Psalm 83:12
New International Version
who said, “Let us take possession of the pasturelands of God.”

New Living Translation
for they said, “Let us seize for our own use these pasturelands of God!”

English Standard Version
who said, “Let us take possession for ourselves of the pastures of God.”

Berean Standard Bible
who said, “Let us possess for ourselves the pastures of God.”

King James Bible
Who said, Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession.

New King James Version
Who said, “Let us take for ourselves The pastures of God for a possession.”

New American Standard Bible
Who said, “Let’s possess for ourselves The pastures of God.”

NASB 1995
Who said, “Let us possess for ourselves The pastures of God.”

NASB 1977
Who said, “Let us possess for ourselves The pastures of God.”

Legacy Standard Bible
Who said, “Let us possess for ourselves The pastures of God.”

Amplified Bible
Who said, “Let us possess for ourselves The pastures of God.”

Christian Standard Bible
who said, “Let’s seize God’s pastures for ourselves.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
who said, “Let us seize God’s pastures for ourselves.”

American Standard Version
Who said, Let us take to ourselves in possession The habitations of God.

Contemporary English Version
All of them said, "We'll take God's valuable land!"

English Revised Version
Who said, Let us take to ourselves in possession the habitations of God.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
They said, "Let's take God's pasturelands for ourselves."

Good News Translation
who said, "We will take for our own the land that belongs to God."

International Standard Version
who said, "Let us possess the pastures of God."

Majority Standard Bible
who said, ?Let us possess for ourselves the pastures of God.?

NET Bible
who said, "Let's take over the pastures of God!"

New Heart English Bible
who said, "Let us take possession of God's pasturelands."

Webster's Bible Translation
Who said, Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession.

World English Bible
who said, “Let’s take possession of God’s pasture lands.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Who have said, “Let us occupy the pastures of God for ourselves.”

Young's Literal Translation
Who have said, 'Let us occupy for ourselves The comely places of God.'

Smith's Literal Translation
Who said, We will inherit for us the dwellings of God.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
who have said: Let us possess the sanctuary of God for an inheritance.

Catholic Public Domain Version
who said, “Let us possess the Sanctuary of God for an inheritance.”

New American Bible
Who made a plan together, “Let us take for ourselves the pastures of God.”

New Revised Standard Version
who said, “Let us take the pastures of God for our own possession.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
For they said, Let us inherit for ourselves the city of God.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
They said, "We will inherit for us The City of God.”
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Who said: 'Let us take to ourselves in possession The habitations of God.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
who said, let us take to ourselves the altar of God as an inheritance.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Do Not Be Still, O God
11Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, and all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna, 12who said, “Let us possess for ourselves the pastures of God.” 13Make them like tumbleweed, O my God, like chaff before the wind.…

Cross References
Judges 8:24-26
Then he added, “Let me make a request of you, that each of you give me an earring from his plunder.” (For the enemies had gold earrings because they were Ishmaelites.) / “We will give them gladly,” they replied. So they spread out a garment, and each man threw an earring from his plunder onto it. / The weight of the gold earrings he had requested was 1,700 shekels, in addition to the crescent ornaments, the pendants, the purple garments of the kings of Midian, and the chains from the necks of their camels.

Judges 8:5-6
So Gideon said to the men of Succoth, “Please give my troops some bread, for they are exhausted, and I am still pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.” / But the leaders of Succoth asked, “Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your possession, that we should give bread to your army?”

Judges 8:10-12
Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their army of about fifteen thousand men—all that were left of the armies of the people of the east. A hundred and twenty thousand swordsmen had already fallen. / And Gideon went up by way of the caravan route east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and he attacked their army, taking them by surprise. / When Zebah and Zalmunna fled, Gideon pursued and captured these two kings of Midian, routing their entire army.

Judges 7:25
They also captured Oreb and Zeeb, the two princes of Midian; and they killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb and Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb. So they pursued the Midianites and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side of the Jordan.

Judges 8:21
Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Get up and kill us yourself, for as the man is, so is his strength.” So Gideon got up and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took the crescent ornaments from the necks of their camels.

Isaiah 10:6-7
I will send him against a godless nation; I will dispatch him against a people destined for My rage, to take spoils and seize plunder, and to trample them down like clay in the streets. / But this is not his intention; this is not his plan. For it is in his heart to destroy and cut off many nations.

Isaiah 10:13-14
For he says: ‘By the strength of my hand I have done this, and by my wisdom, for I am clever. I have removed the boundaries of nations and plundered their treasures; like a mighty one I subdued their rulers. / My hand reached as into a nest to seize the wealth of the nations. Like one gathering abandoned eggs, I gathered all the earth. No wing fluttered, no beak opened or chirped.’”

Isaiah 37:24-25
Through your servants you have taunted the Lord, and you have said: “With my many chariots I have ascended to the heights of the mountains, to the remote peaks of Lebanon. I have cut down its tallest cedars, the finest of its cypresses. I have reached its farthest heights, the densest of its forests. / I have dug wells and drunk foreign waters. With the soles of my feet I have dried up all the streams of Egypt.”

