Grammar Analysis: Psalm 82:1–6

Overview

Psalm 82 is the single most exegetically load-bearing passage for the grammatical question of whether the Hebrew plural אֱלֹהִים (elohim, H430) necessarily denotes the one God of Israel, or whether it is a flexible, applicable-by-context title. Within six verses the psalm applies אֱלֹהִים three distinct ways:

1. v.1a — אֱלֹהִים as singular subject of a singular participle (נִצָּב niṣṣāḇ, ms.) = "God [one] stands";
2. v.1b — אֲדַת־אֵל ("the congregation of El," H410) with a different divine noun as the setting;
3. v.1c — בְּקֶרֶב אֱלֹהִים yišpōṭ ("in the midst of elohim he judges") with אֱלֹהִים now denoting the plural of the ones being judged;
4. v.6 — אֱלֹהִים אַתֶּם ("elohim [are] you [plural]") — a verbless predicate-nominal clause in which אֱלֹהִים is predicated of the 2mp addressees ("you are elohim / gods"), paired with בְּנֵי עֶלְיוֹן כֻּלְּכֶם ("sons of the Most High, all of you").

This is the passage Jesus cites in John 10:34–36 (quoting LXX Ps 81:6, ἐγὼ εἶπα θεοί ἐστε) as his Scriptural ground for the proposition that calling someone "God" (θεός) is not inherently blasphemy when Scripture itself uses the term of another referent. The grammar therefore bears directly on:

• Whether the morphological plural of אֱלֹהִים carries numerical/ontological plurality.
• Whether אֱלֹהִים is flexible enough in Hebrew to denote non-YHWH beings (members of a divine council, human judges, or ideal-type magistrates).
• What it means that the very same form is used (a) of the judging God, (b) of the judged assembly, and (c) of the 2mp addressees within one pericope — with singular verb agreement in v.1 and plural predicative use in v.6.

This file documents the grammar only. The interpretation of who the אֱלֹהִים addressed in v.6 are (angelic divine council members; Israelite judges; Israel-at-Sinai; typological rulers) is downstream of the grammar and is left to theological/exegetical work.

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Text

Hebrew (BHS):

• v.1 מִזְמ֗וֹר לְאָ֫סָ֥ף אֱֽלֹהִ֗ים נִצָּ֥ב בַּעֲדַת־אֵ֑ל בְּקֶ֖רֶב אֱלֹהִ֣ים יִשְׁפֹּֽט׃
• v.2 עַד־מָתַ֥י תִּשְׁפְּטוּ־עָ֑וֶל וּפְנֵ֥י רְ֝שָׁעִ֗ים תִּשְׂאוּ־סֶֽלָה׃
• v.3 שִׁפְטוּ־דַ֥ל וְיָת֑וֹם עָנִ֖י וָרָ֣שׁ הַצְדִּֽיקוּ׃
• v.4 פַּלְּטוּ־דַ֥ל וְאֶבְי֑וֹן מִיַּ֖ד רְשָׁעִ֣ים הַצִּֽילוּ׃
• v.5 לֹ֤א יָֽדְע֨וּ ׀ וְלֹ֥א יָבִ֗ינוּ בַּחֲשֵׁכָ֥ה יִתְהַלָּ֑כוּ יִ֝מּ֗וֹטוּ כָּל־מ֥וֹסְדֵי אָֽרֶץ׃
• v.6 אֲֽנִי־אָ֭מַרְתִּי אֱלֹהִ֣ים אַתֶּ֑ם וּבְנֵ֖י עֶלְי֣וֹן כֻּלְּכֶֽם׃

KJV:

• v.1 A Psalm of Asaph. God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.
• v.2 How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah.
• v.3 Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.
• v.4 Deliver the poor and needy: rid [them] out of the hand of the wicked.
• v.5 They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course.
• v.6 I have said, Ye [are] gods; and all of you [are] children of the most High.

