Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
Psalms 82:8

Clarke's Commentary

Verse Psalms 82:8. Arise, O God, judge the earth — Justice is perverted in the land: take the sceptre, and rule thyself.

For thou shalt inherit all nations. — Does not this last verse contain a prophecy of our Lord, the calling of the Gentiles, and the prevalence of Christianity over the earth? Thus several of the fathers have understood the passage. It is only by the universal spread of Christianity over the world, that the reign of righteousness and justice is to be established: and of whom can it be said that he shall inherit all nations, but of Jesus Christ?

ANALYSIS OF THE EIGHTY-SECOND PSALM

There are three parts in this Psalm: -

I. The prophet's proclamation, Psalms 82:1.

II. God's controversy with the judges of the land, Psalms 82:2-7.

III. The prophet's prayer that God would rise and judge, Psalms 82:8.

I. God's presence proclaimed in court. At an assize the judge sits in the midst of the justices: "God standeth in the congregation," c., Psalms 82:1.

II. 1. He reproves them, Psalms 82:2. 1. For their unjust judgment: "Ye judge unjustly." 2. For their obstinate continuance in it: "How long will ye," c. Ye have not done it once, but often. 3. For their partiality: "they accepted persons," Psalms 82:2.

2. He exhorts them to do their duty. 1. "Defend the poor and fatherless." Do right to every man. 2. "Deliver the poor and needy," Psalms 82:3.

3. He acquaints them with the events that shall follow where justice is not done: all is out of order and the judges are the cause of it.

1. Through ignorance: "They know not the law," Psalms 82:5.

2. Through obstinacy: "They will not learn it," Psalms 82:5.

3. Through their determination to walk in their own way, Psalms 82:5: "They walk on in darkness."

4. They shall in consequence be brought, 1. To an untimely death: "Ye shall die like men." 2. To a shameful death: "Ye shall fall like one of the princes," ye shall have a mighty fall, Psalms 82:7.

III. The prophet's prayer. Since judgment and justice have failed in the land, he says, 1. "Arise, O Lord! " He does not say, Arise, O people, and put down those unjust judges. No their function is from God, and God alone is to reform, or strip, or punish them. 2. "Judge the earth." Take the state of all people into thy consideration: there is much injustice in the earth. 3. For this petition he gives a reason: "For thou shalt inherit all nations," Psalms 82:8. Publish thy own laws, appoint thy own officers and let them in thy name dispense righteousness and true holiness throughout the world.

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

Psalms Opposition to God’s just rule

Psalms 82:0 is written against all those who act unjustly in their position as God’s representatives in administering justice. They are even called gods (v. 1,6; cf. John 10:34; Romans 13:1,Romans 13:4,Romans 13:6). However, instead of rescuing the helpless poor from the powerful rich who enslave them, they show favour to those with influence and money (82:1-4). Because they are blind to all justice, truth and mercy, there is no stability in society (5). They may have high rank, but it will not save them on the day when they themselves are judged. They will be destroyed along with other wicked people (6-8).

Another picture of opposition to God concerns an attack on Israel by enemy nations whose hatred of Israel results from their hatred of God (83:1-4). On all sides enemies gather to fight against God and his people (5-8). But just as God defeated Sisera and Jabin in the time of Deborah, and defeated the Midianites in the time of Gideon, so may he defeat the gathered armies again (9-12; see Judges 4:1-31, Judges 6:1-28). The psalmist prays that their destruction will be complete (13-15), so that people will acknow ledge God’s sovereign power and praise his holy name (16-18).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

THE CONCLUSION

"Arise, O God, judge the earth; For thou shalt inherit all the nations."

In these words, we have a petition by the psalmist, God's message to the false judges having been just concluded by the sentence of death pronounced upon them by God, with the strong intimation that their death would be by providential action upon God's part to remove them.

The psalmist here seems to have been one of those Israelites mentioned by the prophet Amos 5:18-20. Such persons were always calling for God to "Arise and bring on the Judgment Day." As Amos so thoroughly explained, the Judgment Day would be a day of sorrow rather than a day of joy for the vast majority of mankind.

