Bibelkommentare

This psalm is the last of those that go under the name of Asaph. It is penned, as most of those, upon a public account, with reference to the insults of the church's enemies, who sought its ruin. Some think it was penned upon occasion of the threatening descent which was made upon the land of Judah in Jehoshaphat's time by the Moabites and Ammonites, those children of Lot here spoken of (Ps 83:8), who were at the head of the alliance and to whom all the other states here mentioned were auxiliaries. We have the story 2Ch 20:1, where it is said, The children of Moab and Ammon, and others besides them, invaded the land. Others think it was penned with reference to all the confederacies of the neighbouring nations against Israel, from first to last. The psalmist here makes an appeal and application, I. To God's knowledge, by a representation of their designs and endeavours to destroy Israel, Ps 83:1-8. II. To God's justice and jealousy, both for his church and for his own honour, by an earnest prayer for the defeat of their attempt, that the church might be preserved, the enemies humbled, and God glorified, Ps 83:9-18. This, in the singing of it, we may apply to the enemies of the gospel-church, all anti-christian powers and factions, representing to God their confederacies against Christ and his kingdom, and rejoicing in the hope that all their projects will be baffled and the gates of hell shall not prevail against the church.

This is another of the psalms of Asaph, the last of the group or collection that is found under his name. Compare the Introduction to Psalm 73. The occasion on which this was composed is not certainly known, and cannot now be ascertained. Grotius supposes that it relates to the time of David, and especially to the first war with the Syrians referred to in 2 Samuel 8, or to the second war with the Syrians referred to in 2 Samuel 10, and 1 Chronicles 19. Kimchi, DeWette, and others, suppose that it relates to the time of Jehoshaphat, and to the war with the Ammonites and Moabites, referred to in 2 Chronicles 20. Hengstenberg and Prof. Alexander concur in this opinion, and suppose that it was written on the same occasion as Psalm 47:1-9; Psalm 48:1-14; the first, composed and sung on the field of battle; the second, on the triumphant return to Jerusalem; the third - the one before us - in confident anticipation of victory. This is, perhaps, rather fanciful, and it certainly cannot be demonstrated that this is the correct opinion. It would seem, at least, to be hardly probable that a psalm would be composed and sung in a battlefield.

All that is certain in regard to the psalm is, that it was written in view of a threatened invasion by combined armies, and the prayer is, that God would give help, as he had done when the nation had been threatened on other occasions. The nations which were combined, or which had formed an alliance for this purpose, are specified in Psalm 83:6-8; Edom; Ishmael; Moab; the Hagarenes; Gebal; Ammon; Amalek; the Philistines; the Tyrians, Assur, and the children of Lot.

The contents of the psalm are as follows:

I. A prayer that God would no longer keep still, or be silent, Psalm 83:1.

II. A statement of the occasion for the prayer, to wit, the conspiracy or combination formed against his people, Psalm 83:2-5.

III. An enumeration of the nations thus combined, Psalm 83:6-8.

IV. A prayer that God would interpose as he had done in former times, in critical periods of the Jewish history - as in the case of the Midianites; as in the time of Sisera, and Jabin; and as in the wars waged with Oreb and Zeeb, Zebah and Zalmunna, Psalm 83:9-12.

V. A prayer that these enemies might be utterly overthrown and confounded; that God would promote his own glory; and that his people might be secure and happy, Psalm 83:13-18.

The psalmist calls upon God for immediate help against a multitude of confederate enemies who had risen up against Judah, Psalm 83:1-5. He mentions them by name, Psalm 83:6-8; shows how they were to be punished, Psalm 83:9-17; and that this was to be done for the glory of God, Psalm 83:18.

The title, A Song or Psalms of Asaph, contains nothing particular. Among a multitude of conjectures relative to the title and occasion of this Psalm, that which refers it to the confederacy against Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, mentioned 2 Chronicles 20, is the most likely. The following reasons make it probable: 1. The children of Ammon, that is, the Ammonites and Moabites, were the principal movers in the war. 2. The Idumeans came to their assistance, 2 Chronicles 20:22; with certain Ammonites or Meonians, referred to here in Psalm 83:8, and in 2 Chronicles 20:1. 3. There were also in this confederacy many strangers of Syria, and from beyond the sea, most likely the Dead Sea, which seems to indicate the Assyrians, Hagaranes, and Ishmaelites, designed expressly here, Psalm 83:7, Psalm 83:8. 4. In that transaction there was a prophet of the race of Asaph, named Jahaziel, who foretold to Jehoshaphat their total overthrow, 2 Chronicles 20:14, etc., and probably this Jahaziel is the same with Asaph, the author of this Psalm. In the course of the notes we shall see other circumstances relative to the war of the Moabites and Ammonites against Jehoshaphat, which illustrates several particulars in this Psalm. See Calmet.

