1 Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God.
2 For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head.
3 They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:
6 The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
7 Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre;
8 Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah.
9 Do unto them as unto the Midianites; as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the brook of Kison:
10 Which perished at Endor: they became as dung for the earth.
11 Make their nobles like Oreb, and like Zeeb: yea, all their princes as Zebah, and as Zalmunna:
12 Who said, Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession.
13 O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind.
14 As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire;
15 So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm.
16 Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O LORD.
17 Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish:
18 That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.
1 [[A Song H7892 or Psalm H4210 of Asaph.]] H623 Keep not thou silence, H1824 O God: H430 hold not thy peace, H2790 and be not still, H8252 O God. H410
2 For, lo, thine enemies H341 make a tumult: H1993 and they that hate H8130 thee have lifted up H5375 the head. H7218
3 They have taken crafty H6191 counsel H5475 against thy people, H5971 and consulted H3289 against thy hidden ones. H6845
4 They have said, H559 Come, H3212 and let us cut them off H3582 from being a nation; H1471 that the name H8034 of Israel H3478 may be no more in remembrance. H2142
5 For they have consulted H3289 together H3162 with one consent: H3820 they are H3772 confederate H1285 against thee:
6 The tabernacles H168 of Edom, H123 and the Ishmaelites; H3459 of Moab, H4124 and the Hagarenes; H1905
7 Gebal, H1381 and Ammon, H5983 and Amalek; H6002 the Philistines H6429 with the inhabitants H3427 of Tyre; H6865
8 Assur H804 also is joined H3867 with them: they have holpen H2220 the children H1121 of Lot. H3876 Selah. H5542
9 Do H6213 unto them as unto the Midianites; H4080 as to Sisera, H5516 as to Jabin, H2985 at the brook H5158 of Kison: H7028
10 Which perished H8045 at Endor: H5874 they became as dung H1828 for the earth. H127
11 Make H7896 their nobles H5081 like Oreb, H6159 and like Zeeb: H2062 yea, all their princes H5257 as Zebah, H2078 and as Zalmunna: H6759
12 Who said, H559 Let us take to ourselves the houses H4999 of God H430 in possession. H3423
13 O my God, H430 make H7896 them like a wheel; H1534 as the stubble H7179 before H6440 the wind. H7307
14 As the fire H784 burneth H1197 a wood, H3293 and as the flame H3852 setteth H3857 the mountains H2022 on fire; H3857
15 So persecute H7291 them with thy tempest, H5591 and make them afraid H926 with thy storm. H5492
16 Fill H4390 their faces H6440 with shame; H7036 that they may seek H1245 thy name, H8034 O LORD. H3068
17 Let them be confounded H954 and troubled H926 for ever; H5703 yea, let them be put to shame, H2659 and perish: H6
18 That men may know H3045 that thou, whose name H8034 alone is JEHOVAH, H3068 art the most high H5945 over all the earth. H776
1 O God, keep not thou silence: Hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God.
2 For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult; And they that hate thee have lifted up the head.
3 Thy take crafty counsel against thy people, And consult together against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; That the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they have consulted together with one consent; Against thee do they make a covenant:
6 The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites; Moab, and the Hagarenes;
7 Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre:
8 Assyria also is joined with them; They have helped the children of Lot. Selah
9 Do thou unto them as unto Midian, As to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the river Kishon;
10 Who perished at Endor, Who became as dung for the earth.
11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb; Yea, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna;
12 Who said, Let us take to ourselves in possession The habitations of God.
13 O my God, make them like the whirling dust; As stubble before the wind.
14 As the fire that burneth the forest, And as the flame that setteth the mountains on fire,
15 So pursue them with thy tempest, And terrify them with thy storm.
16 Fill their faces with confusion, That they may seek thy name, O Jehovah.
17 Let them be put to shame and dismayed for ever; Yea, let them be confounded and perish;
18 That they may know that thou alone, whose name is Jehovah, Art the Most High over all the earth. Psalm 84 For the Chief Musician; set to the Gittith. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
1 A Song, -- A Psalm of Asaph. O God, let there be no silence to Thee, Be not silent, nor be quiet, O God.
2 For, lo, Thine enemies do roar, And those hating Thee have lifted up the head,
3 Against Thy people they take crafty counsel, And consult against Thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, `Come, And we cut them off from `being' a nation, And the name of Israel is not remembered any more.'
