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New American Bible

2002 11 11
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Chapter 82

1

A psalm of Asaph. 1 God rises in the divine council, gives judgment in the midst of the gods.

2

"How long will you judge unjustly and favor the cause of the wicked? Selah

3

Defend the lowly and fatherless; render justice to the afflicted and needy.

4

Rescue the lowly and poor; deliver them from the hand of the wicked."

5

2 The gods neither know nor understand, wandering about in darkness, and all the world's foundations shake.

6

3 I declare: "Gods though you be, offspring of the Most High all of you,

7

Yet like any mortal you shall die; like any prince you shall fall."

8

4 Arise, O God, judge the earth, for yours are all the nations.

 

 




1 [Psalm 82] As in Psalm 58, the pagan gods are seen as subordinate divine beings to whom Israel's God had delegated oversight of the foreign countries in the beginning ( Deut 32:8-9). Now God arises in the heavenly assembly ( Psalm 82:1) to rebuke the unjust "gods" ( Psalm 82:2-4), who are stripped of divine status and reduced in rank to mortals ( Psalm 82:5-7). They are accused of misruling the earth by not upholding the poor. A short prayer for universal justice concludes the psalm ( Psalm 82:8).



2 [5] The gods are blind and unable to declare what is right. Their misrule shakes earth's foundations (cf Psalm 11:3; 75:4), which God made firm in creation ( Psalm 96:10).



3 [6] I declare: "Gods though you be": in John 10:34 Jesus uses the verse to prove that those to whom the word of God is addressed can fittingly be called "gods."



4 [8] Judge the earth: according to Deut 32:8-9, Israel's God had originally assigned jurisdiction over the foreign nations to the subordinate deities, keeping Israel as a personal possession. Now God will directly take over the rulership of the whole world.






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