INTRODUCTION TO Psalm 83

A Song or Psalm of Asaph. 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, 2 Samuel 8:1, 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, Psalm 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, 2 Chronicles 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.

LXXXIII.

The array of proper names in this poem seems, at first sight, to promise an easy identification with some definite historical event. But our records nowhere speak of a confederation composed of all the tribes enumerated here; so that if we are to be governed by literal exactness, it is impossible to refer the psalm to any known period of Israelite history.

We must therefore, in any case, refer the mention of so many hostile tribes as combined in one confederacy to poetical exaggeration, and look for other indications which may guide us to the event most probable as the origin of the poem. This is the period of which we have a detailed and graphic account in 1 Maccabees 5. Before this there is no period at which, even poetically, Tyre could be enumerated among the active enemies of Israel, while the first words of this chapter are just a prose statement of what we have here poetically described. In the fact, too, that after his victorious progress Judas Maccabæus reviewed his troops in the great plain which had witnessed the slaughter of Sisera’s host, and in the comparison drawn between the conduct of the city of Ephron (1 Maccabees 5:46-49) with that of Succoth and Penuel, towards Gideon (Judges 8:4-9), we have enough to account for the selection of examples from the times of the judges rather than from later history. The difficulty of the mention of Assyria, in Psalm 83:8, as occupying a subordinate part in a confederacy with Moab and Ammon, is no greater if the psalm is referred to this period than to any other. Syria (even if we discard the derivation of the name by abbreviation from Assyria) might yet poetically bear the name of the older power, and “auxiliaries out of Syria,” of whom Josephus speaks in connection with the Maccabæan wars, would be not unnaturally in poetry described as “Assur, an arm to the children of Lot.” The poem has a regular rhythmic form.

Title.—See title, Psalms 48, 50.

The vision of the judgement of unjust rulers who oppress God’s people within the nation is followed by a prayer for the judgement of the nations which threaten to destroy God’s people as a nation from without. The nations around are represented as joining in an unhallowed confederacy against Israel. Their aim is nothing less than to frustrate the counsel of God, and blot the very name of Israel out of remembrance. The ancient enemies of Israel, the Moabites and Ammonites, are the leaders of the coalition; with them are united the Edomites, Amalekites, and Arabian tribes from the desert: Philistia, Tyre, and even Assyria, appear as their auxiliaries.

In spite of the apparent definiteness of the historical circumstances, it is impossible to fix the occasion of the Psalm with any certainty.

(i) Many commentators connect it with the events related in 1 Maccabees 5. Provoked by the success of Judas in restoring the Temple, “the nations round about” … “took counsel to destroy the generation of Jacob that was among them, and thereupon they began to slay and destroy the people.” Judas accordingly turned his arms against them, and of the tribes and nations named in the Psalm, the Edomites, Ammonites, Philistines, and Tyrians are mentioned among the enemies whom he defeated. The Ishmaelites and perhaps Gebal and the Hagarenes might be included among the Arabians (1Ma 5:39); but the Moabites no longer existed as an independent nation, and the Amalekites had long been destroyed (1 Chronicles 4:42 f.). It is assumed that the names of ancient enemies are vaguely used for the tribes inhabiting the territories which formerly belonged to them, or are introduced to heighten the effect. Assyria is supposed to mean Syria, or possibly the Samaritans. But (1) the narrative of 1 Macc. does not speak, as the Psalm does, of a confederacy. (2) The prominence of “the children of Lot” in the Psalm does not suit a time when Moab had ceased to exist. (3) While it is possible that Asshur might mean Syria, it is hardly possible that the most bitter enemies of the Jews could be mentioned merely as the auxiliaries of less important nations.

