Psalm 82
| Psalm 82 | |
|---|---|
| "God standeth in the congregation of the mighty" | |
 Drawing for Psalm 82 in analbum amicorumbyPetronella Moens | |
| Other name |
|
| Text | A psalm of Asaph |
| Language | Hebrew (original) |
| Psalm 82 | |
|---|---|
| Book | Book of Psalms |
| Hebrew Bible part | Ketuvim |
| Order in the Hebrew part | 1 |
| Category | Sifrei Emet |
| Christian Bible part | Old Testament |
| Order in the Christian part | 19 |
Psalm 82is the 82ndpsalmof theBook of Psalms,beginning in English in theKing James Version:"God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.". In the slightly different numbering system used in the GreekSeptuagintand LatinVulgatetranslations of the Bible, this psalm isPsalm 81.In Latin, it is known as "Deus stetit in synagoga deorum".[1]It is one of the 12Psalms of Asaph.[2]TheNew King James Versiondescribes it as "a plea forjustice";[3]Alexander Kirkpatricksees it as "a vision of God as the Judge of judges".[4]
The psalm forms a regular part ofJewish,Catholic,Lutheran,Anglicanand other Protestant liturgies. It has been set to music.
Text
[edit]Hebrew
[edit]The following table shows the Hebrew text[5][6]of the Psalm with vowels alongside an English translation based upon theJPS 1917translation (now in thepublic domain).
| Verse | Hebrew | English translation (JPS 1917) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | מִזְמ֗וֹר לְאָ֫סָ֥ף אֱֽלֹהִ֗ים נִצָּ֥ב בַּעֲדַת־אֵ֑ל בְּקֶ֖רֶב אֱלֹהִ֣ים יִשְׁפֹּֽט׃ | A Psalm of Asaph. God standeth in the congregation of God; in the midst of the judges He judgeth: |
| 2 | עַד־מָתַ֥י תִּשְׁפְּטוּ־עָ֑וֶל וּפְנֵ֥י רְ֝שָׁעִ֗ים תִּשְׂאוּ־סֶֽלָה׃ | 'How long will ye judge unjustly, and respect the persons of the wicked? Selah |
| 3 | שִׁפְטוּ־דַ֥ל וְיָת֑וֹם עָנִ֖י וָרָ֣שׁ הַצְדִּֽיקוּ׃ | Judge the poor and fatherless; do justice to the afflicted and destitute. |
| 4 | פַּלְּטוּ־דַ֥ל וְאֶבְי֑וֹן מִיַּ֖ד רְשָׁעִ֣ים הַצִּֽילוּ׃ | Rescue the poor and needy; deliver them out of the hand of the wicked. |
| 5 | לֹ֤א יָדְע֨וּ ׀ וְלֹ֥א יָבִ֗ינוּ בַּחֲשֵׁכָ֥ה יִתְהַלָּ֑כוּ יִ֝מּ֗וֹטוּ כׇּל־מ֥וֹסְדֵי אָֽרֶץ׃ | They know not, neither do they understand; they go about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are moved. |
| 6 | אֲֽנִי־אָ֭מַרְתִּי אֱלֹהִ֣ים אַתֶּ֑ם וּבְנֵ֖י עֶלְי֣וֹן כֻּלְּכֶֽם׃ | I said: Ye are godlike beings, and all of you sons of the Most High. |
| 7 | אָ֭כֵן כְּאָדָ֣ם תְּמוּת֑וּן וּכְאַחַ֖ד הַשָּׂרִ֣ים תִּפֹּֽלוּ׃ | Nevertheless ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.' |
| 8 | קוּמָ֣ה אֱ֭לֹהִים שׇׁפְטָ֣ה הָאָ֑רֶץ כִּֽי־אַתָּ֥ה תִ֝נְחַ֗ל בְּכׇל־הַגּוֹיִֽם׃ | Arise, O God, judge the earth; for Thou shalt possess all the nations. |
King James Version
[edit]- God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.
- How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah.
- Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.
- Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.
- They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course.
- 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, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations.
Contextual interpretation
[edit]This psalm originates in the context of the ancient Hebrews, and their Ancient Near Eastern environment.[7]Kirkpatrick observes how it "sets forth, in a highly poetical and imaginative form, the responsibility of earthly judges to the Supreme Judge."[4]The final verse of the Psalm, verse 8, has God in thefuture tense"inheriting the nations", where elsewhere in the psalms, "the Son" inherited the nations inPsalm 2,and the believing community inherits the nations inPsalms 25and37.
