In John 10:34-36 the Lord Jesus quotes Psalm 82:6 where certain judges are called gods in order to expose the duplicity of his opponents for unjustly condemning him of blasphemy for claiming to be one with the Father:
“Jesus answered them: ‘Is it not written in your Law, “I said: ‘You are gods’”? If he called “gods” those against whom the word of God came—and yet the scripture cannot be nullified—do you say to me whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, “You blaspheme,” because I said, “I am God’s Son”?’”
Interestingly, according to the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Watchtower Bible and Tract Society (WBTS) the “gods” of Psalm 82:6 are human rulers, specifically Israelite judges.
I cite a slew of references from some of the publications churned out by the WBTS where they explicitly acknowledge this point. All emphasis will be mine:
25. What does the name “Mighty God” tell us about the heavenly Jesus?
25 Jesus is also “Mighty God” and “Eternal Father.” This does not mean that he usurps the authority and position of Jehovah, who is “God our Father.” (2 Corinthians 1:2) “He [Jesus] . . . gave no consideration to a seizure, namely, that he should be equal to God.” (Philippians 2:6) He is called Mighty God, not Almighty God. Jesus never thought of himself as God Almighty, for he spoke of his Father as “the only true God,” that is, the only God who should be worshiped. (John 17:3; Revelation 4:11) In the Scriptures, the word “god” can mean “mighty one” or “strong one.” (Exodus 12:12; Psalm 8:5; 2 Corinthians 4:4) Before Jesus came to earth, he was “a god,” “existing in God’s form.” After his resurrection, he returned to an even higher position in the heavens. (John 1:1; Philippians 2:6-11) Further, the designation “god” carries an additional implication. Judges in Israel were called “gods”—once by Jesus himself. (Psalm 82:6; John 10:35) Jesus is Jehovah’s appointed Judge, “destined to judge the living and the dead.” (2 Timothy 4:1; John 5:30) Clearly, he is well named Mighty God. (Isaiah’s Prophecy—Light for All Mankind, Chapter Ten The Promise of a Prince of Peace, pp. 130-131 https://www.jw.org/en/library/books/Isaiahs-Prophecy-Light-for-All-Mankind-I/The-Promise-of-a-Prince-of-Peace/)
in your Law: Here referring to the entire Hebrew Scriptures, not just to the Law of Moses. The quote that follows is taken from Ps 82:6. “Law” is used in the same sense at Joh 12:34; 15:25.
gods: Or “godlike ones.” Jesus here quotes from Ps 82:6, where the Hebrew word ʼelo·himʹ (gods) is used of men, human judges in Israel. They were “gods” in their capacity as representatives of and spokesmen for God. Similarly, Moses was told that he was to “serve as God” to Aaron and to Pharaoh.—Ex 4:16, ftn; 7:1, ftn. (John Study Notes—Chapter 10 New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (Study Edition) https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1001070678)
Among other mighty ones called “gods” in the Bible, is Jesus Christ, who is “the only-begotten god.” But he himself plainly said: “It is Jehovah your God you must worship, and it is to him alone you must render sacred service.” (John 1:18; Luke 4:8; Deut. 10:20) The angels are “godlike ones,” but one of them stopped John from worshiping him, saying: “Be careful! Do not do that! . . . Worship God.” (Ps. 8:5; Heb. 2:7; Rev. 19:10) Mighty men among the Hebrews were called “gods” (Ps. 82:1-7); but no man was purposed by God to receive worship. When Cornelius began to do obeisance to Peter, that apostle stopped him with the words, “Rise; I myself am also a man.” (Acts 10:25, 26) Certainly the false gods invented and fashioned by men down through the centuries since the rebellion in Eden are not to be worshiped. The Mosaic law warns strongly against turning from Jehovah to them. (Ex. 20:3-5) Jehovah the true God will not forever tolerate rivalry from false, worthless gods.—Jer. 10:10, 11. (Aid to Bible Understanding, God, p. 666)
63. Why did the Jews want to stone Jesus, and what did Jesus quote from the Psalms to show whether they were justified in doing so?
