Psalms 82:1-6

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.)

6 I said, Ye be gods; and all ye be the sons of the high God. (And I said, Ye be gods; and ye all be the sons of the Most High God.)

Psalms 82:1-6 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 82

\\<>\\. This psalm was written for the use of persons in power, for the instruction of kings and princes, judges and civil magistrates; according to Kimchi, it was written about the times of Jehoshaphat, who appointed new judges throughout the land; those that were before having been very corrupt, to whom he gave a charge agreeably to the purport of this psalm, 2Ch 19:5-7, but it seems rather to be written by Asaph, in the times of David, under a spirit of prophecy, and has respect to the times of Christ, when there was a great corruption among the judges and rulers of the Jews, both civil and ecclesiastic. The Syriac version calls it, "a reproof of the ungodly Jews"; our Lord cites a passage out of it in vindication of himself from their charge of blasphemy, Joh 10:34-36.