Ezekiel 35:10
Because you have said, ‘These two nations and countries will be ours, and we will possess them,’ even though the LORD was there,

Obadiah 1:13
You should not enter the gate of My people in the day of their disaster, nor gloat over their affliction in the day of their disaster, nor loot their wealth in the day of their disaster.

Obadiah 1:17
But on Mount Zion there will be deliverance, and it will be holy, and the house of Jacob will reclaim their possession.

Micah 2:2
They covet fields and seize them; they take away houses. They deprive a man of his home, a fellow man of his inheritance.

Matthew 5:5
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Luke 1:51-52
He has performed mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who are proud in the thoughts of their hearts. / He has brought down rulers from their thrones, but has exalted the humble.

Luke 12:16-21
Then He told them a parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced an abundance. / So he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, since I have nowhere to store my crops?’ / Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and will build bigger ones, and there I will store up all my grain and my goods. ...


Treasury of Scripture

Who said, Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession.

Psalm 83:4
They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.

Psalm 74:7,8
They have cast fire into thy sanctuary, they have defiled by casting down the dwelling place of thy name to the ground…

2 Chronicles 20:11
Behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit.

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Dwelling-Places God's Habitations Heritage Houses Occupy Ourselves Pasturelands Pastures Places Possess Possession Resting-Place
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Psalm 83
1. A complaint to God of the enemies conspiracies
9. A prayer against those who oppress the Church














who said
This phrase refers to the enemies of Israel, specifically the nations conspiring against God's people. In the context of Psalm 83, these are historical adversaries who sought to destroy Israel. The psalmist Asaph is calling upon God to remember the threats and actions of these nations. This reflects a recurring theme in the Old Testament where Israel faces opposition from surrounding nations.

“Let us possess for ourselves
The desire to possess indicates a covetous intent to take over the land that God had given to Israel. This reflects the historical reality of territorial conflicts in the ancient Near East, where land was a primary source of wealth and power. The phrase suggests a direct challenge to God's sovereignty and His covenant promises to Israel regarding the land.

the pastures of God.”
The term "pastures" symbolizes the fertile and prosperous land of Israel, often described as a land flowing with milk and honey. This land was seen as a divine gift, and its possession was tied to the covenant relationship between God and His people. The phrase "pastures of God" underscores the sacredness of the land, as it was not just any territory but one specifically designated by God for His people. This connects to other scriptures where the land is a central element of God's promises, such as in Genesis 12:7 and Deuteronomy 11:12. The desire to take these pastures can be seen as an affront to God's provision and blessing.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Asaph
The author of Psalm 83, Asaph was a prominent Levite singer and seer in David's court. He is known for his psalms that often focus on God's justice and the plight of Israel.

2. Edomites, Ishmaelites, Moabites, Hagrites, Gebal, Ammon, Amalek, Philistia, Tyre, Assyria
These are the nations mentioned earlier in Psalm 83 as conspiring against Israel. They represent historical enemies of Israel who sought to destroy God's people.

3. Pastures of God
This phrase symbolizes the land of Israel, which God had given to His people. It represents not just physical territory but also spiritual inheritance and blessing.
Teaching Points
God's Sovereignty Over the Land
The "pastures of God" remind us that God is the ultimate owner of all creation. We are stewards of what He has entrusted to us.

Spiritual Inheritance
Just as the land was a physical inheritance for Israel, believers have a spiritual inheritance in Christ. We should cherish and protect our spiritual blessings.

Trust in God's Protection
Despite the threats from surrounding nations, Israel was called to trust in God's protection. Similarly, we should rely on God amidst our adversities.

The Danger of Covetousness
The desire of Israel's enemies to possess the "pastures of God" warns us against coveting what God has given to others. We should be content with our own blessings.

Unity in Prayer Against Spiritual Enemies
As the psalm is a communal prayer for deliverance, it encourages us to unite in prayer against spiritual forces that seek to undermine our faith.(12) Houses.--Rather, pastures. (See Psalm 79:7.)

Verse 12. - Who said, Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession; rather, the homesteads of God; or "the pastures of God" (Psalm 23:2), i.e. of God's people, Israel.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
who
אֲשֶׁ֣ר (’ă·šer)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

said,
אָ֭מְרוּ (’ā·mə·rū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“Let us possess
נִ֣ירֲשָׁה (nî·ră·šāh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect Cohortative - first person common plural
Strong's 3423: To occupy, to seize, to rob, to inherit, to expel, to impoverish, to ruin

for ourselves
אֵ֝֗ת (’êṯ)
Direct object marker
Strong's 853: Untranslatable mark of the accusative case

the pastures
נְא֣וֹת (nə·’ō·wṯ)
Noun - feminine plural construct
Strong's 4999: Habitation, house, pasture, pleasant place

of God.”
אֱלֹהִֽים׃ (’ĕ·lō·hîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative


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OT Poetry: Psalm 83:12 Who said Let us take possession (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 83:11
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