5 For they consulted in heart together, Against Thee a covenant they make,
6 Tents of Edom, and Ishmaelites, Moab, and the Hagarenes,
7 Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek, Philistia with inhabitants of Tyre,
8 Asshur also is joined with them, They have been an arm to sons of Lot. Selah.
9 Do to them as `to' Midian, As `to' Sisera, as `to' Jabin, at the stream Kishon.
10 They were destroyed at Endor, They were dung for the ground!
11 Make their nobles as Oreb and as Zeeb, And as Zebah and Zalmunna all their princes,
12 Who have said, `Let us occupy for ourselves The comely places of God.'
13 O my God, make them as a rolling thing, As stubble before wind.
14 As a fire doth burn a forest, And as a flame setteth hills on fire,
15 So dost Thou pursue them with Thy whirlwind, And with Thy hurricane troublest them.
16 Fill their faces `with' shame, And they seek Thy name, O Jehovah.
17 They are ashamed and troubled for ever, Yea, they are confounded and lost.
18 And they know that Thou -- (Thy name `is' Jehovah -- by Thyself,) `Art' the Most High over all the earth!
1 {A Song; a Psalm of Asaph.} O God, keep not silence; hold not thy peace, and be not still, O ùGod:
2 For behold, thine enemies make a tumult; and they that hate thee lift up the head.
3 They take crafty counsel against thy people, and consult against thy hidden ones:
4 They say, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, and let the name of Israel be mentioned no more.
5 For they have consulted together with one heart: they have made an alliance together against thee.
6 The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagarites;
7 Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; Philistia, with the inhabitants of Tyre;
8 Asshur also is joined with them: they are an arm to the sons of Lot. Selah.
9 Do unto them as to Midian; as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the torrent of Kishon:
10 Who were destroyed at Endor; they became as dung for the ground.
11 Make their nobles as Oreb and as Zeeb; and all their chiefs as Zebah and as Zalmunna.
12 For they have said, Let us take to ourselves God's dwelling-places in possession.
13 O my God, make them like a whirling thing, like stubble before the wind.
14 As fire burneth a forest, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire,
15 So pursue them with thy tempest, and terrify them with thy whirlwind.
16 Fill their faces with shame, that they may seek thy name, O Jehovah.
17 Let them be put to shame and be dismayed for ever, and let them be confounded and perish:
18 That they may know that thou alone, whose name is Jehovah, art the Most High over all the earth.
1 > God, don't keep silent. Don't keep silent, And don't be still, God.
2 For, behold, your enemies are stirred up. Those who hate you have lifted up their heads.
3 They conspire with cunning against your people. They plot against your cherished ones.
4 "Come," they say, "and let's destroy them as a nation, That the name of Israel may be remembered no more."
5 For they have conspired together with one mind. They form an alliance against you.
6 The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites; Moab, and the Hagrites;
7 Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek; Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre;
8 Assyria also is joined with them. They have helped the children of Lot. Selah.
9 Do to them as you did to Midian, As to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the river Kishon;
10 Who perished at Endor, Who became as dung for the earth.
11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb; Yes, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna;
12 Who said, "Let us take possession Of God's pasturelands."
13 My God, make them like tumbleweed; Like chaff before the wind.
14 As the fire that burns the forest, As the flame that sets the mountains on fire,
15 So pursue them with your tempest, And terrify them with your storm.
16 Fill their faces with confusion, That they may seek your name, Yahweh.
17 Let them be disappointed and dismayed forever. Yes, let them be confounded and perish;
18 That they may know that you alone, whose name is Yahweh, Are the Most High over all the earth.
1 <A Song. A Psalm. Of Asaph.> O God, do not keep quiet: let your lips be open and take no rest, O God.
