How do we respond to this interpretation of Psa 82 besides using Isaiah 43:10

[TheLearner]

"

Psalm 82
When you first look at this case, it looks run-of-the-mill, boilerplate, like so many other poems in the Book of Psalms. You see one, you’ve seen a hundred. Its theme is that Yahweh is just and he knows how to manage the world. Of course; classic. Its form is also classic, a series of lines that are similar in length, and each line has mainly two but sometimes three balanced parts (Bible sleuths call it parallelism).

Three things make this a unique case for me. I’ll tick them off. One, most poems in the Book of Psalms are either lyrical, in which someone expresses a sentiment in the present, or narrative, in which someone tells an event in the past. But this poem is dramatic; it portrays an event in the present. It’s set up like a journalist holding a video-camera: first they introduce what is happening, then they allow the camera to capture the scene directly, so the viewer hears and sees what is unfolding in real time. But the reader doesn’t watch a performed scene; they read the text and conjure its scene in their own mind.

Second unusual aspect: the poem presents the moment when Yahweh becomes the only god running the world. It does not say that people once thought there were many gods, then decided actually there is only one. It says that originally there were many gods, each running its own territory and people, but then Yahweh took over for all of them.

Three, the poem doesn’t even say that when it was all over, Yahweh was the only god left. The father and manager of the gods, El Elyon, is still around; he just becomes redundant. With no gang of gods to run anymore, he goes into retirement. Yahweh is the last god standing in effect.

If that was too much, here’s the quick version. Plenty of biblical writers talk about divine councils and gods running the world. Heck, one text has it all in plain sight: El Elyon divided up the world among the gods, but Yahweh selected for himself a landless people, “Jacob” (an alias for “Israel”), to help them thrive (Deuteronomy 32:8–14; if you don’t trust me, and you shouldn’t, go to the bottom of this case file). But only the writer of Psalm 82 gives an account of the change from many gods to Yahweh (and El Elyon).

P.S. Gods in those days used aliases and you have to keep track of who’s who. Stay with me here: The poem says “Elohim” instead of “Yahweh,” but they’re the same god. Also, “El” and “Elyon” are the same god, “El Elyon” actually, and El Elyon is a different god than Elohim (Yahweh).

P.P.S. I always say, if you care about a case, follow the quotes, who’s speaking and who’s quoting whom. In this case, first speaks the narrator, then Elohim (who at one point quotes El Elyon), then El Elyon (who at one point quotes himself). I added quotation marks to help you follow the trail.



Psalm 82

1 A psalm, of Asaph.

Elohim stands in the assembly of El / Amidst the deities he indicts: //

2 “How long will you judge perversely / and to the wicked will you show favor!? // (Selah)

3 ‘Champion wretched and orphan! / Lowly and poor vindicate! //

4 Rescue wretched and needy! / From the hand of criminals extricate!’ //

5 They never knew and do not see / in darkness do they go about /

all the foundations of the earth are being shaken!” //

6 “I had declared: ‘You are divine beings!’ / and: ‘You all are sons of Elyon!’ //

7 But (now), like humanity shall you die / and like any of the rulers shall you fall. //

8 Arise, O Elohim! / Judge the earth! /

For you shall make your estate among all the nations.” //

...

The heading of this poem isn’t too troublesome. Asaph is in the heading of a dozen poems, all of which have interesting content (Psalms 50, 73–83). But Asaph is a very elusive character. The first great Bible sleuths, from way back in the Persian and early Hellenistic periods (“Second Temple” times) — whose notes and files are collected in Chronicles–Ezra-Nehemiah — worked up a whole bio on him: he’s a Levite whom King David charged with composing and performing temple music. But sleuths back then had different aims and methods; they took shreds of any threads and wove a major yarn. By today’s standards what they had on Asaph is wishful thinking. The guy is a ghost. But it doesn’t affect the poem.

Another unsolvable part of the poem that also does not affect it is the word “selah.” No sleuth I know of has cracked this nut, and I’ve got nothing on it. Sorry.

 

[TheLearner]

The hardest part of the poem is a bunch of expressions for “god,” “gods,” and the names of specific gods that all go two ways (el, elohim, and elyon). If — like most sleuths actually — your theory is that the poem represents a world in which one god exists, “God,” and all these expressions refer to him, then the poem is completely confusing about who is in the scene and what they are saying to whom about whom else. Bible sleuths have debunked the theory that people in ancient Israel and Judea believed in one god like modern-day monotheists, but even sleuths still find the poem baffling. So how to read it? If you ever had a case where you had to go through transcripts of phone conversations without names, you know what to do. I read the poem like the record of a conversation, following the threads of what is being said and to whom. This allowed me to figure out who must be doing the talking at each point, and the whole case became clear.

