Psalms 82:2

2 "You must stop judging unjustly; you must no longer be partial to the wicked!

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 God presides in the heavenly council; in the assembly of the gods he gives his decision:
2 "You must stop judging unjustly; you must no longer be partial to the wicked!
3 Defend the rights of the poor and the orphans; be fair to the needy and the helpless.
4 Rescue them from the power of evil people.
5 "How ignorant you are! How stupid! You are completely corrupt, and justice has disappeared from the world.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.