Read Psalm 82 at Bible Gateway.
The structure of Psalm 82 as a reverse parallelism is more easily seen from the Hebrew:
1a) Psa 82:1, God (Elohiym) stands in the congregation of God (El); In the midst of the judges (elohiym) He judges;
1b) Psa 82:2, “How long will you judge unjustly, And show partiality to the wicked? Selah;
1c) Psa 82:3, Defend the poor and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and needy;
2c) Psa 82:4, Deliver the poor and needy; Free them from the hand of the wicked;
2b) Psa 82:5: The state and effect of unjust judges:
5a They do not know, nor do they understand; They walk about in darkness; {n}
5b All the foundations of the earth are unstable;
2a) Psa 82:6-8: The judgment of God upon the judges He judges:
6 I said: You are godlike beings (elohiym), And all of you sons of the Most High (Elyown);
7 Nevertheless you shall die like men, And fall like one of the princes;”
8 Arise, O God (Elohiym), judge the earth; For You shall inherit all nations. {p}
As far as men being called “godlike beings,” all mankind has been created in the image of God. Judges, however, are accorded greater reverence, for all men address them as, “Your Honor,” a title above other men. As well, it is judges who have the authority to rule against and reign in kings and princes, when they strike down unconstitutional laws (I know I am speaking as an American now). But God the Lord is the Judge of judges, and He reminds them that they are but men.
The B pair was most interesting to me. It is easy to see how unjust judges walk about in darkness and without wisdom or understanding. But the psalm appears to be saying, that when judges rule unjustly, they make the very foundations of the earth unstable. It might be that there is a spiritual effect upon the natural order, but aside from that, what are the foundations of the earth? Righteousness, Justice, Mercy, Marriage, Family, Honor of parents, Sanctity of Life … all of those things encoded in Torah. These are the foundations that are eroded when judges abuse their power in order to promote wickedness and aid the oppression of the poor, fatherless, and needy.
Jill says
Thank you for this – I am using this information cited in my paper~!
christine says
You are very welcome Jill. Please do come back again. 🙂