New Living Translation
Psalms 82:2
2“How long will you hand down unjust decisions by favoring the wicked? Interlude
Psalms 82:2 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah.
- New International Version (NIV)“How long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked?
- English Standard Version (ESV)"How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah
- New King James Version (NKJV)How long will you judge unjustly, And show partiality to the wicked? Selah
Context of Psalms 82:2
1God presides over heaven’s court; he pronounces judgment on the heavenly beings: “How long will you hand down unjust decisions by favoring the wicked? Interlude 3“Give justice to the poor and the orphan; uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute. 4Rescue the poor and helpless; deliver them from the grasp of evil people.
Read all of Psalms 82Psalms 82:2 word by word
עַד־מָתַ֥י תִּשְׁפְּטוּ־עָ֑וֶל וּפְנֵ֥י רְ֝שָׁעִ֗ים תִּשְׂאוּ־סֶֽלָה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Psalms 82:2
- Psalms 62:3So many enemies against one man— all of them trying to kill me. To them I’m just a broken-down wall or a tottering fence.
- Exodus 10:3So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: How long will you refuse to submit to me? Let my people go, so they can worship me.
- 1 Kings 18:21Then Elijah stood in front of them and said, “How much longer will you waver, hobbling between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!” But the people were completely silent.
- Matthew 17:17Jesus said, “You faithless and corrupt people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.”
- Psalms 58:1Justice—do you rulers know the meaning of the word? Do you judge the people fairly?
- Exodus 23:6“In a lawsuit, you must not deny justice to the poor.
- Leviticus 19:15“Do not twist justice in legal matters by favoring the poor or being partial to the rich and powerful. Always judge people fairly.
- Micah 3:1I said, “Listen, you leaders of Israel! You are supposed to know right from wrong,
- Deuteronomy 1:17and impartial in your judgments. Hear the cases of those who are poor as well as those who are rich. Don’t be afraid of anyone’s anger, for the decision you make is God’s decision. Bring me any cases that are too difficult for you, and I will handle them.’
- 2 Chronicles 19:7Fear the Lord and judge with integrity, for the Lord our God does not tolerate perverted justice, partiality, or the taking of bribes.”
- Job 34:19He doesn’t care how great a person may be, and he pays no more attention to the rich than to the poor. He made them all.
- Proverbs 18:5It is not right to acquit the guilty or deny justice to the innocent.
- Galatians 2:6And the leaders of the church had nothing to add to what I was preaching. (By the way, their reputation as great leaders made no difference to me, for God has no favorites.)
Commentaries on Psalms 82:2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2Accept the persons of the wicked? - "Lift up their faces," encourage them in their oppressions. Selah - "Mark this:" ye do it, and sorely sLall ye suffer for it.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2How long will ye judge unjustly - literally, Judge evil. This is designed, evidently, to denote the prevailing character of the magistrates at the time when the psalm was written. Unhappily such occasions occur very often in the course of human affairs. And accept the persons of the wicked? - literally, Lift up, or bear, the faces of the wicked. The meaning is, that they showed favor or partiality to wicked people; they did not decide cases according to…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2Because justice defines God’s rule (Psalm 89:4), he does not support the wicked. The psalmist is confused by this situation and cries out to God to bring justice (Psalm 82:3–4, 8).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22. accept the persons--literally, "lift up the faces," that is, from dejection, or admit to favor and communion, regardless of merit (Le 19:15; Pr 18:5).Read the comment
Topics related to Psalms 82:2
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Psalms 82
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- The Treasury of David
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
New Living Translation — © 1996, 2004, 2015 Tyndale House Foundation
Commentaries