2 For see! those who make war on you are out of control; your haters are lifting up their heads.
3 They have made wise designs against your people, talking together against those whom you keep in a secret place.
4 They have said, Come, let us put an end to them as a nation; so that the name of Israel may go out of man's memory.
5 For they have all come to an agreement; they are all joined together against you:
6 The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites; Moab and the Hagarites;
7 Gebal and Ammon and Amalek; the Philistines and the people of Tyre;
8 Assur is joined with them; they have become the support of the children of Lot. (Selah.)
9 Do to them what you did to the Midianites; what you did to Sisera and Jabin, at the stream of Kishon:
10 Who came to destruction at En-dor; their bodies became dust and waste.
11 Make their chiefs like Oreb and Zeeb; and all their rulers like Zebah and Zalmunna:
12 Who have said, Let us take for our heritage the resting-place of God.
13 O my God, make them like the rolling dust; like dry stems before the wind.
14 As fire burning a wood, and as a flame causing fire on the mountains,
15 So go after them with your strong wind, and let them be full of fear because of your storm.
16 Let their faces be full of shame; so that they may give honour to your name, O Lord.
17 Let them be overcome and troubled for ever; let them be put to shame and come to destruction;
18 So that men may see that you only, whose name is Yahweh, are Most High over all the earth.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on Psalms 83
Commentary on Psalms 83 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
Battle-Cry to God against Allied Peoples
The close of this Psalm is in accord with the close of the preceding Psalm. It is the last of the twelve Psalms of Asaph of the Psalter. The poet supplicates help against the many nations which have allied themselves with the descendants of Lot, i.e., Moab and Ammon, to entirely root out Israel as a nation. Those who are fond of Maccabaean Psalms (Hitzig and Olshausen), after the precedent of van Til and von Bengel, find the circumstances of the time of the Psalm in 1 Macc. 5, and Grimm is also inclined to regard this as correct; and in point of fact the deadly hostility of the ἔθνη κυκλόθεν which we there see breaking forth on all sides,
(Note: Concerning the υίοὶ Βαΐάν ( Benı̂ Baijân ), 1 Macc. 5:4, the difficulty respecting which is to the present time unsolved, vid., Wetzstein's Excursus II, pp. 559f..)
as it were at a given signal, against the Jewish people, who have become again independent, and after the dedication of the Temple doubly self-conscious, is far better suited to explain the Psalm than the hostile efforts of Sanballat, Tobiah, and others to hinder the rebuilding of Jerusalem, in the time of Nehemiah (Vaihinger, Ewald, and Dillmann). There is, however, still another incident beside that recorded in 1 Macc. 5 to which the Psalm may be referred, viz., the confederation of the nations for the extinction of Judah in the time of Jehoshaphat (2 Chr. 20), and, as it seems to us, with comparatively speaking less constraint. For the Psalm speaks of a real league, whilst in 1 Macc. 5 the several nations made the attack without being allied and not jointly; then, as the Psalm assumes in Psalms 83:9, the sons of Lot, i.e., the Moabites and Ammonites, actually were at the head at that time, whilst in 1 Macc. 5 the sons of Esau occupy the most prominent place; and thirdly, at that time, in the time of Jehoshaphat, as is recorded, an Asaphite, viz., Jahaziël, did actually interpose in the course of events, a circumstance which coincides remarkably with the לאסף . The league of that period consisted, according to 2 Chronicles 20:1, of Moabites, Ammonites, and a part of the מעוּנים (as it is to be read after the lxx). But 2 Chronicles 20:2 (where without any doubt מאדם is to be read instead of מארם ) adds the Edomites to their number, for it is expressly stated further on (2 Chronicles 20:10, 2 Chronicles 20:22, 2 Chronicles 20:23) that the inhabitants of Mount Seïr were with them. Also, supposing of course that the “Ishmaelites” and “Hagarenes” of the Psalm may be regarded as an unfolding of the מעונים , which is confirmed by Josephus, Antiq . ix. 1. 2; and that Gebäl is to be understood by the Mount Seïr of the chronicler, which is confirmed by the Arab. jibâl still in use at the present day, there always remains a difficulty in the fact that the Psalm also names Amalek , Philistia , Tyre , and Asshur , of which we find no mention there in the reign of Jehoshaphat. But these difficulties are counter-balanced by others that beset the reference to 1 Macc. 5, viz., that in the time of the Seleucidae the Amalekites no longer existed, and consequently, as might be expected, are not mentioned at all in 1 Macc. 5; further, that there the Moabites, too, are no longer spoken of, although some formerly Moabitish cities of Gileaditis are mentioned; and thirdly, that אשׁור = Syria (a certainly possible usage of the word) appears in a subordinate position, whereas it was, however, the dominant power. On the other hand, the mention of Amalek is intelligible in connection with the reference to 2 Chr. 20, and the absence of its express mention in the chronicler does not make itself particularly felt in consideration of Genesis 36:12. Philistia, Tyre, and Asshur, however, stand at the end in the Psalm, and might also even be mentioned with the others if they rendered aid to the confederates of the south-east without taking part with them in the campaign, as being a succour to the actual leaders of the enterprise, the sons of Lot. We therefore agree with the reference of Psalms 83 (as also of Psalms 48:1-14) to the alliance of the neighbouring nations against Judah in the reign of Jehoshaphat, which has been already recognised by Kimchi and allowed by Keil, Hengstenberg, and Movers.
