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Psalm Eighty-two
New King James Version (NKJV)
YLT -- A Psalm of Asaph.
INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 82
A Psalm of Asaph. This psalm was written for the use of
persons in power
for the instruction of kings and princes
judges and civil
magistrates; according to Kimchi
it was written about the times of
Jehoshaphat
who appointed new judges throughout the land; those that were
before having been very corrupt
to whom he gave a charge agreeably to the
purport of this psalm
2 Chronicles 19:5
but it seems rather to
be written by Asaph
in the times of David
under a spirit of prophecy
and has
respect to the times of Christ
when there was a great corruption among the
judges and rulers of the Jews
both civil and ecclesiastic. The Syriac version
calls it
"a reproof of the ungodly Jews"; our Lord cites a passage
out of it in vindication of himself from their charge of blasphemy
John 10:34.
Psalm 82:1 God
stands in the congregation of the mighty; He judges among the gods.[a]
YLT
1God hath stood in the
company of God
In the midst God doth judge.
God standeth in the congregation of the mighty
.... The
Syriac version renders it
"in the congregation of angels"; they are
mighty
and excel in strength
and there is a large company of them
even an
innumerable one
and who surround the throne of the Majesty on high. Christ
who is God over all
was among those on Mount Sinai
and when he ascended to
heaven; and with these he will descend when he comes a second time
Psalm 68:17. The Targum interprets it of
the righteous thus
"God
whose majesty (or Shechinah) dwells in the congregation of the righteous that
are strong in the law.'
It
may be better understood of such as are strong in the Lord
in the grace that
is in Christ
and in the exercise of grace upon him; who are gathered out of
the world unto him
and unto distinct societies and congregations; in the midst
of which God is
where he grants his presence
bestows the blessings of his
grace
and affords his divine aid and protection; and where Christ the Son of
God is
and will be to the end of the world. The words may be rendered
"God standeth in the congregation of God"F1בעדת אל "in congregatione
Dei"
Pagninus
Cocceius
Gejerus
Michaelis; so Vatablus
Junius &
Tremellius
Piscator
Ainsworth. : that is
in his own congregation
his church
and people; but it seems best of all to understand the words of rulers and
civil magistrates
of the cabinet councils of princes
of benches of judges
and courts of judicature; in all which God is present
and observes what is
said and done; perhaps reference may be had to the Jewish sanhedrim
the chief
court of judicature with the Jews
consisting of seventy one persons; in the
midst of which Christ
God manifest in the flesh
God in our nature
stood
and
was ill used
and most unjustly judged by them
of whose unjust judgment
complaint is made in the next verse:
he judgeth among the gods: which the Syriac version
renders "angels" again; and so Aben Ezra interprets it of them
who
are so called
Psalm 8:5
but rather civil magistrates are
meant
the rulers and judges of the people
who go by this name of
"elohim"
or gods
in Exodus 21:6
and are so called because they
are the powers ordained of God
are representatives of him
are his vicegerents
and deputies under him; should act in his name
according to his law
and for
his glory
and are clothed with great power and authority from and under him;
and therefore are before styled the "mighty". Among these Christ
the
Son of God
judges
to whom all judgment is committed; he qualifies these for
the discharge of their office
he directs them how to judge
and all the right
judgment they make and do is from him
"by" whom "kings"
reign
and princes decree justice; by whom princes rule
and
nobles
even all the judges of the earth; and to whom they are all
accountable
and will be themselves judged by him another day
Proverbs 8:15 so the Targum
"in
the midst of the judges of truth he judges.'
Psalm 82:2 2 How long will you judge
unjustly
And show partiality to the wicked? Selah
YLT
2Till when do ye judge
perversely? And the face of the wicked lift up? Selah.
How long will ye judge unjustly
.... These are the words
not of the psalmist
but of the divine Person that stands in the congregation
of the mighty
and judges among the gods; calling the unjust judges to an
account
and reproving them for their unrighteous proceedings and perversion of
justice
in which they had long continued
and which was an aggravation of
their sin; this is very applicable to the rulers and judges of the Jewish
nation in the times of Christ
who had long dealt very unjustly
and continued
to do so; they judged wrong judgment
or judgment of iniquity
as Aben Ezra
renders it
both in civil and ecclesiastical things; their judgment was
depraved concerning the law
which they transgressed and made void by adhering
to the traditions of the elders; they passed an unrighteous judgment on John the
Baptist
the forerunner of Christ
rejecting his baptism
and calling him a
devil; and upon Christ himself
adjudging him to death for crimes he was not
guilty of; and upon his followers
whom they cast out of the synagogue; the
character of an unjust judge see in Luke 18:2
and accept the persons of the wicked? gave the
cause in favour of them
and against the righteous
because they were rich
or
related to them
or had bribes from them
contrary to the law in Deuteronomy 16:19
so the judges among the
Jews
in Christ's time
judged according to appearance
the outward
circumstances of men
and not righteous judgment
as our Lord suggests
John 7:24.
