A Psalm of Asaph. God presides in the divine assembly; He renders judgment among the gods:
Parallel translations
- WEB A Psalm by Asaph. God presides in the great assembly. He judges among the gods.
- KJV God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.
- NKJV God stands in the congregation of the mighty; He judges among the gods.
- NASB God takes His position in His assembly; He judges in the midst of the gods.
- NLT God presides over heaven’s court; he pronounces judgment on the heavenly beings:
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God stands in the divine assembly and judges among 'the gods.' God Himself holds accountable those entrusted with authority.
Overview
This psalm pictures God presiding over an assembly and rendering judgment on the 'gods,' most commonly understood as human rulers and judges (cf. v. 6-7), though some take them as spiritual powers. Either way, the point is that all authority is subordinate to and answerable to God. He is the supreme Judge over every lesser ruler, a truth fulfilled when Christ judges the living and the dead.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- John 10:35If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and the Scripture cannot be broken—
- 2 Chr 19:6–7Then he said to the judges, “Consider carefully what you do, for you are not judging for man, but for the LORD, who is with you when you render judgment.
- Ps 82:6–7I have said, ‘You are gods; you are all sons of the Most High.’
- Isa 3:13The LORD arises to contend; He stands to judge the people.
- Ps 58:11Then men will say, “There is surely a reward for the righteous! There is surely a God who judges the earth!”
- Eccl 5:8If you see the oppression of the poor and the denial of justice and righteousness in the province, do not be astonished at the matter; for one official is watched by a superior, and others higher still are over them.
- Ps 138:1Of David. I give You thanks with all my heart; before the gods I sing Your praises.
- Exod 22:28You must not blaspheme God or curse the ruler of your people.
- Exod 21:6then his master is to bring him before the judges. And he shall take him to the door or doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he shall serve his master for life.
- Exod 18:21Furthermore, select capable men from among the people—God-fearing, trustworthy men who are averse to dishonest gain. Appoint them over the people as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 82:1 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.