Psalms 82:1-8·~1 min

God Presides in the Divine Assembly

God stands in the divine assembly and renders judgment among those given authority. He asks how long they will continue to judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked. Instead, they are commanded to defend the weak and fatherless, uphold the rights of the afflicted and destitute, rescue the weak and needy, and deliver them from the hand of the wicked.

A¹ Psalm of Asaph. ²“How long will you judge unjustly ³Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; ⁴Rescue the weak and needy;

These unjust rulers neither know nor understand, but continue walking in darkness, and as a result the foundations of the earth are shaken. God had said that they were gods, sons of the Most High, because of their exalted office. Yet their privilege will not spare them: they will die like men and fall like any other ruler.

⁵They do not know or understand; ⁶I have said, ‘You are gods; ⁷But like mortals you will die,

The psalmist calls on God to arise and judge the earth because all nations are his inheritance.

⁸Arise, O God, judge the earth,

Section summaryGod is pictured taking his place in the divine assembly and judging those addressed as gods because they have ruled unjustly and favored the wicked. He commands them to defend the weak, the fatherless, the afflicted, and the needy, but their blindness and ignorance have destabilized the very foundations of the earth. Though they were called gods and sons of the Most High, they will die like ordinary men and fall like any ruler. The psalm concludes with a plea for God himself to arise and judge the earth, because all nations are his inheritance.

Role in the chapterThis section exposes the failure of unjust power and directs hope away from corrupted human rule toward God's final and universal judgment.