Justice and the recognition of the true God: a reading of Psalm 82.

Abstract

This essay attempts a fresh reading of Psalm 82 as a resource for Christian thought and practice. Characteristic premodern and modern readings – that the psalm is an admonition to human judges, and that the psalm depicts a move from polytheism to henotheism or monotheism – are briefly noted, by way of setting the context for suggesting that the psalm can be read as offering a conceptual analysis of the Hebrew term for deity, 'elohim. Read thus, the psalm depicts justice as constitutive of the nature of true deity. Attention is also given to the implications of readers/hearers being given access to a 'heavenly' scenario.