Psalm 82

Psalm 82 (NRSV)

A Psalm of Asaph.

¹ God has taken his place in the divine council;

in the midst of the gods he holds judgment:

² “How long will you judge unjustly

and show partiality to the wicked?      Selah

³ Give justice to the weak and the orphan;

maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute.

⁴ Rescue the weak and the needy;

deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” 

⁵ They have neither knowledge nor understanding,

they walk around in darkness;

all the foundations of the earth are shaken. 

⁶ I say, “You are gods,

children of the Most High, all of you;

⁷ nevertheless, you shall die like mortals,

and fall like any prince.” 

⁸ Rise up, O God, judge the earth;

for all the nations belong to you!

           Psalm 82 is a hymn. The psalm is part of the Elohistic collection within the Psalter. Based upon some ancient language the Psalm uses, seems to reflect a pre-monarchy environment, and thus reflects the Tribal Federation period. The imagery suggests a time when Israelites imagined Yahweh defeating the pre-Israelite Canaanite gods. The psalm has some similarity with Psalm 58. It is a vision of a heavenly court scene where God condemns those who judge unfairly. The psalm plays on the word “elohim,” which can mean God and divine beings. This early view says that divine beings represent a nation, serving as the protector of that nation. Later biblical literature will reject this view of the world. I read the psalm as largely reflecting early Israelite worship, even if it may have been redone to align it with later theology. It is a remnant of the idea that many gods populated the world, each assigned to a different nation. This psalm forcefully rejects the idea of other gods; god deprives them of their divinity and has dominion over all nations. The psalm resembles prophetic criticisms of the oppression of the poor. However, it also resembles the concern expressed in the covenant at Shechem and in the Book of the Covenant for those weak and vulnerable. It denies access to the judicial system and the disadvantages faced by the poor in obtaining just verdicts. Through the scenario of the heavenly tribunal, the psalm speaks to the issue of a just society, without which the world cannot exist. It also speaks to the universality of God, the supreme judge of all nations. 

            The superscription describes it as A Psalm of Asaph, part of a collection that extends from 73-83. He was a Levite who established a guild of Temple singers in I Chronicles 25. 

Psalm 82: 1-4 contain a vision of the heavenly tribunal. ¹ God (Elohim) has taken his place in the divine council,rising to deliver judgment; in the midst of the gods (Elohim, divine beings), or the assembly of El, El being the head of the Ugaritic pantheon, he holds judgment. The image suggests a vision like that of Isaiah 6 and I Kings 22:19-22. The divine council was a well-known feature of the religions of the ancient Near East, including Israel. For much of its history, Israel was not what modern Westerners would call monotheistic, believing that there is only one God. Israel was henotheistic, recognizing the reality of other gods but giving them no allegiance. The gods are in the presence of God, standing before the judgment seat. The term elohim can refer to other gods. The use of this term implies the existence of a basis of intelligibility for whom what the poet says about the God of Israel. This does not mean that other peoples already know God in the unique way in which God declared himself to the patriarchs, to Moses, and to the covenant people. One could know God in this way only through the witness of the faith of Israel. No one can deduce the uniqueness of God made known to the covenant people from a general knowledge of God or of the divine.[1]  The poet makes it clear that righteousness is not just formal or legal. It articulates the reason for the exclusive loyalty of Israel to the God of the covenant.  ² “How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah, a musical term that the LXX translates as an interlude. The righteousness of God sounds like a prophet bringing judgment. Here are the concerns of the God who is in covenant with Israel. ³ Give justice to the (1) weak and (2) the orphan; maintain (3) the right of the lowly and (4) the destitute. ⁴ Rescue (5) the weak and (6) the needy. God then makes it clear that these groups are vulnerable, so deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” The point is that the weak and vulnerable of the world ought to have cases in court and if they are in the right have the possibility of winning. The psalm envisions a heavenly court, with the Lord judging the gods who rule other nations for their injustice. It seeks to explain the riddle of injustice. It implies a form of dualism. It personifies evil. However, dualism does not have the final word. We see in this segment criticism of national gods, in contrast to the idea that David and his heritage could represent God on earth, or that even Cyrus could do so in II Isaiah. In the end, neither the Babylonian nor the Persian empires could fulfill the function of earthly representation of the divine government by establishing justice and peace.[2]

Psalm 82: 5-7 are a diatribe against heathen gods. ⁵ They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk around in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. God brings an accusation against the gods for not having knowledge of the moral foundations of the world. God passes judgment on foreign gods. Justice is the cornerstone of the cosmos. Without justice, the world is in danger of collapse.  ⁶ I say, “You are gods, children of the Most High (Elyon, an ancient Canaanite epithet applied to God), and thus part of the heavenly court, all of you; ⁷ nevertheless, you shall die like mortals, and fall like any prince.” God will divest the gods of any authority and position. God has deposed them, just as human beings may depose their human rulers. Divine beings are immortal. Humans are subject to death. Unjust divine beings are unmasked as not being divine. The gods of other nations are not real gods. One can also see some similarity with prophetic texts. The Lord rises to argue the case, standing in judgment of the peoples (Isaiah 3:13). The prince of Tyre has grown proud in his wealth, so the Lord will bring strangers against him in battle who will thrust him down to the Pit, dying a violent death in the sea (Ezekiel 28:1-10). 

Psalm 82: 8 shows restoration of universal justice under God. ⁸ Rise up, O God, judge the earth; for all the nations belong to you! The prayer is for God to rule heathen nations. God is the true judge. God does not pervert justice. Ancient thinking was that the nations belonged to other gods. The psalm ends with an affirmation that the nations belong to God and are the possession of God. The effect is that the congregation offers its Amen to all that the poet has said. It shows trust in the righteousness of God.

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[1] (Pannenberg, Systematic Theology 1998, 1991), Volume I, 190.

[2] (Pannenberg, Systematic Theology 1998, 1991)Volume III, 51.