Psalms 82:2

2 How long deem ye (with) wickedness; and take the faces of sinners? (And he saith, How long shall ye judge wickedly; and make exceptions for sinners?)

Psalms 82:2 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 82:2

How long will ye judge unjustly
These are the words not of the psalmist, but of the divine Person that stands in the congregation of the mighty, and judges among the gods; calling the unjust judges to an account, and reproving them for their unrighteous proceedings and perversion of justice, in which they had long continued, and which was an aggravation of their sin; this is very applicable to the rulers and judges of the Jewish nation in the times of Christ, who had long dealt very unjustly, and continued to do so; they judged wrong judgment, or judgment of iniquity, as Aben Ezra renders it, both in civil and ecclesiastical things; their judgment was depraved concerning the law, which they transgressed and made void by adhering to the traditions of the elders; they passed an unrighteous judgment on John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, rejecting his baptism, and calling him a devil; and upon Christ himself, adjudging him to death for crimes he was not guilty of; and upon his followers, whom they cast out of the synagogue; the character of an unjust judge see in ( Luke 18:2 ) ,

and accept the persons of the wicked?
gave the cause in favour of them, and against the righteous, because they were rich, or related to them, or had bribes from them, contrary to the law in ( Deuteronomy 16:19 ) , so the judges among the Jews, in Christ's time, judged according to appearance, the outward circumstances of men, and not righteous judgment, as our Lord suggests, ( John 7:24 ) .

Selah. (See Gill on Psalms 3:2).

Psalms 82:2 In-Context

1 The psalm of Asaph. God stood in the synagogue of gods; forsooth he deemeth gods in the middle. (The song of Asaph. God standeth in the council of heaven; and he judgeth among the gods.)
2 How long deem ye (with) wickedness; and take the faces of sinners? (And he saith, How long shall ye judge wickedly; and make exceptions for sinners?)
3 Deem ye to the needy man, and to the motherless child; justify ye the meek man and poor. (Judge ye for the needy, and for the motherless; give ye justice to the weak, and to the poor.)
4 Ravish ye out a poor man; and deliver ye a needy man from the hand of the sinner. (Rescue ye the poor and the needy; save ye them from the power of sinners.)
5 They know not, neither understand, they go in darknesses; all the foundaments of earth shall be moved. (But ye know not, nor do ye understand, that ye go in darkness; and that all the foundations of the earth have been shaken.)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.