The poet prays, may God not remain an inactive looker-on in connection with the danger of destruction that threatens His people. דּמי (with which יהי is to be supplied) is the opposite of alertness; חרשׁ the opposite of speaking (in connection with which it is assumed that God's word is at the same time deed); שׁקט the opposite of being agitated and activity. The energetic future jehemajûn gives outward emphasis to the confirmation of the petition, and the fact that Israel's foes are the foes of God gives inward emphasis to it. On נשׂא ראשׁ , cf. Psalms 110:7. סוד is here a secret agreement; and יערימוּ , elsewhere to deal craftily, here signifies to craftily plot, devise, bring a thing about. צפוּניך is to be understood according to Psalms 27:5; Psalms 31:21. The Hithpa . התיעץ alternates here with the more ancient Niph . (Psalms 83:6). The design of the enemies in this instance has reference to the total extirpation of Israel, of the separatist-people who exclude themselves from the life of the world and condemn it. מגּוי , from being a people = so that it may no longer be a people or nation, as in Isaiah 7:8; Isaiah 17:1; Isaiah 25:2; Jeremiah 48:42. In the borrowed passage, Jeremiah 48:2, by an interchange of a letter it is נכריתנּה . This Asaph Psalm is to be discerned in not a few passages of the prophets; cf. Isaiah 62:6. with Psalms 83:2, Isaiah 17:12 with Psalms 83:3.
Instead of לב אחד , 1 Chronicles 12:38, it is deliberant corde unâ , inasmuch as יחדּו on the one hand gives intensity to the reciprocal signification of the verb, and on the other lends the adjectival notion to לב . Of the confederate peoples the chronicler (2 Chr. 20) mentions the Moabites, the Ammonites, the inhabitants of Mount Seïr, and the Me(unim , instead of which Josephus, Antiq . ix. 1. 2, says: a great body of Arabians. This crowd of peoples comes from the other side of the Dead Sea, מאדם (as it is to be read in Psalms 83:2 in the chronicler instead of מארם , cf. on Psalms 60:2); the territory of Edom, which is mentioned first by the poet, was therefore the rendezvous. The tents of Edom and of the Ishmaelites are (cf. Arab. ahl , people) the people themselves who live in tents. Moreover, too, the poet ranges the hostile nations according to their geographical position. The seven first named from Edom to Amalek, which still existed at the time of the psalmist (for the final destruction of the Amalekites by the Simeonites, 1 Chronicles 4:42., falls at an indeterminate period prior to the Exile), are those out of the regions east and south-east of the Dead Sea. According to Genesis 25:18, the Ishmaelites had spread from Higâz through the peninsula of Sinai beyond the eastern and southern deserts as far up as the countries under the dominion of Assyria. The Hagarenes dwelt in tents from the Persian Gulf as far as the east of Gilead (1 Chronicles 5:10) towards the Euphrates. גּבל , Arab. jbâl , is the name of the people inhabiting the mountains situated in the south of the Dead Sea, that is to say, the northern Seïritish mountains. Both Gebâl and also, as it appears, the Amalek intended here according to Genesis 36:12 (cf. Josephus, Antiq . ii. 1. 2: Ἀμαληκῖτις , a part of Idumaea), belong to the wide circuit of Edom . Then follow the Philistines and Phoenicians, the two nations of the coast of the Mediterranean, which also appear in Amos 1:1-15 (cf. Joel 3) as making common cause with the Edomites against Israel. Finally Asshur, the nation of the distant north-east, here not as yet appearing as a principal power, but strengthening (vid., concerning זרוע , an arm = assistance, succour, Gesenius, Thesaurus , p. 433 b ) the sons of Lot, i.e., the Moabites and Ammonites, with whom the enterprise started, and forming a powerful reserve for them. The music bursts forth angrily at the close of this enumeration, and imprecations discharge themselves in the following strophe.
With כּמדין reference is made to Gideon's victory over the Midianites, which belongs to the most glorious recollections of Israel, and to which in other instances, too, national hopes are attached, Isaiah 9:3 [4], Isaiah 10:26, cf. Habakkuk 3:7; and with the asyndeton כּסיסרא כיבין ( כּסיסרא , as Norzi states, who does not rightly understand the placing of the Metheg ) to the victory of Barak and Deborah over Sisera and the Canaanitish king Jabin, whose general he was. The Beth of בּנחל is like the Beth of בּדּרך in Psalms 110:7 : according to Judges 5:21 the Kishon carried away the corpses of the slain army. ‛Endôr , near Tabor, and therefore situated not far distant from Taanach and Megiddo (Judges 5:19), belonged to the battle-field. אדמה , starting from the radical notion of that which flatly covers anything, which lies in דם , signifying the covering of earth lying flat over the globe, therefore humus (like ארץ , terra , and תבל , tellus ), is here (cf. 2 Kings 9:37) in accord with דּמן (from דמן ), which is in substance akin to it. In Psalms 83:12 we have a retrospective glance at Gideon's victory. ‛Oreb and Zeēb were שׂרים of the Midianites, Judges 7:25; Zebach and Tsalmunna‛ , their kings, Judges 8:5.
