Tag Archives: Psalm 83:12

שִׁיתֵ֣מֹו נְ֭דִיבֵמֹו כְּעֹרֵ֣ב וְכִזְאֵ֑ב וּֽכְזֶ֥בַח וּ֝כְצַלְמֻנָּ֗ע כָּל־נְסִיכֵֽמֹו׃ (Psalm 83:12) Contextual Overview: A Poetic Petition for Justice Psalm 83 is a national lament and imprecatory psalm, calling for YHWH’s judgment on Israel’s enemies. Verse 12 offers a vivid poetic request to strike down enemy leaders, invoking historical figures associated with divine judgment. The syntax here is not only poetic—it is strategically structured to reinforce emotional impact and theological memory. Clause Structure: Imperative with Coordinated Similes The verse opens with a 3rd person masculine plural jussive (volitional) verb: – שִׁיתֵמֹו – “Make them [like]…” This is followed by the direct object נְדִיבֵמֹו (“their nobles”), and a series of coordinated comparative similes introduced by the preposition כְּ־ (“like”): 1.… Learn Hebrew