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Word-by-Word Parsing

Psalm 82:1

#	Hebrew	Lemma	Parsing	Gloss
1	מִזְמוֹר	מזמור	Noun.ms.Abs	psalm
2	לְ	ל	Prep	to/for
3	אָסָף	אסף	PropN.ms.Abs	Asaph
4	אֱלֹהִים	אלהים (H430)	Noun.mp.Abs	god(s)
5	נִצָּב	נצב	Verb.Niphal.Ptcp.ms.Abs	stand
6	בַּ	ב	Prep	in
7	עֲדַת	עדה	Noun.fs.Cst	gathering / congregation
8	אֵל	אל (H410)	Noun.ms.Abs	god / God / mighty one
9	בְּ	ב	Prep	in
10	קֶרֶב	קרב	Noun.ms.Cst	midst / interior
11	אֱלֹהִים	אלהים (H430)	Noun.mp.Abs	god(s)
12	יִשְׁפֹּט	שׁפט (H8199)	Verb.Qal.Impf.3ms	judge

Psalm 82:2

#	Hebrew	Lemma	Parsing	Gloss
1	עַד	עד	Prep	unto
2	מָתַי	מתי	Introg	when
3	תִּשְׁפְּטוּ	שׁפט (H8199)	Verb.Qal.Impf.2mp	(you) judge
4	עָוֶל	עול	Noun.ms.Abs	injustice
5	וּ	ו	Conj	and
6	פְנֵי	פנה	Noun.mp.Cst	face(s) of
7	רְשָׁעִים	רשׁע	Adj.mp.Abs	guilty / wicked
8	תִּשְׂאוּ	נשׂא	Verb.Qal.Impf.2mp	(you) lift
9	סֶלָה	סלה	Interj	selah

Psalm 82:3

#	Hebrew	Lemma	Parsing	Gloss
1	שִׁפְטוּ	שׁפט (H8199)	Verb.Qal.Impv.2mp	judge!
2	דַל	דל	Adj.ms.Abs	poor / weak
3	וְ	ו	Conj	and
4	יָתוֹם	יתום	Noun.ms.Abs	orphan
5	עָנִי	עני	Adj.ms.Abs	afflicted / humble
6	וָ	ו	Conj	and
7	רָשׁ	רושׁ	Verb.Qal.Ptcp.ms.Abs	be poor
8	הַצְדִּיקוּ	צדק	Verb.Hiphil.Impv.2mp	vindicate / declare just

Psalm 82:4

#	Hebrew	Lemma	Parsing	Gloss
1	פַּלְּטוּ	פלט	Verb.Piel.Impv.2mp	rescue!
2	דַל	דל	Adj.ms.Abs	poor
3	וְ	ו	Conj	and
4	אֶבְיוֹן	אביון	Adj.ms.Abs	needy
5	מִ	מן	Prep	from
6	יַּד	יד	Noun.s.Cst	hand of
7	רְשָׁעִים	רשׁע	Adj.mp.Abs	guilty / wicked
8	הַצִּילוּ	נצל	Verb.Hiphil.Impv.2mp	deliver!

Psalm 82:5

#	Hebrew	Lemma	Parsing	Gloss
1	לֹא	לא	Neg	not
2	יָדְעוּ	ידע	Verb.Qal.Perf.3p	they know
3	וְ	ו	Conj	and
4	לֹא	לא	Neg	not
5	יָבִינוּ	בין	Verb.Qal.Impf.3mp	they understand
6	בַּ	ב	Prep	in
7	חֲשֵׁכָה	חשׁכה	Noun.fs.Abs	darkness
8	יִתְהַלָּכוּ	הלך	Verb.Hithpael.Impf.3mp	they walk about
9	יִמּוֹטוּ	מוט	Verb.Niphal.Impf.3mp	they totter
10	כָּל	כל	Noun.ms.Cst	all of
11	מוֹסְדֵי	מוסד	Noun.mp.Cst	foundations of
12	אָרֶץ	ארץ	Noun.s.Abs	earth

