Psalms 83:7-9

83:7 Gebal, ¹  Ammon, and Amalek,

Philistia and the inhabitants of Tyre. ² 

83:8 Even Assyria has allied with them,

lending its strength to the descendants of Lot. ³  (Selah)

83:9 Do to them as you did to Midian ⁴  –

as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the Kishon River! ⁵ 

[83:7]  ¹ sn Some identify Gebal with the Phoenician coastal city of Byblos (see Ezek 27:9, where the name is spelled differently), though others locate this site south of the Dead Sea (see BDB 148 s.v. גְּבַל; HALOT 174 s.v. גְּבַל).

[83:7]  ² map For location see Map1 A2; Map2 G2; Map4 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.

[83:8]  ³ tn Heb “they are an arm for the sons of Lot.” The “arm” is here a symbol of military might.

[83:9]  ⁴ tn Heb “do to them like Midian.”

[83:9]  ⁵ sn The psalmist alludes here to Gideon’s victory over the Midianites (see Judg 7-8) and to Barak’s victory over Jabin’s army, which was led by his general Sisera (Judg 4-5).