Psalms 82

God takes his stand in the divine assembly. There, among the gods, he gives his judgment:

1God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.

NoteThe King James "congregation of the mighty" translates a Hebrew phrase meaning "the assembly of God" (a gathering of divine beings pictured as a royal court, a familiar image in the ancient Near East. The word translated "gods" here is the Hebrew *elohim*, which can mean God, gods, or divine beings generally; it is also used of human rulers and judges acting with delegated authority. Readers have divided since antiquity over which is meant in this psalm) heavenly beings, or Israel's judges, and the Hebrew allows both. The scene is a courtroom: God stands to bring charges against those seated in it.

2"How long will you judge unfairly and take the side of wicked people? Selah"

2How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah.

Note"Accept the persons" is a King James idiom, not modern English. It translates a Hebrew phrase literally meaning "lift up the face" (to receive someone favorably because of who they are rather than what their case deserves. It means showing partiality, and it is a standing accusation against corrupt judges throughout the Hebrew Bible. "Selah" is a Hebrew term that appears about seventy times in the Psalms, almost always at the end of a line or section. Its meaning is unknown. It is usually taken as a direction to the musicians or the congregation) a pause, a change of volume, or an instrumental interlude, and it is not part of the sentence being spoken.

3"Stand up for the poor and for children whose fathers have died. Give fair treatment to people who are suffering and in need."

3Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.

Note"Defend" and "do justice" both translate legal verbs: give a proper hearing, decide the case rightly. The poor, the fatherless, the afflicted and the needy are not just sympathetic figures; in ancient Israel they were the people with no one to argue for them in court. A child with no living father had no adult male to press his claim, and a person in debt or poverty had no standing against a wealthy opponent. Protecting exactly these groups was the recognized duty of a king or judge across the ancient Near East, and the psalm is charging the judges with failing at their own defined job.

4"Rescue the poor and the needy. Save them from the grip of wicked people."

4Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.

5"They do not know anything, and they do not understand. They keep walking around in the dark. Every foundation the earth rests on is shaking."

5They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course.

Note"Out of course" is King James English for "shaken loose" or "tottering." The Hebrew picture is of the earth as a building resting on foundations or pillars; corrupt justice at the top is described as making the whole structure unstable. It is a physical image used for a social collapse. This verse steps outside the speech: it is a comment about the judges rather than words addressed to them.

6"I once said, 'You are gods. All of you are sons of the Most High God.'"

6I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.

Note"I have said" refers to a declaration made in the past, the speaker is quoting a status previously granted, which the next verse then withdraws. "Sons of the Most High" uses "son of" in the common Hebrew sense of belonging to a class or sharing a nature, the way "sons of the prophets" means members of a prophetic guild. "The Most High" (Hebrew *Elyon*) is an ancient title for God as the highest of all powers.

7"But you will die the way any human dies. You will fall the way any ruler falls."

7But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.

Note"Ye shall die like men" translates a Hebrew phrase meaning "like a human being", the word is *adam*, ordinary mortal humanity. The point of the comparison is mortality: whatever their title, they end as humans end. "Fall like one of the princes" uses "fall" in its military sense, to be struck down, and "princes" means high officials or rulers generally, not the sons of a king.

8Stand up, God, and judge the earth, because every nation belongs to you.

8Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations.

Note"Inherit" translates a Hebrew legal term for taking lawful possession of property, especially land passed down within a family. Applied to nations it means they are God's rightful holding, the psalm ends by asking the judge of the divine court to take direct charge of the whole earth, not merely of Israel.