Psalm 82:6

#	Hebrew	Lemma	Parsing	Gloss
1	אֲנִי	אני	PersPron.1s	I
2	אָמַרְתִּי	אמר	Verb.Qal.Perf.1s	I said
3	אֱלֹהִים	אלהים (H430)	Noun.mp.Abs	god(s)
4	אַתֶּם	אתם	PersPron.2mp	you
5	וּ	ו	Conj	and
6	בְנֵי	בן (H1121)	Noun.mp.Cst	sons of
7	עֶלְיוֹן	עליון (H5945)	Adj.ms.Abs	Most High / upper
8	כֻּלְּכֶם	כל	Noun.ms.Abs.+2mp	all of you

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Clause Structure (BHSA)

Psalm 82:1

• Clause 1 — NmCl (nominal clause, the superscription): [PreC] מִזְמוֹר לְאָסָף — "A psalm of / belonging to Asaph."
• Clause 2 — Ptcp (participial clause, domain Q = quotation/poetic):
• [Subj] אֱלֹהִים (noun.mp.Abs)
• [PreC] נִצָּב (Niphal.Ptcp.ms.Abs — masculine singular)
• [Cmpl] בַּעֲדַת־אֵל
• Literal: "Elohim [is] standing in the congregation of El."
• The agreement between an mp.Abs subject and a ms participle is the classic "plural-of-majesty / plural-of-excellence" pattern (cf. Gen 1:1 אֱלֹהִים בָּרָא 3ms Qal.Perf.). A singular verb / participle agrees with aleh-im when the referent is the one God of Israel.
• Clause 3 — xYq0 (non-initial yiqtol clause):
• [Cmpl] בְּקֶרֶב אֱלֹהִים
• [Pred] יִשְׁפֹּט (Qal.Impf.3ms — again, masculine singular)
• Literal: "In the midst of elohim he judges."
• The ms predicate here is governed by the same subject as Clause 2 (אֱלֹהִים = the God-judge). The second אֱלֹהִים in the Cmpl phrase is the plural subject of judgment (the ones being judged), not a second instance of the divine subject.

Psalm 82:6

• Clause 1 — XQtl (fronted X + qatal):
• [Subj] אֲנִי
• [Pred] אָמַרְתִּי
• Literal: "I — [it is I who] said."
• Clause 2 — NmCl (verbless predicate-nominal clause — THE KEY CLAUSE):
• [PreC] אֱלֹהִים
• [Subj] אַתֶּם (2mp pronoun)
• Literal: "elohim [are] you [pl.]."
• Clause 3 — NmCl (parallel verbless NmCl):
• [Conj] וּ
• [PreC] בְּנֵי עֶלְיוֹן
• [Subj] כֻּלְּכֶם
• Literal: "and sons of Elyon [are] all of you."

The fronted predicate (אֱלֹהִים before אַתֶּם) is the normal word order for predicate-nominal identification in Hebrew (cf. Exo 3:14 type, Ezek 28:2 אֵל אָנִי "God [am] I," Isa 43:10 ff.). The predicate position carries emphasis: "elohim is what you are."

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Construct Chains

Psalm 82:1

• עֲדַת־אֵל = "congregation / assembly of El"
• Cst עֲדַת (Noun.fs.Cst from עֵדָה, "congregation/assembly")
• Abs אֵל (Noun.ms.Abs, H410)
• The nomen rectum (אֵל) definitizes the whole chain by its proper-name-like semantic force. In OT Hebrew, עֲדַת־X ("the assembly of X") typically takes a named or proper reference: עֲדַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, עֲדַת קֹרַח, עֲדַת יְהוָה. "Congregation of El" is thus an assembly belonging to / presided over by El — the divine council venue (cf. Psa 89:7 sôd qedôšîm; 1 Kgs 22:19 ṣeḇāʾ haššāmayim; Job 1:6; 2:1 benê hāʾelōhîm).
• קֶרֶב אֱלֹהִים = "midst of elohim"
• Cst קֶרֶב (Noun.ms.Cst, "midst/interior")
• Abs אֱלֹהִים (Noun.mp.Abs, H430)
• Here the nomen rectum is the plural absolute אֱלֹהִים. Grammatically this is the plural-referent usage: "in the midst of [the] elohim" = in the midst of a plural group.

