Psalm 83:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: They lay crafty plans against your people; they consult together against your treasured ones.

NIV: With cunning they conspire against your people; they plot against those you cherish.

NASB: They make shrewd plans against Your people, And conspire together against Your treasured ones.

CSB: They devise clever schemes against your people; they conspire against your treasured ones.

NLT: They devise crafty schemes against your people; they conspire against your precious ones.

KJV: They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones.

NKJV: They have taken crafty counsel against Your people, And consulted together against Your sheltered ones.

God's enemies were schemers. They were drawing up plans against the Lord's people, whom Asaph describes as God's "treasured ones." The phrase translated as "treasured ones" can be more literally rendered as "hidden ones." That which is valuable is often described as being "hidden" in safety (Psalm 17:8; 27:5; 64:2; Matthew 13:44). Worse, many nations conspire together (Psalm 83:6–8). Yet Scripture notes that those who turn to God can find protection (Psalm 31:19–21).

Throughout history wicked men have schemed against God's people. Pharaoh of Egypt tried to reduce the Hebrew population by having all the male babies killed (Exodus 1:15–16). He tried to destroy the fugitive Hebrews at the Red Sea (Exodus 14:8–9). In the time of Esther, "Haman sought to destroy all the Jews… throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus" (Esther 3:6). When Jesus ministered on earth, antagonistic religious leaders wanted to kill Him. Ultimately, they conscripted false witnesses to accuse Jesus of blasphemy and have Him crucified (Matthew 26:3–4; Mark 14:55-56; Luke 22:2; John 11:47–53). The early Christians were persecuted (Acts 8:1), and in the tribulation, believers will be murdered and persecuted by the rest of the world for Jesus' sake (Matthew 24:9).

Psalm 83:1–8 forms the first half of Asaph's psalm. He urges God to act against Israel's enemies, who plan to wipe Israel from the face of the earth. These aggressors deliberately plan their assault; they agree about annihilating God's people. Asaph lists ten groups, which include many of Israel's historic enemies.

Asaph prays for God to intervene in a conspiracy. Many nations cooperate to erase Israel and her legacy. He asks the Lord for protection, asking Him to repeat the harsh judgments brought on pagan nations in the past. Asaph extends this by asking God to bring destruction, ruin, and humiliation on these opponents. Despite this, Asaph recognizes that the proper goal is for these nations to recognize that God alone is Most High. This is one of several "imprecatory" psalms such as Psalm 5, 10, 17, 109, and 137, which request God to deliver severe harm on some enemy.

This is the last psalm identified with Asaph. It is one of the imprecatory psalms which call for harsh judgment from God. Other such psalms include 5, 10, 35, 109, and 137. The psalm is not explicitly connected to a historical event. It may refer to the attack on Jerusalem during the reign of Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 20). Others see this as a general reference to the Gentile world's relentless attacks on Israel. Still others interpret this as a prophecy about a large-scale attack set to occur in the end times.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.