Many of the ancient Jews, however, believed that the Day of Judgment would be a time when God would suddenly appear, kill all the Gentiles, or reduce them to slavery under the Jews, and commit the management of the whole world to "the chosen people." Amos did his best to destroy that conception, but, nevertheless, the attitude persisted; and it appears to us that there remains some residue of it in this concluding verse. (See our comment on this in Vol. 1 of the minor prophets Series, under Amos, 5:18.)

It might have been this possible meaning of verse 8 that led Briggs to label the verse as a gloss.International Critical Commentary, op. cit., p. 217. However, there is no necessity whatever to deny the verse as a true statement by the psalmist, regardless of its implications.

Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

Arise, O God, judge the earth - That is, Since there is such a failure in the administration of justice by those to whom it pertains, and who are appointed to do it in thy stead, do thou, O God, come forth thyself, and see that justice is executed among people. Do thou take the matter into thine own hands, and see that impartial justice is done everywhere among people. It pertains to thee as the great Proprietor of the earth to exercise justice; and we have nowhere else to look when men fail to do their duty.

For thou shalt inherit all nations - Or rather, All nations belong to thee as thine inheritance; that is, as thine own. The word “inherit” is used here, as it often is, merely to denote possession or proprietorship, without reference to the question how the possession is obtained. The word strictly refers to what has been received from parents, or what people are heirs to; and, in this sense, it is commonly applied to the land of Palestine, either as what was derived by the Jewish people from their ancestors the patriarchs, or as what they had received from God as a Father. Exodus 32:13; Deuteronomy 1:38; Deuteronomy 12:10. It is here used simply in the sense of possessing it. That is, the whole earth belonged to God, and the administration of its affairs pertained to him. As those had failed who had been appointed under him to the office of judges - as they had not been faithful to their trust - as no confidence could be reposed in them, - the psalmist calls upon God to interfere, either by appointing other magistrates; or by leading those who were in office to just views of their duty; or by his own direct judgments, punishing the wicked, and rewarding the righteous, by the interpositions of his providence. We may hence learn

(1) That there are times on earth when wickedness is so prevalent, and when there is such a want of faithfulness in civil rulers, that we have no other resource but to call upon God to interpose.

(2) That it is right to call upon Him to see that justice should be done in the earth even in the punishment of the guilty, since all the interests of society depend on the proper administration of justice.

(3) For the same reason it is right to pray that God would judge the world, and that justice may be done on the human race.

It is desirable and proper that justice should be done; hence, there is no malignity in desiring that there may be a universal judgment, and that the affairs of the universe should be placed on an equal and righteous foundation. It is possible that there may be a just and holy joy at the idea that justice is done, and that God shows himself the friend of truth, of order, and of law. Compare Psalms 58:10, note; Revelation 19:1-3, notes.

Calvin's Commentary on the Bible

8Arise, O God! judge the earth. The reason why this psalm concludes with a prayer has been already stated at the commencement. The prophet, finding that his admonitions and remonstrances were ineffectual, and that princes, inflated with pride, treated with contempt all instruction on the principles of equity, addresses himself to God, and calls upon Him to repress their insolence. By this means, the Holy Spirit furnishes us with ground of comfort whenever we are cruelly treated by tyrants. We may perceive no power on earth to restrain their excesses; but it becomes us to lift up our eyes to heaven, and to seek redress from Him whose office it is to judge the world, and who does not claim this office to himself in vain. It is therefore our bounden duty to beseech him to restore to order what is embroiled in confusion. The reason of this which immediately follows — for thou shalt inherit all nations — is understood by some as a prophecy concerning the kingdom of Christ, by whom God has brought all nations in subjection to himself. But it is to be viewed in a more extensive sense, as implying that God has a rightful claim to the obedience of all nations, and that tyrants are chargeable with wickedly and unjustly wresting from him his prerogative of bearing rule, when they set at nought his authority, and confound good and evil, right and wrong. We ought therefore to beseech him to restore to order the confusions of the world, and thus to recover the rightful dominion which he has over it.