First, a voice, narrator (like a reporter), says that right now Elohim is standing in the council of El (a different god, who presides over the proceedings), and that Elohim is in the process there of making an accusation. The narrator ceases speaking and never returns. In the rest, we hear Elohim directly, then El Elyon directly.

Next, Elohim indicts the other members of El’s council, namely, all the other gods, for failing to administer justice in the world. He begins with the rhetorical question “How long!?” Then he quotes El’s original charge to the gods. To conclude, Elohim talks about some group not having knowledge and the sense of justice and stumbling about in darkness (the only metaphor in the poem!), and the world being on the brink of collapse. I have a few theories about this statement, but no way to decide which is right. Here are my theories: (1) Elohim is still talking to the gods, and he talks about humanity having no clear rules or experience of justice. (2) Elohim turns now to talk to El, and he talks about the gods having no knowledge, no understanding, no illumination. (3) Again, Elohim is talking to El now, and first he talks about the gods not having knowledge or understanding then he talks about humanity stumbling about in darkness.

What I do feel certain about is that the very final remark, that the world is on the brink of collapse, is not a metaphor but is meant literally. Some clever sleuthing has figured out that the ancient scientists saw the world almost like a snow globe: The sky is a solid dome that meets the water out in the distance, the earth is a single giant slab surrounded by water, and it is held up by an underwater mountain or set of columns. But they also thought that this system must be maintained by human behavior and it can be wrecked by human misbehavior. When humanity misbehaves, pollution is created or the forces of decomposition accelerate. It seeps into the earth, wrecking its fertility, and seeps further down to the columns that hold it up and rots them, so the earth could collapse. This is what Elohim means: the gods have allowed so much corruption that columns are rotting and tottering. If you’ve heard of the Flood story with Noah and you look at the language there (Genesis 6–9), you don’t have to be a trained sleuth to see the same idea there — and in many other texts in the Bible.

In the last section, El speaks. First, he talks to the gods and gives his verdict. In the past, he made them gods, his very own children; now he strips them of their jobs and of their immortality. Next, he talks to Elohim and charges him with replacing the gods and managing the entire earth himself.

In case you are really new to these kinds of cases, let me add that, formally, there is a bit of symmetry in this structure. Elohim speaks to the gods, along the way he quotes El’s original charge to them, and he concludes by speaking to El (in options 2 and 3) in a long, three-clause line. So too El speaks to the gods, along the way he quotes his original declaration to them, and he concludes by speaking to Yahweh in a long, three-clause line.

Some of you inquiring types might want to know a bit more about the elohim-Elohim-gods-God-Yahweh mess. Here is an extra set of notes for you.

One of the tripping points of this case is that the word elohim is used for both Elohim (“God”) and “gods.” And by the way, some careful searching shows that elohim can mean gods with a sex-drive (Gen 6:1–4), fate (Exod 21:12–14), and ghosts or spirits (1 Sam 28:13; Isaiah 8:19). Why didn’t the poet use the name “Yahweh” instead of “Elohim,” which would have cleared up the mess to begin with? Here’s the catch: the original poet most probably did and someone changed it. This is an instance where some really clever sleuthing has turned up some interesting tidbits. You never know when tidbits are going to come in handy, so you file them away under “S” for “Sherlock moment.” Here’s how my thinking goes, building on facts that other sleuths have uncovered and developed:

Fact 1: The Book of Psalms has 150 poems, and 42 of them have many more Elohims and much fewer Yahwehs than than all the others (Psalms 42–83); it looks like someone replaced the name Yahweh by Elohim. Psalm 82 is in this group. Fact 2: The Book of Psalms is a collection of existing collections, a combination of small scrolls onto a single big one. Fact 3: In Second Temple times, there were widely different versions of the Book of Psalms. Sleuth’s Theory: Whoever collected our version of Psalms included a scroll of 42 poems in which there was much more Elohim and less Yahweh than all the other scrolls collected. Speculation: That 42-poem scroll was a copy. The original had Yahweh, but when this copy was made, the copyist replaced it. Why? Scenarios: (1) The copyist was a junior copyist whose teacher feared too many mistakes and requested a non-sacred copy; (2) the copyist was preparing the scroll for a non-sacred setting. Yes, you sharpies are right, in both scenarios, Elohim is considered a non-sacred name, not like today. Now you’re knee-deep in my world.

