Psalm 83 [MT 84]

The people of God, then, in this Psalm says, "O God, who shall be like You?" [Psalm 83:1]. Which I suppose to be more fitly taken of Christ, because, being made in the likeness of men, [Philippians 2:7] He was thought by those by whom He was despised to be comparable to other men: for He was even "reckoned among the unrighteous," [Isaiah 53:12] but for this purpose, that He might be judged. But when He shall come to judge, then shall be done what is here said, "O God, who is like You?" For if the Psalms did not use to speak to the Lord Christ, that too would not be spoken which not one of the faithful can doubt was spoken unto Christ. "Your throne, O God, is for ever and ever, a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of Your kingdom." To him therefore also now it is said, "O God, who shall be like You?" For unto many You vouchsafed to be likened in Your humiliation, even so far as to the robbers that were crucified with You: but when in glory You shall come, "who shall be like You?"...

Exposition on Psalm 83

So let them keep quiet, let them now see that the real Hercules is the God to whom the faithful say, "God, who is like you? Do not keep silent, or grow gentle, God." What I had undertaken was to show how "do not grow gentle" means rooting out errors, not people. He does not grow gentle, so he gets angry. But he is God, so he also takes pity. He gets angry, and he takes pity. He gets angry and strikes; he takes pity and heals. He gets angry and does to death; he takes pity and brings to life. In one person he does this. It is not that he does some people to death and brings others to life, but in the same people he is both angry and gentle. He is angry with errors; he is gentle with bad habits put right. "I will strike, and I will heal; I will kill, and I will make alive." One and the same Saul, afterward Paul, he both laid low and raised up. He laid low an unbeliever, he raised up a believer. He both laid low a persecutor, he raised up a preacher.

Sermon 24:7

2–3

"For lo Your enemies have sounded, and they that hate You have lifted up the head" [Psalm 83:2]. He seems to me to signify the last days, when these things that are now repressed by fear are to break forth into free utterance, but quite irrational, so that it should rather be called a "sound," than speech or discourse. They will not, therefore, then begin to hate, but "they that hate You" will then "lift up the head." And not "heads," but "head;" since they are to come even to that point, that they shall have that head, which "is lifted up above all that is called God, and that is worshipped;" [2 Thessalonians 2:4] so that in him especially is to be fulfilled, "He that exalts himself shall be abased;" [Luke 14:11] and when He to whom it is said, "Keep not silence, nor grow mild, O God," shall "slay him with the breath of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming." [2 Thessalonians 2:8] "Upon Your people they have malignantly taken counsel" [Psalm 83:3]. Or, as other copies have it, "They have cunningly devised counsel, and have devised against Your saints." In scorn this is said. For how should they be able to hurt the nation or people of God, or His saints, who know how to say, "If God be for us, who shall be against us?" [Romans 8:31]

Exposition on Psalm 83

2–4

When Leontius perceived this, he did not think it safe to try to prevent them, for he saw that the people were exceedingly well-disposed toward these excellent men. However, speaking in a courteous manner, he requested that they would perform this act of worship [antiphonal singing] in the churches. They were perfectly well aware of his evil intent. Nevertheless they set about obeying his request and readily summoned their choir to the church, exhorting them to sing praises to the good Lord. Nothing, however, could induce Leontius to correct his wickedness, but he put on the mask of moderation and concealed the iniquity of Stephanus and Placidus. People who had accepted the corruption of the faith of priests and deacons, although they had embraced a life of vile irregularity, he added to the roll; while others adorned with every kind of virtue and firm adherents of apostolic doctrines, he left unrecognized. Thus it came to pass that among the clergy were numbered a majority of men tainted with heresy, while the mass of the laity were champions of the faith, and even professional teachers lacked courage to lay bare their blasphemy. In truth the deeds of impiety and iniquity done by Placidus, Stephanus and Leontius, in Antioch are so many as to want a special history of their own, and so terrible as to be worthy of the lament of David; for of them too it must be said, "For your enemies make a murmuring, and they that hate you lift up their head. They have imagined craftily against the people and taken counsel against your secret ones. They have said, 'Come and let us root them out that they be no more a people: and that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.' "

Ecclesiastical History 2:19

Moreover, one must know that the word gnōmē, or opinion, is used in many ways and with many meanings. Thus, it sometimes means “advice” as when the divine apostle says, “Now, concerning virgins, I have no commandment of the Lord; but I give counsel.” Sometimes it implies “design,” as when the prophet David says, “They have taken a malicious counsel against your people.” Sometimes it means “judgment,” as when Daniel says: “Why so cruel a sentence has gone forth.” And sometimes it is used in the sense of “faith,” or “notion,” or of “intent”—to put it simply, the word has twenty-eight different meanings.

Orthodox Faith 3:14

"They have said, Come, and let us destroy them from a nation" [Psalm 83:4]. He has put the singular number for the plural: as it is said, "Whose is this cattle," even though the question be of a flock, and the meaning "these cattle." Lastly, other copies have "from nations," where the translators have rather followed the sense than the word. "Come, and let us destroy them from a nation." This is that sound whereby they "sounded" rather than spoke, since they did vainly make a noise with vain sayings. "And let it not be mentioned of the name of Israel any more." This others have expressed more plainly, "and let there not be remembrance of the name of Israel any more." Since, "let it be mentioned of the name" (memoretur nominis), is an unusual phrase in the Latin language; for it is rather customary to say, "let the name be mentioned" (memoretur nomen); but the sense is the same. For he who said, "let it be mentioned of the name," translated the Greek phrase. But Israel must here be understood in fact of the seed of Abraham, to which the Apostle says, "Therefore you are the seed of Abraham, according to the promise heirs." [Galatians 3:29] Not Israel according to the flesh, of which he says, "Behold Israel after the flesh."

