Passage

Psalms 82.6

Book: Psalms · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV (ASV)

"4. Rescue the poor and needy: Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked. 5. They know not, neither do they understand; They walk to and fro in darkness: All the foundations of the earth are shaken."

"6. I said, Ye are gods, And all of you sons of the Most High."

"7. Nevertheless ye shall die like men, And fall like one of the princes. 8. Arise, O God, judge the earth; For thou shalt inherit all the nations." (Psalms 82:4-8, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"4. Rescue the weak and needy. Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.” 5. They don’t know, neither do they understand. They walk back and forth in darkness. All the foundations of the earth are shaken."

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

"7. Nevertheless you shall die like men, and fall like one of the rulers.” 8. Arise, God, judge the earth, for you inherit all of the nations." (Psalms 82:4-8, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"4. Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked. 5. They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course. ^{out: Heb. moved}"

"6. I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High."

"7. But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes. 8. Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations." (Psalms 82:4-8, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"4. Let the weak and needy escape, From the hand of the wicked deliver them. 5. They knew not, nor do they understand, In darkness they walk habitually, Moved are all the foundations of earth."

"6. I, I have said, 'Gods ye [are], And sons of the Most High, all of you,"

"7. But as man ye die, and as one of the heads ye fall, 8. Rise, O God, judge the earth, For Thou hast inheritance among all the nations!" (Psalms 82:4-8, YLT)

Setting

Speaker: various (David majority; Asaph, Korah, Moses, Solomon, anonymous)
Audience: worshipping Israel (corporate + individual devotion)
Location: Israel, various periods
Time period: composition spans c. 1400 BC (Moses, Ps 90), c. 400 BC; principal Davidic composition c. 1000 BC

Theological reading

Key words

H0430 - elohim, elohim (Strong's H430). Also appears in: Genesis 1.1, Genesis 1.2, Genesis 1.14-19.
H1121 - ben, ben (Strong's H1121). Also appears in: Genesis 3, Genesis 4.26, Genesis 6.2.

Quoted in

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.