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Psalms 82:7

The Prudent Serpent says
Truly, like man ("adam"), your inner selves are dying, and you are falling as one of the Captains!3

Footnote:

Psa. 82:7

Commentary: כאחד השרים תפּלו in Psalm 82:7

1. Lexical and Functional Range of שרים

The term שר (śar)—plural שָׂרִים—denotes a captain, chief, or officer, often depending on context:

  • Military Command – e.g., שר צבא ("commander of the army") or שרי מאות ("captains of a hundred").

  • Court Officials or Envoys – Genesis 12:15; Psalm 105:22; Numbers 22:8 (re: Moab); Isaiah 10:8 (Assyria).

  • Royal Administrators or Nobility – 1 Kings 4:2; 2 Kings 24:12; Jeremiah 34:21; Esther 1:3, 8:9; Ecclesiastes 10:16–17.

  • Judicial or Civic Magistrates – Exodus 18:21 (tribal administration under Moses); Isaiah 1:23; Micah 7:3; Proverbs 8:16.

  • Provincial Governors – 1 Kings 20:14ff.; Esther 3:12 (שרי עם ועם).

Thus, “princes” in Psalm 82:7 may intentionally evoke the entire governing class — not just generals, but also envoys, governors, and judges, all of whom are liable to fall through divine or historical judgment.

2. Historical-Political Precedents of "Fallen Princes"

The statement "like one of the princes you shall fall" would resonate with numerous biblical narratives of downfall, including:

  • Foreign Rulers and Their Officials

    • Pharaoh’s princes (Genesis 12:15) who failed to prevent plagues.

    • Moabite, Edomite, Assyrian, and Babylonian officials (Numbers 22:8; Isaiah 34:12; Isaiah 10:8; Jeremiah 49:38), all of whom face judgment.

    • These reflect the broader prophetic motif of the collapse of foreign courts and imperial arrogance.

  • Israelite and Judean Court Officials

    • Jehoiachin’s surrender with שריו (2 Kings 24:12–14) underscores elite capitulation.

    • Zedekiah’s princes (Jeremiah 34:21; 2 Chron. 36:18) are similarly judged.

    • Lamentations and Ezekiel portray royal administrators and princes as culpable and humiliated during Jerusalem’s fall.

  • Administrative Elites under Moses

    • Exodus 18 and Deuteronomy 1 describe local śārîm appointed as judges or district leaders—emphasizing moral responsibility.

  • Literary/Prophetic Denunciations of שרים

    • Isaiah 1:23: "Your princes/captains are rebels and companions of thieves."

    • Micah 7:3 and Zephaniah 3:3: depict corrupt שרים who pervert justice.

These suggest that Psalm 82:7 is not a vague threat but invokes a robust precedent: elohim falls—militarily, politically, and morally—when they betray justice, regardless of national origin.

3. Implication for Psalm 82’s Structure

Psalm 82 presents a cosmic tribunal where divine beings of supremacy are rebuked for injustice. Verse 7 breaks their illusion of untouchability:

“You are gods... but you are dying like man, and falling like one of the princes.”

This fall draws from an entire biblical history of princely collapse — from Egypt to Babylon, from captains of 50 to royal judges — suggesting that no status, military or diplomatic, can shield from divine judgment.