commentators, except those who have been prevented from arriving at the truth by some prejudice, such as that all the Psalms of Asaph were composed in David’s time, or that the narrative at 2 Chronicles 20 is not historically correct. 1. Here, as on that occasion, it is the same nations, upon the whole, that meet us. The Edomites, the Moabites, and the Ammonites, whom alone the author of Chronicles expressly names, are not only mentioned in this Psalm, but are also introduced as those with whom the whole enterprise originated. The others are grouped around these three; and at the conclusion, the sons of Lot are expressly named as the instigators. Even the narrative in Chronicles decidedly indicated that these three were named merely as the centre of the undertaking, and that there were others concerned of less note, the mention of whom was not a matter of such consequence to the historian as it was to the Psalmist whose object was promoted by a heaping up of names. Not to mention that, according to Chronicles, the enemy formed such a mass that Israel had no strength to resist them, that the quantity of plunder indicated an enemy from a far country, who had set out, bag and baggage, it is expressly said, in Psalms 83:1, “and with them others who dwelt remote from the Ammonites, beyond them,” (comp. on מהעמונים Cler. and the annot.), and in Psalms 83:2, “and they told Jehoshaphat saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea, beyond Aram” (not out of Aram, for there is no copula), out of the country east of that stripe which is bounded on the north by Syria, and on the south by the Dead Sea, therefore, from the deserts of Arabia, whose hordes had in former times made Palestine the object of their marauding assaults. 2. The union and confederacy of all the nations mentioned, Psalms 83:3 and Psalms 83:5, is of great consequence. Such a confederacy of nations took place only at one period during the whole history, viz., in the time of Jehoshaphat. The remark of Koester, who finds it necessary to consider the confederacy of the nations as not a historical event, “they plunder us as if they had preconcerted a plan,” shows to what arbitrary expedient those are obliged to have recourse who do not adopt the reference to this transaction. 3. According to Psalms 83:4, the enemies kept their plans secret, and employed cunning preparatory to force. It is exactly in accordance with this, that, from 2 Chronicles 20:2, it appears that Jehoshaphat obtained intelligence of the undertaking of his enemies for the first time, when they were already within his dominions, at Engedi: they could not possibly have made their hostile preparations with greater cunning and silence. The place, also, at which the enemies made their entrance, leads to the same result. Their marching southward so as to go round the Dead Sea, while they might have quietly entered Canaan from the east, as Israel did in former times, could only have been adopted for the purpose of concealing their object. 4. According to Psalms 83:4 and Psalms 83:12, the enemies had nothing less for their object than to do to Israel what Israel had formerly done to the Canaanites. It was no ordinary marauding expedition;—the intention was completely to root out Israel, and to take entire possession of his lands. The enemies of Jehoshaphat, according to 2 Chronicles 20:11, had the same object in view. That they had so is obvious from the quality of the booty which was found in their tents. They had set out, as Israel did of old, with bag and baggage. 5. The mention of the Amalekites among the enemies of Israel, in Psalms 83:7, renders it impossible to come down to times later than that of Jehoshaphat. The last remains of the Amalekites were, according to 1 Chronicles 4:43, rooted out by the Simeonites, under Hezekiah. From that time, they disappear altogether from history. Ewald’s assertion that Amalek stands here “only as a name of infamy applied to parties well-known at the time,” is to be considered as a miserable shift. 6. The Psalm must have been composed previous to the extension of the empire of the Assyrians over Western Asia. For the Assyrians named last, in the ( Psalms 83:8) 8th verse, appear here in the very extraordinary character of an ally of the sons of Lot. 7. Our Psalm, according to the title, was composed by Asaph. In accordance with this, we read, in 2 Chronicles 20:14, that the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jehasiel, of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. This Jehasiel is probably the author of the Psalms 8. Our Psalm is a true picture of the state of feeling which prevailed throughout the people during the danger under Jehoshaphat. According to the history of Chronicles, they praised God at that time, in the midst of their danger, with loud voice, 2 Chronicles 20:19; and here in the title, which is an appendage to that of Psalms 48, the Psalm is called a song of praise (comp. on שיר , at Psalms 42:9); and it is such in reality, although it bears the form of a prayer,—a song of triumph sung before the victory,—no contest, no doubt, the distress is simply committed to God.

