Psalm 82: God Judges in the Assembly

Says The psalm opens, “A Psalm of Asaph. God presides in the divine assembly; He renders judgment among the gods:” (82:1, BSB). The Hebrew of the title is מִזְמוֹר לְאָסָף, a psalm of Asaph. Masoretic and English numbering agree in Psalm 82: the superscription stands inside verse 1. In the Greek the psalm is numbered 81, so Ps 82:1 is LXX 81:1, with the title printed unnumbered above it. See the textual note, and the Greek note.

Says In 1 Chronicles 16:5 Asaph is the chief of the Levites who play before the ark, and 2 Chronicles 29:30 has the Levites sing praises to the Lord “in the words of David and of Asaph the seer.” The superscription attaches the psalm to that name. It does not, by itself, date the poem or fix the identity of those who are judged in it.

Says In this part of the Psalter, Psalms 42–83, אֱלֹהִים is the ordinary designation of Israel’s God. Psalm 82 uses that word both for the one who presides (82:1a) and for those among whom he judges (82:1b), and again for those addressed in 82:6. How that repeated word arose as the divine name in these psalms is not used here to decide who is judged.

Says The psalm is short and tightly ordered. God stands in an assembly and judges (82:1). A plural “you” is rebuked for unjust judgment and partiality, and is commanded to defend the weak (82:2–4). A report follows that knowledge has failed and that the earth’s foundations are shaken (82:5). Those addressed are called gods and sons of the Most High, and are sentenced to die (82:6–7). The psalm closes with a prayer that God arise, judge the earth, and take possession among the nations (82:8).

Uncertain Who the אֱלֹהִים of 82:1b and 82:6 are. No lean is taken here. Three main views are set out on equal terms, with their grounds, in the discussion of 82:6–7, and the same question is already present in 82:1: heavenly beings of God’s council, human judges or rulers in Israel, and Israel at Sinai as recipients of God’s word. A mixed reading, heavenly beings standing behind earthly rulers, is named in one sentence there. Every reading kept in this commentary holds the boundaries stated next.

Says God stands in the assembly and judges in the midst of the אֱלֹהִים (82:1). He rebukes unjust judging (82:2), commands justice for the weak, the fatherless, the afflicted, and the needy (82:3–4), pronounces that those addressed will die like אָדָם and fall like one of the princes (82:7), and is called to arise and judge the earth because he will inherit among all the nations (82:8). In other texts, “the Lord is God; there is no other besides Him” (Deut 4:35, BSB); “the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other” (Deut 4:39, BSB); “there is no God besides Me” (Deut 32:39, BSB); “I am the Lord, and there is no other; there is no God but Me” (Isa 45:5, BSB).

Implies Whatever the אֱלֹהִים of 82:1b and 82:6 are, the psalm places them under God’s judgment and sentences them to die (82:7). A reading that made them God’s equals would contradict that sentence and the confession, in the texts just cited, that the Lord alone is God. That kind of reading is not taken here.

Theories that would separate El, or the Most High, from the Lord are views held by others, outside the boundary just stated, and are not adopted here. Heiser sets out such a view for Deuteronomy 32:8 and argues against it, taking the Most High there as the Lord himself (HIPHIL 3 [2006], pp. 6–7; see the historical note).

Says The English display and the Hebrew diverge at several points, and the divergence is noted where each verse is discussed. “divine assembly” (82:1, BSB) renders עֲדַת־אֵל, assembly of El/God. “like mortals” and “like rulers” (82:7, BSB) render כְּאָדָם, like man or like Adam, and כְּאַחַד הַשָּׂרִים, like one of the princes. “all the nations are Your inheritance” (82:8, BSB) renders a verb clause, אַתָּה תִנְחַל בְּכָל־הַגּוֹיִם, you will inherit among all the nations.

