The Other Gods in the Bible
Yesterday morning, I was reading through Psalm 138 in my trusty NIV Bible. One verse stood out to me in particular. Verse 1 reads:
I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; before the “gods” I will sing your praise.
One word in particular stood out to me: the word “gods”. And not just the word “gods” but also the quotation marks. This stood out to me because, in most other places in the Psalms where “gods” are mentioned in the NIV, there are no quotation marks. For example:
Psalm 4:2
How long will you people turn my glory into shame? How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?Psalm 16:4
Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more. I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods or take up their names on my lips.Psalm 40:4
Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods.Psalm 86:8
Among the gods there is none like you, LORD; no deeds can compare with yours.Psalm 95:3
For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods.Psalm 96:4-5
4 For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the LORD made the heavens.Psalm 97:7
All who worship images are put to shame, those who boast in idols— worship him, all you gods!Psalm 97:9
For you, LORD, are the Most High over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.Psalm 106:28
They yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor and ate sacrifices offered to lifeless gods.Psalm 106:37
They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to false gods.Psalm 135:5
I know that the LORD is great, that our Lord is greater than all gods.Psalm 136:2
Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever.
I did a quick search of the Psalms and discovered that when the “gods” are mentioned in Psalm 82, they get quotation marks:
Psalm 82:1
God presides in the great assembly; he renders judgment among the “gods”.Psalm 82:5
The ‘gods’ know nothing, they understand nothing. They walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.Psalm 82:6
I said, ‘You are “gods”; you are all sons of the Most High.’
So, why are there quotation marks in Psalms 82 and 138 but not in Psalms 4:2, 16:4, 40:4, 86:8, 95:3, 96:4, 96:5, 97:7, 97:9, 106:28, 106:37, 135:5, 136:2?
Who are these Gods?
I suppose we need to ask who these gods are. We can probably break them down into four categories.
❶ In some places, the “gods” refer to false gods or idols people worship. This doesn’t mean that they don’t necessarily exist. The idol certainly exists. And depending on how you read verses like 1 Corinthians 10:20 and Deuteronomy 32:17, there may even be demonic powers influencing or being associated with these idols. But they are not the one true God.
❷ In some places, “gods” could refer to spiritual beings in God’s divine council, similar to those beings we read of in 1 Kings 22:19, Job 1:6, and Job 2:1. These beings might include angels or other heavenly entities. Some people think that this is what Psalms 82 and 138 are talking about. Interestingly, the LXX (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) translates “gods” in Psalm 138:1 as “angels”.
❸In other places, “gods” may refer to human rulers. Many take the “gods” of Psalm 82 to be human rulers, given the judging on earth that they do. There’s precedent for this in Exodus 7:1, where Moses is referred to as a “god” to Aaron because he carries great authority in bearing God’s words.
For What It’s Worth
For what it’s worth, I reckon that any reference to “gods” in the Psalms should have quotation marks. Though they may exist, they are not the one true God. In most cases, the context makes the point fairly clear. I just think that quotation marks would make it more transparent. Why not add them to the rest if they’re already there in some passages?