For those of you who trust no one, which is how it ought to be, as I always say, I’ll show you some of my evidence. In Deuteronomy 31–32, Yahweh composes a poem and dictates it to Moses to teach the Israelites, and this poem says that it is traditional knowledge (32:7 “Just go ask your father and he’ll tell you, your elders and they’ll say it to you”) that Elyon divided the world among the gods, but Yahweh chose landless, fledging Israel for himself to help them thrive (verses 8–14). In the current Hebrew version, Yahweh says “When Elyon made the nations into estates, when he separated humanity, he set the territories of the peoples by the number of Israelites (בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל).” All sleuths see how strange this is. El Elyon has no special love for Israelites, they didn’t exist yet, and what number would that be anyway? It doesn’t take a super-sleuth to see that someone doctored the original version, which was “gods” (בְּנֵי אֱלֹהִים). But you don’t have to believe me about that; see for yourself a fragment found in a cave by the Dead Sea: https://iaa-dss.appspot.com/explore-the-archive/image/B-359054. The Septuagint, an ancient Jewish translation into Greek, has here “angels of God,” which is another pious revision of “gods,” but makes no sense at all as a revision of “Israelites.”

One last thing you might not have noticed (don’t feel bad, experienced sleuths have missed this too): The opening scene in the Book of Job is really similar to the divine council in Psalm 82, but some of the roles have been switched up. There is a divine council, in which they talk about human behavior on earth, but Yahweh plays the role of El, and “the satan” (= “the accuser”) plays the role of Yahweh! But that’s another case, for another time." https://voices.uchicago.edu/sbchavel/2020/07/01/psalm-82/

 

[Oncefallen]

"
Another unsolvable part of the poem that also does not affect it is the word “selah.” No sleuth I know of has cracked this nut, and I’ve got nothing on it. Sorry.

"Selah" is a word that only appears in the Psalms and every teacher that I've sat under has said that it appears to be a literary term that intends to create a break in the work for the reader to stop and meditate on the prior section.

 

[Pilgrimshope]

"

Psalm 82
When you first look at this case, it looks run-of-the-mill, boilerplate, like so many other poems in the Book of Psalms. You see one, you’ve seen a hundred. Its theme is that Yahweh is just and he knows how to manage the world. Of course; classic. Its form is also classic, a series of lines that are similar in length, and each line has mainly two but sometimes three balanced parts (Bible sleuths call it parallelism).

Three things make this a unique case for me. I’ll tick them off. One, most poems in the Book of Psalms are either lyrical, in which someone expresses a sentiment in the present, or narrative, in which someone tells an event in the past. But this poem is dramatic; it portrays an event in the present. It’s set up like a journalist holding a video-camera: first they introduce what is happening, then they allow the camera to capture the scene directly, so the viewer hears and sees what is unfolding in real time. But the reader doesn’t watch a performed scene; they read the text and conjure its scene in their own mind.

Second unusual aspect: the poem presents the moment when Yahweh becomes the only god running the world. It does not say that people once thought there were many gods, then decided actually there is only one. It says that originally there were many gods, each running its own territory and people, but then Yahweh took over for all of them.

Three, the poem doesn’t even say that when it was all over, Yahweh was the only god left. The father and manager of the gods, El Elyon, is still around; he just becomes redundant. With no gang of gods to run anymore, he goes into retirement. Yahweh is the last god standing in effect.

If that was too much, here’s the quick version. Plenty of biblical writers talk about divine councils and gods running the world. Heck, one text has it all in plain sight: El Elyon divided up the world among the gods, but Yahweh selected for himself a landless people, “Jacob” (an alias for “Israel”), to help them thrive (Deuteronomy 32:8–14; if you don’t trust me, and you shouldn’t, go to the bottom of this case file). But only the writer of Psalm 82 gives an account of the change from many gods to Yahweh (and El Elyon).

P.S. Gods in those days used aliases and you have to keep track of who’s who. Stay with me here: The poem says “Elohim” instead of “Yahweh,” but they’re the same god. Also, “El” and “Elyon” are the same god, “El Elyon” actually, and El Elyon is a different god than Elohim (Yahweh).

P.P.S. I always say, if you care about a case, follow the quotes, who’s speaking and who’s quoting whom. In this case, first speaks the narrator, then Elohim (who at one point quotes El Elyon), then El Elyon (who at one point quotes himself). I added quotation marks to help you follow the trail.



Psalm 82

1 A psalm, of Asaph.

Elohim stands in the assembly of El / Amidst the deities he indicts: //

2 “How long will you judge perversely / and to the wicked will you show favor!? // (Selah)

3 ‘Champion wretched and orphan! / Lowly and poor vindicate! //

4 Rescue wretched and needy! / From the hand of criminals extricate!’ //

5 They never knew and do not see / in darkness do they go about /

all the foundations of the earth are being shaken!” //

6 “I had declared: ‘You are divine beings!’ / and: ‘You all are sons of Elyon!’ //

7 But (now), like humanity shall you die / and like any of the rulers shall you fall. //

8 Arise, O Elohim! / Judge the earth! /

For you shall make your estate among all the nations.” //

...