In establishing the correct view, we, at the same time, virtually refute those of an erroneous nature, whose very existence, as well as that of the prejudice against the historical character of 2 Chronicles 20—a notion which even our Psalm, in common with Psalms 47 and Psalms 48 (comp. Keil on 2 Chron. p. 241 ss.) is sufficient to put to shame,—is to be accounted for by the extent to which the abettors of the late origin of the Psalms have overshot their mark. The hypothesis that the Psalm refers to the occurrence at Nehemiah 4:1 ss. is negatived by this, among other reasons, that it is scarcely possible to conceive anything less suitable to it than these “railleries of the neighbours,” who had no further end in view than to hinder the building of the temple; and still further by the consideration that the Samaritans, who were at that time the chief enemies, would not have been wanting, and that the Amalekites and the Assyrians would not have been mentioned. That the Persians are meant by the Assyrians is again a miserable subterfuge. In a case where nine nations are spoken of by their proper names, the tenth must be referred to in the same way: that the Persians took any part in that machination is a groundless assertion; even had they done so, they would not have occupied such a subordinate place as is here assigned to the Assyrians.

The assertion first made by v. Til, and subsequently repeated by Hitzig, that the Psalm refers to the incidents of 1 Maccabees 5 Macc. 5 is negatived by the following considerations:

At that time, there was no combination among the neighbouring nations; each acted by itself: these nations at that time did not set out for the purpose of extirpating the Jews generally; they only rose up against those who were dwelling in the midst of them: there is no passage where the Syrians are designated by the name of Assyrians; they never were, like the Chaldeans and the Persians, the successors of the Assyrians in the dominion of Asia: the Syrians took no part in that conflict: the mention of Endor as the place of the discomfiture of the Canaanites, at Psalms 83:10, shows that the Psalm must have been composed at a time when, in reference to the period of the Judges, there were other sources of information at hand than those which now exist. It is, therefore, not at all necessary to have recourse to those general grounds which are conclusive against the existence of Maccabean Psalms. The incidents, however, recorded in Nehemiah 4 and 1 Maccabees 5 are of importance so far, that they show how intense and permanent was the hatred of the neighbouring nations against “the people of God,” and, consequently, go far to confirm the credibility of 2 Chronicles 20, and the historical character of Psalms 83:2-8 of our Psalm.

Amyraldus: “The Psalm may be applied now to the enemies of the Christian Church, of which Israel was the type. The most important and formidable of these are assuredly sin and Satan, from whom we most especially long to be delivered.”

Verse 1

Title: A Song of praise, a Psalm of Asaph. Ver. 1. O God, keep not silence, be not dumb, and be not still, O God.

That דמי signifies not rest, but silence, is evident from “thine enemies make a noise;” in Psalms 83:2, and from the following word, תחרש , comp. at Psalms 28:1. The word also signifies to be silent, in Isaiah 62:7, as is evident from the ( Psalms 83:6) 6th verse.

Verses 2-4

Ver. 2. For lo, thine enemies make a noise, and those who hate thee lift up the head. Ver. 3. They make cunning plots against thy people, and consult against thy concealed ones. Ver. 4. They say: come let us root them out; so that they shall not be a people, and that mention be no more made of the name of Israel.

On Psalms 83:2, Calvin: “It is to be remarked that those who attack the church are called enemies of God, and it is no ordinary ground of confidence to have enemies, in common with God.” They lift up the head,—proudly, boldly, confidently; comp. Judges 8:28, “And Midian was humbled by the children of Israel, and did not any more lift up its head.”