Note ID: note.exegetical.Ps.82.1-Ps.82.8.overview

A Psalm of Asaph. God presides in the divine assembly; He renders judgment among the gods: (BSB)

Says After the title, the Hebrew reads אֱלֹהִים נִצָּב בַּעֲדַת־אֵל בְּקֶרֶב אֱלֹהִים יִשְׁפֹּט, God stands in the assembly of El; in the midst of gods he judges. נִצָּב is a Niphal participle of נצב, to stand. בַּעֲדַת is the preposition בְּ with the feminine construct of עֵדָה, assembly or congregation, governing אֵל, El or God. Both uses of אֱלֹהִים are plural in form. The first is the subject who stands and judges. The second is the group in whose midst the judging happens. See the Hebrew note on 82:1.

Says The BSB’s “divine assembly” is not a word-for-word gloss of עֲדַת־אֵל. The Hebrew is a construct, assembly of El/God. “God presides” renders the participle נִצָּב, whose basic sense is stands, or takes his stand; “presides” renders that stance more freely. “He renders judgment among the gods” renders בְּקֶרֶב אֱלֹהִים יִשְׁפֹּט, in the midst of gods he judges. The English is a fair display of the scene. It is not the Hebrew clause.

Implies אֵל in this phrase names Israel’s God, the one who stands in the assembly, because 82:1a has already used אֱלֹהִים for that God. This commentary leans, with the Hebrew note on 82:1, to assembly of God (El). The grammatical alternative is an adjectival sense, divine assembly or mighty assembly, which is how the BSB renders the phrase. The construct itself does not require the adjectival reading, and the God who stands in the assembly is the natural head of the phrase. Whether the wording also alludes to other ancient language for an assembly of El is a separate question. It is Uncertain as an allusion, and no text outside Scripture is cited for it here. Such an allusion, if it is granted, would not decide who the אֱלֹהִים of 82:1b are.

Implies נִצָּב pictures a judge’s posture. Isaiah 3:13 uses the same Niphal participle of the Lord: “The Lord arises to contend; He stands to judge the people” (Isa 3:13, BSB). The next verse brings a charge against elders and leaders (Isa 3:14). This commentary leans, with the Hebrew note, to that judicial stance in Psalm 82:1. The alternative is a more general sense, is stationed or presides, as the BSB renders it, without the courtroom picture. The verb יִשְׁפֹּט in the same line makes the judicial reading the stronger one. It does not say whether those judged are heavenly or human.

Says The Greek of Psalm 81:1 reads Ὁ θεὸς ἔστη ἐν συναγωγῇ θεῶν, ἐν μέσῳ δὲ θεοὺς διακρίνει. συναγωγῇ θεῶν, assembly of gods, is plural, where the Hebrew has singular אֵל. ἔστη renders נִצָּב. See the Greek note, and the textual note. The printed text is the Masoretic בַּעֲדַת־אֵל. The Greek is not turned into a reconstructed Hebrew reading.

Uncertain Whether ἐν συναγωγῇ θεῶν reflects a different Hebrew wording or interprets אֵל in light of the אֱלֹהִים judged in the same verse. No lean is taken. No other Hebrew wording is attested. The Greek plural agrees with θεοὺς in the next colon and with Θεοί ἐστε in 81:6, which may be interpretation inside the Greek psalm or a different Hebrew. See the textual note.

Says Other biblical lines place the Lord in a heavenly assembly. “The heavens praise Your wonders, O Lord—Your faithfulness as well—in the assembly of the holy ones” (Ps 89:5, BSB; MT 89:6). “For who in the skies can compare with the Lord? Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord?” (Ps 89:6, BSB; MT 89:7). “In the council of the holy ones, God is greatly feared, and awesome above all who surround Him” (Ps 89:7, BSB; MT 89:8). “I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by Him on His right and on His left” (1 Kgs 22:19, BSB). “One day the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them” (Job 1:6, BSB). These lines are real parallels of scene. See the Hebrew cross-reference note on Psalm 89. They do not identify the אֱלֹהִים of Psalm 82.