Psalm 82:6

• בְּנֵי עֶלְיוֹן = "sons of Elyon"
• Cst בְּנֵי (Noun.mp.Cst from בֵּן, H1121)
• Abs עֶלְיוֹן (Adj.ms.Abs substantivized, H5945 — "Most High" as divine title)
• Structural parallel: Psa 29:1 בְּנֵי אֵלִים; Psa 89:7 בִּבְנֵי אֵלִים; Deu 32:8 (DSS/LXX: בְּנֵי אֱלֹהִים / υἱῶν θεοῦ); Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7.
• The "sons of X" idiom in Hebrew is a qualitative/member-of-class genitive — members of the divine/heavenly class presided over by Elyon.

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Key Grammatical Features

1. Singular verb-agreement with plural-morphology אֱלֹהִים (v.1a, 1c)

• Form: אֱלֹהִים (Noun.mp.Abs) + נִצָּב (Niphal.Ptcp.ms.Abs) + יִשְׁפֹּט (Qal.Impf.3ms).
• Significance: Hebrew standardly uses singular verbs/adjectives/participles with אֱלֹהִים when the referent is the one God of Israel and plural agreement when the referent is actually plural beings (cf. Gen 20:13 הִתְעוּ אֹתִי אֱלֹהִים "elohim caused me to wander" — 3mp hiphil of תעה in Abraham's speech to a foreigner; Gen 35:7 נִגְלוּ אֵלָיו הָאֱלֹהִים "elohim revealed themselves to him" — 3mp niphal). The singular agreement at v.1 grammatically identifies the first and third אֱלֹהִים in v.1 as the divine subject-judge. No Trinitarian argument runs on plurality-of-form here; the grammar forces singular-referent reading when singular agreement obtains.
• Grammar reference: See ehyeh-1cs-imperfect for divine-speech 1cs; pattern of singular agreement with אֱלֹהִים is a lexicographic standard (BDB s.v. אֱלֹהִים 1; HALOT; Joüon–Muraoka §136d; GKC §145h — "pluralis majestatis / intensivus").

2. Niphal participle נִצָּב (v.1a)

• Form: niṣṣāḇ, Niphal masculine-singular participle of נצב ("stand, take one's stand, station oneself").
• Significance: The Niphal of נצב is tolerative/stative-reflexive — "he has taken his stand / stations himself." The participle presents the act as ongoing/present — God is standing in the divine council. The scene is judicial-forensic: the judge takes his stand. Compare Isa 3:13 נִצָּב לָרִיב יְהוָה ("YHWH is standing to contend") — same Niphal participle, same forensic register.
• Grammar reference: stem-niphal for the full range of Niphal functions (passive / middle / reflexive / tolerative / stative).

3. Verbless predicate-nominal clause אֱלֹהִים אַתֶּם (v.6)

• Form: Zero-copula NmCl — [PreC] אֱלֹהִים + [Subj] אַתֶּם (2mp).
• Significance: This is the key grammatical datum for John 10:34–36. The clause is:
• predicate-first (marked word order — predicate emphasis),
• verbless (zero-copula, present-state equation),
• 2mp addressee — addressed to a plural "you."
• With אֱלֹהִים predicated of 2mp pronominal subject, the form cannot function as "plural of majesty" for the one God, since the subject (אַתֶּם) is itself plural. Grammatically, אֱלֹהִים here must denote a class-noun predicate — "elohim [= gods / divine-class-members]" applied to the plural addressees.
• This directly parallels Ezek 28:9 אֱלֹהִים אָנִי ("elohim [am] I") attributed to the king of Tyre as a claim, and Ezek 28:2 אֵל אָנִי ("El [am] I") — also predicate-first NmCl. The grammar makes clear that in Hebrew, being identified as elohim is a predicate role that can be asserted of non-YHWH referents, whether truly (v.6 by divine fiat) or falsely (Ezek 28 as blasphemous claim).
• Grammar reference: symbol-decoding-predicate-nominal for verbless NmCl identification constructions; isa-14-ezek-28-self-deification for the predicate-first אֱלֹהִים/אֵל NmCl pattern applied to non-YHWH claimants.

