Text of prayer Psalm 81
In Church Slavonic with accents
Psalm to Asaph
1 God is in the assembly of gods, and in the midst the gods will judge.
2 How long will you judge unrighteousness and accept the faces of sinners?
3 Judge the weak and the poor, justify the lowly and the poor.
4 Take away the poor and the needy; deliver them out of the hand of the sinners.
5 Without knowing, without understanding, they walk in darkness: let all the foundations of the earth be removed.
6 Az reh: You are God, and you are all sons of the Most High.
7 But you, as men, are dying, and as one of princes you are falling.
8 Arise, O God, judge the earth: for Thou hast inherited in all nations.
In Russian
Psalm of Asaph
1 God became in the company of gods; among the gods pronounced judgment:
2 How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked?
3 Give justice to the poor and the fatherless; Give justice to the oppressed and the poor;
4 Deliver the poor and needy; pluck him out of the hand of the wicked.
5 They do not know, they do not understand, they walk in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaking.
6 I said: you are gods, and you are all sons of the Most High;
7 But you will die like men and fall like any prince.
8 Arise, O God, judge the earth, for you will inherit all nations.
Psalm 81 Psalm
Lopukhin's Explanatory Bible
Given the general content of the psalm, there is no obstacle to considering it to have been written during the time of David by his contemporary and singer Asaph. The psalm condemns the injustice of judges. At the beginning of David’s reign, facts of the latter kind could not have been rare, since the era of Saul’s reign, especially in his last years, when the king himself, in his relations with David, grossly violated the elementary requirements of justice, could only corrupt the judges, giving freedom to their arbitrariness, why their decisions could not stand at the level and impartiality required by law.
Similar phenomena could have occurred in the subsequent years of David’s reign, as indicated by the fact that Absalom spread among the people a complaint about the injustice of the judges. Obviously, Absalom had several similar facts at hand, which he used immoderately, generalizing random phenomena to the extent of the dominant and sanctioned by the king direction of judicial activity, i.e., created slander. It is impossible to determine exactly what time, whether the beginning of the reign of David or the time of Absalom’s uprising, should be attributed to the writing of the psalm.
God stood among the gods and menacingly denounced the latter for showing partiality to judgment, since this causes the foundations of the inner life of the people to shake. For this, the judges, despite the height of their service, will die, like any ordinary person (1-7). The writer prays to the Lord to arise for this judgment not only over the Jews, but over the whole earth (8).
Ps.81:1. God became in the host of gods; among the gods pronounced judgment:
“God became in the company of gods.” By gods, as can be seen from the context, we mean people involved in judicial matters, that is, judges: they allow partiality, like ordinary people (2-4); do not understand and do not know the responsibility assigned to them; are also subject to death, like every person (5-7). If they are called gods, then according to the purpose given to them by the Lord (6). The name of gods is attached to judges, as can be seen from (Ex. 21:6), because the will of God must be heard in their decisions, their sentences must be distinguished by impartiality, consistency with the Law of God, so that they are, as it were, God’s representatives on earth and God Himself speaks through them (Deut. 1:17). According to the psalm, God is represented as speaking among earthly judges to evaluate their activities and finding that the latter is subject to condemnation (“he pronounced judgment”).
Ps.81:3. Give justice to the poor and the orphan; Give justice to the oppressed and the poor;
Ps.81:4. deliver the poor and needy; pluck him out of the hand of the wicked.
When assigning a decision, one should be guided not by the property or social status of a person, but by the essence of the case under investigation, therefore, before the judges the rich and the poor, the noble and the ignorant, must be the same.
Ps.81:5. They don’t know, they don’t understand, they walk in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaking.
“They don’t know, they don’t understand, they walk in darkness” - not in the sense of a lack of understanding of the law or the difficulty of the case under investigation, but in the sense of deliberate evasion of the law, conscious partiality, which leads to shaking of the earth, to shaking the foundations of inner life, to the destruction of the rule of law, and through this - to arbitrariness and violence in relations between people. If such misdeeds of the judges were unconscious and accidental, then the Lord would not have condemned them.
