May 4, 2017

Tom Lowe

 

PSALM 83

 

Title:God Over All the Earth

 

Theme: A prayed for God to save His people from all their neighbors who have formed a confederacy against Israel.

  

Psalm 83 (KJV)

1 Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God.

2 For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head.

3 They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones.

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.

5 For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:

6 The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes;

7 Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre;

8 Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah.

9 Do unto them as unto the Midianites; as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the brook of Kison:

10 Which perished at Endor: they became as dung for the earth.

11 Make their nobles like Oreb, and like Zeeb: yea, all their princes as Zebah, and as Zalmunna:

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

13 O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind.

14 As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire;

15 So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm.

16 Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O Lord.

17 Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish:

18 That men may know that thou, whose name alone is Jehovah, art the most high over all the earth.

 

 

Preface to Psalm 83

 

This psalm was composed on the occasion described in 2 Chronicles 20:1-37, where we learn that during a great crisis the Spirit of God came on Jahaziel, one of the sons of Asaph. It was written to be sung before the battle, in anticipation of certain victory. The Levites chanted it, with a loud voice, as Jehoshaphat’s army marched out against the great confederacy of nations, which threatened the very existence of Israel. There were strong reasons for God’s intervention, for Israel’s foes were God’s foes also. It was His people that were the target of this crafty conspiracy. Were they not His hidden ones, Psalm 83:3? Should a hostile world pluck them from the hollow of His hand? When our life is “hid with

Christ in God,” we may confidently appeal for His safe-keeping.

 

Commentary

1 Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God.

 

“Keep not thou silence, O God”

Sometimes people living in the psalmist’s day said, “Keep not thou silence, O God,” when He does not answer their prayers, nor give them the thing they asked Him for, nor rebuke their enemies, nor heal them or a loved one of a serious disease, nor remove a burden that is weighing them down. We do not speak like they did back then; the question we frequently hear goes something like this, “Why doesn’t God hear my prayers?” The prayer here is that in the existing emergency God would not seem to be indifferent to the needs and dangers of his people, and to the purposes of their enemies, but that he would speak with a voice of command, and thwart their plans.

 

“hold not thy peace”

Or “don’t be deaf” to the cries and tears of Your people, and to the criticism, menaces, and blasphemies of wicked men. It is very generally agreed among commentators, that this psalm was composed during the reign of King Jehoshaphat; and I readily concur. That godly king, as is well known, had to engage in dreadful wars against vast armies of their enemies. Although the Ammonites and Moabites were the originators of the principal war in which he was engaged, yet they marshaled forces not only from Syria, but also from distant countries, and when the troops were brought together, they nearly overwhelmed Judea with their hordes of soldiers. This placed the whole nation, as well as the holy king, in the midst of great danger, and caused the deepest distress; and, for that reason, we have here a prayer full of sincerity and anxiety. These feelings prompted the repetition of the words which occur in the very opening of the psalm, Hold not thy peace, Keep not silence, be not still. 

 

“And be not still, O God”

Do not be at rest, and inactive⸺awake; arouse⸺do not be indifferent to the needs and dangers of Your people. All this is the language of petition (prayer); not of command. Its rapidity, its repetition, its tone, all denote that the danger was imminent, and that the necessity for divine intervention was urgent. They call upon God to speak, to cause his voice to be heard, to take action while His enemies and Israel’s were “making uproar;” God hears and then acts. “If we know that he hear us, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him” (1 John 5:15).

 

2 For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head.

 

“For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult”

Or “a noise.” wicked men are generally noisy, roaring out their blasphemies against God, belching out oaths and curses, and breathing threatenings and slaughter against the saints. Here they are called the Lord’s “enemies,” and any enemy of His is the enemy of His people; and besides, all wicked men are enemies of God.

 

God’s“enemies”are depicted here as excited and aroused; they are moving in a wild, furious, tumultuous manner, rushing on to accomplish their plans. They come like rolling waves of the sea.  

