Psalms 82:3

3 Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.

Psalms 82:3 in Other Translations

3 Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.

3 Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.

3 “Give justice to the poor and the orphan; uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute.

3 You're here to defend the defenseless, to make sure that underdogs get a fair break;

3 Judge the poor and fatherless: Do justice to the afflicted and destitute.

3 Defend weak people and orphans. Protect the rights of the oppressed and the poor.

3 Provide justice for the needy and the fatherless; uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute.

3 Stand up for those who are weak and for those whose fathers have died. See to it that those who are poor and those who are beaten down are treated fairly.

Psalms 82:3 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 82:3

Defend the poor and fatherless
Or, judge ^F4 them; such as have no money to enter and carry on a suit, and have no friends to assist and advise them, and abide by them; these should be taken under the care and wing of judges; their cause should be attended to, and justice done them; their persons should be protected, and their property defended and secured for, since they are called gods, they ought to imitate him whose name they bear, who is the Father of the fatherless, the Judge of the widows, and the helper of the poor that commit themselves to him, ( Psalms 10:14 ) ( 68:5 ) , such a righteous judge and good magistrate was Job; see ( Job 29:12 ) ,

do justice to the afflicted and needy;
or "justify" ^F5 them, pronounce them righteous, give the cause for them, not right or wrong, nor because they are poor and needy, but because they are in the right; for, if wicked, they are not to be justified, this is an abomination to the Lord; see ( Leviticus 19:15 ) ( Deuteronomy 25:1 ) ( Proverbs 17:15 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F4 (wjpv) "judicate", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, Musculus, Junius & Tremellius, Gejerus, Michaelis.
F5 (wqyduh) "justificate", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus, Musculus, Cocceius

Psalms 82:3 In-Context

1 God presides in the great assembly; he renders judgment among the “gods”:

2 “How long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked?

3 Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.

4 Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.

5 “The ‘gods’ know nothing, they understand nothing. They walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.

Cross References

• 1. S Deuteronomy 24:17
• 2. Psalms 140:12; Jeremiah 5:28; Jeremiah 22:16