Saturday, March 26, 2022

Konrad Schaefer on Psalm 82 in the Jerome Biblical Commentary (2022)

 

Psalm 82

 

Psalm 82 constitutes a legal process (cf. Ps 50, 58, 81, 91; Isa 3:13-4:1), in which God sues for law and order in society. According to the Canaanite mythological precedent to this scene, God is described as presiding over a pantheon, somewhat as El, the chief deity, kept order among lesser gods charged with maintaining justice in the world, but they failed miserably in their office, for which they are indicted by God (vv. 1-5), judged unfit, and are sentenced to capital punishment, losing their immortal status. In the present psalm the “divine council” or “gods” are euphemisms for crooked judges or governors who by their office share God’s responsibility to administer justice and protect the rights of the defenseless; God indicts those charged with the maintenance of the social order (vv. 2-4). The earth’s foundations are destabilized to the extent that these functionaries are corrupt, “wandering about in darkness,” and do not fulfill their commission. God condemns the guilty incompetents, and the punishment amounts to the loss of their “divine” privilege; they will die like ordinary mortals (vv. 5-7). In conclusion, the psalmist requests that God assume his role as universal judge and reestablish order in the international arena. (Konrad Schaefer, “Psalms,” in The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century, ed. John J. Collins, Gina Hens-Piazza, Barbara Reid, and Donald Senior [3d ed.; London: T&T Clark, 2022], 693)