 

“And they that hate thee”

Thine enemies are the enemies of thy cause, and of thy people. Who they were is specified in Psalm 83:6-8. The hatred of the whole evil world against God's people is due primarily to the world's rejection of the value-judgments and strict morality of God's holy religion.

 

“Have lifted up the head”

God’s enemies have become proud and bold and confident of success, all of which is indicated by the phrase “lifted up the head.” The head is bowed down in repentance, remorse, and sorrow; pride lifts it up; boldness, confidence, and wickedness, are indicated by its being “lifted up.”

 

3 They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones.

 

“They have taken crafty counsel against thy people”

The people of Israel (“thy people”), named in the next verse, whom God had chosen and declared to be His people, were dealt with deceptively, as the king of Egypt had done with their forefathers; and this was along the lines of their character, seeing that they are the seed of the old serpent, who is more subtle than any of the beasts of the field. These nations devised cunning plans, and formed crafty conspiracies for the destruction of the Lord's people; but as it so often happens, the wise are taken in their own craftiness, and their counsel proves to be impulsive, reckless, and a failure.

 

“and consulted against thy hidden ones”

The Lord’s people are not hidden from Him, and unknown to Him, but from their enemies, and unknown by them, and so, they are the object of their hatred and persecution; but they are hidden by Him as His jewels and peculiar treasure, which He takes good care of. He hides them under the shadow of His wings, in the secret place of His presence and sanctuary; and therefore it was a daring piece of insolence for their enemies to attack them. In a similar way, the life of saints is said to be hid with Christ in God, which denotes both its secrecy and safety. It says in Colossians 3:3, “For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God”;as the pearl is hid, till the shell is broken; or as the life of flowers in winter is hidden in the root; or as God hid Christ under the carpenter’s son.

 

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.

 

“They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation”

Let us utterly destroy them, and root them out from among the nations. Let us unite against them, and overpower them; let us divide their land between us and attach it to our own. The nations referred to Psalm 83:6-8 were those which surrounded the land of Israel; and the proposal seems to have been to partition the land of the Hebrews among themselves, as was done to Germany after World War II. On what criterion, and in what proportions, they proposed to divide the land is not said, nor is it said that they had agreed on the terms of such a division. It should not be a surprise that Israel’s neighbors would join in a conspiracy against Israel for the purpose mentioned. The Hebrew people were offensive to all the surrounding nations because of their religion, their prosperity, and the constant rebuke of tyranny and idolatry by their religious and their social institutions. There had been enough, also, in their past history⸺that is, the successful wars of the Hebrews with those very nations⸺to keep up a constant irritation on their part. We are not to be surprised, therefore, that there was a deeply-cherished desire to blot out the name and the nation altogether.

 

“That the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance”

That the nation as such may be utterly extinct and forgotten; that the former triumphs of that nation over us may be avenged; that we may no longer have in our very midst this painful memorial of the existence of one God, and of the demands of His law; that we may pursue our own plans without the silent or the open condemnation derived from a religion so pure and holy. For the same reason the world has often endeavored to destroy the church; to cause it to be extinct; to blot out its name; to make the very names Christ and Christian forgotten among mankind. It began with the fiery persecutions under the Roman government in the time of the Emperors; and from then on, in every age, and in every land, the church has been exposed to persecution, which originated with the purpose of destroying it as long as there was any hope of accomplishing that end. That purpose has been abandoned by Satan and his friends only because the result has shown that the persecution of the church served only to spread its principles and doctrines, and to fasten it more firmly in the affections and confidence of mankind, so that the tendency of persecution is rather to overthrow the persecutor than the persecuted. Whether it can be destroyed by prosperity and corruption, by science, or by error, seems now to be the great problem before the mind of Satan.