In the first clause of Psalms 83:3, the translation generally given is: they make artfully the plots in the councils. But as הערים in other passages means to act cunningly, and סוד does not exactly indicate counsel or deliberation; it is better to consider סוד as standing in the accusative, just as לב does in Psalms 83:5, and שמך in Psalms 83:18, comp. Ew. § 483: in reference to confidence comp. at Psalms 64:2, confidential intercourse which they carry on. The expression, “the hidden ones of God,” instead of “those under his protection,” is explained by Psalms 27:5; Psalms 31:21.— On Psalms 83:4, Calvin: “it is as if they had formed the daring purpose of annulling the decree of God in which the eternal existence of the church lies founded.” The מגוי is away from a people,—so that they shall be no more a people: comp. Jeremiah 48:2; Isaiah 7:8.

There are five terms employed in these three verses, descriptive of the doings of the enemies. The number five as the signature of the half, of something unfinished, points to the second half strophe, which is occupied with enumerating the enemies.

Verses 5-8

Ver. 5. For they have consulted from the heart together, they have formed a covenant against thee. Ver. 6. The tents of Edom and of the Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagarites. Ver. 7. Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre. Ver. 8. Even Assyria has joined them; they stretch out their arm to the Sons of Lot. Selah. Calvin: “It is not a little profitable for us to see in this case, as in a glass, what, from the beginning, has been the experience of the Church of God, so that we need not be frightened too much when the whole world is against us. When we see that nothing new befalls us, we are strengthened in patience by the example of the church of old, until God suddenly put forth his power, which alone is sufficient to subvert all the machinations of the world.” Several expositors erroneously connect the ( Psalms 83:5) 5th verse with what goes before—a flat and insipid rendering. The כי indicates a more full exhibition of the relations alluded to in the preceding verses; and it is not co-ordinate with the כי in Psalms 83:2. The לב stands like the סוד in Psalms 83:3, and the שמך in Psalms 83:18, in the accusative. The expression “with the heart” supplies a commentary to Psalms 64:5-6, and denotes the earnestness and zeal of their plans; the heart, with the whole fulness of its purposes, plans, and wickedness, is engaged in the matter. Several expositors refer erroneously to לב אחד with one heart, in 1 Chronicles 12:38.

In enumerating the nations, the first seven are grouped together in such a manner that we find associated with the ring-leaders, who are Edom, Moab, and Ammon, those nations who had been pressed into the service by them,—so that these three names should be looked upon as if printed in large characters. That the arrangement is to be explained in this way is evident from the otherwise inexplicable separation of Moab from Ammon. As the Edomites were not a wandering but a settled people, we must either understand by “tents” camp-tents, or “tents” is to be considered as a poetical expression for habitations, founded on the dwelling of the Israelites in the wilderness: comp. Judges 7:8; 1 Kings 12:16. The Edomites, who are associated with the Ishmaelites, dwelt, according to Genesis 25:18, next to the Assyrians, and therefore, in the desert of Arabia. The attendants of Moab, the Hagarites, were a wandering Arabic tribe, to the east of Jordan, which, in the time of Saul, was dispossessed of its country by the tribe of Reuben: comp. 1 Chronicles 5:10, 1 Chronicles 5:19-22. They removed, in all probability, farther south, into that part of Arabia which adjoins Moab; and they were, therefore, their natural allies in this league. On the right side of Ammon there was Gebal, in all probability an Idumean district, and on the left, Amalek, who appears here, as on a former occasion, Judges 3:13, in a state of alliance with him: “and he (Eglon, the king of Moab) assembled around .him the sons of Ammon and Amalek.”

To the seven nations, who formed the main body, there are added other three. First, the Philistines, who are not, indeed, expressly named in Chronicles, but concerning whom it is taken for granted, that those who always embraced the opportunity of a war raised against the Israelites by other nations, would not lose this opportunity of gratifying their deep-seated hatred. The inhabitants of Tyre appear only as following in the train of the Philistines. The merchants were induced merely by cupidity to join in this movement, as the tradesmen of Tarsus did in Ezekiel 38:13. They are universally to be found wherever there is anything to be earned. In Amos, also, Amos 1:6-10, the Philistines and the Tyrians appear in compact with each other, and with the Edomites, in their purposes of hostility towards the Israelites; and the passage in Joel 4:4, &c., shows how natural is this addition of the Tyrians to the Philistines, where we find it represented in prophetic vision that the Philistines, along with the Tyrians and Sidonians, avail themselves of the opportunity of a war raised against Israel by other nations to gratify their hatred and their cupidity.