Ps.81:6. I said: you are gods, and the sons of the Most High - all of you;
“You are gods and sons of the Most High” in the sense of being the representatives and closest executors on earth of the will of God in judicial decisions.
Ps.81:7. but you will die like men and fall like any prince.
The height of the position of the judge among the people and the sacred importance of his service cannot prevent heavy responsibility for the bad conduct of the case: the unjust judge will die and fall (deposed) like a simple prince or a common man.
Ps.81:8. Arise, O God, judge the earth, for You will inherit all nations.
The writer prays to God for the restoration of justice not only for the land of Judea, but throughout the whole world, since “all nations” are God’s heritage and are in His power.
Why do they read Psalm 81?
Psalm 81 is supposed to be read during the night hours, at the service of the rite of 12 psalms. In early Orthodox times, night vigil was adopted by monastic Rules. Subsequently, the number of hours was reduced, and 81 psalms are read as part of prayer services.
Psalm 81 is recommended to be read before and after judicial proceedings. It is important for a person to know that there is a Supreme Judge who will definitely judge everyone: old and small, rich and poor. And there is nothing and nothing will be fairer than the Supreme Court.
Publication by the successors of A.P. Lopukhin. Explanatory Bible. Interpretation of the Psalter
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Psalm 81
Psalm of Asaph
Given the general content of the psalm, there is no obstacle to considering it to have been written during the time of David by his contemporary and singer Asaph. The psalm condemns the injustice of judges. At the beginning of David’s reign, facts of the latter kind could not have been rare, since the era of Saul’s reign, especially in his last years, when the king himself, in his relations with David, grossly violated the elementary requirements of justice, could only corrupt the judges, giving freedom to their arbitrariness, why their decisions could not stand at the level and impartiality required by law.
Similar phenomena could have occurred in the subsequent years of David’s reign, as indicated by the fact that Absalom spread among the people a complaint about the injustice of the judges. Obviously, Absalom had several similar facts at hand, which he used immoderately, generalizing random phenomena to the extent of the dominant and sanctioned by the king direction of judicial activity, i.e., created slander. It is impossible to determine exactly what time, whether the beginning of the reign of David or the time of Absalom’s uprising, should be attributed to the writing of the psalm.
God stood among the gods and menacingly denounced the latter for showing partiality to judgment, since this causes the foundations of the inner life of the people to shake. For this, the judges, despite the height of their service, will die, like any ordinary person (1-7). The writer prays to the Lord to arise for this judgment not only over the Jews, but over the whole earth (8).
1 God became in the host of gods; among the gods pronounced judgment:
1. “God became in the company of gods.” By gods, as can be seen from the context, we mean people involved in judicial matters, that is, judges: they allow partiality, like ordinary people (2-4); do not understand and do not know the responsibility assigned to them; are also subject to death, like every person (5-7). If they are called gods, then according to the purpose given to them by the Lord (6). The name of gods is attached to judges (as can be seen from Exodus XXI: 6) because the will of God must be heard in their decisions, their sentences must be distinguished by impartiality, consistency with the Law of God, so that they are, as it were, God’s representatives on earth and speaks through them God Himself (Deut. I:17). According to the psalm, God is represented as speaking among earthly judges to evaluate their activities and finding that the latter is subject to condemnation (“he pronounced judgment”).
2 How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? 3 Give justice to the poor and the fatherless; Give justice to the oppressed and the poor; 4 Deliver the poor and needy; pluck him out of the hand of the wicked.
3-4. When assigning a decision, one should be guided not by the property or social status of a person, but by the essence of the case under investigation, therefore, before the judges the rich and the poor, the noble and the ignorant, must be the same.
5 They don’t know, they don’t understand, they walk in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaking.
5. “They don’t know, they don’t understand, they walk in darkness” - not in the sense of a lack of understanding of the law or the difficulty of the case under investigation, but in the sense of deliberate evasion of the law, conscious partiality, which leads to shaking of the earth, shaking the foundations of inner life, and the destruction of the rule of law , and through that - to arbitrariness and violence in relations between people. If such misdeeds of the judges were unconscious and accidental, then the Lord would not have condemned them.
