# Psalm 82 📖: God Judges the Judges [[📚 Explore the Bible Books]] [[-Psalm Overview]] | [[Psalm 81]] | [[Psalm 84]] > [!info] Table of Contents > [[#📜 Scripture Text (NET)]] > [[#📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary]] > [[#🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]] > [[#🧠 Chapter Summary]] > [[#✝️ Christ in This Chapter]] > [[#🔎 Key Principles / 🛟 Life Application]] > [[#💬 Discussion Questions]] > [[#✍️ Key Verses to Remember]] > [[#🔗 Related Passages/Cross Reference]] > [[#🙏 Devotional Reflection]] > [[#📂 Internal Notes]] ## 📜 Scripture Text (NET) (The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005) #### A psalm of Asaph. [[#Verse 01.]] God stands in the assembly of El; in the midst of the gods he renders judgment. [[#Verse 02.]] He says, “How long will you make unjust legal decisions and show favoritism to the wicked? (Selah) [[#Verse 03.]] Defend the cause of the poor and the fatherless. Vindicate the oppressed and suffering. [[#Verse 04.]] Rescue the poor and needy. Deliver them from the power of the wicked. [[#Verse 05.]] They neither know nor understand. They stumble around in the dark, while all the foundations of the earth crumble. [[#Verse 06.]] I thought, ‘You are gods; all of you are sons of the Most High.’ [[#Verse 07.]] Yet you will die like mortals; you will fall like all the other rulers.” [[#Verse 08.]] Rise up, O God, and execute judgment on the earth! For you own all the nations. ## 📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary ###### Overall. ###### Verse 01. ###### Verse 02. ###### Verse 03. ###### Verse 04. ###### Verse 05. ###### Verse 06. ###### Verse 07. ###### Verse 08. ## 🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights 1. Psalm 82 is a psalm of Asaph. 2. Jesus quotes 82:6 in John 10:34 when He is accused of blasphemy. 3. Interpreters debate whether the "gods" in 82:1 and 82:6 are human judges or heavenly beings. Both views have long histories. 4. The Hebrew word *elohim* can mean God, gods, or (some argue) human judges acting in God's place (compare Exodus 21:6). 5. In the Mishnah (Tamid 7:4), Psalm 82 was the psalm sung in the temple on Tuesdays. 6. The care of widows, orphans, and the poor was a key test of justice in Israel's law (Deuteronomy 10:18; 24:17). 7. Verse 5 says the foundations of the earth shake when justice fails, linking social justice with the order of creation. 8. The phrase "sons of the Most High" (82:6) shows the high calling of those given authority. 9. Verse 7 compares the judges to fallen princes, a reminder that rank does not protect anyone from death. 10. The psalm moves from God judging the judges (82:1) to God judging all nations (82:8). ## 🧠 Chapter Summary > [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way. ## ✝️ Christ in This Chapter Christ is the true Judge who defends the weak. Jesus quoted 82:6 to show that the One the Father set apart as His Son is rightly called God's Son (John 10:34-36), and He will judge the world in righteousness (Acts 17:31). ## 🔎 Key Principles / 🛟 Life Application > [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way. ## 💬 Discussion Questions 1. God holds judges accountable for defending the poor and the fatherless (82:3-4). Who are the vulnerable people God has placed within your reach? 2. Those in authority are reminded that they will die like any other person (82:7). How should that shape the way we use influence? 3. The psalm ends by asking God to rise up and judge the earth (82:8). Why is God's coming judgment good news? ## ✍️ Key Verses to Remember - 📖 verse 1: God stands in the divine assembly and pronounces judgment. - 📖 verses 3-4: Defend the poor and the fatherless; rescue the weak from the wicked. - 📖 verse 8: Rise up, O God, and judge the earth, for all the nations belong to You. ## 🔗 Related Passages/Cross Reference - 🔗 [[John 10#Verse 34.|John 10:34-36]] - Jesus quotes "You are gods." - 🔗 [[Exodus 23#Verse 06.|Exodus 23:6-8]] - Do not pervert justice for the poor. - 🔗 [[Isaiah 01#Verse 17.|Isaiah 1:17]] - Seek justice; defend the orphan and plead for the widow. - 🔗 [[James 01#Verse 27.|James 1:27]] - Pure religion cares for orphans and widows. - 🔗 [[Acts 17#Verse 31.|Acts 17:31]] - God will judge the world by the Man He has appointed. ## 🙏 Devotional Reflection 📝 SOAP: [[Psalm 82- SOAP|God is the Greatest of All]] ## 📂 Internal Notes