Uncertain The identity question is already open in 82:1b, and it is the same question as in 82:6. No lean is taken here. The three views, with their grounds, are stated together under 82:6–7, where the address “You are gods” and the death sentence give each view its sharpest text. What 82:1 itself contributes is the setting: a God who stands in עֲדַת־אֵל and judges in the midst of אֱלֹהִים. A council reading hears that assembly and the parallels just cited. A judges reading hears a courtroom, as the BSB renders הָאֱלֹהִים “the judges” in Exodus 21:6 and 22:8–9. A Sinai reading hears Israel gathered to receive God’s word. Each is possible from 82:1; none is required by the grammar alone. See the historical note on the assembly.

Note ID: note.exegetical.Ps.82.1.god-in-the-assembly

“How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; uphold the rights of the afflicted and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; save them from the hand of the wicked. They do not know or understand; they wander in the darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. (BSB)

Says Verse 2 rebukes a plural “you”. The Hebrew is עַד־מָתַי תִּשְׁפְּטוּ־עָוֶל וּפְנֵי רְשָׁעִים תִּשְׂאוּ, How long will you judge injustice, and lift up the faces of the wicked? תִּשְׁפְּטוּ is a Qal imperfect, second person masculine plural, of שׁפט, to judge. עָוֶל is injustice. Lift the face is the idiom of partiality. Deuteronomy 10:17 says of the Lord לֹא־יִשָּׂא פָנִים, he does not lift up faces, and the BSB renders the line, “showing no partiality and accepting no bribe” (Deut 10:17, BSB). The line ends with סֶלָה.

Says Verses 3–4 turn the rebuke into commands, still in the second person plural: “Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; uphold the rights of the afflicted and oppressed.” (82:3, BSB); “Rescue the weak and needy; save them from the hand of the wicked.” (82:4, BSB). The Hebrew imperatives are שִׁפְטוּ, הַצְדִּיקוּ, פַּלְּטוּ, and הַצִּילוּ.

Says The same field of words appears when Scripture describes the Lord’s own justice and the charge laid on Israel’s judges. “He executes justice for the fatherless and widow, and He loves the foreigner, giving him food and clothing” (Deut 10:18, BSB). Jehoshaphat tells the judges, “Consider carefully what you do, for you are not judging for man, but for the Lord, who is with you when you render judgment.” (2 Chr 19:6, BSB). 2 Chronicles 19:7 warns the same judges that with the Lord there is no injustice or partiality or bribery. Isaiah’s charge against elders and leaders uses the standing-to-judge scene already noted (Isa 3:14). In Exodus, cases are brought before הָאֱלֹהִים, and the BSB renders the phrase “before the judges” (Exod 21:6; 22:8–9; MT 22:7–8). These parallels are verbal and thematic. See the Hebrew cross-reference notes. They show what just judgment looks like. They do not name the persons rebuked in Psalm 82.

The historical note on 82:2–4 sets this charge beside the biblical standard just cited. That standard does not decide whether the “you” of 82:2 is heavenly, human, or both.

Uncertain Who “do not know or understand” in 82:5. The Hebrew changes person: לֹא יָדְעוּ וְלֹא יָבִינוּ בַּחֲשֵׁכָה יִתְהַלָּכוּ, they do not know and they do not understand; in darkness they walk about. The verbs are third person, not the second person of 82:2–4. This commentary leans, with the Hebrew note on 82:2–5, to the judges or gods addressed in 82:2–4. The plural of the rebuke continues into the address of 82:6–7, and a report in the third person between a rebuke and a sentence is a natural way to state the result of their failure. The alternative is the oppressed: they are the ones who “wander in the darkness” and the third person would then mark a change of subject from the judges to their victims. Both readings are grammatically possible. The lean rests on continuity with 82:2 and 82:6–7, not on a pronoun that names its subject.