6 I said: you are gods, and the sons of the Most High - all of you;
6. “You are gods and sons of the Most High” in the sense of being representatives and closest executors on earth of the will of God in judicial decisions.
7 but you will die like men and fall like any prince.
7. The height of the position of a judge among the people and the sacred importance of his service cannot prevent heavy responsibility for the bad conduct of a case: an unjust judge will die and fall (deposed) like a simple prince or a simple man.
8 Arise, O God, judge the earth, for You will inherit all nations.
8. The writer prays to God for the restoration of justice, not only for the land of Judea, but throughout the whole world, since “all nations” are God’s heritage, in His power.
Interpretation
The verses of Psalm 81 are emotional, denouncing judges. Each verse by the author includes an address to the judges and other powerful people in Israel.
- Verse 1: The author reminds us that God is the supreme judge who judges the “host of gods” that those in power call themselves. Asaph reminds us that God, and not anyone else, appointed the judges of the earth.
- Verse 2-5: Asaph repeats that judges are called “gods” so that the will of God comes from them, and they judge according to the law that God has given. So that they reason according to justice, and not according to their own understanding, to have mercy on the innocent poor, but to punish sinners. In verse 5, the author points out that judges know and understand everything well, but are subject to the temptation of sin. That is why they shake the foundations of civil society and favor arbitrariness and violence.
- Verse 6-7: The author speaks of God's warning to unrighteous judges. Despite being chosen, they will be deposed for their sins, like any rulers who failed to cope with the responsibilities assigned to them.
- Verse 8: The final verse contains an appeal to the Supreme Judge and a plea for justice not only for the Israelites, but for all His children.
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This psalm is interesting because it tells about the judgment of God among the gods. 81:1 Psalm of Asaph. God became in the host of gods; among the gods pronounced judgment:What kind of “gods” are we talking about, however?
81:2-4 How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? 3 Give justice to the poor and the fatherless; Give justice to the oppressed and the poor; 4 Deliver the poor and needy; pluck [him] from the hand of the wicked.
It is clear that we are talking about the leaders and judges of God's people, whom God has entrusted to organize the lives of His people and solve their problems on the basis of the principles of God (God's judgment). Jesus quoted this passage, saying: If He called them gods to whom the word of God came, and the Scripture cannot be broken, John 10:35 That is, those whom God has empowered to represent Himself on earth are here called “gods” to the people God's.
Actually, the idea that the leaders and rulers of even pagan peoples were, as it were, “gods” for the people was not news; the Egyptian pharaoh was considered the god of Egypt. The only thing that distinguished the “gods” of Israel was that they were not worshiped, but the God of Israel was worshiped, who only through the priests (gods) instructed his people and conveyed his word. Thus, the “gods” of this psalm are all messengers of Jehovah – Mal.2:7
81:5,6 They don’t know, they don’t understand, they walk in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaking. 6 I said: you are gods, and you are all sons of the Most High;
However, God saw that His helpers were not coping with their direct responsibilities in caring for His people. Therefore, He recognizes them as unsuitable to consider them His representatives on earth
81:7 but you will die like men and fall like any prince.
And since they turned out to be unsuitable for God - their fate will be equal to the fate of the common people, God will neither protect them, preserving them as His lamps in times of trouble, nor protect them. Whatever happens to all the people, they too will drink from God’s punishment.
As we see, the category of “gods” in Israel is not the same as the category of “princes”: a prince is simply the head of a clan in Israel, the ruler of his tribe. God is the messenger of the word of Jehovah, His holy servant, priest or prophet, called by God to convey his word at certain times.
81:8 Arise, O God, judge the earth, for You will inherit all nations.
Asaph calls on God himself to judge his people righteously, since His representatives failed to cope with this. And he believes that one day everyone who will live on earth will become God’s people, whose judge will be God Himself.
