Who or what are the “gods” in this passage?

The psalmist depicts God as a Great Judge, ruling over the “gods” (ʾelohîm). Does the Hebrew Bible affirm polytheism or henotheism?

There are three options for the interpretation of the “gods” mentioned here:

OPTION #1. These are human rulers

Other passages call human rulers ʾelohîm. For instance, Exodus 21:6 and 22:8-9 place the human rulers as parallel with God. However, these passages from Exodus are “far from conclusive.”^[1] The parallel could be similar to people coming to Moses to hear from God (Ex. 18:15ff), rather than using the terms interchangeably.

In the later context, the psalmist states that these figures will “die like mere mortals” and “fall like every other ruler” (Ps. 82:7). However, this argument actually goes both ways. It would be quite odd to tell human rulers that they will die. After all, all human rulers die. Estes writes, “They have acted without restraint, but God will cut them down to size, and they will pay the consequences for their unjust and irresponsible acts. As Jesus asserted in Matt 25:31-46, all who fail to treat the needy with justice will suffer judgment from God. Even the exalted angels will die just as humans do, falling in a moment of sudden disaster, such as death in battle.”^[2]

The difficulty with this view is that a parallel passage places these rulers in the skies or the heavens. Elsewhere, we read, “The heavens praise your wonders, LORD, your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones. ⁶ For who in the skies above can compare with the LORD? Who is like the LORD among the heavenly beings? ⁷ In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared. He is more awesome than all who surround him” (Ps. 89:5-7).

Finally, these cannot simply be unjust human rulers in Israel, because they are given a global scope: “All the foundations of the earth are shaken” (v.5). Hubbard and Johnston write, “Another indication that the ʾ^elohîm of Psalm 82 are not Israelite judges is that verses 5b and 8b give it an international, and even cosmic perspective, not one confined to the land of Israel.”^[3]

OPTION #2. These are real (pagan?) deities

This view holds that Psalm 82 affirms the existence of other gods. Liberal scholar[4] Beth Tanner explains this view when she writes, “Ancient Israel did not have the same definition of monotheism. Indeed, for them not only did other gods exist, but those gods were active in the world. This psalm gives us a window on the assembly of the gods, a place where the gods are gathered to make decisions about the world. This council is part of the greater ancient Near Eastern mythology and would be a familiar image to ancient Israelites.”^[5] She holds that later texts move more toward a strict monotheism. Israel’s God is merely the “chief god.”^[6]

Heiser writes, “What we have before us is a biblical writer who is thinking of real entities, entities he calls both demons and gods. And it isn’t honest to draw theological comfort in saying ‘well, all those gods are really demons,’ since the corollary must also be true—‘all those demons are gods.’”[7]

We reject this critical view of the Bible. This could be true in the sense that the author is affirming these gods as demons (1 Cor. 10:20; 2 Cor. 6:15), but not as deities. However, Kidner writes, “For Yahweh to authenticate their claim with the words, ‘I say, “You are gods,”’ would be totally out of character.”^[8]

OPTION #3. These are (fallen?) angels

We hold this final view for several reasons:

First, the term ʾĕlōhîm doesn’t refer to literal “gods.” The usage of the word “God” (ʾĕlōhîm) and the “gods” (ʾĕlōhîm) in verse 1 should immediately caution us against putting too much weight on the translation of the term ʾĕlōhîm as literal “gods,” because the same term refers to different beings in the same verse.

Second, the term ʾĕlōhîm can refer to angels (Ps. 8:5). Since they don’t uphold God’s will, these are fallen angels or “demons.” This seems similar to other references to fallen angels in the OT (Isa. 24:21; Dan. 10:13; 12:1) and the NT (Eph. 6:12; Rev. 12:7).

Third, the ʾĕlōhîm most likely refer to angels. The term “gods” (ʾĕlōhîm) is synonymously parallel with being “sons of the Most High.” Only angels are called “sons of God” in the Bible (Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7). Therefore, these beings are synonymous with (fallen) angels.

Fourth, the “great assembly” (v.1) can refer to the angelic realm. This appears throughout the OT (cf. Job 1-2; 1 Kin. 22:19-23; Isaiah 6; Zechariah 1, 3). While the ancient Near East held that the deities had a pantheon and divine council, we think the psalmist is using this theme to describe God’s supremacy over the demonic realm. Estes writes, “This language is used in the Old Testament as a polemic, as the Old Testament borrowed and then subverted ancient Near Eastern concepts.”^[9]

Fifth, the ʾĕlōhîm are fallen beings. They defend the “unjust” and the “wicked” (v.2). Therefore, they are fallen angels. (82:6) “I said, ‘You are “gods.” You are all sons of the Most High.’”

For further reading, see (Jn. 10:34-36) Did Jesus believe in many “gods”?

^[1] Derek Kidner, Psalms 73–150: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 16, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1975), 327.

^[2] Daniel J. Estes, Psalms 73–150, ed. E. Ray. Clendenen, vol. 13, New American Commentary (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2019), 118–119.

^[3] Robert L. Jr. Hubbard and Robert K. Johnston, “Foreword,” in Psalms, ed. W. Ward Gasque, Robert L. Hubbard Jr., and Robert K. Johnston, Understanding the Bible Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2012), 336.

[4] Tanner is a liberal scholar who leaps from this bizarre reading of Psalm 82 directly into pluralism. She writes, “Maybe this psalm instructs us not to start interfaith dialogue with issues of religion or politics, or even to dialogue at all, but to do for others for the good of the whole earth.” Beth Tanner, “Book Three of the Psalter: Psalms 73–89,” in The Book of Psalms, ed. E. J. Young, R. K. Harrison, and Robert L. Hubbard Jr., The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2014), 644.

^[5] Beth Tanner, “Book Three of the Psalter: Psalms 73–89,” in The Book of Psalms, ed. E. J. Young, R. K. Harrison, and Robert L. Hubbard Jr., The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2014), 641.

^[6] Beth Tanner, “Book Three of the Psalter: Psalms 73–89,” in The Book of Psalms, ed. E. J. Young, R. K. Harrison, and Robert L. Hubbard Jr., The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2014), 641.

[7] Michael S. Heiser, “What is / are (an) Elohim?” Evangelical Theological Society Meeting, 2010.

^[8] Derek Kidner, Psalms 73–150: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 16, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1975), 328.

^[9] Daniel J. Estes, Psalms 73–150, ed. E. Ray. Clendenen, vol. 13, New American Commentary (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2019), 116.