Implies “all the foundations of the earth are shaken” (82:5, BSB) speaks of the moral and social order giving way under injustice. The Hebrew is יִמּוֹטוּ כָּל־מוֹסְדֵי אָרֶץ. This commentary leans, with the Hebrew note, to that moral and social sense. The verb does not require a physical earthquake, and the context is a charge of corrupt judgment, not a report of a tremor. The alternative is a literal shaking of the world’s pillars, whether as a collapse of the created order or as the result of misrule by heavenly beings set over the earth. That alternative is possible if the persons addressed are heavenly. It is not required by the verb. The lean does not decide the identity question.

Uncertain What סֶלָה means. It closes 82:2. The Greek of LXX 81:2 ends with διάψαλμα. No meaning is settled here. The word recurs in many psalms, and its sense there is also debated; that wider use does not fix a sense in this line. See the textual note.

The Greek of 81:2–5 follows the Hebrew charge closely enough that the indictment is the same in both languages. Inner-Greek differences of order, case, and verb form are listed in the minor-variants box below. They do not change the charge.

Note ID: note.exegetical.Ps.82.2-Ps.82.5.indictment

I have said, ‘You are gods; you are all sons of the Most High.’ But like mortals you will die, and like rulers you will fall.” (BSB)

Says The Hebrew of 82:6 is אֲנִי־אָמַרְתִּי אֱלֹהִים אַתֶּם וּבְנֵי עֶלְיוֹן כֻּלְּכֶם, I said, gods you are, and sons of Elyon, all of you. The line is a direct address, not a description of a third party. בְנֵי עֶלְיוֹן, sons of the Most High, stands in parallel with אֱלֹהִים. The BSB, “I have said, ‘You are gods; you are all sons of the Most High.’”, matches that address. “sons of the Most High” is a fair rendering of בְנֵי עֶלְיוֹן. The Hebrew word is עֶלְיוֹן, the same title as in Deuteronomy 32:8. For that use, see the Hebrew note on Deuteronomy 32:7–9. The parallel itself is what the verse states. It does not say whether gods and sons of the Most High are heavenly beings, human judges, or Israel.

Uncertain Whether אֲנִי־אָמַרְתִּי means I declared, or I had thought. This commentary leans, with the Hebrew note on 82:6–7, to a declaration: God had said that they were gods and sons of the Most High, and 82:7 marks the reversal of that status. The alternative is a supposition, I had thought, as if the speaker had mistaken their rank and now corrects the mistake. A strong adversative in 82:7 fits both a reversed declaration and a corrected thought, and BDB lists this אָכֵן among uses that set the reality against what had been wrongly imagined, which supports the alternative (see the Hebrew note). The lean prefers declaration because the line is formal address, parallel and inclusive. The supposition reading remains open.

Says אָכֵן is a strong adversative, surely, or but in fact. It sets 82:7 against 82:6. The BSB’s “But” renders that adversative. It is not a second Hebrew word. The Greek has ὑμεῖς δὲ δὴ ὡς ἄνθρωποι ἀποθνήσκετε, καὶ ὡς εἷς τῶν ἀρχόντων πίπτετε. See the Greek note, and the textual note. The printed text is the Masoretic אָכֵן.

Implies The Greek ὑμεῖς restates the subject already marked on the Hebrew verb תְּמוּתוּן, and δὲ δή renders the adversative אָכֵן. No other Hebrew wording is attested, so the Greek renders the particle rather than witnessing to another Hebrew text (see the textual note). The presence or absence of δή is an inner-Greek variant, not a Hebrew reading.

Uncertain כְּאָדָם. This commentary leans, with the Hebrew note, to the common noun, like mortals or like men, which is the BSB’s “like mortals”. The sentence then says that those addressed will die as human beings die. The alternative, like Adam, hears a proper name and an echo of Adam’s return to the dust: “For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.” (Gen 3:19, BSB). That reading is fair. The same consonants can be the name, and a death sentence can recall the first death. The lean to the common noun rests on the parallel line, like one of the princes, which is a class, not a named individual, and on the BSB’s own “like mortals”, which follows the class sense. Like Adam is not excluded by the spelling.