63 In saying this, are we not forgetting John 10:31-39, according to which the Jews wanted to stone Jesus for saying: “I and the Father are one”? No, we are not forgetting. The Jews, who believed in the one God whose name is Jehovah, there wanted to stone Jesus. Why? Not because he taught such a thing as a Trinity and that he was one-third of it, but because he spoke of himself as the Son of God, the Son of their God Jehovah. Jesus said to them with their stones in their hands: “Many good works, from my Father, I have shown you; for which of them do you stone me?” The Jews replied: “It is for no good work that we stone you, but for blasphemy, because you, a man, make yourself god.” (Torrey) Jesus then referred the Jews to their own Holy Scriptures, to Psalm 82:6, and said: “Is it not written in your law, I have said, Ye are gods? If God said, that those to whom he was speaking were gods (and the scripture cannot be annulled), do you accuse of blasphemy him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, because I said, I am the Son of God? If I do not do the works of my Father, do not believe me; but if I do them, even if you believe not me, believe the works, that you may perceive and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”—Torrey.
64. (a) What did Jesus there argue that he himself was? (b) Who were the ones whom Psalm 82 addressed as “gods”?
64 The very argument of Jesus here proves he did not claim to be God. Had he claimed to be God, then the Jews would have been right in stoning him for blasphemy. But Jesus argues that he claimed to be less than God. To prove this, Jesus quoted to them from Psalm 82, verses 1, 2, 6, 7 (AV) of which read: “God [Elohím] standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods [elohím]. How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? . . . I have said, Ye are gods [elohím]; and all of you are children of the most High. But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.” In this psalm the Most High God speaks to the unjust judges on earth, mere men, and calls them “gods,” or elohím in the Hebrew, and he tells them to correct their legal practice. Because those judges fail of their duty, it becomes necessary for the Most High God to arise and judge the peoples of the earth.
65. Despite their being “gods,” what will happen to those judges and for whose death were such kind of Jewish gods responsible?
65 Their being called “gods” will not save these judges; neither will their considering themselves to be “sons of the Most High” or sons of God. That gives them no immortality. They are still mortal and will die just like other men. They will fall in death just like other judicial princes on earth, and this by the execution of God’s judgment. God’s word was against them in adverse judgment. It was human gods like these, among the Jews, that caused Jesus to be put to death at the hands of the Romans.—Ex. 22:28, AV; Dy.
66, 67. What did Jesus not claim to be, and what did he not say to the Jews about his Father and himself?
66 Jesus told those who wanted to stone him that he had not claimed to be God or a god, even though Psalm 82:6 had called some men, some Israelite judges, “gods.” Jesus had been speaking to the Jews about God as being his Father, which would mean that he, Jesus, was the Son of God. Jesus said to them: “No one will snatch them [my sheep] out of my hand. What my Father has given me is something greater than all other things, and no one can snatch them out of the hand of the Father. I and the Father are one.”
67 After Jesus said that, his very argument that followed proved that he was not claiming to be God, nor was he saying that he and his heavenly Father were one God, a trinitarian God in which he and his Father were two Persons along with a third Person, “God the Holy Ghost.” Jesus did not say, I and the Father and the Holy Ghost are one. He mentioned no “Holy Ghost.”—John 10:28-30.
