Psalms — Chapter 82

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1A Psalm of Asaph. God presides in the divine assembly; He renders judgment among the gods:

2“How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah

3Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; uphold the rights of the afflicted and oppressed.

4Rescue the weak and needy; save them from the hand of the wicked.

5They do not know or understand; they wander in the darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.

6I have said, ‘You are gods; you are all sons of the Most High.’

7But like mortals you will die, and like rulers you will fall.”

8Arise, O God, judge the earth, for all the nations are Your inheritance.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2How long will ye judge unjustly, And respect the persons of the wicked? Selah

3Judge the poor and fatherless: Do justice to the afflicted and destitute.

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

5They know not, neither do they understand; They walk to and fro in darkness: All the foundations of the earth are shaken.

6I said, Ye are gods, And all of you sons of the Most High.

7Nevertheless ye shall die like men, And fall like one of the princes.

8Arise, O God, judge the earth; For thou shalt inherit all the nations. Psalm 83 A song. A Psalm of Asaph.

1A psalm of Asaph. God stands in the assembly of El; in the midst of the gods he renders judgment.

2He says, “How long will you make unjust legal decisions and show favoritism to the wicked? (Selah)

3Defend the cause of the poor and the fatherless. Vindicate the oppressed and suffering.

4Rescue the poor and needy. Deliver them from the power of the wicked.

5They neither know nor understand. They stumble around in the dark, while all the foundations of the earth crumble.

6I thought, ‘You are gods; all of you are sons of the Most High.’

7Yet you will die like mortals; you will fall like all the other rulers.”

8Rise up, O God, and execute judgment on the earth! For you own all the nations.

1God presides in the great assembly. He judges among the gods.

2“How long will you judge unjustly, and show partiality to the wicked?” Selah.

3“Defend the weak, the poor, and the fatherless. Maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.

4Rescue the weak and needy. Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.”

5They don’t know, neither do they understand. They walk back and forth in darkness. All the foundations of the earth are shaken.

6I said, “You are gods, all of you are sons of the Most High.

7Nevertheless you shall die like men, and fall like one of the rulers.”

8Arise, God, judge the earth, for you inherit all of the nations.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Commentary
Videos
Articles
Reflection

Summary

A brief prophetic psalm depicting God presiding over an assembly of judges or rulers, confronting them for showing favoritism to the wicked instead of upholding justice (vv. 1-2). He commands them to defend the poor, the fatherless, and the afflicted, and to rescue the needy from oppression, condemning their ignorance and the moral disorder they have allowed (vv. 3-5). Though these rulers were given great authority, even called "gods," God declares that they will die like any other mortal, falling like any earthly prince (vv. 6-7). The psalm closes with a plea for God himself to rise up and judge the earth, since all nations belong to him (v. 8).

Authorship & Background

Author: Multiple authors — primarily David (73 psalms attributed), plus Asaph (12), Sons of Korah (11), Solomon (2), Moses (1), Heman (1), Ethan (1), and anonymous. The Psalter was compiled over approximately 1000 years and served as Israel's hymnal and prayer book. The book is divided into five 'books' (1-41, 42-72, 73-89, 90-106, 107-150), paralleling the five books of Moses.
Classification: Prophetic / Judgment Psalm
Attributed Author: Asaph
Key Themes: God judging unjust judges, human rulers as "gods," defense of the weak, the foundations of earth shaken by injustice, mortality of corrupt authorities, God inheriting all nations
Historical Context: This brief but powerful psalm depicts a divine courtroom scene: God stands in the "congregation of the mighty" (divine council) and pronounces judgment on the "gods" — human rulers or judges who have perverted justice. Jesus quotes v.6 in John 10:34 ("Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?") to defend His own divine claims. The "gods" (elohim) here refers either to human judges who represent God's authority on earth (as in Exodus 21:6; 22:8-9), or to angelic beings assigned to nations (as in Deuteronomy 32:8 LXX). Either interpretation yields the same message: those given divine authority who misuse it will be judged by the Supreme God.
God Standeth in the Congregation of the Mighty (v.1): God standeth in the congregation of the mighty, he judgeth among the gods. One verse, and it is the difficulty the whole psalm turns on: a divine council is described and God is judging the members of it. The Hebrew word elohim is used both of God and of the ones being judged, and readers have taken those to be heavenly beings, or Israel's judges addressed with deliberate irony, or both. The psalm does not settle it, and what follows suggests human officials since the charge is judicial.
How Long Will Ye Judge Unjustly (v.2): How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked. One verse of charge, and the phrase accept the persons is the Hebrew idiom for showing partiality, lifting somebody's face. The offense is favouritism on the bench, which is the specific corruption the prophets return to most often.
Defend the Poor and Fatherless (vv.3-4): Defend the poor and fatherless, do justice to the afflicted and needy, deliver the poor and needy, rid them out of the hand of the wicked. Two verses and five imperatives, and every one of them names a beneficiary rather than a principle. This is the clearest statement in the psalter of what a court is for.
They Know Not, Neither Will They Understand (v.5): They know not, neither will they understand, they walk on in darkness, all the foundations of the earth are out of course. One verse, and the last clause is the psalm's largest claim: corrupt courts are described as a structural problem in creation rather than a local scandal. Isaiah 24:5 uses the same reasoning about a broken covenant.
Ye Shall Die Like Men (vv.6-7): I have said, Ye are gods, and all of you are children of the most High. But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes. The two verses have to be read together, since the title is granted in the first and canceled in the second. Jesus quotes verse 6 in John 10:34 when he is accused of blasphemy, and his argument is from the lesser to the greater: if scripture can call those men gods, the charge against him does not follow automatically.
Arise, O God, Judge the Earth (v.8): Arise, O God, judge the earth, for thou shalt inherit all nations. The psalm ends by asking God to do the job himself, which is the conclusion the previous seven verses have been forcing. The council has been found unfit and the case is referred upward.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Verse-by-verse commentary on this chapter, written for the everyday reader and freely available online.
  • Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
  • Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.

Videos

What does the Bible mean by “you are gods” in Psalm 82:6 and John 10:34? | GotQuestions.org
Got Questions Ministries

Psalm 82 | A Council of Gods | Bible Study
Spoken Gospel

Psalm 82 - Earthly Judges Before the Great Judge
David Guzik

Articles

  • GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of Psalms -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.

Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.

Reflection

  • Authority Exists to Defend the Vulnerable (vv.3-4) — God's charge to the corrupt judges is specifically to give justice to the weak, the fatherless, and the afflicted. Does the authority or influence you hold get used to protect people with less power than you, or mostly to serve yourself?
  • Injustice Shakes the Foundations of the World (v.5) — When those in power refuse to understand or act justly, the psalm says the very foundations of the earth are shaken. Do you treat injustice as a minor issue, or recognize how deeply it destabilizes everything around it?
  • Every Human Authority Is Accountable to God (vv.6-7) — Even those called "gods" because they carry God's delegated authority will still die like ordinary men. Do you exercise whatever authority you have with the awareness that you will answer for it?
  • When Human Justice Fails, Appeal to God's (v.8) — The psalm ends with a plea for God Himself to rise up and judge the earth when human courts and rulers won't. Where do you need to trust God's justice instead of trying to force a resolution yourself?