The Assyrians are mentioned last, being at the greatest distance, and engaged only indirectly and partially in the enterprise. According to Genesis 25:18, they were the neighbours of the Arabian sons of the desert, yea, according to Genesis 25:3, they had Arabic elements in the midst of themselves, so that it is, therefore, antecedently probable that they should be found taking part in this great movement of the Arabic tribes. The Assyrians finally, as the associates from the most remote east, stand opposed to the Philistines and the Tyrians from the west. The seven wicked nations are bounded by these on the east and the west. Last of all, the sons of Lot are mentioned as the proper instigators and fire-brands of the war. The subject in “they stretch” is not the singular Assyrian, but all the nations which had been named, with the self-evident exception of the sons of Lot themselves. It is only by adopting this view, which, indeed, is the most obvious one, as far as the language is concerned, that this conclusion receives its proper significance. [Note: Venema: Finally, having enumerated the nations in order, the Psalmist adds who were the authors of the war and who allies.]

Verses 9-12

Ver. 9. Do to them as to Midian, as to Sisera, as to Jabin, in the valley of Kison. Ver; 10. Who were destroyed at Endor, they were dung for the land. Ver. 11. Make them, their nobles, as Oreb and as Seeb, all their princes as Sebah and Zalmuna. Ver. 12. Who said: we will possess ourselves of the habitations of God.

Calvin: “The substance is, may God who has so often smitten his enemies, and delivered his timorous sheep out of the jaws of wolves, not leave them at this time unprotected against these forces.” From the many examples of divine judgment upon the enemies, which constituted pledges of deliverance in this trouble, the Psalmist selects two, the victory over the Canaanites from Judges 4 and Judges 5, and the victory of Gideon over the Midianites from Judges 7 and Judges 8. He begins with the latter as the more glorious of the two. But in expanding the general subject of the ( Psalms 83:9) 9th verse, in Psalms 83:10-11, the order is reversed. Psalms 83:10 is an appendage to the second clause; Psalms 83:11 expands the first. “Do to them as to Midian” (instead of “as thou didst to Midian,”—the comparison being, as is frequently the case, merely referred to, not drawn out, comp. Ew. § 527) was fulfilled beyond what they asked or thought: the discomfiture of the enemies, as was the case with the Midianites, took place by mutual destruction,—a means which has often proved of signal service to the kingdom of God: comp. 2 Chronicles 20:22-23, with Judges 7:22. The glorious victory over Midian appears also in Isaiah 9:4, and Habakkuk 3:7, as the emblem and pledge of glorious deliverances yet to come. The effort to exhibit the individuals named, standing as much apart as possible, “as Sisera, as Jabin,” not “ and Jabin,” is explained by the reference to the seven nations. On “in the valley of Kison,” comp. Judges 4:7, Judges 4:13; Judges 5:21.

Endor Psalms 83:10 (comp. Robinson, vol. iii. 468, 77), which appears here as the proper place of the discomfiture of the Canaanites, is not expressly named in the book of Judges. In the second clause there is an abbreviated comparison, as is obvious from the other passages where this same comparison occurs, drawn out, for example, 2 Kings 9:37, “and the carcase of Jezebel shall be as thing upon the face of the field,” Jeremiah 9:21. Isaiah 5:25.

The “ their nobles” In Psalms 83:11, is expository of “ them.” Oreb and Seeb were, according to Judges 7:25, the commanders of the Midianites, Sebah and Zalmunah, Judges 8:5-10; Judges 8:12; Judges 8:18-21, their kings.

Psalms 83:12 points once more to the guilt of the enemies which made them worthy of a destruction similar to that which befell those of an earlier period. Elohim (not Jehovah) is selected for the purpose of making more distinct the criminality of the attempt. By the “habitations of God” is meant the whole land of Canaan: comp. 2 Chronicles 20:11, “they have come to cast us out of thy possession which thou hast given us to inherit,” Psalms 47:4.