Uncertain Who הַשָּׂרִים are. The Hebrew is וּכְאַחַד הַשָּׂרִים תִּפֹּלוּ, and like one of the princes you will fall. The BSB’s “like rulers” drops one of and uses rulers for שָׂרִים, princes or officials. The Hebrew compares them to one member of that class, not to rulers as a vague group. Whether the princes are human rulers or fallen heavenly princes is not decided here. Daniel speaks of “the prince of the kingdom of Persia” and of “Michael, one of the chief princes” (Dan 10:13, BSB), and of “the prince of Greece” (Dan 10:20, BSB). Those lines show that שַׂר can name a heavenly figure in a later book. They do not show that Psalm 82:7 uses the word that way. No lean is taken. The question follows the identity of the אֱלֹהִים, which is stated next and left open.

Who the אֱלֹהִים are

Uncertain The identity of the אֱלֹהִים in 82:1b and 82:6 is open. No lean is taken here. The three main views follow, each with its grounds, on equal terms. A mixed view is named after them in one sentence. Each view can be held without making those addressed equal to the God who judges them, and each must keep the sentence of death in 82:7.

Heavenly beings of God’s council. On this view, the אֱלֹהִים are heavenly beings, members of God’s assembly, judged for misrule of the nations. The grounds are these. Psalm 82:1 places the judgment in עֲדַת־אֵל, the assembly of El/God, and the parallels of scene are the assembly and council of the holy ones (Ps 89:5–7; MT 89:6–8), the host of heaven standing by the Lord’s throne (1 Kgs 22:19), and the sons of God presenting themselves before the Lord (Job 1:6). “sons of the Most High” (82:6, BSB) stands beside sons-of-God language elsewhere. The sentence that they will die like man (82:7) is heard as assuming that they are not by nature mortal: death is pronounced on beings for whom death is not the ordinary end. The nations in 82:8 are heard as the sphere of their failed rule. Deuteronomy 32:8–9, on the printed reading “sons of God” (Deut 32:8, BSB), and Deuteronomy 4:19–20 are cited as the wider setting. Heiser sets out a divine-council reading of the sons-of-God texts (BSac 158 [2001], pp. 59–60; reported as his; see the historical note). The view does not require that these beings be God’s equals. The psalm judges them and sentences them to die.

Human judges or rulers in Israel. On this view, the אֱלֹהִים are human judges or rulers, called gods because they represent God in judgment. The grounds are these. Exodus 21:6 brings the servant אֶל־הָאֱלֹהִים, and the BSB renders the phrase “before the judges.” Exodus 22:8–9 (MT 22:7–8) brings the case before הָאֱלֹהִים, and the BSB again has “the judges.” The charge of 82:2–4 concerns ordinary courtroom justice for the poor, the fatherless, and the needy, the same standard Jehoshaphat lays on human judges (2 Chr 19:6–7) and the same partiality the Lord himself refuses (Deut 10:17–18). “Do you indeed speak justly, O rulers? Do you judge uprightly, O sons of men?” (Ps 58:1, BSB). The sentence that they will die like men is read as a humbling of exalted mortals, not as news that immortals can die. The title is explained from the judicial use in Exodus, and the judges remain under God’s judgment.

Israel at Sinai. On this view, the אֱלֹהִים are Israel, called gods and sons of the Most High as recipients of God’s word, and then condemned to die. The grounds are these. John 10:35, “to whom the word of God came” (BSB), is read as naming those who received the law, so that gods is a title of Israel in virtue of that gift, withdrawn when they turned away. The death sentence of 82:7 is then the loss of that standing. This is a minority interpretive tradition. It is stated fairly, without ridicule, from “You are gods” (82:6, BSB) and the death sentence that follows. It does not make Israel divine in the sense excluded above.