 

5 For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:

 

“For they have consulted together with one consent”

In Hebrew, “one consent” is rendered “one heart.” There is no division in their counsels on this subject. They have one desire⸺one purpose⸺in regard to the matter. Pilate and Herod became friends following Jesus’ trial and crucification;⸺“Now Herod and Pilate became friends with one another that very day; for before they had been enemies with each other” (Luke 23:12)⸺and the world, divided and hostile on other matters, has been habitually united in its opposition to Christ and to a pure and spiritual religion.What had been the cause of their quarrel is unknown. It is commonly supposed that it was Pilate‘s slaying the Galileans in Jerusalem, as related in Luke 13:1-2. The occasion of their reconciliation may have been the civility and respect which Pilate showed to Herod in this case. Though this is one theory, it is probably true that their relationship improved following the crucifixion of Christ (Luke 23:12). It was not because they were united in “hating” Jesus, as is often the case with wicked people, for Pilate was certainly desirous of releasing him, and “both” considered him merely as an object of ridicule and sport. 

 

“They are confederate against thee”

Literally, “They cut a covenant against thee;” that is, they ratify such a covenant, compact, agreement, referring to the manner in which bargains and agreements were ratified by cutting in pieces a victim (animal) sacrificed on such occasions; that is, by giving to such a transaction the solemnity of a religious endorsement. (See Genesis 15:10; Jeremiah 34:18-19.) The meaning here is, that they had entered into this agreement in the most solemn manner, with the endorsement of religion.

 

6 The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes;

 

“The tabernacles of Edom”

“The tabernacles (tents) of Edom”; meaning here, the dwellers in those tents, that is, the Edomites. The word tabernacles or tents does not necessarily imply that at that time the nation led a wandering life, for the word came to signify in process of time a dwelling-place, or a habitation. The Edomites were not, in fact, a roving and wandering people, but a people of fixed boundaries. In early periods, however, like most ancient people, they no doubt dwelt in tents. Edom, or Idumea, was south of Palestine.

 

“And the Ishmaelites”

The descendants of Ishmael. They dwelt in Arabia Deserta.Arabia Deserta (Latin meaning "Abandoned/Deserted Arabia"), also known as Arabia Magna ("Great Arabia"), signified the desert interior of the Arabian Peninsula. In ancient times, this land was populated by nomadic tribes who frequently invaded richer lands, such as Mesopotamia and Arabia Felix.

 

“Of Moab”

The historical name for a mountainous tract of land in Jordan. The land lies alongside much of the eastern shore of the Dead Sea. The existence of the Kingdom of Moab is attested to by numerous archaeological findings.

 

“And the Hagarenes”

The Hagarenes were Arabs, descendents of Hagar, the handmaid of Abraham, the mother of Ishmael (Genesis 16:1; Genesis 25:12). Since they were connected with the Ishmaelites they would naturally join in this alliance.

 

7 Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre;

 

“Gebal”

The “Gebal” was probably the same as Gebalene, the mountainous tract inhabited by the Edomites, extending from the Dead Sea southward toward Petra, and still called by the Arabs Djebal. The word means mountain. Those who are referred to here were a part of the people of Edom.

 

“And Ammon”

The word “Ammon” means son of my people. Ammon was the son of Lot by his youngest daughter (Genesis 19:38). The Ammonites, descended from him, dwelt beyond the Jordan in the tract of country between the streams of Jabbok and Arnon. These also would be naturally associated in such a confederacy (1 Samuel 11:1-11).

 

“And Amalek”

The Amalekites were a very ancient people: In the traditions of the Arabians they are reckoned among the aboriginal inhabitants of that country. They inhabited the regions on the south of Palestine, between Idumea and Egypt. (Compare Exodus 17:8-16; Numbers 13:29; 1 Samuel 15:7.) They also extended eastward of the Dead Sea and Mount Seir (Numbers 24:20; Judges 3:13; Judges 6:3, Judges 6:33); and they appear also to have settled down in Palestine itself, hence the name the Mount of the Amalekites, in the territory of Ephraim (Judges 12:15).

