Very early on as a new convert, I heard several sermons related to John 10, where Jesus quotes Psalms 82:6, "I said, you are gods, ..." The net result left me with the impression that Jesus was defending himself as both fully-man and fully-God (Son of God) by implying that "men are gods". This filtered interpretation handed to me from over the pulpit hung on in my collection of "theologies" for decades until the last year.
As I was doing some study recently, this "theology" popped back up on my radar and I have decided to address it. Allow me to skip right to the end and then lead you from here to there by the hand: Jesus is not saying that we as men are gods. We are not. We are men. The gods are the divine spirit heavenly host beings that are created a little higher than us. Again—let me flatly state to you: WE ARE NOT "gods"!
NOTE: Dr. Heiser making the same point in this video. He goes a little further, which thing I love. Watch this video along with reading this article.
Let's begin by reading the passage, bringing it into full view.
Jesus answered them, Has it not been written in your Law, "I said, you are gods"? [Psalm 82:6] (35) If He called those gods with whom the Word of God was, and the Scripture cannot be broken, (36) do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, You blaspheme, because I said, I am Son of God? (37) If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me. (38) But if I do, even if you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may perceive and may believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him. (39) Then again they sought to seize Him. And He went forth from their hand.
Let's bring in the full context of Psalm 82:1-8
(Psa 82:1 LITV) A Psalm of Asaph God stands in the assembly of the mighty [Divine Council; see Deuteronomy 32:7-8]; He judges in the midst of the gods.
(Psa 82:2 LITV) Until when will you judge unjustly, and lift up the faces of the wicked? Selah.
(Psa 82:3 LITV) Judge the poor and fatherless; do justice to the afflicted and needy.
(Psa 82:4 LITV) Deliver the poor and needy; save out of the hand of the wicked.
(Psa 82:5 LITV) They neither know nor will understand; they walk in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
(Psa 82:6 LITV) I have said, You are gods, and all of you are sons of the Most High.
(Psa 82:7 LITV) But you shall die as men, and fall like one of the rulers.
(Psa 82:8 LITV) Rise, O God, judge the earth; for You shall inherit in all the nations.
Allow me to also include the NASB-95 version of Psalm 82:1 and have you compare it to the version above from the LITV:
(Psa 82:1 NAS95) A Psalm of Asaph. God takes His stand in His own congregation; He judges in the midst of the rulers.
We will address the differences a little later in this article.
Two views of John 10:24 and Psalm 82
There are at least two ways people have interpreted what Jesus is saying and is a demonstration of how the worldview of the translator matters a great deal; far more than we've been led to believe in how common Christians are taught. The sheets need to come off of the furniture in the house so we can all see!
The fact that Jesus quotes Psalm 82:6 from John 10 is a fulcrum of "strange-and-weird" that ought to get our attention immediately. Further back in John 10, the Jews are making the following statement:
The Jews answered Him, saying, We do not stone You concerning a good work, but concerning blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself God.
The whole "men-are-gods-because-Jesus-says-so" viewpoint is being made from the viewpoint of the Jews. The questions arising are three-fold: Does Jesus use the same viewpoint? Is Jesus saying that human beings are gods? Would an astute Jew understand his theology?
Careful analysis of Jesus's response in relation to Psalm 82:1-8 (and Deuteronomy 32) negates any assertion that his message deified humans, in an attempt at legitimizing his own proclamation as the Son of God. Note his remark: "...He called 'gods' those to whom the Word of God came...". The context of this statement can be found in Psalm 82:1: "God [Elohim] has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods [elohim] he holds judgment:" John 1:1 adds clarity: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Thus, the "Word" was eternally present with God, the uncreated deity.
John 3:16 goes further in defining precisely who the "Word of God" is among the sons of God (benai elohim). Let's get a little closer in on this:
"WHAT ABOUT JESUS? Readers of Psalm 82 often raise a specific question about Jesus. If there are other divine sons of God, what do we make of the description of Jesus as the “only begotten” son of God (John 1:14, 18; 3:16, 18; 1 John 4:9)? How could Jesus be the only divine son when there were others?
“Only begotten” is an unfortunately confusing translation, especially to modern ears. Not only does the translation “only begotten” seem to contradict the obvious statements in the Old Testament about other sons of God, it implies that there was a time when the Son did not exist—that he had a beginning.
"The Greek word translated by this phrase is monogenes. It doesn’t mean “only begotten” in some sort of “birthing” sense. The confusion extends from an old misunderstanding of the root of the Greek word. For years monogenes was thought to have derived from two Greek terms, monos (“only”) and gennao (“to beget, bear”). Greek scholars later discovered that the second part of the word monogenes does not come from the Greek verb gennao, but rather from the noun genos (“class, kind”). The term literally means “one of a kind” or “unique” without connotation of created origin. Consequently, since Jesus is indeed identified with Yahweh and is therefore, with Yahweh, unique among the elohim that serve God, the term monogenes does not contradict the Old Testament language.
"The validity of this understanding is borne out by the New Testament itself. In Hebrews 11:17, Isaac is called Abraham’s monogenes. If you know your Old Testament you know that Isaac was not the “only begotten” son of Abraham. Abraham had earlier fathered Ishmael (cf. Gen 16:15; 21:3). The term must mean that Isaac was Abraham’s unique son, for he was the son of the covenant promises. Isaac’s genealogical line would be the one through which Messiah would come.
The evidence also encompasses the perspective of an ancient Jew during Jesus's era. They subscribed to the philosophy known colloquially as "The Two Powers"—interpreted in Christianity as God the Father and God the Son. Hence, they acknowledged the monogenes—God's distinctive, uncreated offspring.
Where does all of this leave us with regard to answering our three questions? Let's raise them again:
- #1 - Does Jesus use the same viewpoint [one of our interpretations] (e.g., "humans are gods")?