Mixed views. Some readers combine the first and second views, so that heavenly beings stand behind earthly rulers. That combination is possible. It is not a fourth text, and it still may not make either group God’s equal.

The three views are not blended here. Each can claim some of the other’s texts, and that overlap is why no lean is taken. The psalm judges, commands justice, and sentences to death. It does not add a sentence that names the accused as angels, as judges, or as Israel.

John 10:34–36

Says Jesus quotes this psalm in the dispute over his words. In John 10:34 he asks whether it is not written in “your Law”: ‘I have said you are gods’ (John 10:34, BSB). “If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and the Scripture cannot be broken—” (John 10:35, BSB). “then what about the One whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world? How then can you accuse Me of blasphemy for stating that I am the Son of God?” (John 10:36, BSB). He calls the psalm “your Law” and he says the Scripture cannot be broken. The quotation is a cross-reference only.

Says John 10:34 in the SBLGNT reads Ἐγὼ εἶπα· Θεοί ἐστε. That clause agrees verbatim with LXX Psalm 81:6a, ἐγὼ εἶπα Θεοί ἐστε, apart from punctuation and the capitalization of ἐγώ, and it renders MT Psalm 82:6a, אֲנִי־אָמַרְתִּי אֱלֹהִים אַתֶּם, in Greek. The agreement is one of form. Identical wording does not show which text Jesus or John used. SBLGNT prints ὅτι before the quotation; the Robinson–Pierpont text omits it. See the Greek cross-reference note, and the exegetical cross-reference.

Implies The argument moves from the lesser to the greater. If Scripture can call them gods, the one the Father sanctified and sent is not blaspheming when he says, “I am the Son of God” (John 10:36, BSB). The force of the argument does not depend on settling who they are, so long as Scripture did call some group gods and that Scripture cannot be broken.

Uncertain Which identity view John 10:35 supports. Each of the three views claims the clause “to whom the word of God came.” No lean is taken here. Early Christian readings of the quotation are gathered in the historical note. They do not fix Psalm 82.

Says John’s prologue says that the Word was with God and was God, and that the Son makes the Father known (John 1:1, 18); see the notes on John 1. Christ’s deity is not argued from John 10:34–36.

Note ID: note.exegetical.Ps.82.6-Ps.82.7.you-are-gods

Arise, O God, judge the earth, for all the nations are Your inheritance. (BSB)

Says The psalm closes with a prayer: קוּמָה אֱלֹהִים שָׁפְטָה הָאָרֶץ כִּי־אַתָּה תִנְחַל בְּכָל־הַגּוֹיִם, Arise, O God, judge the earth, for you will inherit among all the nations. קוּמָה and שָׁפְטָה are imperatives addressed to אֱלֹהִים, the same title as the God who stands in 82:1a, not the plural “you” of 82:6. The ground of the prayer is the כִּי clause: תִנְחַל, you will take as a possession. God is asked to arise and judge the earth, because he will take possession among all the nations.

Says The BSB clause “for all the nations are Your inheritance” is not the Hebrew clause. The Hebrew is a verb with a prepositional phrase, you will inherit among all the nations, not a noun clause in which the nations are called your inheritance. The English display is memorable and close in theme. It should not be read back as if the Hebrew used a noun, your inheritance, of the nations. The Greek is closer to the verb: ἀνάστα, ὁ θεός, κρῖνον τὴν γῆν· ὅτι σὺ κατακληρονομήσεις ἐν πᾶσιν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν. The inner-Greek alternative is a box line only, noted below. It is not printed.

Says The verb נחל and the noun גּוֹיִם also stand in Deuteronomy 32:8–9. Deuteronomy 32:8 speaks of the Most High giving the nations their inheritance and setting the boundaries of the peoples “according to the number of the sons of God” (BSB). “But the Lord’s portion is His people, Jacob His allotted inheritance.” (Deut 32:9, BSB). The Hebrew of 32:8 opens בְּהַנְחֵל עֶלְיוֹן גּוֹיִם. Deuteronomy 32:9 has נַחֲלָתוֹ, his inheritance. Psalm 82:8 shares the root נחל with both lines, and shares גּוֹיִם with 32:8. That shared wording is a verbal link. See the Hebrew cross-reference notes, and the notes on Deuteronomy 32:8–9. A verbal link is not, by itself, a claim that one passage answers the other.

