Paraphrase Upon the Books of the Psalms, Book 3 · Psalm 82
The Eighty Second Psalm.
A Psalm of Asaph.
Paraphrase. The eighty second Psalm composed by Asaph, is an admonition to justice, and an upbraiding invective against the injustice of earthly tribunals, with an appeal unto God the supreme and most just judge.†To that place Kimchi refers, and thinks it probable that the Psalm was written in the dayes of Jehoshaphat. See 2 Chron. 19.7.
1. God standeth in the congregationa. of‖God foreign the mighty, he is a judge amongb. Gods.
Be the Rulers and Judges and administrators of this world never so highly honoured, invested by God with his own power, his proxies on earth, as Angels in a manner, i. e. persons commissionated from God; yet must they resolve that God is superiour to all their judicatures and administrations, presides in all, and will exact and call them to a severe account, judge over again whatsoever hath been judged by them.
2. How long will you judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah.
'Tis therefore a great folly and impiety in them, to favour any unrighteous cause or person, and either for bribes or other carnal interest to judge falsely.
3. Defend the poor and fatherless;†justifie c.do justice to the afflicted and needy.
4. Deliver the poor and needy,*relieve or, free foreign rid them from the hand of the wicked.
'Tis the office and business of their calling, intrusted to them by God, to receive all that are most helpless (not which are most powerfull and rich) into their care and patronage, to absolve the innocent, be he never so unable to purchase their favour, or secure himselfe from the oppressions of other men, to plead the cause of such, and rescue them out of the hand of the violent and injurious.
5. They know not, neither will they understand, they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth‖…ve, nod, or are s…ken foreign are out of course.
But impious obstinate men pervert justice, and proceed without all remorse in their corrupt courses, a gift blindeth the eyes of the wise or seer, Ex. 23. 8. and so those that should rule and administer the several nations of the earth uprightly, and preserve justice among all men, are themselves the most unjust, and thereby the authors of all mischiefs to the world.
6. d.I have said, you are Gods, and all of you are children of the most High.
7. But ye shall dye like men, and fall like one of the Princes.
By their commissions and power derived to them from the God of heaven, they are a sort of terrestrial Angels, imployed and innobled by God, and as children are of parents, his copies and images upon earth. But this doth not so priviledge them as to give them immunity from the common fate of all men, whether people or Prince, that of mortality, nor consequently from that severe account and reward of their actions, which after death expects all such.
8. Arise, O God, judge the earth; for thou shalt inherit all nations.
It being most certain that such a judgment of God shall one day come, wherein the whole world shall be concerned; all the men on earth being the subjects of the supreme Deity, and so accountable and sadly punishable for all they have ever offended.
Annotations on Psalm LXXXII.
V. 1. The mighty] That foreign foreignis the title of God, is sufficiently known, taken from his supreme power which he hath over all the world; And then Gods standing i. e. presiding (so 1 Sam. xix. 20. Samuel foreign stood presiding over them) in the congregation of God, i. e. in his own judicature (so the Jewish Arab saith that it is the repetition of the name again, instead of the affix) or that which is erected and authorized by him, is the same which we read 2 Chron. xix. 6. He said unto the Judges, Take heed what you doe, for ye judge not for men, but for the Lord, who is with you in the judgment. R. Obad. Gaon glosseth it, that God is an assistant and defender when they judge righteously, but a revenger when they pervert judgment. The Jewish Arab reads, Gods command standeth, is placed in the conventions among the judges when they judge, i. e. by his commission it is that they do act.
Ibid. Gods] What foreign foreignhere signifies, may be examined by the use of the word in other places. As Psal. Lxxxvi. 8. There is none like unto thee foreign among these Elohim: where the Chaldee expresly renders it foreign among the high angels. So 1 Sam. xxviii. 13. I saw foreign Elohim ascending out of the earth: the Targum reads again foreign an angel of the Lord. So here v. 6. I said foreign ye are Elohim: the Chaldee read foreign as Angels. And when it there follows foreign and children or sons of the most High, they render foreign and as the high angels, in the notion of sons of God. Job i. 6. and ii. 1. foreign the sons of God came, i. e. saith the Chaldee, in consent with all interpreters in that place, foreign the assemblies of angels. This therefore being the frequent known use of the word, and that taken from the office of angels, to be the ministers and legates and officers sent (from whence is their title both in Hebrew and Greek, foreign and foreign) and commissionated by God, whose name therefore they bear; it is by the same reason of analogy applied to all Judges and Magistrates (and accordingly Ps. cxxxviii. 1. this same word is by the Chaldee rendred foreign Judges, and by the Syriack foreign Kings) administring justice to the people, in the name and by commission from God, whose foreign ministers they are Rom. xiii. 4. foreign, appointed by God, v. 1. and their assembly the judicature of God, in the beginning of this verse. Among these God is here said to be the foreign,foreign in the Punick notion of Suffes for a Dictator, or Supreme judge.
V. 3. Do justice] From foreign justus fuit, is foreign foreignin Hiphil to justify, in the notion of acquitting or absolving, and is set opposite to condemning, Deut. xxv. 1. foreign and they shall justify, or acquit the just, and condemn the wicked. So Prov. xvii. 15. foreign he that acquits the impious, and condemns the just. And so here foreign being spoken of a Judge whose office it is to acquit or condemn, must in all reason be rendred in that notion of acquitting from the charge that injurious men lay against him.
V. 6. I said ye are Gods] These words being cited by Christ, foreignJo. x. 34. are introduced in this style, Is it not written in your Law? From hence the conclusion is necessary, that this book of Psalms was among the Jews lookt on as a part of the Divine Law, in a more wide and loose notion of law; as the writings of the Prophets, and all that were inspired by God, and bring divine authority along with them, are styled Law. To this purpose the words of Midras Tehillim are observable: foreign the Psalmes are thora, i. e. the law. And to that perhaps may be referred what we finde Ps. Lxxviii. 1. Hear my law, O my people, by law meaning the same thing which in the end of the verse is called the words of my mouth, i. e. the Psalm which he is there inditing, as it follows, I will open my mouth into a parable, &c.