68. Using Psalm 82:6, how did Jesus prove that he did not claim to be God by saying: “I and the Father are one”?
68 Jesus argued that his statement, “I and the Father are one,” did not mean claiming to be God. How so? Because Jesus told those Jews that he was calling himself less than God his Father. He told those Jews that their own law in Psalm 82:6 called the men against whom God’s word came in criticism “gods,” and that the Jews could not annul this scripture that called human judges by the title of “gods”; nor could they deny that this scripture said this, and they could not take this scripture out of the inspired Scriptures. And yet, when Jesus Christ, who performed so many wonderful good works among the Jews, spoke of God as his Father and spoke of himself as merely the Son of God, they said he blasphemed and were ready to stone him as a blasphemer. Still he was more than those men whom Psalm 82 had called “gods,” because he, Jesus, was the one whom the heavenly Father had sanctified and sent into the world. If it was not blasphemy for Asaph to compose a psalm calling human judges in Israel “gods,” then it was far less a blasphemy for Jesus to speak of himself as merely the Son of God and not as a god.—Psalm 82, superscription. (The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom—1962, Part 2.Prehuman Existence, pp. 565-567)
It is ironic that the Society denies that Jesus made himself out to be a god here since this is precisely what they teach about him. More on this point shortly.
Here’s a few more references:
False charge of blasphemy. Because of Jesus’ references to God as his Father, certain opposing Jews leveled the charge of blasphemy against him, saying, “You, although being a man, make yourself a god.” (Joh 10:33) Most translations here say “God”; Torrey’s translation lowercases the word as “god,” while the interlinear reading of The Emphatic Diaglott says “a god.” Support for the rendering “a god” is found principally in Jesus’ own answer, in which he quoted from Psalm 82:1-7. As can be seen, this text did not refer to persons as being called “God,” but “gods” and “sons of the Most High.”
According to the context, those whom Jehovah called “gods” and “sons of the Most High” in this psalm were Israelite judges who had been practicing injustice, requiring that Jehovah himself now judge ‘in the middle of such gods.’ (Ps 82:1-6, 8) Since Jehovah applied these terms to those men, Jesus was certainly guilty of no blasphemy in saying, “I am God’s Son.” Whereas the works of those judicial “gods” belied their being “sons of the Most High,” Jesus’ works consistently proved him to be in union, in harmonious accord and relationship, with his Father.—Joh 10:34-38. (Insight on the Scriptures, Son(s) of God, Volume 2, p. 1001)
When charged by opposers with ‘making himself a god,’ Jesus’ reply was: “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said: “You are gods”’? If he called ‘gods’ those against whom the word of God came, and yet the Scripture cannot be nullified, do you say to me whom the Father sanctified and dispatched into the world, ‘You blaspheme,’ because I said, I am God’s Son?” (Joh 10:31-37) Jesus there quoted from Psalm 82, in which human judges, whom God condemned for not executing justice, were called “gods.” (Ps 82:1, 2, 6, 7) Thus, Jesus showed the unreasonableness of charging him with blasphemy for stating that he was, not God, but God’s Son.
This charge of blasphemy arose as a result of Jesus’ having said: “I and the Father are one.” (Joh 10:30) That this did not mean that Jesus claimed to be the Father or to be God is evident from his reply, already partly considered. The oneness to which Jesus referred must be understood in harmony with the context of his statement. He was speaking of his works and his care of the “sheep” who would follow him. His works, as well as his words, demonstrated that there was unity, not disunity and disharmony, between him and his Father, a point his reply went on to emphasize. (Joh 10:25, 26, 37, 38; compare Joh 4:34; 5:30; 6:38-40; 8:16-18.) As regards his “sheep,” he and his Father were likewise at unity in their protecting such sheeplike ones and leading them to everlasting life. (Joh 10:27-29; compare Eze 34:23, 24.) Jesus’ prayer on behalf of the unity of all his disciples, including future ones, shows that the oneness, or union, between Jesus and his Father was not as to identity of person but as to purpose and action. In this way Jesus’ disciples could “all be one,” just as he and his Father are one.—Joh 17:20-23. (Ibid., Jesus Christ, Volume 2, pp. 54-55)
Note how the last paragraph blatantly misrepresents the doctrine of the Trinity, which does not teach that Jesus and the Father are the same Person. That would be modalism, not Trinitarianism.
