What are the "gods" and "sons" of God in Psalm 82?

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Philip
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What are the "gods" and "sons" of God in Psalm 82?

Post by Philip »

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Psalm 82 and other related passages have a mystery as to the identity to the "sons of the Most High (God!)" and "gods" it refers to. Here's Bible and ancient languages scholar Dr. Mike Heiser's views on why he thinks these are not references to humans or the Trinity, etc. Very interesting stuff! But is his view perhaps unBiblical and faulty? (see opposing view at the bottom)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYpvzCS68wA

Who is Dr. Michael Heiser?

https://drmsh.com/about/

https://drmsh.com/wp-content/uploads/20 ... e-2021.pdf

And here is an alternative view that questions Heiser's reasoning: https://calvarychristianfellowship.com/ ... 28th-2020/
JackWhite
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Re: What are the "gods" and "sons" of God in Psalm 82?

Post by JackWhite »

Wow, cool!
Thanks for sharing. This is very interesting and educational.
dailyak77
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Re: What are the "gods" and "sons" of God in Psalm 82?

Post by dailyak77 »

Here's the text:

I said, “You are gods, And all of you are sons of the Most High.

I think this is the most provocative verse in the Bible! I've heard many rely on the more figurative translations that these are little 'g' gods and better translated as rulers, but let me remind you that the Teacher himself gave us an exegesis of this verse in John 10:34 when he used it to defend his own deity.
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Philip
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Re: What are the "gods" and "sons" of God in Psalm 82?

Post by Philip »

Welcome to the forum, dailyak77, I'll try to respond to this as soon as I get a chance. I'm sure there are others who might want to chime in about the mysteries surrounding his passage!

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Philip
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Re: What are the "gods" and "sons" of God in Psalm 82?

Post by Philip »

Dailyak77, the reference to "gods" and "sons" in Psalm 82 has long been very controversial amongst conservative Christian scholars. To me, it's one of those mysterious passages that really make me wonder. And while I know what the various camps insist these refer to, I'm not dogmatic about their intended meaning. And it's not like there aren't other passages in Scripture that I likewise find bewildering. But having the correct answer changes nothing about the Salvation Christ brought and offers us. Getting it right simply isn't crucial to the Believer's faith! But it certainly is fascinating to study and speculate on, per the various scholarly takes on this topic.

All the above said, Gotquestions.org probably offers the traditional view here: https://www.gotquestions.org/you-are-gods.html

And yet, other evangelicals - prominently, Dr. Michael Heiser - believes these refer to a divine cancel of beings - but not Gods (big G) - as he and others affirm - there is only one Yahweh / only one God exists. And here that contention is laid out in contrast to other views of this passage:

https://www.bereanbiblechurch.org/trans ... -pt-02.htm

The more one learns about theology, the more likely they'll have mysteries to ponder. But Scripture says it best: " For now we see in a mirror dimly ..."

Hope these links help!

Philip
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