God stands in the congregation of the mighty; he judges among the gods.
Read Chapter 82
Augustine of Hippo
AD 430
1. This Psalm, like others similarly named, was so entitled either from the name of the man who wrote it, or from the explanation of that same name, so as to refer in meaning to the Synagogue, which Asaph signifies; especially as this is intimated in the first verse. For it begins, "God stood in the synagogue of gods" (ver. 1). Far however be it from us to understand by these Gods the gods of the Gentiles, or idols, or any creature in heaven or earth except men; for a little after this verse the same Psalm relates and explains what Gods it means in whose synagogue God stood, where it says, "I have said, Ye are gods, and ye are all the children of the Most High: but ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes." In the synagogue of these children of the Most High, of whom the same Most High said by the mouth of Isaiah, "I have begotten sons and brought them up, but they despised Me," stood God. By the synagogue we understand the people of Israel, because synagogue is the word...
Asaph. Josaphat gave the like instructions to his judges, 2 Paralipomenon xix. 6. (Kimchi) (Calmet)
God rejected the Jews in the preceding psalm, and here the reason is assigned. (Theodoret)
Congregation, or church of the Jews, who were gathered together like cattle, and sought after temporal advantages (St. Augustine, in Psalm lxxii. 23.) alone. (Catec. Trid. Symb.)
This is not exactly true of all, (Hebrews xi. 14.) though it might be of the people in general, who seldom raised their thoughts to spiritual delights. (Haydock)
Of gods. Hebrew, "of God "who presides in his own council, and gives authority to others. (Amama)
Yet Syriac has, "the angels "Chaldean, "the just "Protestants, "the mighty "and Aquila, "the powerful ones. "(Haydock)
Gods here are put for judges, who act in God's name, Deuteronomy i. 17., and Exodus xxii. 28. To decide affairs of consequence, the priests and other judges met in the temple; and the Romans did the like, each senator offering incense and wine t...