At this point I will demonstrate that, contrary to the Society’s assertion, the Jews correctly understood that Jesus was in fact making himself out to be God, even though he was a Man who was/is not the Father. Their error lay in thinking that Christ was blaspheming for doing so.
As the context shows, the unity that Jesus was claiming to have with the Father was that of essence and power. Note carefully what Christ actually says:
“My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them everlasting life, and they will by no means ever be destroyed, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. What my Father has given me is something greater than all other things, and no one can snatch them out of the hand of the Father. I and the Father are one.” John 10:27-30
Jesus describes believers as his sheep who hear his voice and are kept secure in his hand, and to whom he gives everlasting life. Christ assures his interlocutors that no one is capable of snatching the sheep out from his hand nor from his Father’s hand because he and the Father are one.
It is clear that Jesus is claiming to be one with the Father in divine power since Christ attributes to himself the very functions and abilities, which the Hebrew Bible attributes to Jehovah alone.
For instance, believers are the sheep of Jehovah’s hand, i.e., under his care, and they are to obey Jehovah’s voice:
“O come in, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before Jehovah our Maker. For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasturage and the sheep of his hand. Today if YOU people listen to his own voice,” Psalm 95:6-7 New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (1984 Edition)
The prophetic Scriptures further proclaim that Jehovah is the One who gives life and raises the dead, and that no creature is able to snatch or deliver anything out from Jehovah’s hand:
“See now that I—I am he, And there are no gods apart from me. I put to death, and I make alive. I wound, and I will heal, And no one can rescue from my hand.” Deuteronomy 32:39
“There is no one holy like Jehovah, There is no one but you, And there is no rock like our God… Jehovah kills, and he preserves life; He brings down to the Grave, and he raises up.” 1 Samuel 2:2, 6
“Also, I am always the same One; And no one can snatch anything out of my hand. When I act, who can prevent it?” Isaiah 43:13
This is precisely why the Jews wanted to stone Jesus for blasphemy since they correctly realized that Christ had just attributed to himself the very unique power and divine functions, which belong to Jehovah alone:
“Again the Jews lifted stones to stone him. Jesus answered ‘I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning me?’ The Jews answered ‘We are not stoning you in reference to a good work, but to a blasphemy and because you, being a man, are claiming to be God.’” John 10:31-33 The Bible in Living English
What makes this rather amusing is that, contrary to what the Society says, Jesus’ citation of Psalm 82:6 actually confirms this fact. It does not undermine it.
This is because the God whom the Psalmist describes as arising to condemn these so-called gods for corrupting the earth due to their injustice is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ himself!
I quote this specific Psalm in its entirety:
“God (elohim) standeth in the congregation of God (el); He judgeth among the gods (elohim)… I said, Ye are gods, And all of you sons of the Most High. Nevertheless ye shall die like men, And fall like one of the princes. Arise, O God (elohim), judge the earth; For thou shalt inherit (tinchal) all the nations.” Psalm 82:1, 6-8 American Standard Version
Note how the Greek versions (known as the Septuagint [LXX]) translate the Hebrew:
“God (ho theos) stands in the assembly of gods; and in the midst [of them] will judge gods… Arise, O God (ho theos), judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit (kleronomeseis) all nations.” Psalm 81:1, 8 LXX
Pay attention to the fact that the God whom Asaph mentions is the One who will judge the earth and inherit the nations in order to make them his possession.
And yet, astonishingly, the NT emphatically states that it isn’t the Father who comes to judge, but rather it is the Son that will arise to judge the creation!