4. 1cs qatal with emphatic pronoun: אֲנִי־אָמַרְתִּי (v.6)

• Form: [Subj] אֲנִי (1cs independent pronoun) + [Pred] אָמַרְתִּי (Qal.Perf.1s of אמר). XQtl construction (fronted subject pronoun + qatal).
• Significance: The independent pronoun is grammatically unnecessary (the 1cs perfect already encodes the subject); its presence marks emphasis or contrast — "I myself said…" or "I [as opposed to you] said." This highlights that the status of being called elohim is a divine speech-act — something YHWH himself declared, not something the addressees claimed for themselves. The verse thus encodes: the designation is YHWH's; the responsibility is theirs. The perfective aspect אָמַרְתִּי ("I said / I have said") references a prior speech-event (constitutive declaration) whose content is now being recalled.
• Grammar reference: See syntax-wx-qatal-circumstantial for fronted-X + qatal pragmatics; GKC §142a on emphatic-pronoun + finite verb.

5. Construct chain עֲדַת־אֵל with a different divine noun (v.1b)

• Form: Cst עֲדַת + Abs אֵל (H410). Note that אֵל is a distinct noun from אֱלֹהִים — it is singular, non-plural-of-majesty, and carries an ancient West-Semitic / Ugaritic resonance as the name of the patriarchal high-god who presides over the divine council (ʾilu / ʾil).
• Significance: The psalm deliberately varies its divine vocabulary within one verse: אֱלֹהִים (Subj) → עֲדַת־אֵל (Cmpl) → קֶרֶב אֱלֹהִים (Cmpl). This is not random lexical variation. אֵל here evokes the divine-council setting language of OT theophany/enthronement poetry (cf. Psa 29:1 benê ʾēlîm; Psa 89:7 ʾēl). The identity of the אֵל whose assembly this is, versus the אֱלֹהִים who stands judge, versus the אֱלֹהִים being judged, is a referential (not grammatical) question — each use is grammatically well-formed. The grammar supplies three distinct syntactic roles for three distinct referents sharing divine vocabulary.
• Word study: H410-el.

6. Imperatives of judicial-administrative responsibility (vv. 3–4)

• Forms: שִׁפְטוּ (Qal.Impv.2mp of שפט); הַצְדִּיקוּ (Hiphil.Impv.2mp of צדק — "cause-to-be-righteous / vindicate"); פַּלְּטוּ (Piel.Impv.2mp of פלט — "rescue"); הַצִּילוּ (Hiphil.Impv.2mp of נצל — "deliver").
• Significance: Four consecutive 2mp imperatives explicitly address the אֱלֹהִים-addressees as having judicial duties toward human social classes — דַל (poor), יָתוֹם (orphan), עָנִי (afflicted), רָשׁ (impoverished), אֶבְיוֹן (needy). These are the standard categories of Israelite case-law for protected parties (Exo 22:21–27; Deu 24:17–21; Isa 1:17). The stem-choices carry force:
• Hiphil הַצְדִּיקוּ = declare-righteous (causative/declarative) — judicial verdict.
• Piel פַּלְּטוּ = intensively rescue / set free — active intervention.
• Hiphil הַצִּילוּ = cause-to-be-delivered — extraction from hand-of-wicked.
• This imperative sequence grammatically presupposes that the addressees exercise judicial function — which constrains but does not decide the identification question. Whoever the אֱלֹהִים of v.6 are, the psalm is addressing them as having a task that includes deciding cases in court. This makes some readings (e.g., "angels addressed as elohim") harder and others ("judges / magistrates") more natural — but that is an interpretive move, not a grammatical demand.
• Grammar reference: hiphil-imperfect for the declarative-estimative function of Hiphil (הַצְדִּיקוּ = "declare just"); qal-imperfect for imperative paradigm; word studies for H8199-shaphat.

