Psalms 82: What the Passage Says

The Chapter in a Sentence

God stands up in the divine assembly and brings charges against the gods. He accuses them of judging unfairly and favoring the wicked, and orders them to defend the poor, the fatherless, the afflicted, and the needy. He says they do not know or understand, that they walk in darkness, and that though they are called gods and sons of the Most High, they will die like men. The psalm closes with a call for God himself to rise and judge the earth.

Claim by Claim

1. 82:1
   • This psalm is attributed to Asaph.
   • God takes his stand in the divine assembly.
   • God renders judgment in the midst of the gods.
2. 82:2
   • A question is asked: how long will you judge unjustly?
   • A question is asked: how long will you show partiality to the wicked?
   • Selah.
3. 82:3
   • A command is given: give justice to the weak and the fatherless.
   • A command is given: vindicate the afflicted and the destitute.
4. 82:4
   • A command is given: rescue the weak and the needy.
   • A command is given: deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
5. 82:5
   • They do not know.
   • They do not understand.
   • They walk about in darkness.
   • All the foundations of the earth are shaken.
6. 82:6
   • The speaker says: I have said, you are gods.
   • The speaker says: all of you are sons of the Most High.
7. 82:7
   • Nevertheless, you will die as a human dies.
   • You will fall like any one of the rulers.
8. 82:8
   • A plea is made: arise, O God.
   • A plea is made: judge the earth.
   • The reason given is that you will take all the nations as your inheritance.

Words Worth Explaining

Every language note in this chapter, gathered. These explain what a word meant, never what it means for the reader.

82:1

The 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.

82:2

"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.

82:3

"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.

82:4

"The hand" of someone meant that person's power to hurt you. Being saved from their hand meant getting away safely.

82:5

"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.

82:6

"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.

82:7

"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.

82:8

"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.