(ii) Other commentators think that the Psalm refers to the coalition against Jehoshaphat described in 2 Chronicles 20. Upon that occasion the Moabites and Ammonites took the leading part: they were joined by Arabians[45] and Edomites, and the combined forces made their rendezvous in Edom[46] before invading Judah. The aim of the invaders (2 Chronicles 20:11) corresponds to that described in the Psalm, and the result of the victory (2 Chronicles 20:29) is the confession of Jehovah’s power for which the Psalmist prays; while the prominent part taken by the Asaphite Levite Jahaziel gives a link of connexion with an Asaphite Psalm. But of the nations named in the Psalm the Ishmaelites and Hagarenes, Gebal and Amalek, Philistia, Tyre, and Assyria, are not mentioned in Chronicles. Even if we could suppose that the Ishmaelites, Hagarenes and Gebal correspond to the Meunites, and that Amalek is included in Edom (Genesis 36:12), there is no hint that the coalition against Jehoshaphat was supported by the Philistines and Phoenicians, though we learn from Amos 1:6; Amos 1:9, that they were in alliance with Edom against Judah at an early date; while the mention of Assyria at this period, even as an auxiliary, is isolated and perplexing.

[45] For the corrupt reading of the Mass. Text in Psalm 83:1 some of the Ammonites we should probably read with the LXX some of the Meûnîm (1 Chronicles 4:41; 2 Chronicles 26:7). Josephus (Ant. ix. 1, 2) says that the Moabites and Ammonites took with them a great body of Arabians.

[46] For Aram (Syria) in Psalm 83:2 Edom must certainly be read.

(iii) Others again refer the Psalm to the Persian period, and connect it with the opposition to the rebuilding of the city described in Nehemiah 4:1 ff., Nehemiah 4:7 ff., where Arabians, Ammonites, and Ashdodites are mentioned among the enemies of Judah. In this case Asshur must stand for Persia, as in Ezra 6:22. Robertson Smith (Old Test. in Jawish Ch. ed. 2, p. 439) refers it to the time of Artaxerxes Ochus, c. 350 b.c., or later. But the circumstances of the first occasion present no really close correspondence to the situation described in the Psalm; and of the details of the time of Ochus we are wholly ignorant.

In fact history records no one single occasion upon which the nations and tribes mentioned in the Psalm were united in a confederacy against Israel. On the whole, the invasion recorded in 2 Chronicles 20 offers the closest parallel and the best illustration, and the Psalm may have been written with reference to it. It is possible that nations which did not actually join the confederacy may have threatened to do so; or enemies of Israel, actual and possible, past and present, are enumerated in order to heighten the effect, and forcibly represent the formidable nature of the danger. Poetry is not history, and as Bishop Perowne observes, “divine inspiration does not change the laws of the imagination, though it may control them for certain ends.”

It is of course possible that the Psalm refers to some episode in Jewish history of which no record has been preserved; nor must the possibility be excluded that the Psalm is not historical but, so to speak, ideal. A poet, pondering on such a passage as Micah 4:11-13, at a time when neighbouring nations were menacing Judah, might expand that prophecy in a concrete form into the prayer of this Psalm, that, though enemies from every side should conspire to destroy Israel, Jehovah would frustrate their schemes, and make their malice an occasion for the exhibition of His own supremacy.

The Psalm falls into two main divisions.

i. The Psalmist prays that God will not remain an inert and indifferent spectator, while enemies close in upon His people from every side with intent to destroy them utterly (Psalm 83:1-8).

ii. May He discomfit them as He discomfited the Midianites and Canaanites of old, till they yield Him homage; or if they will not submit, may He disperse and destroy them till they are forced to acknowledge His supremacy (Psalm 83:9-18).

Ps 83:1-18.

Of Asaph--(See on

Ps 74:1,

title). The historical occasion is probably that of

2Ch 20:1, 2

(compare

Ps 47:1-9; 48:1-14).

After a general petition, the craft and rage of the combined enemies are described, God's former dealings recited, and a like summary and speedy destruction on them is invoked.

1. God addressed as indifferent (compare

Ps 35:22; 39:12).

be not still--literally, "not quiet," as opposed to action.

Keep not thou silence, O God - See the notes at Psalm 28:1. The prayer here is that in the existing emergency God would not seem to be indifferent to the needs and dangers of his people, and to the purposes of their enemies, but that he would speak with a voice of command, and break up their designs.

Hold not thy peace - That is, Speak. Give commaud. Disperse them by thine own authority.

And be not still, O God - Awake; arouse; be not indifferent to the needs and dangers of thy people. All this is the language of petition; not of command. Its rapidity, its repetition, its tone, all denote that the danger was imminent, and that the necessity for the divine interposition was urgent.