Smith's Bible Commentary

Psalms 82:1-8 is a psalm that is directed to judges. And it is a very solemn psalm that God directs to judges, and basically God declares that He is not happy or satisfied with men's judgment.

God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; and he judges among the gods ( Psalms 82:1 ).

Now the word gods there is the same word Eloihim translated gods, but it is also translated judges. In Exodus, chapter 22, verses Exodus 22:8 , and Exodus 22:9 , as God is giving instructions in the law for how the judges are to determine certain cases, and God calls the judges gods because a judge has such authority over a person's destiny. And because he holds the power of a person's life and destiny, God called judges gods. So, "God stands in the congregation of the mighty. He judges among the judges." Or, God will be judging the judges.

I'm glad for that. I'll be glad to see a few of the judges judged. Not that I have ever gotten a bad deal from a judge. Fortunately, I haven't had to face them. But I do not believe that justice has prevailed always in our courts. I think that our judicial system is at times a disgrace.

Now God, judging among the judges, said,

How long will you judge unjustly, and you accept the persons of the wicked? ( Psalms 82:2 )

In other words, he's a famous person, he's a wealthy person, or he's a powerful person, he's a Mafioso, so they judge unjustly because they accept the persons of the wicked. To be true in judgment, you'd have to look at every man alike, rich and poor. You couldn't have any respect to a person's past or anything else. You'd have to be judging simply on the basis of the charges that are brought against him as he stands there just like he was anybody. But yet, judges were judging unjustly because they were accepting the persons. God said to the judges,

[Hey,] defend the poor and the fatherless ( Psalms 82:3 ):

One of the problems with our judicial system today is is the fact that money really is the thing that counts, it seems. If you're poor, then you can't afford a good attorney and you can't afford to put up a good defense. But if you're rich, then you can afford to put all kinds of delays and appeals and on and on and on, and justice doesn't prevail on an equal basis throughout our whole society. And that isn't true justice. And God is saying to the judges, "Now look, don't accept a person just because he's wealthy. You take care of the poor; you take care of the fatherless."

do justice to the afflicted and to the needy. Deliver the poor and the needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked. They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: and all of the foundations of the earth are out of course. I have said that, [Ye are judges or] ye are gods; and all of you are the children of the Most High ( Psalms 82:3-6 ).

So this is, of course, "I have said, 'Ye are gods.'" This is a direct reference to Exodus, chapter 22, where God does refer to them as Eloihim, which is translated, as I said, judges, but it is the Hebrew Eloihim, gods. Now Jesus quoted this in the gospel of John when the Pharisees were getting ready to stone Him. He said, "I've done a lot of good things among you, for which of these things are you going to stone Me?" And they said, "Not for the good things, but we're stoning You because You being a man are continually making Yourself the Son of God." And He said, "Well, I said that ye are gods. Why should you stone Me because I say I'm a Son of God?"

Now He said, "Ye are gods," here in Exodus 22:1-31 , as He is speaking to the judges. He's speaking to men that He appoints, or that were to be appointed, who have the power over a person's life. And that's what your god is. Whatever it is that's holding power over your life is your God. So if this man sitting on the bench has your life in his power, the control of your life in his hand, then he is a god; he's controlling your destiny.

And so the Mormons, of course, have taken this up and they've made a whole fanciful doctrine out of it, the idea that ye are gods. And they say, "Well, if you are a good Mormon, and if your marriage is sealed in the temple, and if you'll wear the proper underwear to ward off the evil and all, and if you are faithful to Mormonism, and if you remain faithful to Mormonism, then you and your wife when you die ascend into the god level. And you and your wife can go off to some planet in the universe and you can bear children there, and you will be god over that planet. And you can watch your children grow and develop. And you can you can have, you'll be god over the whole scene and watching over them and caring for them." And people like you and I who haven't followed the teachings of Joseph Smith or the angel Moroni, we become your angels if we're good people and all. We don't get cast out completely, but we'll become the angels, and we'll be there to serve the good Mormons and to run the errands for them and all when they are operating their planets.

