God stands in the assembly of El and judges among the elohim (Psalm 82:1)

Says “A Psalm of Asaph. God presides in the divine assembly; He renders judgment among the gods:” (82:1, BSB). After the title, the Hebrew is אֱלֹהִים נִצָּב בַּעֲדַת־אֵל בְּקֶרֶב אֱלֹהִים יִשְׁפֹּט, God stands in the assembly of El/God; in the midst of gods he judges. “God presides” and “divine assembly” are not literal. In Pss 42–83, אֱלֹהִים is the usual word for Israel’s God. See the Hebrew note.

Implies אֵל names the God who stands in the assembly, so the phrase means assembly of God (El). An adjectival sense, divine assembly, remains possible, and is what the BSB prints. נִצָּב pictures a judge taking his stand, as the same participle does in “The Lord arises to contend; He stands to judge the people” (Isa 3:13, BSB). The alternative is a more general “presides” (BSB).

Uncertain Who the אֱלֹהִים of 82:1b are. No lean is taken here. A council reading hears the assembly and the parallels in Ps 89:5–7 (MT 89:6–8), 1 Kgs 22:19, and Job 1:6. A judges reading hears a courtroom, and the BSB’s “the judges” for הָאֱלֹהִים in Exod 21:6 and 22:8–9. A Sinai reading hears Israel gathered to receive God’s word (John 10:35). Whether the phrase alludes to other ancient assembly language is open; no such text is cited here. The Greek of LXX 81:1, συναγωγῇ θεῶν, is treated in the textual note; the printed text is the Masoretic wording.