For they have contrived with one consent: they have made a covenant together against thee,
כִּ֤י נוֹעֲצ֣וּ לֵ֣ב יַחְדָּ֑ו עָ֝לֶ֗יךָ בְּרִ֣ית יִכְרֹֽתוּ׃
5 Church Fathers comment on this verse
We, the humble followers of God, find ourselves in a lamentable position: true harmony in righteousness seems unattainable when compared to the unity of the wicked in their wrongdoing. Another perspective. You communicate through the prophets, while they express their views through figures such as the Manichaeans, Marcion, Arius, and Valentinus.
They gathered together in complete agreement. In this passage, David reiterates his observations about the unity and conspiracy of his adversaries, seeking to appeal to God, who disrupts the plans of the nations, to enact justice upon them. The term "for" connects to the narrative, indicating being of one mind, while "together" conveys the notion of being in one place. Thus, he expresses, O Lord, Your foes are aligned against us in a single intention and in a singular location. They have formed a pact against You. Here, the term "covenant" refers to a treaty or agreement.
Subsequently, David enumerates those who have entered into this covenant. Didymus notes that, in his appeal to God for his people, David emphasizes that the covenant is made against You, and not merely against Your people; for no one can plot or conspire against God, who is beyond both sight and thought. However, God embodies what is true for those who trust in Him; therefore, conspiracies against them are effectively conspiracies against God Himself, as the Father and Protector of those who endure wickedness. Those who scheme against the righteous are, in essence, scheming against God's glory.
Who can truly envision anything against God, who is beyond both sight and comprehension? God views actions taken against His faithful as acts directed against Himself; thus, plots against believers are seen as plots against God, who is the Father, Guardian, and Defender of those who suffer harm. Who were the conspirators? "The villages of Idumea, and the Ishmaelites, Moab, and the Hagarites, Geval, and Ammon, and Amalek, the foreigners together with the inhabitants of Tyre."
The nations that conspired to wipe out God's people from the land are detailed here. First, there are the villages of Edom, encompassing all the troops of the Edomites along with their settlements. This group is descended from Esau, who was known as Edom, and belonged to the same lineage as Judah. The Ishmaelites originated from Ishmael, the son of Abraham, who was born to Hagar, the servant. Moab traces its roots back to the son of Lot, known as Moab. The Hagarites are those descended from Hagar, Abraham's servant, who later married another man upon her release from Abraham, currently referred to as the Ottomans or Turks. Geval represents a nation connected to an individual bearing that name; however, his identity remains uncertain as his name does not appear elsewhere in Scripture.
It is possible that Geval is synonymous with Gebal, mentioned in the second book of Kings (2 Kings 8:13), or linked to the city known as Hawaii as narrated in the first book of Ezra (Ezra 2:26). Theodoret and Euthymius suggest that Gebal was a neighboring nation to the Idumeans. Ammon is a nation that descends from Ammon, the son of Lot, who is the brother of Moab; these two came into being through Lot's daughters (Genesis 19). Amalek descends from Amalek, the grandson of Esau, as recorded in Genesis 36. The term “heathens” also refers to the Philistines, frequently mentioned in the books of Kings. The inhabitants of Tyre, or the Tyrians, are coastal dwellers named after their city, Tiber, and its famous trading dock. Assur pertains to the Assyrian people, who allied with the Moabites and Ammonites against the Israelites. Theodoret interprets these Assyrians to include Samaritans, the people resettled in Samaria by King Salmaneser during his conquest of the ten tribes (as recounted in 2 Kings 17). The Scriptures do not indicate that any Assyrians ever assisted the offspring of Lot, namely the Moabites and Ammonites; however, 1 Maccabees 5 notes that the nations residing in Galilee and Samaria united their forces with the Moabites and Ammonites in opposition to the Jews.
The Psalm, inspired by the Holy Spirit through David, was entrusted to Asaph, the leader of the singers, to declare the prophecy within it concerning the anticipated suffering of the Jewish people, particularly for the faithful followers of Christ during various periods, especially in the era of the Antichrist. The prophet diligently petitions God, representing the prayerful pleas of the Holy Church amidst persecution. Evil acts as a demonic allure that draws individuals into idolatry and various sins. Because of God's forbearance, adversaries grew arrogant to the extent of becoming brazen in their actions. Those who oppose God's people and His saints wage war against Him, as they are His servants and siblings.
The settlements of the Idumeans, descendants of Esau—also known as Edom due to his fiery, reddish appearance—along with the Ishmaelites, who are descended from Ishmael, the son of Abraham and his concubine Hagar, are noted. The land of Moab is associated with the people stemming from Moab, Lot's son, and the Hagarites include all descendants of Hagar, who remarried after being cast out by Abraham. The Gevalites were tribes residing in proximity to Idumea. The Ammonites trace their lineage to Ammon, also a son of Lot, while the Amalekites descend from Amalek, another offspring of Esau, who lived apart from the territory of Judah in Arabia. By listing these related wicked groups, the prophet illustrates that initial antagonists are often those closest to us, as indicated in Christ's words (Matthew 10:36). Therefore, the prophet places the foreign nations last in significance.
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS