Trinitarian Claim
Trinitarians claim that Jesus quotes this verse to show how if God called such men "gods" how much more should he, Jesus, be called "God" in response to the Trinitarian translation of John 10:33, "make yourself God."
Examination of the Claim
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.
2. Jewish Poetic Parallelism
It is very common, especially in the Psalms, for Jewish poetic literature to be expressed in parallelisms:
You are gods
sons of the Most High
The identities in question are "gods" because they are "sons of the Most High." The two terms are essentially interchangeable.
3. The Implications of the 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."
4. 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 paralellism 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" and if God himself calls these men gods, and these Jews leader themselves accept this description for themselves, then how is it that Jesus is blaspheming if he says he is a son of God? In other words, to be a son of God, or a "son of the Most High," means that God is calling such a person a god.
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 them "a god."
Created: March 11, 2011
Last Updated: March 24, 2011
Notes:
Early church fathers quote this verse, "you are gods," and apply it to Christians.
