Psalms 82
Old Testament · Brenton Septuagint with Greek parallel
Psalms chapter 82 is given here in full, verse by verse, in Sir Lancelot Brenton's classic English translation of the Septuagint (LXX), with the Greek text of the Septuagint set beneath each verse. The text follows the Septuagint tradition received throughout the Orthodox Church.
10 patristic excerpts are attached to this chapter, from Saint Augustine of Hippo. The translator's notes for this chapter (1) follow the text.
Psalms 82
1(83) A Song of a Psalm for Asaph.Ὠδὴ ψαλμοῦ τῷ Ἀσάφ.
2O God, who shall be compared to you? be not silent, neither be still, O God.Ὁ Θεὸς, τίς ὁμοιωθήσεταί σοι; μὴ σιγήσῃς, μηδὲ καταπραΰνῃς ὁ Θεός.
3For behold, your enemies have made a noise; and they that hate you have lifted up the head.Ὅτι ἰδοὺ οἱ ἐχθροί σου ἤχησαν· καὶ οἱ μισοῦντές σε ᾖραν κεφαλήν.
4Against your people they have craftily imagined a device, and have taken counsel against your saints.Ἐπὶ τὸν λαόν σου κατεπανουργεύσαντο γνώμην, καὶ ἐβουλεύσαντο κατὰ τῶν ἁγίων σου.
5They have said, Come, and let us utterly destroy them out of the nation; and let the name of Israel be remembered no more at all.Εἶπαν, δεῦτε καὶ ἐξολοθρεύσωμεν αὐτοὺς ἐξ ἔθνους, καὶ οὐ μὴ μνησθῇ τὸ ὄνομα Ἰσραὴλ ἔτι.
6For they have taken counsel together with one consent: they have made a confederacy against you;Ὅτι ἐβουλεύσαντο ἐν ὁμονοίᾳ ἐπιτοαυτὸ, κατὰ σοῦ διαθήκην διέθεντο·
7even the tents of the Idumeans, and the Ismaelites; Moab, and the Agarenes;Τὰ σκηνώματα τῶν Ἰδουμαίων καὶ οἱ Ἰσμαηλῖται, Μωὰβ καὶ οἱ Ἀγαρηνοὶ,
8Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalec; the Philistines also, with them that dwell at Tyre.Γεβὰλ καὶ Ἀμμὼν καὶ Ἀμαλὴκ, καὶ ἀλλόφυλοι μετὰ τῶν κατοικούντων Τύρον.
9Yes, Assur too is come with them: they have become a help to the children of Lot. Pause.Καὶ γὰρ καὶ Ἀσσοὺρ συμπαρεγένετο μετʼ αὐτῶν, ἐγενήθησαν εἰς ἀντίληψιν τοῖς υἱοῖς Λώτ· διάψαλμα.
10Do you to them as to Madiam, and to Sisera; as to Jabin at the brook of Kison.Ποίησον αὐτοῖς ὡς τῇ Μαδιὰμ καὶ τῷ Σεισάρᾳ, ὡς τῷ Ἰαβεὶν ἐν τῷ χειμάῤῥῳ Κεισῶν.
11They were utterly destroyed at Aendor: they became as dung for the earth.Ἐξωλοθρεύθησαν ἐν Ἀενδὼρ, ἐγενήθησαν ὡσεὶ κόπρος τῇ γῇ.
12Make their princes as Oreb and Zeb, and Zebee and Salmana; even all their princes:Θοῦ τοὺς ἄρχοντας αὐτῶν ὡς τὸν Ὠρὴβ καὶ Ζὴβ καὶ Ζεβεὲ καὶ Σαλμανὰ, πάντας τοὺς ἄρχοντας αὐτῶν·
13who said, let us take to ourselves the * altar of God as an inheritance.Οἵτινες εἶπαν, κληρονομήσωμεν ἑαυτοῖς τὸ θυσιαστήριον τοῦ Θεοῦ.
14O my God, make them as a wheel; as stubble before the face of the wind.Ὁ Θεός μου θοῦ αὐτοὺς ὡς τροχὸν, ὡς καλάμην κατὰ πρόσωπον ἀνέμου.
15As fire which shall burn up a wood, as the flame may consume the mountains;Ὡσεὶ πῦρ ὃ διαφλέξει δρυμὸν, ὡσεὶ φλὸξ κατακαύσαι ὄρη·
16so shall you persecute them with your tempest, and trouble them in your anger.Οὕτως καταδιώξεις αὐτοὺς ἐν τῇ καταιγίδι σου, καὶ ἐν τῇ ὀργῇ σου ταράξεις αὐτούς.
17Fill their faces with dishonor; so shall they seek your name, O Lord.Πλήρωσον τὰ πρόσωπα αὐτῶν ἀτιμίας, καὶ ζητήσουσι τὸ ὄνομά σου Κύριε.
