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Psalm 29[a]

The Lord of Majesty Acclaimed as King of the World

A psalm of David.

I

Give to the Lord, you sons of God,[b]
    give to the Lord glory and might;

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 29 The hymn invites the members of the heavenly court to acknowledge God’s supremacy by ascribing glory and might to God alone (Ps 29:1–2a, 9b). Divine glory and might are dramatically visible in the storm (Ps 29:3–9a). The storm apparently comes from the Mediterranean onto the coast of Syria-Palestine and then moves inland. In Ps 29:10 the divine beings acclaim God’s eternal kingship. The Psalm concludes with a prayer that God will impart the power just displayed to the Israelite king and through the king to Israel.
  2. 29:1 Sons of God: members of the heavenly court who served Israel’s God in a variety of capacities.

Psalm 82[a]

The Downfall of Unjust Gods

A psalm of Asaph.

I

God takes a stand in the divine council,
    gives judgment in the midst of the gods.(A)

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 82 As in Ps 58, the pagan gods are seen as subordinate divine beings to whom Israel’s God had delegated oversight of the foreign countries in the beginning (Dt 32:8–9). Now God arises in the heavenly assembly (Ps 82:1) to rebuke the unjust “gods” (Ps 82:2–4), who are stripped of divine status and reduced in rank to mortals (Ps 82:5–7). They are accused of misruling the earth by not upholding the poor. A short prayer for universal justice concludes the Psalm (Ps 82:8).

The Interview Between the Lord and the Satan. (A)One day, when the sons of God[a] came to present themselves before the Lord, the satan also came among them.(B)

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Footnotes

  1. 1:6 Sons of God: members of the divine council; see Gn 6:1–4; Dt 32:8; Ps 82:1. The satan: lit., “adversary” (as in 1 Kgs 11:14). Here a member of the heavenly court, “the accuser” (Zec 3:1). In later biblical traditions this character will be developed as the devil (Gk. diabolos, “adversary”).

Chapter 5

Call now! Will anyone respond to you?
    To which of the holy ones[a] will you turn?

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Footnotes

  1. 5:1 Holy ones: members of the heavenly court; cf. 1:6 and note. They were viewed as heavenly intercessors.