- #2 - Is Jesus saying that human beings are gods?
- #3 - Would an astute Jew understand his theology?
The answers are: #1 - No; #2 - No; #3 - Yes.
The translation of Psalm 82:1 in NASB-95 seemingly hinges on an affirmation of concept #1; it would seem they posit God taking a stand amid His own assembly of Israelite elders - He executes judgment among the "rulers" or "gods". Yet this interpretation imposes a particularly human interpretation to the divine assembly and its constituents.
If Jesus is putting forth regular men as "gods", then Old Testament references to "the gods" will lose their celestial connotations, construing the heavenly host as simply a group of human beings (i.e., like "rulers") and shifting the interpretation of Deuteronomy 32:7-8 to view "sons of God" as "sons of Israel" - following the Masoretic Text (MT). Nonetheless, the Septuagint (LXX), seen as a vestige of a third century BCE Jewish understanding, challenges this view. According to the LXX, Deuteronomy 32:8 does not refer to the "sons of Israel", but to the "sons of God", linked to the Tower of Babel incident.
In interpreting Jesus quoting Psalm 82:6 in John 10 - "I have said, you are gods" - it is crucial to understand the wider context, especially the phrasing "to whom [the gods] the Word of God came." Consider the setting presented in Psalm 82:1.
The Divine Council, an assembly of heavenly entities, is often designated in scriptural language as 'sons of God' or 'benai elohim'. The uncreated Elohim, the LORD, the pre-incarnate Logos (Jesus), descends into this divine congregation utilizing an eminent position (Elyon). He assumes a distinct seat, signifying His superior authority and prestige. This act can be elucidated as the embodiment of the Logos into the Council's proceedings ("to whom [the gods] the Word of God came").
Hence, John 10 entails Jesus citing Psalm 82:6, yet it extends further; he employs the passage's comprehensive context to delineate his identity within the Two Powers, thereby connecting the "Son of God" as the monogenes - the singular, uncreated "only begotten". Such an instance is reflected in John 3:16, where Jesus references this term. Indeed, John 3:16 is just a representation of numerous instances when John employs the term monogenes in reference to Jesus. Here are additional examples, inclusive of John 3:16:
The term "monogenes" is used several times in the New Testament to refer to Jesus. Here are the instances:
1. John 1:14: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son (monogenes) from the Father, full of grace and truth."
2. John 1:18: "No one has ever seen God; the only God (monogenes), who is at the Father's side, he has made him known."
3. John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son (monogenes), that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."
4. John 3:18: "Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son (monogenes) of God."
5. 1 John 4:9: "In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son (monogenes) into the world, so that we might live through him."
In these verses, "monogenes" is used to emphasize the unique relationship between Jesus and God the Father. Jesus is the "only begotten" in the sense that He is the only one who is of the same nature as the Father, not in the sense that He was created or had a beginning.
After affirming Jesus as the "monogenes" (only begotten) of the Father and exploring the Two Powers theology— a historical Jewish concept, we can now focus on Jesus' subsequent assertions about his identity in John 10. These assertions seek to address the accusations of blasphemy posed by the Jews who question his claim to be the "monogenes" Son of God and the Jews contention of it being applied to what they perceive as a "mere man".
NOTE: Loop in Jesus' question of the disciples at Mount Hermon (Caesarea Philippi): "Who do men say that I am?" This question of human beings perception of Jesus as man or Messiah is crucial not only then, but now and goes to the heart of addressing whether Jesus is saying that He is the Son of God or if men are gods (we are not).
John 10:(36) do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, You blaspheme, because I said, I am Son of God? (37) If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me. (38) But if I do, even if you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may perceive and may believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.
Examine meticulously Jesus' words commencing from verse 36. Referring to Psalm 82:1-8, we encounter Elohim—translated as the dual dimensions of the Divine Elyon—that inhabit the eternal, unformed abode of God. In John 10:36, the initial power (the Father) dispatches the Son (Jesus) from these celestial spaces (designated Most High - Elyon) to Earth's sphere, the earthly home of the Jews (and all human beings).
Jesus enunciates again the accusations charged by the Jews through his question to them- blasphemy being the key thought. Often underestimated, Jesus is posing a rhetoric, a question whose reply, in light of the context, is explicitly obvious for the sharp observer. Jesus underlines his assertion of being the Monogenes— the unique, singular, uncretaed Son of God, the second facet of the Two Powers of the Supreme Deity (El-Elyon).
Jesus presents a definitive stance in verse 37, stating, "If I do not perform My Father's works, withhold your belief in Me." Rather than chastising the Jews, he tactfully encourages their acceptance. His closing proposition, originating from his innate merciful, loving, and compassionate nature, pronounces, "(38) Yet, even if you withhold belief in Me, to behold the works is to understand and acknowledge that the Father dwells in Me, and I in Him."
Jesus' response is not an assertion of mankind's divinity. Instead, it solidifies his own position using firm language, identifying himself within the paradigm of the Jewish Two Powers theology as the Son of God. He places himself centrally within the context of Psalm 82:1-8, portraying the image of Elohim, a reference to the uncreated Two Powers, presiding in judgement amidst the lesser, created gods within God's Divine Council (as per Deuteronomy 32).
This perspective validates both the antiquated Judaic theology of Two Powers (Father and Son) and the belief of third century BCE LXX Jewish intellectuals. It interprets "sons of God" not "sons of Israel" in Deuteronomy 32:8 and "gods" rather than "rulers" in Psalm 82:1, (compare NASB-95 with more recent translations, LXX, and MT).
This clearly illustrates how effortlessly the translator's worldview may intrude, subtly masking and altering the divine narrative unspooled through human agency across many tiers (from Old Testament to New Testament and onto English translation).