This research paper by Bobby Roberts, submitted to Dr. Richard Belcher for OT512 – Poets at Reformed Theological Seminary – Charlotte, examines the identity of the “gods” (elohim) in Psalm 82. Roberts challenges the dominant interpretation that views the passage as a remnant of Canaanite myth or a reference to angelic beings, arguing instead that it depicts the Lord presiding over Israel’s human rulers within His covenant assembly.
Through detailed lexical and contextual analysis, Roberts demonstrates that the phrase baʿadat el (“assembly of God”) refers not to a divine council but to the congregation of Israel over which God stands as Judge. Drawing on the Asaphite psalms’ historical and theological context, he situates Psalm 82 within Israel’s cultic memory of divine justice and covenant accountability. Roberts supports his thesis through exegesis of the psalm’s Hebrew text, Jesus’ citation in John 10:34–36, and parallel legal passages such as Leviticus 19:15, which highlight the rulers’ failure to uphold God’s standards of justice.
Roberts concludes that Psalm 82 is not a vestige of polytheism but a theological indictment of corrupt leadership among God’s people. The “gods” are those entrusted with divine authority who, in their injustice, forfeit their privileged status and face death like any mortal ruler. The psalm thus proclaims Yahweh as the true and eternal Judge, whose justice extends from Israel to all nations and whose righteousness upholds the very foundations of creation.
Course and semester: OT512 Poets — Spring 2019