Verses 13-15

Ver. 13. My God, make them like the whirl, like the stubble before the wind. Ver. 14. As fire which burns up the forest, as flame which scorches the hills: Ver. 15. Do thou thus pursue them with thy tempest, and terrify them with thy storm. [Note: Venema: Having placed before our eyes the judgment of God upon the enemies, as illustrated by the example of antiquity, he now describes it in a sublimer style, with images drawn from wind, storm, and fire, and (ver. 16-18) exhibits the scope and effect of these judgments, in order that men, overwhelmed with shame, may learn to reverence the majesty of Jehovah.]

The “like the whirl (comp. at Psalms 77:18), like the stubble,” in Psalms 83:13, is equivalent to “like the stubble which is, whirled round and carried off:” comp. Isaiah 17:13, a passage which depends on the verse before us.

As fire, Psalms 83:14, as destructively. The hills are mentioned, as is obvious from the parallel clause, in reference to what covers them.

Verses 16-18

Ver. 16. Fill their faces with shame, and may they seek thy name, O Lord. Ver. 17. Let them be put to shame and terrified for ever, and blush and perish. Ver. 18. And may they know that thou with thy name, O Lord, art above the most high over the whole earth.

The object aimed at is intimated in the words: may they seek thy name, and may they know thy name. “Fill their face with shame” serves as the basis of the first, and the contents of Psalms 83:18 of the second: we can never be more confident of the destruction of our enemies, and of our own deliverance, than when these tend to promote the exaltation and the glory of God. In point of form, however, the second clause of Psalms 83:16 is independent of, and co-ordinate with the first:—not: that they may seek. Otherwise, we destroy the number of petitions, twelve in all, seven in this paragraph, corresponding to the number seven of the verses of the preceding paragraph.— On “their faces,” Psalms 83:16, comp. Psalms 69:7. “Thy name” is equivalent to “thee, rich in deeds, glorious.” “May they seek thee” (Berleb: as humble suppliants) has no reference to “conversion,” but to the forced subjection of those who, like Pharaoh, are not able to hold out any longer against the inflictions of God. This is evident, also, from the following verse, where the Psalmist prays for the destruction of the enemies. [Note: Calvin: “It is, I acknowledge, the first step towards repentance, when men, humbled by chastisements, yield of their own accord; but the prophet adverts merely to a forced and servile submission. For it often happens that the wicked, subdued by sufferings, give glory to God for a time. But because in a short while they exhibit a frantic rage, their hypocrisy is thus sufficiently exposed, and the ferocity which lay concealed in their hearts becomes apparent. He wishes, therefore, that the wicked may be compelled reluctantly to acknowledge God: that at least their fury, at present breaking forth with impunity, may be kept under restraint and within due bounds.] It would be the height of folly to hope for the conversion of such enemies.

In the ( Psalms 83:18) 18th verse, the acknowledgment is not a voluntary but a forced acknowledgment: comp. Psalms 59:13; 1 Samuel 17:46. The שמך , is the accus., just as the לב in Psalms 83:5, and the סוד in Psalms 83:3, “as to thy name,” i.e., “for the sake of thy name:” thou who art rich in deeds, glorious. The name, the product of the deeds, is what belongs to the Lord above all others who are called lords and gods: these are all nameless; the names which they bear are mere names, shells without kernel. That we are not to give the first half of the verse a sense complete in itself— and know that thou alone hast the name of Jehovah—is evident from the parallel and in all probability dependent passage, Isaiah 37:16, where Hezekiah says: Jehovah, Sabaoth, God of Israel, thou art God Ha-elohim, alone for all the kingdoms of the earth, 2 Kings 19:19. [Note: Isaiah 37:20 is to be supplemented from both these passages: and all the kingdoms of the earth may experience that thou, O Lord, alone (art God.)] The Eljon is the predicate here just as Elohim is there.