7. "Sons of Elyon" construct chain (v.6b)

• Form: בְּנֵי עֶלְיוֹן — Noun.mp.Cst + Adj.ms.Abs (substantivized divine title).
• Significance: The "sons of X" construct is Hebrew's standard member-of-class idiom. בְּנֵי עֶלְיוֹן is structurally parallel to:
• בְּנֵי אֵלִים (Psa 29:1; 89:7) — "sons of the Els / heavenly beings"
• בְּנֵי אֱלֹהִים (Deu 32:8 in LXX/4QDeutj; Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7) — "sons of God" / members of the divine council
• בְּנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים (Gen 6:2, 4) — "sons of God"
• The genitive עֶלְיוֹן ("Most High," H5945) is itself a divine title used sometimes independently (Num 24:16; Deu 32:8; Psa 9:3; 18:14; Isa 14:14). The construct בְּנֵי עֶלְיוֹן therefore places the v.6 addressees in the same class as the bĕnê ʾēlōhîm of Genesis 6, Deuteronomy 32, and Job 1–2 — grammatically. Whether they are identical with those beings or merely share the class designation is an interpretive/referential question.
• Word study: H1121-ben on the qualitative genitive idiom.

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Inventory: The Three Syntactic Roles of אֱלֹהִים in Psalm 82:1–6

Occurrence	Verse	Syntactic Role	Agreement	Referent (grammatically constrained)
1	82:1a	Subject of participial NmCl	singular (נִצָּב ms)	singular being — the judging God
2	82:1c	Abs in construct chain קֶרֶב אֱלֹהִים	n/a (governed by Cst)	plural group — the ones in whose midst judgment occurs
3	82:6	Predicate of verbless NmCl	(predicate of 2mp Subj)	plural addressees — the ones being called elohim

Additionally: אֵל (H410) appears once (v.1b) as the Abs of construct עֲדַת־אֵל, denoting the presiding deity whose assembly this is. עֶלְיוֹן (H5945) appears once (v.6b) as Abs of construct בְּנֵי עֶלְיוֹן, denoting the parent of the addressees.

The psalm thus uses three distinct divine nouns (אֱלֹהִים, אֵל, עֶלְיוֹן) to mark three distinct roles in a single judicial-council scene:

• אֵל = host/presider of the council venue;
• אֱלֹהִים (sg-referent) = the standing-judge who enters and speaks;
• אֱלֹהִים (pl-referent) = the addressed members being evaluated;
• עֶלְיוֹן = the parent/source of the class identity of those members.

Depending on interpretation, אֵל, אֱלֹהִים (sg), and עֶלְיוֹן may refer to the same being (YHWH), or to distinguishable roles within a single divine identity, or to different beings. The grammar does not force any of the three readings.

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The Grammar / NT Interface: John 10:34–36

John 10:34–36 (NA28 / TR):

ἀπεκρίθη αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς· οὐκ ἔστιν γεγραμμένον ἐν τῷ νόμῳ ὑμῶν ὅτι ἐγὼ εἶπα· θεοί ἐστε; εἰ ἐκείνους εἶπεν θεοὺς πρὸς οὓς ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ ἐγένετο, καὶ οὐ δύναται λυθῆναι ἡ γραφή, ὃν ὁ πατὴρ ἡγίασεν καὶ ἀπέστειλεν εἰς τὸν κόσμον, ὑμεῖς λέγετε ὅτι βλασφημεῖς, ὅτι εἶπον· υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ εἰμι;

