Psalm 82 pictures God standing in judgment over the rulers of the earth: “God hath stood in the congregation of gods: and being in the midst of them he judgeth gods. How long will you judge unjustly?” He commands them to defend the poor, and reminds them: “I have said: You are gods… But you like men shall die.” Jesus quoted this psalm in a debate about his divine sonship. In the Douay-Rheims it is numbered Psalm 81. Below is the full Catholic text, what the psalm means, how the Church uses it, and a prayer.
Psalm 82 in the Douay-Rheims Bible
A psalm for Asaph. God hath stood in the congregation of gods: and being in the midst of them he judgeth gods.
How long will you judge unjustly: and accept the persons of the wicked?
Judge for the needy and fatherless: do justice to the humble and the poor.
Rescue the poor; and deliver the needy out of the hand of the sinner.
They have not known nor understood: they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth shall be moved.
I have said: You are gods and all of you the sons of the most High.
But you like men shall die: and shall fall like one of the princes.
Arise, O God, judge thou the earth: for thou shalt inherit among all the nations.
Psalm 82 or Psalm 81?
The Douay-Rheims Bible follows the numbering of the Latin Vulgate and the Greek Septuagint, while most modern Bibles follow the Hebrew. So the Douay’s Psalm 81 is Psalm 82 in the New American Bible and other modern translations. In Latin the psalm begins Deus stetit in synagoga deorum. See how many psalms are there?
Jesus and “You are gods”
When the crowd accused Jesus of blasphemy for calling himself the Son of God, he answered with this psalm:
Jesus answered them: Is it not written in your law: I said you are gods?
If he called them gods, to whom the word of God was spoken, and the scripture cannot be broken;
Do you say of him whom the Father hath sanctified and sent into the world: Thou blasphemest, because I said, I am the Son of God?
If Scripture called human judges “gods” because they shared in God’s authority, how much more can the one the Father sent into the world be called the Son of God.
What the psalm means
- God judges the judges: those who hold power answer to God.
- Justice for the weak: “Judge for the needy and fatherless: do justice to the humble and the poor.”
- Darkness of injustice: when rulers are corrupt, “all the foundations of the earth shall be moved.”
- “You are gods… but you like men shall die”: authority is a share in God’s, not a license to oppress.
- A prayer for justice: “Arise, O God, judge thou the earth.”
How the Church uses Psalm 82
- In the Liturgy of the Hours.
- For judges, lawmakers and all in authority, as a prayer for justice to the poor.
A prayer with Psalm 82
Written for this page:
God, you stand in judgment over all who hold power.
Give justice to the weak and the orphan; defend the poor and the oppressed.
Make our judges and leaders just, mindful that they will answer to you.
Arise, O God, judge the earth, for all the nations belong to you. Amen.
Frequently asked questions
What does “I said, you are gods” mean?
In Psalm 82 it refers to human judges who share in God’s authority to judge; Jesus used it to defend his claim to be the Son of God (John 10:34–36).
What is Psalm 82 about?
God’s judgment on unjust rulers and his command to defend the poor and fatherless.
More psalms and prayers
Texts and sources
- Scripture: Psalm 81 (82); John 10:34–36, Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
- The prayer was written for this page.