Christianity

Psalms 82God Judges Among the Gods

Summary

Psalm 82, attributed to Asaph, pictures God standing in the divine assembly and judging the gods, the mighty ones who rule unjustly. He commands them to defend the poor and fatherless, rescue the needy, and stop favoring the wicked. Because they walk in darkness, he declares that though they are called gods and children of the most High, they will die like men. Interpreters debate whether these gods are heavenly beings or human judges.

Key verse

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

Psalms 82:6

Themes

Divine Council
Justice for the Poor
Judgment on Rulers
Mortality of the Mighty

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

Text: King James Version (1611/1769), public domain.

Across traditions

Christianity
John 10: Ye Are Gods
In John 10:34 to 36 Jesus cites this psalm's line Ye are gods to answer a charge of blasphemy, arguing that if Scripture used that title for those to whom God's word came, his own claim to be the Son of God is not blasphemy.
Judaism
Psalm 82 in the JPS 1917 Tanakh
Jewish tradition lists Psalm 82 as the Levites' song for Tuesday, and it remains the Tuesday psalm of the morning service. Many rabbinic readings take the gods as human judges.
Islam
Surah An-Nisa (4): Staunch in Justice
Quran 4:135 calls believers to be staunch in justice even against themselves or their kin, whether rich or poor. It shares Psalm 82's demand that those with power judge fairly, though it addresses the whole community rather than a divine council.

Questions about Psalms 82

Who are the 'gods' in Psalm 82?

The Hebrew word elohim can mean God, gods, divine beings or, in some readings, human judges. Many modern scholars see a council of heavenly beings condemned for injustice, while many Jewish and Christian interpreters have understood unjust human rulers.

What does 'ye shall die like men' mean?

Psalm 82:7 says the so-called gods will die like men and fall like one of the princes. Their power is shown to be temporary because they refused to do justice, and the psalm ends by asking God himself to judge the earth (82:8).