Discomfort with imprecatory psalms is sometimes mitigated by appealing to Psalm 83:17[MT] as evidence that sometimes, or perhaps often, psalmists sought repentance rather than destruction for God’s enemies: “Cover their faces with shame so that they will seek your name, Lord” (CSB). Building on my recent argument for an Assyrian era setting for Psalm 83,[1] this paper argues that Psalm 83:17-19 alludes to Hezekiah’s prayer concerning Sennacherib (2 Kgs 19:19; Isa 37:20) that Yahweh answered with the death of Sennacherib and his army (2 Kgs 19:35-37; Isa 37:36-38). The paper will explore the implications of this proposed allusion for the interpretation of Psalm 83 and the nature of imprecatory psalms.
[1] Matthew E. Swale, From Recollection to Recommitment: The Rhetorical Function of Allusions to Judges in Psalms 68, 83, and 106, BBR Dissertation Series 1 (Gorgias, 2024), 132-134.