The Gods Judged in Psalm 82

"God presides in the great assembly. He judges among the gods" (Psalm 82:1). One Hebrew word, *elohim*, appears twice in this single verse, describing two very different referents — and the difference is the whole scene.
*Elohim* functions in Hebrew as a category term for "beings of the spiritual realm," not as an exclusive personal name reserved for Yahweh alone. Psalm 82:1 uses it first for the singular God of Israel presiding, and then for the plural gods he judges — members of his own heavenly assembly now standing accused before him. The indictment that follows is direct and severe: "How long will you judge unjustly, and show partiality to the wicked?" (Psalm 82:2), followed by the charge that these beings "know nothing, they understand nothing," walking about in darkness while "all the foundations of the earth are shaken" — cosmic instability described as the direct consequence of corrupt spiritual governance. These are best understood as the same lesser spiritual authorities described in Deuteronomy 32:8-9 as having been allotted oversight of the nations — beings now called to account for having ruled unjustly over exactly the peoples entrusted to them.
This is not polytheism smuggled into the Psalms through the back door. It is a courtroom, and only one figure in it presides, judges, and is uncreated. Every other so-called god in the room is a created, accountable being standing in the dock, answerable for how it has governed. Yahweh's uniqueness is not threatened by this scene — it is proven by it: only the true God has the standing to judge every other power in heaven and on earth, and Psalm 82 shows him doing exactly that, without hesitation and without appeal.