 

“The Philistines”

Often mentioned in the Scriptures. They were the ancient inhabitants of Palestine, hence the name Philistia or Palestine. The word is supposed to mean the land of sojourners or strangers. They were constant enemies of the Hebrews, and it was natural that they should be engaged in such an alliance as this.

 

“With the inhabitants of Tyre”

Why Tyre would unite in this confederacy is not known. The purpose seems to have been to combine as many nations as possible against the Hebrew people, and as far as it could be done, all those that were adjacent to it, so that it might be surrounded by enemies, and so that its destruction might be certain. It would not probably be difficult to find some pretext for inducing any of the kings of the surrounding nations to unite in such an unholy alliance. Kings, in general, have not been unwilling to form alliances against liberty.

 

8 Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah.

 

“Assur also is joined with them”

“Assur” is Assyria. Assyria was on the northeast of Palestine. The conspirators had secured, it seems, the aid of this powerful kingdom, and they felt confident of success.

 

“They have holpen the children of Lot”

The children of Lot” means the sons or the descendants of Lot. The word here rendered “holpen” means “been an arm to,” in Hebrew. That is, they were an aid, or help; in other words, the sons of Lot were permitted, so to speak, to make use of the arm of these powerful nations in accomplishing their purposes. The sons of Lot were Moab and Ammon, the ancestors of the Moabites and the Ammonites (Genesis 19:37-38). It would appear from this, that the purpose of destroying the Hebrew people had been originated by the Moabites and Ammonites, and that they had called on the aid of the surrounding nations to enable them to carry out their plan. The list of those who had joined in the alliance shows that all the nations adjacent to Palestine, on every side, had entered into the agreement, so that the land was completely encompassed, or hemmed in, by enemies. In these circumstances, the conspirators felt secure; in these circumstances, the Hebrew people had no resource but to call upon God. Thus it often occurs that the people of God are so surrounded by enemies, or are so hemmed in by troubles and trials, that they have no other resource than this: they are limited to the necessity of prayer. Often God so orders, or permits things to occur, in order to cut off His people from every other dependence, and to make them feel that there is no help for them but in Him.

 

9 Do unto them as unto the Midianites; as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the brook of Kison:

 

“Do unto them as unto the Midianites”

That is, Let them be overthrown and destroyed as the Midianites were. The reference here is to the complete overthrow of the Midianites,who were utterly defeated by Gideon (Judges 7:21-22).

 

“as to Sisera”

 “Sisera” was commander of the Canaanite army of King Jabin of Hazor, who is mentioned in Judges 4-5. After being defeated by the forces of the Israelite tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali under the command of Barak and Deborah, Sisera was killed by Jael, who hammered a tent peg into his temple.

 

“As to Jabin”

The king of Canaan, in whose service Sisera was.

 

“At the brook of Kison”

See Judges 4:13. This is a stream which rises near Mount Tabor, and empties itself into the Bay of Ptolemais. In Judges 5:21, in the song of Deborah on occasion of this victory, it is mentioned as “that ancient river, the river Kishon;” that is, it was a stream which was well known; which had been referred to in ancient tales and poetry; not a newly discovered river, but a river whose name and locality were familiar to all.

 

10 Which perished at Endor: they became as dung for the earth.

 

“Which perished at En-dor”

“Endor” is not particularly mentioned in the history of the battle described in the book of Judges, but it is known that Endor was in the vicinity of Mount Tabor, and there is no improbability in the tradition which has fixed the site of the battle at or near Endor. The word or name “En-dor” means fount of the dwelling (or, habitation), and was probably given at first to a spring or fountain near to which some distinguished or well-known person dwelt. It is mentioned in Joshua 17:11  and 1 Samuel 28:7.

 

“They became as dung for the earth”

The land was enriched or made fertile by their flesh, their blood, and their bones, as the field at Gettysberg was by that of the slain, or as fields of battle commonly are.

