Who are the 'gods' (elohim) of Psalm 82?
Psalm 82 shows God presiding over 'gods' who judge unjustly and are sentenced to die like men. Most readers have seen Israel's judges and rulers here, men who bore God's office and title; others see spiritual powers behind them. Either way the psalm's point stands: these elohim are under God's authority, and Jesus used exactly this psalm to prove He is far more than one of them.
This question arose from studying Does the Bible teach there are other gods?.
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What the Scripture says
The scene: God presides over an assembly
'God presides in the great assembly. He judges among the gods.' The Hebrew word is elohim both for the presiding God and for those He judges. The psalm does not open with a rival throne but with one throne: Elohim stands, the elohim are arraigned before Him. From the first line, these 'gods' answer to Someone greater.
God presides in the great assembly. He judges among the gods.God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.
Reading one: the judges and rulers of Israel
Scripture applies elohim to humans who hold God's office. Moses is 'as God to Pharaoh'; theft cases are brought 'to God', that is, to the judge at the gate; hard cases go up to priests and the judge who act in God's name. On this reading the 'gods' are corrupt judges and rulers, and the sentence fits perfectly: 'you shall die like men.' They claimed godlike authority, yet they were only men.
Yahweh said to Moses, “Behold, I have made you as God to Pharaoh; and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet.And the Lord said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet.
If the thief isn’t found, then the master of the house shall come near to God, to find out if he hasn’t put his hand to his neighbor’s goods.If the thief be not found, then the master of the house shall be brought unto the judges, to see whether he have put his hand unto his neighbour’s goods.
If there arises a matter too hard for you in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within your gates; then you shall arise, and go up to the place which Yahweh your God chooses. You shall come to the priests who are Levites, and to the judge who shall be in those days. You shall inquire, and they shall give you the verdict. You shall do according to the decisions of the verdict which they shall give you from that place which Yahweh chooses. You shall observe to do according to all that they shall teach you: according to the decisions of the law which they shall teach you, and according to the judgment which they shall tell you, you shall do. You shall not turn aside from the sentence which they shall show you, to the right hand, nor to the left. The man who does presumptuously, in not listening to the priest who stands to minister there before Yahweh your God, or to the judge, even that man shall die. You shall put away the evil from Israel. All the people shall hear, and fear, and do no more presumptuously.If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within thy gates: then shalt thou arise, and get thee up into the place which the Lord thy God shall choose; And thou shalt come unto the priests the Levites, and unto the judge that shall be in those days, and enquire; and they shall shew thee the sentence of judgment: And thou shalt do according to the sentence, which they of that place which the Lord shall choose shall shew thee; and thou shalt observe to do according to all that they inform thee: According to the sentence of the law which they shall teach thee, and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do: thou shalt not decline from the sentence which they shall shew thee, to the right hand, nor to the left. And the man that will do presumptuously, and will not hearken unto the priest that standeth to minister there before the Lord thy God, or unto the judge, even that man shall die: and thou shalt put away the evil from Israel. And all the people shall hear, and fear, and do no more presumptuously.
Nevertheless you shall die like men, and fall like one of the rulers.”But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.
Reading two: the powers behind the thrones
Other passages suggest spiritual rulers stand behind human injustice, and some readers take Psalm 82's assembly to include them. Note that Deuteronomy 32:8 says God fixed the nations' boundaries 'according to the number of the children of Israel,' while some ancient manuscripts read 'according to the number of the sons of God.' Even if unseen powers are in view, nothing changes: they rebel, they fail the poor, and God sentences them to die. They are never objects of worship and never creators.
When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the children of men, he set the bounds of the peoples according to the number of the children of Israel.When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.
I said, “You are gods, all of you are sons of the Most High. Nevertheless you shall die like men, and fall like one of the rulers.”I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High. But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.
Arise, God, judge the earth, for you inherit all of the nations.Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations.
Jesus' argument: from lesser to greater
When the leaders accused Jesus of blasphemy for calling Himself God's Son, He answered: 'Isn't it written in your law, I said, you are gods?' If Scripture can give the title gods to those who merely carried God's word, then it cannot be blasphemy for the one 'whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world' to be called God's Son. Notice what Jesus is doing: He accepts the psalm's premise that its gods are small, and steps forward as Someone in a different category entirely.
Jesus answered them, “Isn’t it written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods?’ If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture can’t be broken), do you say of him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You blaspheme,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God?’Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?
The Jews answered him, “We don’t stone you for a good work, but for blasphemy: because you, being a man, make yourself God.”The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
And then Jesus claims what no elohim of Psalm 82 could
Seconds after quoting Psalm 82, Jesus says, 'I and the Father are one,' and the crowd picks up stones: 'because you, being a man, make yourself God.' Psalm 82 ends with a prayer: 'Arise, God, judge the earth.' In John 10 the answer to that prayer walks into the temple courts. The Father is in the Son and the Son in the Father: this is not one more elohim among the judged, but the one God Himself come to judge.
I and the Father are one.”I and my Father are one.
But if I do them, though you don’t believe me, believe the works; that you may know and believe that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.
The Jews answered him, “We don’t stone you for a good work, but for blasphemy: because you, being a man, make yourself God.”The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
Arise, God, judge the earth, for you inherit all of the nations.Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations.
As you read, you may wonder…
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Who are the sons of God in Genesis 6?→In the Beginning trail“God’s sons saw that men’s daughters were beautiful, and they took any that they wanted for themselves as wives.That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.”Hold onto these
Verses to meditate on
God presides in the great assembly. He judges among the gods.God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.
I said, “You are gods, all of you are sons of the Most High. Nevertheless you shall die like men, and fall like one of the rulers.”I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High. But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.
Jesus answered them, “Isn’t it written in your law, ‘I said, you are gods?’ If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture can’t be broken), do you say of him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You blaspheme,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God?’Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?
I and the Father are one.”I and my Father are one.
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