“For the Father judges no one at all, but he has entrusted all the judging to the Son… Most truly I say to you, the hour is coming, and it is now, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who have paid attention will live… And he has given him authority to do judging, because he is the Son of man. Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life, and those who practiced vile things to a resurrection of judgment.” John 5:22, 25, 27-29
“He sent out the word to the sons of Israel to declare to them the good news of peace through Jesus Christ—this one is Lord of all… Also, he ordered us to preach to the people and to give a thorough witness that this is the one decreed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness, that everyone putting faith in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” Acts 10:36, 42-43
“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of the Christ, so that each one may be repaid according to the things he has practiced while in the body, whether good or bad.” 2 Corinthians 5:10
“I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his manifestation and his Kingdom:” 2 Timothy 4:1
The inspired Scriptures further attest that Jesus is the Heir who inherits all the nations as his everlasting possession:
“Lastly he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ On seeing the son, the cultivators said among themselves, ‘This is the heir (ho kleronomos). Come, let us kill him and get his inheritance (ten kleronomian autou)!’ So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.” Matthew 21:37-39
“Jesus approached and spoke to them, saying: ‘All authority has been given me in heaven and on the earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded you. And look! I am with you all the days until the conclusion of the system of things.’” Matthew 28:18-20
“Long ago God spoke to our forefathers by means of the prophets on many occasions and in many ways. Now at the end of these days he has spoken to us by means of a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things (kleronomon panton), and through whom he made the systems of things. He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact representation of his very being, and he sustains all things by the word of his power. And after he had made a purification for our sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” Hebrews 1:1-3
“Why are the nations agitated And the peoples muttering an empty thing? The kings of the earth take their stand And high officials gather together as one Against Jehovah and against his anointed one. They say: ‘Let us tear off their shackles And throw off their ropes!’ The One enthroned in the heavens will laugh; Jehovah will scoff at them. At that time he will speak to them in his anger And terrify them in his burning anger, Saying: ‘I myself have installed my king On Zion, my holy mountain.’ Let me proclaim the decree of Jehovah; He said to me: ‘You are my son; Today I have become your father. Ask of me, and I will give nations as your inheritance (nachalataka) And the ends of the earth as your possession. You will break them with an iron scepter, And you will smash them like a piece of pottery.’ So now, you kings, show insight; Accept correction, you judges of the earth. Serve Jehovah with fear, And rejoice with trembling. Honor the son, or God will become indignantAnd you will perish from the way, For His anger flares up quickly. Happy are all those taking refuge in Him.” Psalm 2:1-12
The NT applies Psalm 2 to the risen and exalted Christ:
“On hearing this, they raised their voices with one accord to God and said: ‘Sovereign Lord, you are the One who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all the things in them, and who said through holy spirit by the mouth of our forefather David, your servant: “Why did nations become agitated and peoples meditate on empty things? The kings of the earth took their stand and the rulers gathered together as one against Jehovah and against his anointed one.” For truly both Herod and Pontius Pilate with men of the nations and with peoples of Israel were gathered together in this city against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, to do what your hand and counsel had determined beforehand to occur. And now, Jehovah, give attention to their threats, and grant to your slaves to keep speaking your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand for healing and while signs and wonders occur through the name of your holy servant Jesus.’ And when they had made supplication, the place where they were gathered together was shaken, and they were one and all filled with the holy spirit and were speaking the word of God with boldness.” Acts 4:24-31
“So we are declaring to you the good news about the promise made to the forefathers. God has completely fulfilled it to us, their children, by resurrecting Jesus; just as it is written in the second psalm: ‘You are my son; today I have become your father.’” Acts 13:32-33
“For example, to which one of the angels did God ever say: ‘You are my son; today I have become your father’? And again: ‘I will become his father, and he will become my son’?” Hebrews 1:5
“So, too, the Christ did not glorify himself+ by becoming a high priest, but was glorified by the One who said to him: ‘You are my son; today I have become your father.’” Hebrews 5:5
