Psalm 82

Uses

Judaism

• Psalm 82 is the psalm of the day in the Shir Shel Yom on Tuesday.
• It is recited on Hoshana Rabbah.
• Verse 1 is part of Mishnah Talmud 7:4 and is found in Pirkei Avot Chapter 3, no. 7.

  Christianity

• Jesus quotes verse 6 in John : I said, "You are gods". Jesus uses this text to assert that he is not blaspheming when he calls himself the Son of God. The second part of verse 6: All of you are sons of the Most High does not appear in the text quoted by John. Quoting Bishop Westcott, the Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges says of this text:

Contextual interpretation

• This passage was produced in the context of the ancient Hebrews, and their Ancient Near Eastern environment.
• In, Jesus alludes directly to Psalm 82, where the elohim receive the word of God in the form of judgment and condemnation. Against his accusers Jesus was appealing to the precedent already established in their Torah, which referred to God's holy ones, or his divine council, as "gods".