Psalm 82:1 – God and Judges

Question

How should one read Psalm 82:1? How does the grammar works in this case?

1. Is it that G-d will judge the elohim from the midst of the assembly of G-d?

2. Or is it that G-d takes a stand in the assembly, and there, from the midst of the elohim, He judges

3. Or is it that He will judge with the elohim?

 

So: Does G-d judge against, among or with the elohim (judges).

 

0

Answers

  1. The Just Ask! - AskTheRabbi.org Team

    The accepted reading is, “A song of Assaf, God stands in the assembly of God, in the midst of the judges, shall He judge.”

    The commentaries understand the “assembly of God” to be the Torah scholars who are “el” – powerful – in their Torah knowledge.

    The “midst of the judges, shall He judge” means variously that God penetrates deep into the heart of the judge and endows him with the insight to judge justly. Or, it can also mean that God will penetrate the heart of a corrupt judge and punish him.

    Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team