The Courtroom of Psalm 82

Psalm 82 walked as a ledger: the scene (v.1, "he judgeth among the gods"), the indictment of unjust rule (vv.2–4), the address ("I have said, Ye are gods" — v.6, the line Jesus cites at John 10:34–35 with the aside "the scripture cannot be broken"), the sentence ("ye shall die like men" — v.7), and the verdict sought ("Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations" — v.8, the psalm's own answer to Deuteronomy 32:8–9's allotment). Who the elohim are — heavenly beings (the divine-council reading; Heiser, cite-only), or earthly rulers (the rulers school; Kline's dynastic-rulers argument, WTJ 24, 1962, cite-only) — is presented steelmanned, not adjudicated. Sources: KJV text (PD); atlas lenses 45 and 40.