What Does Psalm 82:1 Mean in the King James?
A Psalm of Asaph. God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The same Hebrew word אֱלֹהִים (elohim, “God” or “gods”) names both the one who stands and those among whom he judges, while English capitalization separates them.
THE MEANING
God stands in the assembly of powers, and judgment happens among them. The gathering is not outside God’s presence or beyond discernment; its authority is seen and weighed from within. This verse speaks now wherever powers gather and call themselves beyond answerability.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
The lie this undoes is that the powerful answer only to themselves. The same assembly that bears authority also stands within judgment.
THE ROOT
נִצָּב
nitzav
GROWS FROM
נצב
natsav
to stand, take a stand, or be stationed
“standeth” in this verse is nitzav. The verb carries the sense of taking a fixed post, so God is present within the assembly as an active authority. The same root can describe a stationed official or a position, linking standing with the place from which authority is exercised.
ALSO GROWS
natsiv: governor or deputy
נָצִיב
A natsiv is an official stationed in a position, echoing the authority represented by God’s presence in the assembly.
matzav: post, position, or standing place
מַצָּב
This branch makes the root’s sense of standing concrete: a position is where one is placed to stand.
יִשְׁפֹּט
yishpot
GROWS FROM
שפט
shaphat
to judge, govern, or render a decision
“judgeth” in this verse is yishpot. The root forms both the act of judging and the order or decision that judgment produces. Here the judgment takes place בקרב, within the midst of the gods, locating the court inside the assembly itself.
ALSO GROWS
shophet: judge or one who governs
שֹׁפֵט
This names the one who carries out the act expressed by “judgeth.”
mishpat: judgment, justice, or legal decision
מִשְׁפָּט
This branch shows the judgment as an established decision or order, not merely an opinion.
THE PATTERN
The gathering that holds power is itself inside the field of judgment.
And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left.For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.THE THREAD
I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.The same form אֱלֹהִים (elohim, “gods”) appears in verse 6, where those judged are called “children of the most High.” The psalm holds shared divine naming and accountability together: their name does not place them beyond judgment.
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