Exposition on Psalm 83

"Since they have imagined with one consent; together against You have they disposed a testament" [Psalm 83:5]: as though they could be the stronger. In fact, "a testament" is a name given in the Scriptures not only to that which is of no avail till the death of the testators, but every covenant and decree they used to call a testament. For Laban and Jacob made a testament, [Genesis 31:44] which was certainly to have force between the living; and such cases without number are read in the words of God. Then he begins to make mention of the enemies of Christ, under certain proper names of nations; the interpretation of which names sufficiently indicates what he would have to be understood. For by such names are most suitably figured the enemies of the truth. "Idumæans," for instance, are interpreted either "men of blood," or "of earth." "Ismaelites," are "obedient to themselves," and therefore not to God, but to themselves. "Moab," "from the father;" which in a bad sense has no better explanation, than by considering it so connected with the actual history, that Lot, a father, by the illicit intercourse procured by his daughter, begot him; since it was from that very circumstance he was so named. [Genesis 19:36-37] Good, however, was his father, but as "the Law is good if one use it lawfully," [1 Timothy 1:8] not impurely and unlawfully. "Hagarens," proselytes, that is strangers, by which name also are signified, among the enemies of God's people, not those who become citizens, but those who persevere in a foreign and alien mind, and when an opportunity of doing harm occurs, show themselves. "Gebal," "a vain valley," that is, humble in pretence. "Amon," "an unquiet people," or "a people of sadness." "Amalech," "a people licking;" whence elsewhere it is said, "and his enemies shall lick the earth." The "alien race," though by their very name in Latin, they sufficiently show themselves to be aliens, and for this cause of course enemies, yet in the Hebrew are called "Philistines," which is explained, "falling from drink," as of persons made drunken by worldly luxury. "Tyre" in Hebrew is called Sor; which whether it be interpreted straitness or tribulation, must be taken in the case of these enemies of God's people in that sense, of which the Apostle speaks, "Tribulation and straitness on every soul of man that does evil." [Romans 2:9] All these are thus enumerated in the Psalms: "The tabernacles of the Edomites, Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagarenes, Gebal, and Amon, and Amalech, and the Philistines with those who inhabit Tyre."

Exposition on Psalm 83

9–11

Now let us see what the prophetic spirit prays may fall upon them, rather foretelling than cursing. "Do thou to them," he says, "as unto Madian and Sisera, as unto Jabin at the brook of Kishon" [Psalm 83:9]. "They perished at Endor, they became as the dung of the earth" [Psalm 83:10]. All these, the history relates, were subdued and conquered by Israel, which then was the people of God: as was the case also with those whom he next mentions: "Make their princes like Oreb and Zeb, and Zebee and Salmana" [Psalm 83:11]. The meaning of these names is as follows: Madian is explained a perverted judgment: Sisera, shutting out of joy: Jabin, wise. [Judges 4:7-8] But in these enemies conquered by God's people is to be understood that wise man of whom the Apostle speaks, "Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world?" [1 Corinthians 1:20] Oreb is dryness, Zeb, wolf, Zebee, a victim, namely of the wolf; for he too has his victims; Salmana, shadow of commotion. All these agree to the evils which the people of God conquer by good. Moreover Kishon, the torrent in which they were conquered, is explained, their hardness. Endor, where they perished, is explained, the Fountain of generation, but of the carnal generation namely, to which they were given up, and therefore perished, not heeding the regeneration which leads unto life, where they shall neither marry nor be given in marriage, [Luke 20:35] for they shall die no more. Rightly then it is said of these: "they became as the dung of the earth," in that nothing was produced of them but fruitfulness of the earth. As then all these were in figure conquered by the people of God, as figures, so he prays that those other enemies may be conquered in truth.

Exposition on Psalm 83

"All their princes, who said, Let us take to ourselves the sanctuary of God in possession" [Psalm 83:12]. This is that vain noise, with which, as said above, Your enemies have made a murmuring. But what must be understood by "the sanctuary of God," except the temple of God? As says the Apostle: "For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are." [1 Corinthians 3:17] For what else do the enemies aim at, but to take into possession, that is, to make subject to themselves the temple of God, that it may give in to their ungodly wills?

Exposition on Psalm 83

What does he mean by this? As I take it, that goodness can with difficulty gain a hold on human nature, like fire on green wood; while most people are ready and disposed to join in evil, like stubble, I mean, ready for a spark and a wind, which is easily kindled and consumed from its dryness. For a person will engage more quickly and fully in evil with the slightest inducement than in good with only little encouragement.

In Defense of His Flight to Pontus, Oration 2:12

“O my God, make them like a wheel.” Notice the mercy of the prophet; he does not pray against them but for them. See what he says: My God, who is the God of all, my very own God, O my God, make them like a wheel. They who lay their foundation in malice, let them have no foundation at all, but let them roll back and forth and never remain fixed in their malice.

Homilies on the Psalms 15

But what follows? "My God, make them like a wheel" [Psalm 83:13]. This is fitly taken as meaning that they should be constant in nothing that they think; but I think it may also be rightly explained, make them like a wheel, because a wheel is lifted up on the part of what is behind, is thrown down on the part of what is in front; and so it happens to all the enemies of the people of God. For this is not a wish, but a prophecy. He adds: "as the stubble in the face of the wind." By face he means presence; for what face has the wind, which has no bodily features, being only a motion, in that it is a kind of wave of air? But it is put for temptation, by which light and vain hearts are hurried away.

Exposition on Psalm 83