Israel has fought three major wars against the Arabs since returning to nationhood in modern times; its first was the 1948 War for Independence, its second was the 1967 Six Day War, and its third was the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Psalm 83 details that the Arab nations would again plan to attack and destroy the nation of Israel; the names of these Arab nations are given in verses six to eight: The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes; Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre; Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah.
The names of the modern Arab nations that plan to attack and destroy Israel are discovered by looking at a map of the modern world and identifying over which nations those ancient lands lay. The tabernacles of Edom are the Palestinian refugee camps today. The Philistines are the Palestinians today. The Ishmaelites are the Saudis. Moab and Ammon (also known as the children of Lot in verse eight) became Jordan. The Hagarenes are the Egyptians, for Hagar was a prominent matriarch of Egypt (Genesis 16: 1). Gebal and Tyre became Lebanon. Amalek became the Arabs of southern Israel. Assur became Syria and Iraq.
Psalm 83 therefore identifies an inner circle of Arab states that share common borders with Israel and a common hatred of Israel. The Palestinians also which have no nation of their own are included here, and of course Iraq and Saudi Arabia whose borders do not abut Israel are named among them. This inner circle of nations that plan to attack Israel is in contrast to an outer circle of nations named in a separate coalition in Ezekiel 38. The nations named in Psalm 83 are not among the nations named in Ezekiel 38: 5 – 6; this is because Israel will defeat its Arab neighbors and destroy their military power. Another important distinction to be made is that the Arab nations will be defeated by the might of the Israel Defence Force, whereas the coalition of nations with Russia in Ezekiel 38 will be defeated by God using natural disturbances, anarchy (Ezekiel 38: 18 – 22) and malfunctioning of their high-tech weapons systems (Ezekiel 39: 3).
Zechariah 12: 2 – 3: Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it. Zechariah gives added clarity in differentiating between an inner circle of nations that attack Israel and an outer circle of nations that attack Israel. In verse two he states that the people round about would attack Israel; these are Israel’s neighboring nations spoken of in Psalm 83. Then Zechariah says in verse three that all the people of the earth would attack Israel; this is Ezekiel 38 and Ezekiel 39 when Russia and its armies invade Israel, and also includes Rome and its armies invading Israel according to Revelation 17.
In the final Arab-Israeli War, Israel gains a spectacular victory over its Arab enemies, destroying their armies and taking control over vast portions of their lands. The threat of terror attacks and war will no longer exist so that Israel for the first time will experience safety and security in its now expanded borders, and will enjoy the vast wealth of resources it has gained from taking back land that belonged to them originally according to God’s covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15: 18 – 21. It is then when Israel is existing in a state of peace and calm that Russia and its armies, jealous of what Israel has done, will then make their move to attack according to Ezekiel 38: 11 – 12: And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates, To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.