(Note: The Syriac Hexapla has (Hosea 10:14) צלמנע instead of שׁלמן , a substitution which is accepted by Geiger, Deutsch. Morgenländ. Zeitschr . 1862, S. 729f. Concerning the signification of the above names of Midianitish princes, vid., Nöldeke, Ueber die Amalekiter , S. 9.)
The pronoun precedes the word itself in שׁיתמו , as in Exodus 2:6; the heaped-up suffixes ēmo ( êmo ) give to the imprecation a rhythm and sound as of rolling thunder. Concerning נסיך , vid., on Psalms 2:6. So far as the matter is concerned, 2 Chronicles 20:11 harmonizes with Psalms 83:13. Canaan, the land which is God's and which He has given to His people, is called נאות אלהים (cf. Psalms 74:20).
With the אלהי , which constrains God in faith, the “thundering down” begins afresh. גּלגּל signifies a wheel and a whirling motion, such as usually arises when the wind changes suddenly, then also whatever is driven about in the whirling, Isaiah 17:13.
(Note: Saadia, who renders the גּלגּל in Psalms 77:19 as an astronomical expression with Arab. 'l - frk , the sphere of the heavens, here has professedly Arab. kâlgrâblt , which would be a plural from expanded out of Arab. grâbı̂l , “sieves” or “tambourines;” it is, however, to be read, as in Isaiah 17:13, Codex Oxon ., Arab. kâlgirbâlt . The verb Arab. garbala , “to sift,” is transferred to the wind, e.g., in Mutanabbi (edited with Wahidi's commentary by Dieterici), p. 29, l. 5 and 6: “it is as though the dust of this region, when the winds chase one another therein, were sifted,” Arab. mugarbalu (i.e., caught up and whirled round); and with other notional and constructional applications in Makkarı̂ , i. p. 102, l. 18: “it is as though its soil had been cleansed from dust by sifting,” Arab. gurbilat (i.e., the dust thereof swept away by a whirlwind). Accordingly Arab. girbâlat signifies first, as a nom. vicis , a whirling about (of dust by the wind), then in a concrete sense a whirlwind, as Saadia uses it, inasmuch as he makes use of it twice for גּלגּל . So Fleischer in opposition to Ewald, who renders “like the sweepings or rubbish.”)
קשׁ (from קשׁשׁ , Arab. qšš , aridum esse ) is the cry corn-talks, whether as left standing or, as in this instance, as straw upon the threshing-floor or upon the field. Like a fire that spreads rapidly, laying hold of everything, which burns up the forest and singes off the wooded mountain so that only a bare cone is left standing, so is God to drive them before Him in the raging tempest of His wrath and take them unawares. The figure in Psalms 83:15 is fully worked up by Isaiah, Isaiah 10:16-19; לחט as in Deuteronomy 32:22. In the apodosis, Psalms 83:16, the figure is changed into a kindred one: wrath is a glowing heat ( חרון ) and a breath ( נשׁמה , Isaiah 30:33) at the same time. In Psalms 83:17 it becomes clear what is the final purpose towards which this language of cursing tends: to the end that all, whether willingly or reluctantly, may give the glory to the God of revelation. Directed towards this end the earnest prayer is repeated once more in the tetrastichic closing strain.
The aim of the wish is that they in the midst of their downfall may lay hold upon the mercy of Jahve as their only deliverance: first they must come to nought, and only by giving Jahve the glory will they not be utterly destroyed. Side by side with אתּה , v. 19 a , is placed שׁמך as a second subject (cf. Psalms 44:3; Psalms 69:11). In view of Psalms 83:17 וידעוּ (as in Psalms 59:14) has not merely the sense of perceiving so far as the justice of the punishment is concerned; the knowledge which is unto salvation is not excluded. The end of the matter which the poet wishes to see brought about is this, that Jahve, that the God of revelation ( שׁמך ), may become the All-exalted One in the consciousness of the nations.