Now I guess if you are gods you can create whatever kind of people you want to exist in any kind of an environment, and from the recent fly-by of Saturn, that wouldn't be such a bad planet. It'd be very beautiful sitting there looking at rings. But they base this doctrine of ascending into a god status to this one scripture where God is referring to judges.

Now Brigham Young carried that idea back one step. The Mormons all carry it forward one step and they look forward to their chance in their celestial kingdoms, take their wives and have their children and spiritual children or whatever on this planet and be their gods. Brigham Young took it back one step, and he said Adam came to the earth with one of his celestial wives, Eve. And they began populating the earth. And therefore, Adam is our god and the only god with whom we have to do, because he was the one that started procreation here on the planet. That makes him a good Mormon in some other planet somewhere back. And so he came with one of his celestial wives, Eve, and it's all a progression into godhood. Brigham Young carried it back one step and, of course, that upsets the Mormons completely that he would carry it back one step. But it's only a logical perception that he had. If logically you have the capacity to be god and you're going to go have your planet, then why do we think that this is the only step? You see, no doubt back on other planets and all, and so Adam was just a good Mormon somewhere and came to the earth with one of his celestial wives, Eve, and they started the whole thing, and they're overseeing it now and watching it. And he is our god, the only god with whom we have to do, and one day the whole world will realize that your salvation depends upon your believing this fact, according to Brigham Young. Not according to the Word of God.

Except that they are bound to accept the statements of Brigham Young as the Word of God because he was speaking as a prophet of God, and when their prophets speak what they say is on equal par with the written word. So they really dug themselves a hole, and it's really... they dug a pit and fallen into it.

But anyhow, God is addressing Himself here even in this chapter to judges where He makes reference, "Ye are gods." You are judges.

But ye shall die like men ( Psalms 82:7 ),

Now they just didn't go on far enough in the verse. God said, "I said ye are gods, but you're going to die like men."

and you're going to fall like the princes ( Psalms 82:7 ).

You may have a lot of authority and power. You may have the control of people's lives, but you're going to die just like any man. And so the cry of the psalmist,

Arise, O God, judge the eaRuth ( Psalms 82:8 ):

The only true justice that shall ever arise is when God judges the earth, for God will judge the earth in righteousness.

for thou shalt inherit all nations ( Psalms 82:8 ). "

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

Psalms 82

In this psalm, Asaph warned Israel’s judges to judge justly. [Note: For further discussion, see Chisholm, "A Theology . . .," pp. 275-76.]

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

3. The call for divine judgment 82:8

Asaph concluded this psalm by calling for God to judge the whole earth, not just Israel. The world, then as now, needed righteous judgment that only God, the righteous Judge, can provide. God’s provision of Jesus Christ, to whom He has committed all judgment (John 5:22-30), was His answer to this petition.

The need for righteous judgment and the cry for it will continue until Jesus Christ reigns and judges. He will judge at various times in the future. For the Christian, this will take place at the judgment seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10). For Tribulation saints and Old Testament saints it will be just after He returns at His second coming (Revelation 20:4; Revelation 20:6; Isaiah 26:19; Daniel 12:2). For all unbelievers it will be at the great white throne judgment (Revelation 20:11-15).

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

Arise, O God,.... These are the words of the prophet, or of the church, whom he represents, addressing Christ, who is God over all; that seeing there was such a corruption and degeneracy in the world, and such wretched perversion of justice, that he would arise and exert himself, and show himself strong on the behalf of his people:

judge the earth: who is the Judge of the whole earth, to whom all judgment is committed, and who will judge the world in righteousness:

for thou shalt inherit all nations; which he will do in the latter day, when he shall be King over all the earth, and the Heathen shall be given him for his inheritance, he being heir of all things; and universal justice will not take place in the world till that time comes; and therefore it is to be wished and prayed for, as by the prophet and church here.

Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

      6 I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.   7 But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.   8 Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations.