The heading of this poem isn’t too troublesome. Asaph is in the heading of a dozen poems, all of which have interesting content (Psalms 50, 73–83). But Asaph is a very elusive character. The first great Bible sleuths, from way back in the Persian and early Hellenistic periods (“Second Temple” times) — whose notes and files are collected in Chronicles–Ezra-Nehemiah — worked up a whole bio on him: he’s a Levite whom King David charged with composing and performing temple music. But sleuths back then had different aims and methods; they took shreds of any threads and wove a major yarn. By today’s standards what they had on Asaph is wishful thinking. The guy is a ghost. But it doesn’t affect the poem.

Another unsolvable part of the poem that also does not affect it is the word “selah.” No sleuth I know of has cracked this nut, and I’ve got nothing on it. Sorry.

they aren’t actually poems brother on the spiritual level they are prophecies of Christ to come a witness of the gospel

“And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭24:44‬ ‭KJ

so psalm 82 is Gods prophetic word witnessing the gospel showing why he would come man lost judgement and we’re led into death but God would rise and give judgement back to the earth

“How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah. Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked. They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course.

I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High. But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.


Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭82:2-8‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.

Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭2:6-8, 12‬ ‭

“Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him. For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper. He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy. He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭72:11-14‬ ‭

“Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself. So will not we go back from thee: quicken us, and we will call upon thy name. Turn us again, O Lord God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭80:17-19‬ ‭

they’re all like that bro , they are prophecies of Jesus who was yet to come forth into the earth God was coming to jidge the earth and five men godly jidgement lost in Eden and also was going to die on the cross

“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?

For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me. They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.

I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭22:1, 16-18, 22‬ ‭

once we get this hat they are about Jesus it opens up understanding of the gospel.

“Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre. Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭45:6-7‬ ‭KJV‬‬


What’s great is it also helps us understand things like the book of Hebrews That are explaining Christ from the psalms and prophets

“But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭1:8-9‬ ‭KJV‬‬

the New Testament is a revelation of the ot prophecies pertaining to Jesus Christ our lord and God

 

[Pilgrimshope]

Also the resurrection is witnessed in the psalms

“I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭16:8-11‬ ‭KJV‬‬

The psalms tell this same story but from a prophetic view looking forward with ot prophecy having been fulfilled

notice how Peter explains this perfectly
And uses a quote from the psalms to support it before those who knew scripture

“Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.

For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.

Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;

This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.”
‭‭Acts‬ ‭2:22-30, 32-33‬ ‭

they appear dofferent until we hear it but then they become a witness of Jesus

 

[JaumeJ]

About the demise of the psalmist, David, and his last word.

2Sa 23:1 Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said,
2Sa 23:2 The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue.
2Sa 23:3 The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.
2Sa 23:4 And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain.
(There is more.) We have no leaders in the world as described.

 

[Pilgrimshope]

There’s one though

 

[JaumeJ]

The Only One, for Whom we all await, praise God, amen.

 

[Blik]

The truth is there is only one God, so when the Psalm speaks of Gods it is speaking of the idols who represented demons.

 

[TheLearner]

Thanks Deut 6:4

 

[rayzor]

Selah = behold, [meditate consider],even [see laugh] literal meaning pause

 

[Omegatime]

Ps 82 is about angels. Just as God placed man over the earth, he placed angels over us which many corrupted themselves and man.

God has taken his place in the divine council;
in the midst of the gods he holds judgment: Ps 82:1

Job 1:6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan[a] also came among them.

Sons of God are angels

In Genesis 6 some of the sons of God ( angels ) came and mated with daughters of men. But in doing so they cursed themselves and took on flesh and blood and shall die like men.

 

[Dino246]

"Psalm 82
When you first look at this case, it looks run-of-the-mill, boilerplate, like so many other poems in the Book of Psalms. You see one, you’ve seen a hundred. Its theme is that Yahweh is just and he knows how to manage the world. Of course; classic. Its form is also classic, a series of lines that are similar in length, and each line has mainly two but sometimes three balanced parts (Bible sleuths call it parallelism).

Three things make this a unique case for me. I’ll tick them off. One, most poems in the Book of Psalms are either lyrical, in which someone expresses a sentiment in the present, or narrative, in which someone tells an event in the past. But this poem is dramatic; it portrays an event in the present. It’s set up like a journalist holding a video-camera: first they introduce what is happening, then they allow the camera to capture the scene directly, so the viewer hears and sees what is unfolding in real time. But the reader doesn’t watch a performed scene; they read the text and conjure its scene in their own mind.

