You are gods; you will die like mortals (Psalm 82:6–7)

Says “I have said, ‘You are gods; you are all sons of the Most High.’” (82:6, BSB). The Hebrew is אֲנִי־אָמַרְתִּי אֱלֹהִים אַתֶּם וּבְנֵי עֶלְיוֹן כֻּלְּכֶם. “You are gods” and “sons of the Most High” stand in parallel. For עֶלְיוֹן in Deut 32:8, see the Hebrew note there.

Uncertain Whether אֲנִי־אָמַרְתִּי means I declared, or I had thought. A lean is taken toward a declaration, since the line is formal, parallel address; אָכֵן in 82:7 reverses it. The alternative is a supposition that 82:7 corrects.

Says אָכֵן is a strong adversative. “But like mortals you will die, and like rulers you will fall.” (82:7, BSB). Hebrew כְּאָדָם … וּכְאַחַד הַשָּׂרִים is like man … and like one of the princes, not the BSB wording.

Uncertain For כְּאָדָם, a lean is taken toward “like mortals”, since the parallel line names a class, one of the princes. Like Adam (Gen 3:19) is named fairly. Whether הַשָּׂרִים are human rulers or heavenly princes (Dan 10:13, 20) is open, with no lean.

Uncertain Who these אֱלֹהִים are. No lean is taken here. On equal terms: heavenly council beings, judged for misrule and told they will die (82:1, 7–8); human judges called gods as God’s representatives (Exod 21:6; 22:8–9; 82:2–4); Israel at Sinai, called gods as those to whom God’s word came (John 10:35), then sentenced to die, a minority reading. Each keeps the death sentence (82:7). John 10:34–36 does not decide the question, and Christ’s deity is not argued from it.