Between Text and Sermon

Psalm 82
Kenneth M. Craig, Jr.
Assistant Professor of Religious Studies
Lees-McRae College

ISRAEL WAS COMMITTED to m o n o t h e i s m , b u t constantly beset by polytheistic influ-

ences. T h e p r o p h e t i c voices of Israel often e c h o e d the divine law, "you shall have
n o o t h e r gods before m e " (Exod. 20:3 a n d Deut. 6:4), because the influence of
o t h e r nations was so p r o f o u n d . Psalm 82 depicts God (Elohim) presiding over a
divine assembly a n d interrogating o t h e r heavenly beings a b o u t their rule over
the nations to which they have b e e n assigned. T h e G o d of Israel passes j u d g m e n t
o n these o t h e r gods, a n d this image is consistent with the Bible's perspective that
the various nations of the world were allotted to s u p e r - h u m a n beings (Deut.
4:19; Dan. 10; Sir. 17:17). T h e issue in Psalm 82 is n o t polytheism however, b u t
the lack of justice in a wicked world. T h e absence of justice causes the earth to
shake (v. 5), a n d this poetic image conveys the idea that injustice t h r e a t e n s cre-
ation itself. While it is easy to identify the ancient gods with the gods of the mod-
e r n world (power, greed, a n d indifference), the psalm may first b e u n d e r s t o o d
o n its own terms. It is a visionary revelation of the heavenly world r o o t e d in the
ancient N e a r East cultic tradition.
T h e image of the gods g a t h e r e d in a divine council as a political-judicial
assembly is a c o m m o n mythological motif of the religious world of the a n c i e n t
Near East, a n d in a s e r m o n it would b e necessary to explain that the use of such
imagery a n d mythology was c o m m o n in the ancient N e a r Eastern world. With
this mythological imagery, the p e o p l e of Israel expressed fundamental convic-
tions a b o u t God.

Structure and Meaning

Psalm 82 has b e e n carefully constructed, a n d the expositor m i g h t begin by
considering its structure for clues to m e a n i n g . In the o p e n i n g scene (v. 1) a
r o u t i n e assembly, where the gods discuss matters, unexpectedly turns into a tri-
bunal. T h e verse depicts G o d standing ( ntsv) to j u d g e m e m b e r s of the divine
council. (Phrases similar to the "divine council" occur in Sumerian, Akkadian,
a n d Ugaritic literatures.) A j u d g e in Israel was normally seated (Exod. 18:13;
J u d g . 4:5; I Kings 7:7; Isa. 16:5; 28:6; Ps. 122:5; Prov. 20:8), while G o d o n t h e
o t h e r h a n d was often portrayed as standing w h e n issuing j u d g m e n t (Isa. 3:13;
Ps. 82:1, 8; 76:10; Acts 7:54-55; Rev. 5:6). T h e o n e G o d "takes his place" before a

Interpretation 281
council of many gods. This portrait anticipates God's pronouncement of judg-
ment on the gods.
Scenes in the Bible are often introduced with a key word in the initial verse.
Shafat ('judge") appears here and in verses 2, 3, and 8. The psalmist explores
issues related to judgment and asks about the administration of justice through-
out the poem. The dominant sound element in the opening verse is the three-
fold repetition of "el. " In the original Hebrew, the repetition of sound is heard
in the words translated as "God," "the divine council," and "the gods." This rep-
etition of sound sets a stage for the unfolding contrast of heavenly authority.
After the narrator's self-imposed silence, God speaks in verse 2 (and will
throughout most of the psalm) to the heavenly beings. The verse introduces a
significant theme of the psalm as the violation of justice is vividly depicted. The
gods, each responsible in his own realm, are addressed collectively. They have
the responsibility of protecting the weak, orphaned, lowly, destitute, and needy
(i.e., the politically marginalized), and now God in ultimate authority confronts
them. God, the guarantor of justice, is aggrieved and lodges an accusation in the
form of a question: How long will you rule unjustly and show partiality to the
wicked? This "how long" question is rhetorical. God does not seek an answer;
God lodges a complaint. In effect, the question has the full force of an impera-
tive: stop it!
A form of the key word from verse 1 {shafat) reappears in verse 2. In the
second instance it has the meaning of "rule" (as opposed to "judge"). The single
word shafat is used to contrast the God who judges with the gods who rule. It is
the action and inaction of these godlike beings that exposes them as demonic
and evil. They favor the wicked while denying justice to those whom the wicked
oppress. The psalmist is calling for intervention in the interest of those who have
been marginalized.
In the original Hebrew, verse 3 opens with an imperative, a summons to
action: "give justice." A norm consisting of justice and compassion is binding on
all the gods. The verse also ends with an imperative: "uphold the (ir) rights." The
speaker isolates four groups between these two pleas for action. They are the
weak, orphaned, afflicted, and destitute. These four words are part of a series of
six words used for the powerless (the weak and needy are singled out in v. 3).
With these images the psalmist draws attention to affliction, life in poverty, but
most of all to a lack of civil rights in the socioeconomic world.
Verse 4 is also framed by two imperatives in the Hebrew ("rescue" and "de-
liver") , and once again within the frame God calls attention to the weak and the
needy. The portrayal of the politically marginalized continues with God's re-
minder that they suffer not because of their own shortcomings, but because of
"the hand of the wicked." By means of this carefully constructed framing se-
quence of imperatives and direct objects (vs. 3-4), God is portrayed as an advo-

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cate for the marginalized.

