"You are gods and sons of he Most High."
Proof of the Trinity Error
Trinitarians claim that Jesus quotes this verse to show how God called such men "gods" in order to then claim how much more should he, Jesus, be called "God" since in fact he IS "God" in response to the Trinitarian translation of John 10:33, "make yourself God." This particular claim is also heavily dependent upon their interpretation/translation of John 10:33.
The Evidence
1. Psalm 82:1
Psalm 82:6 must be read in context. Verse 1:1 reads:
God (Elohim) takes His stand in the assembly of God (El). He judges among the gods (Elohim.
El and Elohim in the above passage are not the same identities. In such a context, El most certainly refers to the one true God, God Most High. The Elohim in this passage cannot be the same identity as El or the verse would be utterly incoherent.
2. Hebrew Poetic Parallelism
It is very common, especially in the Psalms, for Hebrew literature to be expressed in poetic parallelisms:
You are gods
sons of the Most High
In a Hebrew parallelism, the terms may not be identically synonymous but they are intended to point to the same reality. The men in question here are commonly understood to be the judges of Israel. These men are "gods" since they are "sons of the Most High" in some respect (see Deut 32:8, 18-20 for example).
3. The Implications of the Correlating Singular Form
The singular form would also hold true for each of the identities in question who are being identified as "gods, sons of the Most High." To each of them then, it could be said, "You are a god, a son of the Most High."
Analysis of the Facts
1. Jesus' Reponse at John 10:34-36
Jesus responds to the Jews at John 10:34 by quoting this Psalm. Notice carefully what he says:
Has it not been written in your Law, "I said, 'You are gods'?" If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came, and the Scripture cannot be broken, do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am a son of God'?"
Notice the parallellism again between "gods" and "sons of God" but now only in singular form:
| Psalm 82:6 | Singular | John 10:33-36 |
| "I said, 'You are gods...'" | "You are a god" | "make yourself a god" |
| and sons of the Most High | a son of the Most High | I am a son of God |
"You are gods, sons of the Most High." Jesus is emphasizing that these sons of the Most High, sons of God, are here being called "gods" at Psalm 82:6. So if God himself can call these men "gods" and "sons of the Most High," then how is it that Jesus is blaspheming if he says he is a son of God? These men were called gods because they were sons of the Most High. Jesus' point is that if he too is a son of God, then why do these Jews have a problem calling him a god since that is exactly what Yahweh Himself does at Psalm 82:6!
Conclusion
Jesus quotes Psalm 82:6 because the Jews charged him with making himself a god. At Psalm 82:6 God himself says about these sons of God, "I said, 'You are gods.'" By implication that makes each of these men "a god."
If he called them gods to whom the Word of God came... (John 10:35).
The Word which you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me. (John 14:24; see 6:14).
Related Links: John 10:33
Created: March 11, 2011
Last Revision/Update: January 30, 2016