“And the dragon kept standing before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she did give birth, it might devour her child. And she gave birth to a son, a male, who is to shepherd all the nations with an iron rod. And her child was snatched away to God and to his throne… I heard a loud voice in heaven say: ‘Now have come to pass the salvation and the power and the Kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ, because the accuser of our brothers has been hurled down, who accuses them day and night before our God!” Revelation 12:4a-5, 10
“And out of his mouth protrudes a sharp, long sword with which to strike the nations, and he will shepherd them with a rod of iron. Moreover, he treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.” Revelation 19:15
In fact, what the Society missed from Jesus’ words in John 10 is his implicitly identifying himself as that very Word of God who came to condemn the so-called gods for their unrighteousness. Note the words of our Lord carefully:
“Jesus answered them: “Is it not written in your Law, “I said: ‘You are gods’”? If he called “gods” those against whom the word of God came (ho Logos tou Theou egeneto) —and yet the scripture cannot be nullified—do you say to me whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, “You blaspheme,” because I said, “I am God’s Son”?’” John 10:34-36
Now contrast this with what is said of Christ being the Word who will come to destroy God’s enemies:
“Originally was the Word (ho Logos), And the Word was with God; And the Word was God. The same was originally with God. All things through him came into existence, And without him came into existence not even one thing: That which hath come into existence in him was life, And the life was the light of men… It was—The real light that enlighteneth every man—Coming into the world. In the world he was And the world through him came into existence, And the world knew him not… And the Word became flesh (kai ho Logos sarx egeneto) And pitched his tent among us, And we gazed upon his glory,—A glory as an Only-begotten from his Father. Full of favour and truth… No one hath seen God at any time: An Only Begotten God, The One existing within the bosom of the Father He hath interpreted [him].” John 1:1-4, 9-10, 14, 18 The Emphasized Bible
“I saw heaven opened, and look! a white horse. And the one seated on it is called Faithful and True, and he judges and carries on war in righteousness. His eyes are a fiery flame, and on his head are many diadems. He has a name written that no one knows but he himself, and he is clothed with an outer garment stained with blood, and he is called by the name The Word of God (Ho Logos tou Theou). Also, the armies in heaven were following him on white horses, and they were clothed in white, clean, fine linen. And out of his mouth protrudes a sharp, long sword with which to strike the nations, and he will shepherd them with a rod of iron. Moreover, he treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his outer garment, yes, on his thigh, he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.” Revelation 19:11-16
What this shows is that Jesus is that very Word of God whom the Father had sent to condemn those human judges of Psalm 82, since he has been the One who has been saving and/or judging mankind from the beginning of creation!
Finally, the Society is wrong that Jesus is not be worshiped and that only the Father is to be worshiped since Christ himself stated that the Father demands that everyone give to the Son the exact same honor which the Father receives:
“so that all may honor the Son JUST AS they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.” John 5:23
In fact, John sees an astounding vision where he beholds and hears every created thing in all of creation giving the Son the exact same worship which is given to the Father, and for the exact same duration!
“When he took the scroll, the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the Lamb, and each one had a harp and golden bowls that were full of incense. (The incense means the prayers of the holy ones.) And they sing a new song, saying: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll and open its seals, for you were slaughtered and with your blood you bought people for God out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and you made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God, and they are to rule as kings over the earth.’ And I saw, and I heard a voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders, and the number of them was myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, and they were saying with a loud voice: ‘The Lamb who was slaughtered is worthy to receive the power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.’ And I heard EVERY CREATURE in heaven and on earth and underneath the earth and on the sea, and ALL THE THINGS IN THEM, saying: ‘To the One sitting on the throne and TO THE LAMB be the blessing and the honor and the glory and the might forever and ever.’ The four living creatures were saying: ‘Amen!’ and the elders fell down and worshipped.” Revelation 5:8-14
That every created thing worships the Lamb in the exact same manner which the Father is worshiped proves that the Son is no mere creature. Rather, Jesus must be an uncreated, divine Person who became flesh, being essentially one with the Father, thereby making him worthy to receive the exact same power, riches, wisdom, blessing, honor, glory, strength and might which the One seated on the throne receives.
There’s simply no way around this divinely revealed truth.
Unless indicated otherwise, scriptural references taken from the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (2013 Revision).
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