Second unusual aspect: the poem presents the moment when Yahweh becomes the only god running the world. It does not say that people once thought there were many gods, then decided actually there is only one. It says that originally there were many gods, each running its own territory and people, but then Yahweh took over for all of them.

Three, the poem doesn’t even say that when it was all over, Yahweh was the only god left. The father and manager of the gods, El Elyon, is still around; he just becomes redundant. With no gang of gods to run anymore, he goes into retirement. Yahweh is the last god standing in effect.

If that was too much, here’s the quick version. Plenty of biblical writers talk about divine councils and gods running the world. Heck, one text has it all in plain sight: El Elyon divided up the world among the gods, but Yahweh selected for himself a landless people, “Jacob” (an alias for “Israel”), to help them thrive (Deuteronomy 32:8–14; if you don’t trust me, and you shouldn’t, go to the bottom of this case file). But only the writer of Psalm 82 gives an account of the change from many gods to Yahweh (and El Elyon).

P.S. Gods in those days used aliases and you have to keep track of who’s who. Stay with me here: The poem says “Elohim” instead of “Yahweh,” but they’re the same god. Also, “El” and “Elyon” are the same god, “El Elyon” actually, and El Elyon is a different god than Elohim (Yahweh).

P.P.S. I always say, if you care about a case, follow the quotes, who’s speaking and who’s quoting whom. In this case, first speaks the narrator, then Elohim (who at one point quotes El Elyon), then El Elyon (who at one point quotes himself). I added quotation marks to help you follow the trail.

Psalm 82

1 A psalm, of Asaph.

Elohim stands in the assembly of El / Amidst the deities he indicts: //

2 “How long will you judge perversely / and to the wicked will you show favor!? // (Selah)

3 ‘Champion wretched and orphan! / Lowly and poor vindicate! //

4 Rescue wretched and needy! / From the hand of criminals extricate!’ //

5 They never knew and do not see / in darkness do they go about /

all the foundations of the earth are being shaken!” //

6 “I had declared: ‘You are divine beings!’ / and: ‘You all are sons of Elyon!’ //

7 But (now), like humanity shall you die / and like any of the rulers shall you fall. //

8 Arise, O Elohim! / Judge the earth! /

For you shall make your estate among all the nations.” //

...

I like Michael Heiser's view on this psalm, which takes it at face value and does not try to re-interpret it based on any preconceived ideas. He relates that reading this psalm in the original Hebrew was a watershed moment for him, and changed the course of his doctoral thesis. My Hebrew interlinear renders it as follows:

A psalm of Asaph. God (Elohim) stands in the company of God (El) in the midst of the gods (elohim)...

I (Elohim) have said, "Gods (elohim) you are, and sons of the Most High all of you, but as man you shall die..."

Clearly, the term "elohim" does not refer exclusively to the one true God. We see this confirmed in 1 Samuel 28:13, where the witch of Endor says to Saul, "I see a spirit (elohim) coming up out of the ground" which later is clearly identified as Samuel.

Heiser summarizes Psalm 82 as follows (paraphrased): God (the Most High) is the leader of the assembly of divine beings (elohim) which in English are called "gods". Because of their corruption and enslavement of mankind, they are judged and sentenced to death like the humans they have enslaved. The other "gods" are non-human and non-corporeal, but are not equal with God Himself. They are His creations, also called sons of God in various places.

For an in-depth exposition of this, see Heiser's book The Unseen Realm.

 

[rayzor]

sons of god means circumcised heart not that demons can impregnate woman

 

[rayzor]

yet to sleep with a gentile to take a gentile as a wife was a sin

 

[Omegatime]

Angels are not evil spirits or demons. Dont you wonder why the patriarchs lives such long lives and sickness was not among them. There was no evil spirits till after the flood and notice how their longevity started to diminish.

 

[rayzor]

the flood was to baptized the earth.spirit fell before flesh did and was thrown down to the earth the devils real name[Hell El] and one third of the angles fell to the earth leaving two thirds in heaven two thirds = 66.6 left in heaven.Sin greatly weaken our mortal body and that's part of the reason we don't live as long

 

[rayzor]

sin is a illness thus their are no real demons

 

[Omegatime]

sin is a illness thus their are no real demons

Sin causes illness but to say there are no evil spirits/demons is foolishness

 

[rayzor]

he our she that sins is a slave to sin they aka [demon] spoke through human body saying that they where never a slave to any man