Texts in Conversation
Psalm 82 opens with God standing in a divine assembly to judge other gods. The Melchizedek scroll from the Dead Sea Scrolls quotes this and says Melchizedek is the one who judges, with the gods on trial identified as Belial and his spirits.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Psalm 82:1
Hebrew Bible
1 A psalm of Asaph. God stands in the assembly of El; in the midst of the gods he renders judgment. 2 He says, “How long will you make unjust legal decisions and show favoritism to the wicked? (Selah) 3 Defend the cause of the poor and the fatherless. Vindicate the oppressed and suffering.
11Q13 2:10
The Heavenly Prince Melchizedek
Dead Sea Scrolls, Biblical Interpretation
9 this is the time of the year of favor for Melchizedek and for his armies, the people of the holy ones of God, for a reign of judgment, as it is written 10 about him in the songs of David, who said, “God stands in the assembly [of El]; in the midst of the gods he judges.” And about him he said, “And above it 11 return to the heights; God will judge the peoples.” As for what he said, [“How long] will you judge unjustly and show favor to the wicked? Selah,” 12 its interpretation concerns Belial and the spirits of his lot, who […] … in their turning away from the statutes of God [to act wickedly]. 13 But Melchizedek will carry out the vengeance of the judgments of God, [and on that day he will] deliver them [from the hand of] Belial and from the hand of all the spirits [of his lot].
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Notes and References
"... This thematic constellation also appears in a text in the Dead Sea Scrolls that cites Psalm 82 in connection with the figure of Melchizedek. This text, 11QMelchizedek (11Q13, column II), draws on a number of scriptural texts to explain the eschatological judgments to be executed; these include the condemnation of wicked spirits, which the text explicates by citing Psalm 82:1-2. For 11QMelchizedek, the ’elohim of Psalm 82:1 are nothing more than "Belial and the spirits of his lot." This passage shows a second shift with respect to ’elohim: Melchizedek himself is represented no longer as a non-Israelite king of Israel’s past, but as a major divine force serving with "all the gods" in the eschatological plan of God (column II, line 14). The figure of Melchizedek is also characterized in the Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice at Qumran as "priest in the [divine] assem[bly]" (4Q401, fragment 11, line 3), a characterization that perhaps echoes the council of God in Psalm 82:1 and shows another reconfiguration of this thematic constellation. ..."
Smith, Mark S.
God in Translation: Deities in Cross-Cultural Discourse in the Biblical World
(pp. 213-214) Mohr Siebeck, 2008
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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