Psalms

About this book

Psalm 82

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.⁠ 4 Rescue the poor and needy. Deliver them from the power of the wicked.⁠ 5 They neither know nor understand. They stumble around in the dark, while all the foundations of the earth crumble. 6 I thought, ‘You are gods; all of you are sons of the Most High.’⁠ 7 Yet you will die like mortals; you will fall like all the other rulers.” 8 Rise up, O God, and execute judgment on the earth! For you own all the nations.⁠

Texts in conversation

Compare Leviticus 19:15 and Psalm 82:2

Hebrew Bible

Summary

Leviticus instructs judges not to show favoritism to either poor or rich, insisting on fair treatment for all. Psalm 82 follows this concern by accusing the unjust divine rulers of favoring the unrighteous and neglecting the weak.

Passages

Leviticus 19:15

Hebrew Bible

13 You must not oppress your neighbor or commit robbery against your neighbor. You must not withhold the wages of the hired laborer overnight until morning. 14 You must not curse a deaf person or put a stumbling block in front of a blind person. You must fear your God; I am the Lord. 15 “‘You must not deal unjustly in judgment: You must neither show partiality to the poor nor honor the rich. You must judge your fellow citizen fairly. 16 You must not go about as a slanderer among your people. You must not stand idly by when your neighbor’s life is at stake. I am the Lord. 17 You must not hate your brother in your heart. You must surely reprove your fellow citizen so that you do not incur sin on account of him.

750–400 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Leviticus

Psalm 82:2

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. 4 Rescue the poor and needy. Deliver them from the power of the wicked. 5 They neither know nor understand. They stumble around in the dark, while all the foundations of the earth crumble.

600–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Psalms

References

"... “How long?” is an expression found in some laments (see Psalm 90:13). Here, however, the question has the character of a charge against the gods (compare Psalm 94:3–5; Exodus 10:7; 1 Samuel 1:14; Jeremiah 4:14, 21; Psalm 74:10; Proverbs 1:22). Verse 2 is literally “You lift up the faces of the wicked,” i.e., you show respect, favor, and partiality. Verse 3, the word refers to the “weak / lowly / helpless” people (compare e.g., Leviticus 19:15; Judges 6:15; Job 31:16; Psalm 113:7; Isaiah 10:2; Jeremiah 5:4) ..."

Marvin E. Tate, Word Biblical Commentary: Psalms 51-100 (Dallas: Word, 2000), 586.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

Psalms150 psalms

Compare Leviticus 19:15 and Psalm 82:2

Summary

Passages

Leviticus 19:15

Psalm 82:2

References

Your feedback

Leave a comment

Glossary

Search the Library