Selah. See Gill on Psalm 3:2.
Psalm 82:3 3 Defend the poor and
fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and needy.
YLT
3Judge ye the weak and
fatherless
The afflicted and the poor declare righteous.
Defend the poor and fatherless
.... Or
judgeF4שפטו "judicate"
V. L. Pagninus
Montanus
Musculus
Junius & Tremellius
Gejerus
Michaelis. them; such as have no
money to enter and carry on a suit
and have no friends to assist and advise
them
and abide by them; these should be taken under the care and wing of
judges; their cause should be attended to
and justice done them; their persons
should be protected
and their property defended and secured for
since they
are called gods
they ought to imitate him whose name they bear
who is the
Father of the fatherless
the Judge of the widows
and the helper of the poor
that commit themselves to him
Psalm 10:14
such a righteous judge and
good magistrate was Job; see Job 29:12
do justice to the afflicted and needy; or
"justify"F5הצדיקו
"justificate"
V. L. Pagninus
Montanus
Vatablus
Musculus
Cocceius
&c. them
pronounce them righteous
give the cause for them
not
right or wrong
nor because they are poor and needy
but because they are in
the right; for
if wicked
they are not to be justified
this is an abomination
to the Lord; see Leviticus 19:15.
Psalm 82:4 4 Deliver the poor and
needy; Free them from the hand of the wicked.
YLT
4Let the weak and needy
escape
From the hand of the wicked deliver them.
Deliver the poor and needy
.... From his adversary
and oppressor
who is mightier than he
and draws him to the judgment seat;
when it is not in his power to defend himself against him
and get out of his
hands
unless a righteous judge will show a regard to him and his cause; and
sometimes even an unjust judge
through importunity
will do this
as everyone
ought
and every righteous one will:
rid them out of the hand of the wicked; this was what
the poor widow importuned the unjust judge for
and obtained
Luke 18:3.
Psalm 82:5 5 They do not know
nor do
they understand; They walk about in darkness; All the foundations of the earth
are unstable.
YLT
5They knew not
nor do they
understand
In darkness they walk habitually
Moved are all the foundations of
earth.
They knew not
.... The Targum adds
to do well. This is to
be understood of unjust judges and wicked magistrates
who know not God
and
have not the fear of him before their eyes
though he stands in the midst of
them
and judges among them; which is the source of their unjust judging and
unrighteous proceedings: for because they know not God
nor fear him
therefore
they regard not men: nor do such know themselves; they are called gods
and
they think they are so
and do not consider they are but men; they are the
ministers of God
deputies under him
and are accountable to him: nor do they
know their duty before pointed out; it is for them to know judgment
what is right
and what is wrong
that they may pronounce righteous judgment
Micah 3:2
but they do not know it
at
least so as to practise it: nor did the Jewish rulers know Christ
which was
the reason of their unrighteous dealing with him and with his followers; they
put him to death
and so they did them
because they knew him not
1 Corinthians 2:8
neither will they understand: the Targum adds
by way
of explanation
"the law"
the rule of judgment
which judges ought
to understand; so the Jewish rulers
Pharisees and Sadducees
were upbraided by
Christ with ignorance of the Scriptures
and the law of God
their false
glosses of which he refutes
Matthew 5:1 and their ignorance was wilful
and affected
they shut their eyes against light and evidence
especially with
respect to Christ; they could discern the face of the sky
but not the signs of
the times
Matthew 16:3
who so blind as they that
will not see? and such were the Jewish rulers; see Isaiah 42:19
they walk on in darkness; they chose darkness
rather than light
and so were blind leaders of the blind
and were wilfully
so
having their eyes blinded with gifts
Deuteronomy 16:19
all the foundations of the earth are out of course; or "shaken"
or "moved"F6ימוטו
"moventur"
Vatablus; "dimoventur"
Junius &
Tremellius
Piscator; "commoventur"
Gejerus; "nutant"
Tigurine version. : by the perversion of justice
towns
cities
commonwealths
kingdoms
and states
are thrown into the utmost disorder and confusion: as the
king by judgment establisheth the land; Proverbs 29:4
so when judgment is not
executed
it is unsettled
and thrown into confusion; or thoughF7So
Ainsworth. "the foundation"
&c. though this is the case
yet
unjust judges will go on
perverting judgment
even though
as at the deluge
the foundations of the earth were shaken and moved
for the violence
rapine
and oppression
the earth was then filled with
which Kimchi thinks is here
referred to; and though a dissolution of the Jewish polity
civil and
ecclesiastical
was threatened
because of such injustice; that God would once
more shake the heavens and the earth
remove their church and civil state
when
they should cease to be a nation
their city be destroyed
and their temple
not one stone left upon another; and yet such was the obstinacy of their wicked
judges
that they would persist their wicked ways.
