God Presides in the Great Assembly
Psalm 82 summary: what it means
Psalm 82 is set in a courtroom. God presides in the great assembly and judges among those the psalm calls gods. He charges them with judging unjustly and favouring the wicked. Then he tells them what they should have done: defend the weak, the poor and the fatherless, and rescue the needy from the wicked. They do not understand, and the foundations of the earth are shaken.
Verses 6 and 7 go together. In verse 6 God says, you are gods, sons of the Most High, and in verse 7, you shall die like men. Whatever standing these judges had, it does not protect them. The psalm ends with the speaker asking God himself to rise and judge the earth, because all the nations belong to him.
Psalm 82: God Presides in the Great Assembly
World English Bible, public domain. allpsalms.com/psalm-82
Psalm 82 commentary: explained verse by verse
God presides in the great assembly.He judges among the gods.
God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.
The psalm opens on a scene of judgment. God presides in the great assembly and judges among the gods. The psalm does not explain who these gods are beyond what the following verses say about them.
Also read 2 Chronicles 19:6-7, Psalm 58:11, Isaiah 3:13, Ecclesiastes 5:8
“How long will you judge unjustly,and show partiality to the wicked?” Selah.
How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah.
God speaks and asks how long they will judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked. The charge is corrupt judgment. Selah follows.
Also read Matthew 17:17, Proverbs 18:5, Micah 3:1-3, Galatians 2:6
“Defend the weak, the poor, and the fatherless.Maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.
Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.
God tells the judges what justice looks like. They are to defend the weak, the poor and the fatherless, and to maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. The test of a judge is how he treats those with no power.
Also read Jeremiah 22:3, Deuteronomy 24:17, Psalm 10:18, Jeremiah 5:28
Rescue the weak and needy.Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.”
Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.
The command continues. Rescue the weak and needy, and deliver them out of the hand of the wicked. Justice here is active rescue, not only fair rulings.
Also read Proverbs 24:11-12, Job 29:16-17, Nehemiah 5:1-13, Job 5:15-16
They don’t know, neither do they understand.They walk back and forth in darkness.All the foundations of the earth are shaken.
They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course.
The verdict on the judges follows. They do not know or understand, and they walk back and forth in darkness. The verse ends: all the foundations of the earth are shaken, set right beside the failure of the judges.
Also read Isaiah 5:7, Proverbs 2:13, Ecclesiastes 2:14, John 12:35
I said, “You are gods,all of you are sons of the Most High.
I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.
God addresses the judges with a title: you are gods, all of you sons of the Most High. The verse grants them high standing. In John 10:34, Jesus quotes this verse as "I said, Ye are gods". The King James Version of the psalm reads "I have said, Ye are gods".
Also read Exodus 22:9, Psalm 82:1, John 10:34-36, Exodus 22:28
Nevertheless you shall die like men,and fall like one of the rulers.”
But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.
The title does not save them. Nevertheless, God says, you shall die like men and fall like one of the rulers. Their high standing ends in the same death as everyone else's.
Also read Psalm 49:12, Ezekiel 31:14, Psalm 83:11, Job 21:32
Arise, God, judge the earth,for you inherit all of the nations.
Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations.
The psalm ends with the speaker's own prayer. Arise, God, judge the earth, for you inherit all of the nations. Since the judges have failed, the speaker asks God to do the judging himself.
Also read Isaiah 51:9, Psalm 22:28, Psalm 102:13, Revelation 11:15
A prayer from Psalm 82
God, you preside in the great assembly and judge among the gods. You ask how long they will judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked. Let me hear that question too. Help me to defend the weak, the poor and the fatherless, and to maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Let me rescue the weak and needy where I can. Where people walk in darkness and the foundations of the earth are shaken, arise, God, and judge the earth, for you inherit all of the nations. Amen.
Psalm 82 Bible study questions
- In verse 2, what charge does God bring against those who judge?
- What are the judges told to do for the weak and needy in verses 3 and 4?
- Verse 5 links injustice with the foundations of the earth being shaken; what do you think the psalm is saying by joining them?
- Verse 7 says those called gods shall die like men; what does that suggest to you about power and its limits?
- Psalm 72:4 describes a king who judges the poor and saves the needy; how does it compare with the charge in Psalm 82:3?
Questions about Psalm 82
What does Psalm 82 mean?
It pictures God judging a gathering the psalm calls gods, because they have judged unjustly and neglected the weak and poor. It ends with a prayer for God himself to judge the earth.
Who wrote Psalm 82?
The heading attributes it to Asaph.
What does Psalm 82:6 mean?
In verse 6 God addresses the unjust judges as gods and sons of the Most High, a title of high standing. Verse 7 adds at once that they will die like men, so the title does not protect them from judgment.
What does Psalm 82:6 say in the KJV?
The King James Version reads "I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High." In John 10:34, Jesus quotes the words "I said, Ye are gods".
What does Psalm 82:4 mean?
It is part of God's command to the judges: rescue the weak and needy, and deliver them out of the hand of the wicked. It describes justice as active rescue of people who cannot protect themselves.
