Psalms 82 (LSB)

Chapter Text

82:1 A Psalm of Asaph. God takes His stand in the congregation of God; He judges in the midst of gods.

82:2 How long will you judge unrighteously And show partiality to the wicked? Selah.

82:3 Give justice to the poor and the orphan; Justify the afflicted and destitute.

82:4 Protect the poor and needy; Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.

82:5 They do not know and do not understand; They walk about in darkness; All the foundations of the earth are shaken.

82:6 I said, “You are gods, And all of you are sons of the Most High.

82:7 Nevertheless you will die like men And you will fall like any one of the princes.”

82:8 Arise, O God, judge the earth! For it is You who will inherit all the nations.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "darkness", "psalm", "asaph", "takes", "stand", "congregation", "judges", and "midst". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "darkness" and "psalm", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The local LSB text gives this verse as the immediate unit, so "darkness" and "psalm" carries the first interpretive weight. In Psalms context, the local focus is worship, trust, the LORD's kingship, and covenant mercy.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "darkness" and "psalm" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.