Psalm 82:6 6 I said
“You are
gods
[b] And all of
you are children of the Most High.
YLT
6I -- I have said
`Gods ye
[are]
And sons of the Most High -- all of you
I have said
ye are gods
.... In the law
Exodus 21:6 or they were so by his
appointment and commission; he constituted them judges and magistrates
invested them with such an office
by which they came to have this title; see Romans 13:1
and so our Lord interprets
these words
that they were gods "to whom" the word of God came
which gave them a commission and authority to exercise their office
John 10:35
or rather "against
whom" it came
pronouncing the sentence of death on them
as in Psalm 82:7
to which the reference is;
declaring
that though they were gods by office
yet were mortal men
and
should die. The Targum is
"I said
as angels are ye accounted"; and
so judges and civil magistrates had need to be as angels
and to have the
wisdom of them; see 2 Samuel 14:20. Jarchi interprets it of
angels
but magistrates are undoubtedly meant:
and all of you are children of the most High; the Targum
here again renders it
"the
angels of the most High:'
and
so Aben Ezra explains it of them who are called the sons of God
Job 38:7 but men in power are meant
who
because of their eminency and dignity
their high office
post
and place
are
so called; see Genesis 6:2.
Psalm 82:7 7 But you shall die like
men
And fall like one of the princes.”
YLT
7But as man ye die
and as
one of the heads ye fall
But ye shall die like men
.... As men in common do
to whom it is appointed to die
Hebrews 9:27 or as common men
as men in
the lowest class of life: the wise man dies as the fool
the king as the
peasant
high as the low
rich as the poor; death levels and makes all alike:
or as Adam
as the first man
so Jarchi
who was lord of the whole universe;
but being in honour
abode not
but became like the beasts that perish; sinning
he died
and so all his posterity
even those who have the greatest power and
authority on earth; see Psalm 49:2 and not only die a corporeal
death
but an eternal one
dying in their sins; as Christ threatened the Jewish
rulers
Scribes
and Pharisees
if they believed not in him
John 8:21.
and fall like one of the princes; or the chief of them
Satan
who fell like lightning from heaven
Luke 10:18 or rather as one of the giants
that lived in the old world
famous for their injustice and oppression
that
fell in the deluge
Genesis 6:4 or any of the Heathen princes
tyrants and oppressors
such as are mentioned in the following psalm
Psalm 83:9. This may have respect to the
destruction of the Jewish nation
which is called the falling of them
Romans 11:11 and the words may be rendered
"and ye shall fall together
equally and alike
O ye princes"F1כאחד "pariter; sive ex aequo"
Maius apud
Gataker. Cin. c. 10. p. 292. ; when the Jewish state
civil and ecclesiastical
fell
they fell with it
and together; the princes of this world then came to
nought
or were abolished
they and their authority
as the Apostle Paul says
they should
1 Corinthians 2:6 the sceptre then departed
from Judah
and the lawgiver from between his feet; all rule and authority
ceased among them
as Jacob foretold it would
Genesis 49:10.
Psalm 82:8 8 Arise
O God
judge the
earth; For You shall inherit all nations.
YLT
8Rise
O God
judge the
earth
For Thou hast inheritance among all the nations!
Arise
O God
.... These are the words of the prophet
or
of the church
whom he represents
addressing Christ
who is God over all; that
seeing there was such a corruption and degeneracy in the world
and such
wretched perversion of justice
that he would arise and exert himself
and show
himself strong on the behalf of his people:
judge the earth: who is the Judge of the whole earth
to
whom all judgment is committed
and who will judge the world in righteousness:
for thou shalt inherit all nations; which he will do in the
latter day
when he shall be King over all the earth
and the Heathen shall be
given him for his inheritance
he being heir of all things; and universal
justice will not take place in the world till that time comes; and therefore it
is to be wished and prayed for
as by the prophet and church here.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)