Charles Ellicott Commentary Psalms 83:14-15

"As the fire that burneth the forest, And as the flame that setteth the mountains on fire, So pursue them with thy tempest, And terrify them with thy storm." — Psalms 83:14-15 (ASV)

These verses are rightly taken together. The figure occurs in Isaiah 10:17-18 , but there as a metaphor; here as a simile. “Before the rains came the whole mountain side was in a blaze. Thorns and briars grow so luxuriantly here that they must be burned off always before the plow can operate. The peasants watch for a high wind, and then the fire catches easily, and spreads with great rapidity” (Thomson, Land and Book, p. 341). The mountains are preeminently the pastures. (Psalms 147:8)