Psalm 82:3
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.
Proverbs 31:9
7 let them drink and forget their poverty, and remember their misery no more. 8 Open your mouth on behalf of those unable to speak, for the legal rights of all the dying. 9 Open your mouth, judge in righteousness, and plead the cause of the poor and needy. 10 Who can find a wife of noble character? For her value is far more than rubies. 11 Her husband’s heart has trusted her, and he does not lack the dividends.
Notes and References
"... God is, in our text, 'standing up in council'; why is he not 'sitting,' as befits the leader of the divine assembly? Most likely, the term 'stand up' already suggests juridical action against the culprits (compare verse 8: 'rise up, God'; likewise in some psalms, e.g., 44:24-27). The divine council is a well-known institution in Ugaritic mythology. There, e.g., Baal stands up to give rousing speeches against his enemies (compare ANET, 130, 132 = Baal III, 10-13). The body of the psalm is taken up by direct address aimed at the 'gods' responsible for corrupted justice. The tenu špt pervades the whole psalm, from the first to the last line. The accusation ('how long?') happens because of chronic misjudgment in favor of the 'wicked' ones (verse 2b). This crime is demonstrated more clearly in a command to do justice (four imperatives in cross-position), which really implies only censure (verses 3-4). Surprisingly, we find the 'poor' and 'weak,' the social outcasts, in opposition to the 'wicked.' Unless the marginalized understand themselves in this psalm as the only legitimate community (Psalm 37), we have to explain this crucial juxtaposition. At this point we note a strong affinity of this censure with sapiential and D social ethos (compare 'lowly'; 'poor': Proverbs 10:15; 13:8, 23; 14:20, 31; 19:1, 7, 22; 21:13; 22:9; 'orphan'; 'miserable, poor': Deuteronomy 10:18; 15:4, 7, 9, 11; 16:11, 14; 24:12, 14, 15; 27:19; etc.). A very similar command to do what is right within an accusation is Isaiah 1:17 ..."
Gerstenberger, Erhard Psalms. Part 2, and Lamentations (pp. 113-114) Eerdmans, 2001