The speaker shifts and reflects on the condition of the gods in verse 5. God
(or perhaps the narrator) ponders this issue for a moment just before delivering
the verdict (v. 7). The gods are not portrayed as unwilling to do what is re-
quired. They are instead inherently incapable of grasping the issue, incapable of
"walking in the light." The image of benighted gods suggests how they adminis-
ter justice: "They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk around
in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken." The scene shifts in this
verse from heaven to "the earth." The foundations of the earth shake because
the present order is corrupt, and this image of the earth off balance obviously
denotes cosmic chaos. The gods have created chaos and not order. The order
that sustains creation has been subverted. The shift in scenery is reminiscent of
the prologue to the Book of Job. In both instances, the scenes move back and
forth from heaven to earth (cf. Job 1—2).
A trial typically ends with a pronouncement of judgment, and in this trial, as
one would expect, the pronouncement is made by the judge. God's speech is
emphasized as judgment is rendered beginning at verse 6. The emphasis may be
conveyed by the unusual translation, "I, I say," and this attention to the speaker
sets the tone for a major idea at the conclusion of the psalm: God is above the
other gods of the divine council. The declaration of God, and God alone who
calls to the gods, suggests that their divine status is conferred by the ultimate
authority in the cosmos. In this final speech (vs. 6-7) God is portrayed as wrath-
ful and confrontational before the other gods. They are judged on the basis of a
universal norm of compassion and justice. Though stemming from divine pedi-
gree, the gods must answer to a higher authority in heaven, the final court of
appeal. They are themselves subject to the judgment against the norm of com-
passionate justice.
Because these gods have failed to uphold the norm of justice and compas-
sion in their respective lands, God issues a harsh sentence: "You shall die like
mortals and fall like any prince" (v. 7). Immortality is the hallmark of the divine
and mortality that of humankind (see Gen. 3:22). Even though God bestows
dignity upon the gods, they are still mortal. God strips them of their divine status
and condemns them to a human fate. They "fall like any prince." In the concep-
tual field of ancient thought, gods are no longer gods when they fall and die like
mortals.
God's speech concludes at verse 7, and the narrator's voice, which intro-
duced the psalm, closes the psalm in verse 8. God's concern is not restricted to
the guilty. All the earth will be judged. One divine being remains constant in
upholding the norm of justice and compassion. All the nations belong to
Elohim. Visions are frequently interrupted with a call to God (Isa. 6:8; Ezek. 9:8;
11:13; Amos 7:2), and the final verse suggests that the psalm belongs to the vi-
sion report genre. This verse opens with yet another imperative (cf. vs. 3 and 4)

Interpretation 283
as the pray-er now commands God to intervene. Psalms are addresses to God in
poetic form by individuals or communities. It is this last verse, "Rise up O God,
judge the earth; for all the nations belong to you," that makes the poem a psalm.

Conclusion
God takes seriously the mistreatment of the powerless. Injustice shakes the
very foundation of the cosmic order. The issue of who governs in the affairs of
men and women is a central concern of Psalm 82, and its component parts out-
line the theme of God's concern for justice in human society. Vivid imagery is
one of the hallmarks of Hebrew poetry. In this psalm the foundations of the
earth shake because those without power in society have been denied justice by
the gods who walk in darkness. Just as an imbalance in the ecosystem threatens
all forms of life, so the denial of justice threatens the created order.
This psalm's prophetic tone is impressive. It centers on a vision of the divine
council, and the visionary responds to the judgment made in that council. The
psalmist maintains the reality of other gods while acknowledging that God has
ordained their subordination. God is the supreme ruler who alone can bring
justice to the oppressed peoples of the earth. Deuteronomy 4:19 puts it in per-
spective: "And when you look up to the heavens and see the sun, the moon, and
the stars, all the host of heaven, do not be led astray and bow down to them and
serve them, things that the Lord your God has allotted to all the peoples every-
where under heaven."
The Book of Jonah ends with God's rhetorical question addressed to the
prophet: "Should I [God] not be concerned about Nineveh, that great city. . .?"
Jonah sulked after the Ninevites were spared, and God's final question casts the
prophet in a bad light. But this famous question is also aimed at all Jonahs, yes-
terday and today, who deny that all nations belong to God (Psalm 82:8). The
heavenly setting of Psalm 82 eventually moves to earth and invites us to ground
our religion in the earthly business of this world. God stands, even today, and
speaks:
Give justice to the weak and the orphan;
maintain the right of the lowly and destitute
Rescue the weak and needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked.

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