Dear Kenneth, I’m so glad you highlight Psalm 82 as it is so fascinating, especially with its language of the divine council and a plethora of legal vocabulary. The primary crux of Psalm 82 is the identity of ʾĕlōhîm in verses 1, 6 and 8. I align myself with those scholars who interpret all four instances of the word ʾĕlōhîm as referring to divinity. In my book, I present three scenarios for interpretation that I don’t have the space here to rehearse. In short, how the ancients understood Psalm 82 (as well as how we moderns understand it) is determined by where the author, audience, and interpreter stand on the mythopoeic-mythopoetic continuum. The mythopoeic has to do with “myth making”— though often recasting older Near Eastern myths in Israelite dress rather than creating new myths. In contrast, the mythopoetic describes the use of “mythic imagery,” where only echoes of myths are preserved in attenuated form. In ancient Israelite society, there were likely advocates of the mythopoeic as well as those advocating the mythopoetic. What understanding do we have in the Masoretic Text of Psalm 82? While remnants of mythopoeic traditions seem to seep through the letters, the Masoretic tradition stands fully in line with those acknowledging one deity only as absolute judge. It leans heavily toward the mythopoetic and then some. Hope this helps rather than muddying the waters. Ted
Dear Kenneth, I’m so glad you highlight Psalm 82 as it is so fascinating, especially with its language of the divine council and a plethora of legal vocabulary. The primary crux of Psalm 82 is the identity of ʾĕlōhîm in verses 1, 6 and 8. I align myself with those scholars who interpret all four instances of the word ʾĕlōhîm as referring to divinity. In my book, I present three scenarios for interpretation that I don’t have the space here to rehearse. In short, how the ancients understood Psalm 82 (as well as how we moderns understand it) is determined by where the author, audience, and interpreter stand on the mythopoeic-mythopoetic continuum. The mythopoeic has to do with “myth making”— though often recasting older Near Eastern myths in Israelite dress rather than creating new myths. In contrast, the mythopoetic describes the use of “mythic imagery,” where only echoes of myths are preserved in attenuated form. In ancient Israelite society, there were likely advocates of the mythopoeic as well as those advocating the mythopoetic. What understanding do we have in the Masoretic Text of Psalm 82? While remnants of mythopoeic traditions seem to seep through the letters, the Masoretic tradition stands fully in line with those acknowledging one deity only as absolute judge. It leans heavily toward the mythopoetic and then some. Hope this helps rather than muddying the waters. Ted