Psalm 82 KJV: the King James Version
God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.1
How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah.2
Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.3
Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.4
They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course.5
I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.6
But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.7
Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations.8
Psalm 82 in Hebrew
The Hebrew text from the Westminster Leningrad Codex, public domain. Verse numbers follow the Hebrew Bible, which counts a psalm's heading as verse 1, so they can run one ahead of English Bibles.
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1 מִזְמ֗וֹר לְאָ֫סָ֥ף אֱֽלֹהִ֗ים נִצָּ֥ב בַּעֲדַת־אֵ֑ל בְּקֶ֖רֶב אֱלֹהִ֣ים יִשְׁפֹּֽט׃
2 עַד־מָתַ֥י תִּשְׁפְּטוּ־עָ֑וֶל וּפְנֵ֥י רְ֝שָׁעִ֗ים תִּשְׂאוּ־סֶֽלָה׃
3 שִׁפְטוּ־דַ֥ל וְיָת֑וֹם עָנִ֖י וָרָ֣שׁ הַצְדִּֽיקוּ׃
4 פַּלְּטוּ־דַ֥ל וְאֶבְי֑וֹן מִיַּ֖ד רְשָׁעִ֣ים הַצִּֽילוּ׃
5 לֹ֤א יָֽדְע֨וּ ׀ וְלֹ֥א יָבִ֗ינוּ בַּחֲשֵׁכָ֥ה יִתְהַלָּ֑כוּ יִ֝מּ֗וֹטוּ כָּל־מ֥וֹסְדֵי אָֽרֶץ׃
6 אֲֽנִי־אָ֭מַרְתִּי אֱלֹהִ֣ים אַתֶּ֑ם וּבְנֵ֖י עֶלְי֣וֹן כֻּלְּכֶֽם׃
7 אָ֭כֵן כְּאָדָ֣ם תְּמוּת֑וּן וּכְאַחַ֖ד הַשָּׂרִ֣ים תִּפֹּֽלוּ׃
8 קוּמָ֣ה אֱ֭לֹהִים שָׁפְטָ֣ה הָאָ֑רֶץ כִּֽי־אַתָּ֥ה תִ֝נְחַ֗ל בְּכָל־הַגּוֹיִֽם׃
Psalm 82 in the Catholic Douay-Rheims Bible
The Douay-Rheims Bible, 1899 edition, public domain. It follows the Greek and Latin numbering, so this psalm is Psalm 81 there.
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1 A psalm for Asaph. God hath stood in the congregation of gods: and being in the midst of them he judgeth gods.
2 How long will you judge unjustly: and accept the persons of the wicked?
3 Judge for the needy and fatherless: do justice to the humble and the poor.
4 Rescue the poor; and deliver the needy out of the hand of the sinner.
5 They have not known nor understood: they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth shall be moved.
6 I have said: You are gods and all of you the sons of the most High.
7 But you like men shall die: and shall fall like one of the princes.
8 Arise, O God, judge thou the earth: for thou shalt inherit among all the nations.
Psalm 82 in Latin
The Clementine Vulgate, public domain, where this psalm is Psalm 81.
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1 Psalmus Asaph. Deus stetit in synagoga deorum; in medio autem deos dijudicat.
2 Usquequo judicatis iniquitatem, et facies peccatorum sumitis?
3 Judicate egeno et pupillo; humilem et pauperem justificate.
4 Eripite pauperem, et egenum de manu peccatoris liberate.
5 Nescierunt, neque intellexerunt; in tenebris ambulant: movebuntur omnia fundamenta terræ.
6 Ego dixi: Dii estis, et filii Excelsi omnes.
7 Vos autem sicut homines moriemini, et sicut unus de principibus cadetis.
8 Surge, Deus, judica terram, quoniam tu hæreditabis in omnibus gentibus.
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Psalm 82 at a glance
| Verses | 8 |
| Heading in the text | A Psalm by Asaph. |
| Attributed to | The heading attributes it to Asaph. |
| Type | Prayer |
| Number in Greek and Latin Bibles | Psalm 81 |
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Psalm 82 in other translations
This page prints the World English Bible and the King James Version because both are public domain. The NIV, ESV, NKJV, NLT and NASB are under copyright, so they cannot be printed in full here. You can read Psalm 82 in those translations at Bible Gateway.
Where Psalm 82 belongs
Psalms of AsaphBook 3 of the Psalms
How this page was made
The psalm text comes from public domain translations and is not edited. The summary, the verse notes and the answers are written for this page from the text of the psalm itself. Where a claim goes beyond the text, it is sourced below.
Sources
- Text: World English Bible and King James Version, both public domain, from ebible.org source
- New Testament quotations: John 10:34 checked against the King James Version text from ebible.org source
- Hebrew text: Westminster Leningrad Codex, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Douay-Rheims: Douay-Rheims Bible, 1899 edition, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Latin text: Clementine Vulgate, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Numbering: Greek and Latin psalm numbering, Wikipedia, Psalms source