Of Gods and Men

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Verses 6-7 of Psalm 82 are shown at the beginning of the film Of Gods and Men.
The movie's title (in the original French,  Des hommes et des dieux) also comes from this puzzling psalm of Asaph.
The movie is a must-see!

 1. A psalm. Of Asaph.

God stands in the divine assembly; among the gods He issues judgment.

 

2. “How long will you judge perversely, and to the evildoers show favor?   Selah.

3. Judge the weak and the orphan; the lowly and the poor, vindicate.

4. Deliver the weak and the needy; from the hand of the evildoers, save them.

 

5. They know not and grasp not; in darkness they go about; they totter, all the foundations of the earth.

6. I had set you as gods, sons of the Most High, all of you;

7. but you shall die as a human does, like one of the princes, you shall fall.”

8 Arise, O God, judge the earth, for You have Your heritage among all the nations.

Photo from the Facebook page Of Gods and Men

Translation of Psalm 82 is  by Rabbi Benjamin J. Segal.  

See his interesting notes for the two very different ways of interpreting this psalm. 

He points out that 

"For over a millennium, until the advent of Christianity, the Israelite faith alone carried the banner of monotheism. As such, it had to confront, uniquely, for itself and for its adherents, apparent evidence of conflicting wills functioning in the universe.

A partial response is reflected in the assumed existence of semi-divine beings, somewhere between God and humanity, who sometimes function as a heavenly court, as it were. . . . "

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This post goes to PsalmChallenge at Daily Athens Photo, with thanks to Robert Geiss for keeping us going.

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