18Let them be ashamed and troubled for evermore; yes, let them be confounded and destroyed.Αἰσχυνθήτωσαν καὶ ταραχθήτωσαν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος, καὶ ἐντραπήτωσαν καὶ ἀπολέσθωσαν.
19And let them know that your name is Lord; that you alone are Most High over all the earth.Καὶ γνώτωσαν ὅτι ὄνομά σοι Κύριος· σὺ μόνος ὕψιστος ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν.
Translator's Notes
These notes come from the printed edition of Sir Lancelot Brenton's classic English translation of the Septuagint (LXX), and record where the Greek differs from the English rendering or admits more than one reading.
- v. 12*Alex. sanctuary.
The Fathers on Psalms 82
Saint Augustine of Hippo comments on this chapter. Each excerpt below is drawn from the full text held in the Fathers Library; follow the link on any entry to read the whole work.
On Psalms 82:2Saint Augustine of Hippo2. The people of God, then, in this Psalm saith, “O God, who shall be like unto Thee?” (ver. 1). Which I suppose to be more fitly taken of Christ, because, being made in the likeness of men, He was thought by those by whom He was despised to be comparable to other men: for He was even “reckoned among the unrighteous,” but for this purpose, that He might be judged. But when He shall come to judge, then shall be…
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On Psalms 82:3–4Saint Augustine of Hippo3. “For lo Thine enemies have sounded, and they that hate Thee have lifted up the head” (ver. 2). He seems to me to signify the last days, when these things that are now repressed by fear are to break forth into free utterance, but quite irrational, so that it should rather be called a “sound,” than speech or discourse. They will not, therefore, then begin to hate, but “they that hate Thee” will then “lift up the…
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On Psalms 82:5Saint Augustine of Hippo4. “They have said, Come, and let us destroy them from a nation” (ver. 4). He has put the singular number for the plural: as it is said, “Whose is this cattle,” even though the question be of a flock, and the meaning “these cattle.” Lastly, other copies have “from nations,” where the translators have rather followed the sense than the word. “Come, and let us destroy them from a nation.” This is that sound whereby…
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On Psalms 82:6Saint Augustine of Hippo5. “Since they have imagined with one consent; together against Thee have they disposed a testament” (ver. 5): as though they could be the stronger. In fact, “a testament” is a name given in the Scriptures not only to that which is of no avail till the death of the testators, but every covenant and decree they used to call a testament. For Laban and Jacob made a testament, which was certainly to have force…
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On Psalms 82:10–12Saint Augustine of Hippo7. Now let us see what the prophetic spirit prays may fall upon them, rather foretelling than cursing. “Do thou to them,” he saith, “as unto Madian and Sisera, as unto Jabin at the brook of Kishon” (ver. 9). “They perished at Endor, they became as the dung of the earth” (ver. 10). All these, the history relates, were subdued and conquered by Israel, which then was the people of God: as was the case also with…
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On Psalms 82:13Saint Augustine of Hippo8. “All their princes, who said, Let us take to ourselves the sanctuary of God in possession” (ver. 12). This is that vain noise, with which, as said above, Thy enemies have made a murmuring. But what must be understood by “the sanctuary of God,” except the temple of God? as saith the Apostle: “For the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.” For what else do the enemies aim at, but to take into possession,…
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On Psalms 82:14Saint Augustine of Hippo9. But what follows? “My God, make them like unto a wheel” (ver. 13). This is fitly taken as meaning that they should be constant in nothing that they think; but I think it may also be rightly explained, make them like unto a wheel, because a wheel is lifted up on the part of what is behind, is thrown down on the part of what is in front; and so it happens to all the enemies of the people of God. For this is not…
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On Psalms 82:15–16Saint Augustine of Hippo10. This levity, by which consent is easily given to what is evil, is followed by severe torment; therefore he proceeds:— “Like as the fire that burneth up the wood, and as the flame that consumeth the mountains” (ver. 14): “so shalt Thou persecute them with Thy tempest, and in Thy anger shalt disturb them” (ver. 15). Wood, he saith, for its barrenness, mountains for their loftiness; for such are the enemies of…
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On Psalms 82:17–18Saint Augustine of Hippo11. “Fill their faces with shame, and they shall seek Thy name, O Lord” (ver. 16). Good and desirable is this which he prophesieth for them: and he would not prophesy thus, unless there were even in that company of the enemies of God’s people, some men of such kind that this would be granted to them before the last judgment: for now they are mixed together, and this is the body of the enemies, in respect of the…
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On Psalms 82:19Open Psalms 82 in the interactive reader Switch translations, hear the chapter read aloud, tap any verse for its patristic commentary, and study the Greek word by word.Saint Augustine of Hippo12. Again, he returns to these last, who in the same company of enemies are to be made ashamed for this purpose, that they may not be ashamed for ever: and for this purpose to be destroyed in as far as they are wicked, that being made good they may be found alive for ever. For having said of them, “Let them be ashamed and perish,” he instantly adds, “and let them know that Thy name is the Lord, Thou art only the…
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