The reading printed at Deuteronomy 32:8 is “sons of God.” The named alternative is the Masoretic “sons of Israel.” The Septuagint there has angels of God, as the Greek note on that passage records. That textual question is not reopened here, and it does not settle who the אֱלֹהִים of Psalm 82 are.

Uncertain Whether Psalm 82:8 deliberately answers or reverses the allotment of Deuteronomy 32:8–9. No lean is taken here. A reversal reading hears the prayer as taking back, for God, a rule over the nations that 32:8 had distributed. That reading depends in part on the printed “sons of God” at Deuteronomy 32:8, and in part on hearing the אֱלֹהִים of Psalm 82 as the beings set over those nations. If Deuteronomy 32:8 is read as “sons of Israel,” or if the persons judged in Psalm 82 are human judges or Israel at Sinai, the same verbs do not yield a reversal of a heavenly allotment. They remain a verbal link: inheritance language, nations, and the Most High. The link is Says. The reversal is not.

Uncertain Whether 82:8 is messianic or eschatological. This commentary leans to the plain sense of the prayer: God is asked to judge the earth because he will take possession among the nations. That is universal rule asked for, in the words of the verse, not a timetable of later events. Readings that hear a later fulfillment in the reign of Christ are named by reference only. They are not required by the grammar.

Says The close returns to the God of 82:1a. The same title, אֱלֹהִים, is asked to arise and judge, now not only in the assembly but the earth, and not only among the אֱלֹהִים of 82:1b but among all the nations. The persons of 82:6–7 have been sentenced. The prayer does not reopen their identity. It asks the God who judged them to judge the earth, on the ground that the nations lie within his taking possession. That ground stands under each identity reading. The last word of the psalm is a prayer to God, not a claim that anyone else inherits the nations.

Note ID: note.exegetical.Ps.82.8.arise-o-god

Inner-Greek differences in Psalm 82 (LXX 81) are taken from the textual note, which reports Swete’s text and apparatus (vol. 2, pp. 323–324). No apparatus line is printed for 81:1, 81:2, or 81:6. None of the lines below is treated as a different Hebrew reading. The printed text is the Masoretic wording throughout. See the textual note, and the Greek note.

• 82:1 / 81:1. For בַּעֲדַת־אֵל, assembly of El/God, the Greek has ἐν συναγωγῇ θεῶν, in an assembly of gods. Whether the plural reflects another Hebrew wording or interprets אֵל from the אֱלֹהִים judged in the same verse is not settled. No Hebrew witness with another wording is attested.

• 82:7 / 81:7. For אָכֵן the Greek has ὑμεῖς δὲ δή. The particle δή is read by some witnesses and omitted by others, as the textual note records. The Greek renders the particle and makes the plural subject explicit; no other Hebrew wording is attested. Other inner-Greek differences at 81:7 are listed in that note.

• 81:3. Differences of verb form, noun order, and case (orphan and poor) are recorded in the textual note.

• 81:4. Differences in the verb of rescue, and whether a pronoun is added after ῥύσασθε, are recorded in the textual note.

• 81:5. A volitive form of the verb of shaking is recorded in some witnesses, as the textual note lists.

• 81:8. The printed Greek has κατακληρονομήσεις, you will inherit. An alternative verb, you will destroy, is an inner-Greek reading only. It is not printed.

Uncertain The meaning of סֶלָה in 82:2, rendered διάψαλμα in LXX 81:2, remains open, as noted above. No Dead Sea reading of Psalm 82 is cited. No such witness is in the sources used for this psalm.