 

11 Make their nobles like Oreb, and like Zeeb: yea, all their princes as Zebah, and as Zalmunna:

 

“Make their nobles like Oreb, and like Zeeb”

These were princes or rulers of the Midianites, slain by Gideon, the one on the rock Oreb, and the other at the wine-press of Zeeb (Judges 7:25). The prayer here is, that the enemies who had conspired against the land of Israel would be utterly destroyed.

 

“Yea, all their princes as Zebah, and as Zalmunna”

These were kings of Midian, who were encamped at Karkor with fifteen thousand men, whom Gideon attacked there, and defeated, and took the kings prisoners; and finding that they had killed his own brothers slew them both (See Judges 8:10-21). Of the Midianites there fell at this time one hundred and twenty thousand men.

 

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

 

“Who said”

It was not the kings and princes of Midian just mentioned, but the allied enemies of Israel, named in verses 6-8, to whom they wished things would happen like the things which happened to the Midianites and others, because they said what follows:

 

“Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession”

That is, “Let us take the houses of God for ourselves; not only the temple, which was eminently the house of God, but all the habitations of the Israelites in Jerusalem, and other places, where the Lord promised to dwell; unless this was spoken sarcastically by their enemies. They may have said it, because the Jews pretended, as they saw it, to have and to hold them by the gift of God; whereas, they rightly belonged to them, at least some of them. Such a claim was made by the Ammonites in the times of Jephthah (Judges 11:13), and to dispossess the Israelites was the intention of the Ammonites and Moabites in the times of Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 20:10).

 

13 O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind.

 

“O my God, make them like a wheel”

In other words, let them be as fickle and inconstant as a wheel; let them be in slippery places, and brought down to desolation in a moment; let them swiftly and suddenly come to ruin like a wheel running down hill; or let them encounter all kinds of calamities, and continual troubles like a wheel that is always turning. This and the following verse seem to allude to the manner of threshing in Judea; which was generally performed on a mountain, where the corn was threshed by means of a wheel, which ran over the stalks. The chaff, on account of this situation, was easily blown about by the wind.

 

“As the stubble before the wind”

Which cannot stand before it, but is driven about by it here and there; and so wicked men are like chaff and stubble, driven away in their wickedness, with the stormy wind of divine wrath and vengeance, and chased out of the world

 

14 As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire;

 

“As the fire burneth a wood”

Or “forest”; which is sometimes done purposely, and sometimes through carelessness; and which is done very easily and swiftly, when it is set on fire. No image of desolation is more fearful than that of fire raging in a forest; or of fire on the mountains. As trees and shrubs and grass fall before such a flame, so the prayer is, that they who had combined against the people of God might be swept away by His just displeasure.

 

“and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire”

This may refer to the burning of straw and chaff, after the grain was threshed. Since their threshing-floors were often situated on the hills or mountains, to take advantage of the wind, “setting the mountains on fire” may refer to the burning of the chaff, etc., in those places. Let them be like stubble driven away by the wind, and burnt by the fire.

 

There is another interpretation which may be assigned to this clause that says, “the mountains on fire” means either the mountains themselves, or the grass and trees that grow upon them; “the flame” is created by grass and trees struck by lightning from heaven. In like manner it is wished that the fire and flame of divine wrath would consume the united enemies of Israel, mentioned above. Wicked men are like trees of the forest, and the grass of the mountains, or as thorns and briers, to the wrath of God, which is poured out as fire, and is signified by everlasting burning.

 

15 So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm.

 

“So persecute them with thy tempest”

In this part of the prayer, God’s people ask Him to persecute them (those nations aligned against Israel), and to chase them away. The word “persecute” is used here in a somewhat different sense; either that of denoting pain or suffering inflicted on account of religious belief, or simply to pursue.

 

“With thy tempest” means “with expressions of thy displeasure”; with punishment which may be compared with the fury of a storm.

 

In this and the two following verses we find several awful curses; and all this seems to be done in response to that ancient custom, “pouring curses on an enemy prior to battle.” For an example, refer to the case of Balaam being hired by the king of Moab to curse Israel prior to his intended attack: see Numbers 22:6. This custom was followed by the Romans, and the ancient Druids of Britain. In all cases the priests were employed to utter the curses, since they were supposed to have the greatest influence with the gods, in whose name the curses were uttered.