      We have here,

      I. Earthly gods abased and brought down, Psalms 82:6; Psalms 82:7. The dignity of their character is acknowledged (Psalms 82:6; Psalms 82:6): I have said, You are gods. They have been honoured with the name and title of gods. God himself called them so in the statute against treasonable words Exodus 22:28, Thou shalt not revile the gods. And, if they have this style from the fountain of honour, who can dispute it? But what is man, that he should be thus magnified? He called them gods because unto them the word of God came, so our Saviour expounds it (John 10:35); they had a commission from God, and were delegated and appointed by him to be the shields of the earth, the conservators of the public peace, and revengers to execute wrath upon those that disturb it, Romans 13:4. All of them are in this sense children of the Most High. God has put some of his honour upon them, and employs them in his providential government of the world, as David made his sons chief rulers. Or, "Because I said, You are gods, you have carried the honour further than was intended and have imagined yourselves to be the children of the Most High," as the king of Babylon (Isaiah 14:14), I will be like the Most High, and the king of Tyre (Ezekiel 28:2), Thou hast set thy heart as the heart of God. It is a hard thing for men to have so much honour put upon them by the hand of God, and so much honour paid them, as ought to be by the children of men, and not to be proud of it and puffed up with it, and so to think of themselves above what is meet. But here follows a mortifying consideration: You shall die like men. This may be taken either, 1. As the punishment of bad magistrates, such as judged unjustly, and by their misrule put the foundations of the earth out of course. God will reckon with them, and will cut them off in the midst of their pomp and prosperity; they shall die like other wicked men, and fall like one of the heathen princes (and their being Israelites shall not secure them anymore than their being judges) or like one of the angels that sinned, or like one of the giants of the old world. Compare this with that which Elihu observed concerning the mighty oppressors in his time. Job 34:26, He striketh them as wicked men in the open sight of others. Let those that abuse their power know that God will take both it and their lives from them; for wherein they deal proudly he will show himself above them. Or, 2. As the period of the glory of all magistrates in this world. Let them not be puffed up with their honour nor neglect their work, but let the consideration of their mortality be both mortifying to their pride and quickening to their duty. "You are called gods, but you have no patent for immortality; you shall die like men, like common men; and like one of them, you, O princes! shall fall." Note, Kings and princes, all the judges of the earth, though they are gods to us, are men to God, and shall die like men, and all their honour shall be laid in the dust. Mors sceptra ligonibus æquat--Death mingles sceptres with spades.

      II. The God of heaven exalted and raised high, Psalms 82:8; Psalms 82:8. The psalmist finds it to little purpose to reason with these proud oppressors; they turned a deaf ear to all he said and walked on in darkness; and therefore he looks up to God, appeals to him, and begs of him to take unto himself his great power: Arise, O God! judge the earth; and, when he prays that he would do it, he believes that he will do it: Thou shalt inherit all nations. This has respect, 1. To the kingdom of providence. God governs the world, sets up and puts down whom he pleases; he inherits all nations, has an absolute dominion over them, to dispose of them as a man does of his inheritance. This we are to believe and to comfort ourselves with, that the earth is not given so much into the hands of the wicked, the wicked rulers, as we are tempted to think it is, Job 9:24. But God has reserved the power to himself and overrules them. In this faith we must pray, "Arise, O God! judge the earth, appear against those that judge unjustly, and set shepherds over thy people after thy own heart." There is a righteous God to whom we may have recourse, and on whom we may depend for the effectual relief of all that find themselves aggrieved by unjust judges. 2. To the kingdom of the Messiah. It is a prayer for the hastening of that, that Christ would come, who is to judge the earth, and that promise is pleaded, that God shall give him the heathen for his inheritance. Thou, O Christ! shalt inherit all nations, and be the governor over them, Psalms 2:8; Psalms 22:28. Let the second coming of Christ set to-rights all these disorders. There are two words with which we may comfort ourselves and one another in reference to the mismanagements of power among men: one is Revelation 19:6, Hallelujah, the Lord God omnipotent reigneth; the other is Revelation 22:20, Surely, I come quickly.