Uses
[edit]Judaism
[edit]- Psalm 82 is the psalm of the day in theShir Shel Yomon Tuesday.[8]
- It is recited onHoshana Rabbah.[9]
- Verse 1 is part of MishnahTamid7:4[10]and is found inPirkei AvotChapter 3, no. 7.[11]
Christianity
[edit]Jesusquotes verse 6 inJohn10:34:"I said, 'You are gods.'"[12]Jesus uses this text to assert that he is not blaspheming when he calls himself theSon of God.The second part of verse 6, "All of you are sons of the Most High", does not appear in the text quoted byJohn.QuotingBishop Westcott,Kirkpatrick says of this text: "The fact that it was possible for men so to represent God as to be called gods or divine was a foreshadowing of theIncarnation.'There lay already in the Law the germ of the truth which Christ announced, the union of God and man.' "[13]
Jesus alludes directly to Psalm 82, where the elohim (gods) receive the word of God in the form of judgment and condemnation. Against his accusers, Jesus was appealing to the precedent already established in theTorah,which referred to God's holy ones, or his divine council, as "gods" (elohim).[14]In theChurch of England'sBook of Common Prayer,this psalm is appointed to be read in the evening of the 16th day of the month.[15]
In theEastern OrthodoxandEastern CatholicVesperal Liturgy for Holy Saturday, Psalm 82 (81 in the Septuagint version) represents the point at which the wicked and fallen angels have sentence pronounced against them during theHarrowing of Hell.[16]
Musical settings
[edit]Heinrich Schützset Psalm 82 in a metred version in German, "Singet mit Freuden unserm Gott", SWV 179, as part of theBecker Psalter,first published in 1628.
Norma Wendelburgcomposed a choral setting in English, "Arise, O God, to Judge the Earth" for mixed choir and optional organ in 1973.
References
[edit]- ^Parallel Latin/English Psalter,Psalmus 81 (82).Archived2017-05-07 at theWayback MachineMedievalist.
- ^Psalm 81:New International Version
- ^Psalm 82:NKJV
- ^abKirkpatrick, A. F. (1906),Cambridge Bible for Schoolson Psalm 82, accessed 9 March 2022
- ^"Psalms – Chapter 82".Mechon Mamre.
- ^"Psalms 82 - JPS 1917".Sefaria.org.
- ^Heiser 2015,pp. 23–38.
- ^The Complete Artscroll Siddur, p. 164
- ^The Artscroll Tehillim, p. 329
- ^The Complete Artscroll Siddur, p. 479
- ^The Complete Artscroll Siddur, p. 559
- ^Kirkpatrick, A. F. (1901).The Book of Psalms: with Introduction and Notes.The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. Vol. Book IV and V: Psalms XC–CL. Cambridge: At the University Press. p. 839.RetrievedFebruary 28,2019.
- ^Quoted inCambridge Bible for Schools and Collegeson Psalm 82, accessed 23 May 2016
- ^Heiser 2015,pp. 163–171.
- ^Church of England,Book of Common Prayer: The Psalteras printed byJohn Baskervillein 1762, pp. 196ff
- ^<https://blogs.ancientfaith.com/asd/2021/05/01/arise-o-god/>
Bibliography
[edit]- Heiser, Michael (2015).The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible(Kindle edition).Billingham, WA 98225, USA: Lexham Press.ISBN978-1-57-799556-2.
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External links
[edit]
Mediafrom Commons
Quotationsfrom Wikiquote
Textsfrom Wikisource
Datafrom Wikidata
- Pieces with text from Psalm 82:Scores at theInternational Music Score Library Project
- Psalm 82:Free scores at theChoral Public Domain Library(ChoralWiki)
- Psalm 82in Hebrew and English, Mechon-mamre
- Text of Psalm 82 according to the1928 Psalter
- A psalm of Asaph. God takes a stand in the divine council, gives judgment in the midst of the gods.(text and footnotes) United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
- Psalm 82 – Earthly Judges Before the Great Judge(text and detailed commentary) enduringword.com
- Psalm 82:1(introduction and text) Bible study tools
- Psalm 82 / Refrain: Arise, O God, and judge the earth.Church of England
- Psalm 82Bible gateway
- Charles H. Spurgeon:Psalm 82(commentary) spurgeon.org
- Hymns for Psalm 82hymnary.org
