James Trimm’s Commentary on Psalm 82

1 A Psalm of Asaf. (82:1) Elohim stands in the assembly of El; in the midst of the elohim He judges:
2 How long will you judge unjustly, and respect the persons of the wicked? Selah
3 Judge the poor and fatherless; do justice to the afflicted and destitute:
4 Rescue the poor and needy; deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.
5 They know not, neither do they understand; they go about in darkness. All the foundations of the earth are moved.
6 I said, You are Elohim, and all of you, sons of Elyon.
7 Nevertheless you shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.8 Arise, O Elohim; judge the earth: for You shall possess all nations.
(Psalm 82:1-8 HRV)

Yeshua’s citation of Psalm 82:6 in Yochanan 10:34 brings to mind a passage found in the Dead Sea Scroll document known as the Melchizedek Document (11Q13) which cites Psalm 82:1.  11Q13 speaks of this Messiah as a figure called “Melchizedek.” In this document Is. 61:2 is quoted with “Melchizedek” substituted for YHWH. Furthermore the terms EL and ELOHIM are in 11Q13 applied to the Melchizedek/Messiah figure.

When Psalm 82:6 says “you are Elohim” it means that you are a fragment of Elohim.  You have within you a spark of the Divine, a Nefesh Elohit (see comments to Bereshit (Genesis) 2:7).  But we don’t act like it, we judge unjustly because we know not, neither do we understand that we are elohim, but we wonder around in darkness (Ps. 82:2-5).

(See comments to Yochanan 10:23-36)

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