Unpacking the 'Sons of God' in Psalms

Psalm 29 opens by commanding someone to give glory to the Lord. That someone is not Israel. In Hebrew it is the bene elim - the sons of God - and they are the ones being spoken to.
It matters, because the psalm then declares that the voice of the Lord is over the waters. In Canaanite religion, mastery of the waters belonged to Baal. The psalm puts the heavenly beings in the posture of worshippers and Yahweh in the place Baal claimed for himself.
Psalm 82 shows the other side of the same courtroom. There God stands in the divine council and passes judgment on its members.
One caution the sources themselves insist on: resemblance to Ugaritic material does not prove borrowing. These psalms are making a claim against Baal, not copying his hymns.
Scripture links:
- Psalm 29:1 - the sons of God are summoned to give glory to Yahweh.
- Psalm 82:1 - God takes his place in the divine council and judges among the gods.
The unseen world is not a council of equals. The psalms have it on its knees.