 

“And make them afraid with thy storm”

Or, Make them afraid; terrify them, so that they will flee away. All that is sought here by prayer is what people attempt to do when an enemy invades their country; they make arrangements for driving back those enemies, and overthrowing them, for they feel that it is the right thing to do; there is nothing wrong with making this the subject of prayer to God. Whatever is right for men to attempt is right to pray for. Whatever would be right for them to do if they had the power, is right to ask God to accomplish; whatever is free from wickedness in the act, and in the intention, may be free from wickedness in the desire and the prayer; and if men can carry with them the idea that what they are attempting to do is right, whether as magistrates, judges, rulers, defenders of their country, or as private men, they will have very little difficulty in regard to the so-called “imprecatory psalms.” [These “imprecatory psalms” are prayer songs so designated because of their particularly aggressive attitude toward the enemy.]

 

16 Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O Lord.

 

“Fill their faces with shame”

Like those who are disappointed because their plans are foiled. Such disappointment commonly manifests itself in the face. The prayer here is that their enemies would be made so confused that they might feel that all their plans were vain and hopeless; that there might be such a manifest intervention by God in the case, that they would be led to see that Yahweh reigned; that it was in vain to contend with Him, and that His people were under His protection.

 

“That they may seek thy name, O Lord”

That is, that they may be led to seek thee. This explains the point and propose of the whole prayer in this psalm. It is not an evil prayer for the destruction of their enemies; it is not a wish that they might be made to suffer; but it is a prayer that the divine intervention might lead them to the acknowledgment of the true God. It is a compassionate thing to desire that men may be brought to the knowledge of the true God, even though it is through the overthrow of their own plans, by defeat, or by suffering. Anything that leads people to an acquaintance with God, and results in securing His friendship and favor, is a gain, and will be the cause of thankfulness in the end.

 

17 Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish:

 

“Let them be confounded”

Let them be ashamed. That is, let them have that kind of shame and confusion which results from the fact that their plans have not been successful, or that their schemes have been foiled.

 

“And troubled”

Let them be disturbed and become confused. Let them be anxious and unsettled like men whose projects are unsuccessful.

 

“Forever”

Let them never again be able to join together, or to form an alliance for the destruction of thy people. This does not refer to them as individuals, but as nations. It is a prayer that they may be so apprehensive now that they may see the wickedness and foolishness of all such efforts, and that they may never again form such a coalition.

 

“Yea, let them be put to shame”

By the utter failure of all their schemes.

 

“And perish”

Not individually, but as a group; as an alliance. Let there be a complete end to such a confederacy, so that it will never be seen again.

 

18 That men may know that thou, whose name alone is Jehovah, art the most high over all the earth.

 

 “That men may know that thou”

Knowing God which is what is intended here means a true perception and discovery of His supremacy over all gods and all nations of the earth. This, as in verse 16, might possibly lead to repentance and true submission. The ultimate idea of knowledge unto salvation must not be excluded, but first of all their armament must be crushed, their plans defeated, their faces filled with shame, and then they must be terrified and swept away in a tempest of wrath, so that they may see their gods are nothing, and that they may know that “the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men.” (See Daniel 4:17; Daniel 4:34-37; Psalms 59:13; 1 Samuel 17:46.)

 

“whose name alone is Jehovah”

This is one of three places where, in the Authorized Version, this name is transliterated (translated) and printed in large capital letters (small in Revised Version). Compare Exodus 6:3 and Isaiah 26:4.

 

art the most high over all the earth.

Thou art the Supreme God, ruling over all people. Thy dominion over nations is so absolute, even when they are united together; and thy power over their plans is so complete, that it is clear that thou dost reign over them. He that could break up such a coalition, he that could rescue his people from such an allied force - must have all power over the nations⸺must be the true God.