Jesus' citation "ἐγὼ εἶπα θεοί ἐστε" is a word-for-word LXX quotation of Ps 81:6 LXX (= MT 82:6):

• MT: אֲנִי־אָמַרְתִּי אֱלֹהִים אַתֶּם
• LXX: Ἐγὼ εἶπα· Θεοί ἐστε
• Jesus: ἐγὼ εἶπα· θεοί ἐστε

The LXX has rendered the predicate-first verbless NmCl of Hebrew ([PreC] אֱלֹהִים [Subj] אַתֶּם) with the predicate-first nominal clause of Greek ([PreC] θεοί [Subj/Cop] ἐστε), using the present-indicative 2pl of εἰμί as the copula. Greek requires an explicit copula where Hebrew does not; otherwise the syntactic structure is preserved.

Jesus' argument-form (a fortiori / qal-wa-ḥōmer):

• Premise 1: Scripture (τὸ γεγραμμένον, "what stands written") itself applies θεοί to "those to whom the word of God came" (πρὸς οὓς ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ ἐγένετο) — a description invoking either prophetic reception, Sinai-revelation recipients (Israel), or the divine-council recipients;
• Premise 2: Scripture cannot be broken (οὐ δύναται λυθῆναι ἡ γραφή) — the grammatical fact cannot be gainsaid;
• Conclusion: Therefore, calling the one whom the Father sanctified and sent "Son of God" (υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ) is not per se blasphemy.

The grammar of Psa 82:6 is the load-bearing evidence. If אֱלֹהִים אַתֶּם (applied to a 2mp human/creaturely addressee) is legitimate Scripture (and grammatically it plainly is — verbless NmCl, predicate-first, 2mp subject), then the term θεός / אֱלֹהִים is not a locked single-referent term in Hebrew or Greek. The plural-form morphology is not what makes אֱלֹהִים a "God"-word; context and agreement do.

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Cross-References

Grammar library

• stem-niphal — Niphal functions (applies to נִצָּב v.1, יִמּוֹטוּ v.5).
• hiphil-imperfect — Hiphil causative/declarative (applies to הַצְדִּיקוּ v.3, הַצִּילוּ v.4).
• qal-imperfect — yiqtol paradigm (applies to יִשְׁפֹּט v.1, תִּשְׁפְּטוּ v.2, יָבִינוּ v.5).
• symbol-decoding-predicate-nominal — verbless predicate-nominal NmCl identification grammar (v.1, v.6).
• syntax-wx-qatal-circumstantial — fronted-X + qatal pragmatics (אֲנִי־אָמַרְתִּי v.6).

Passage analyses

• isa-14-ezek-28-self-deification — predicate-first אֵל אָנִי / אֱלֹהִים אָנִי NmCl applied to non-YHWH claimants (parallel syntax to Psa 82:6).
• exodus-3-13-15 — אֱלֹהֵי אַבְרָהָם etc., and the divine-name revelation grammar of 1cs ehyeh.
• exodus-6-2-3 — אֲנִי יְהוָה predicate-nominal self-declaration formula; divine-name disclosure grammar.

Word studies

• H410-el — אֵל (v.1b) — the singular divine noun in עֲדַת־אֵל.
• H1121-ben — בֵּן as qualitative genitive in בְּנֵי עֶלְיוֹן (v.6b).
• H8199-shaphat — שׁפט as the root-verb of the entire judicial scene (v.1c, 2, 3).
• [H430-elohim] — gap noted for future word-study work: a canonical word-study on אֱלֹהִים (H430) is the most obvious missing entry relative to this passage and would be the right vehicle for the full catalog of (a) singular-referent + sg-agreement uses, (b) plural-referent + pl-agreement uses, (c) predicate uses applied to non-YHWH, (d) honorific/authority uses (Exo 21:6; 22:7–8; 1 Sam 28:13), (e) false-god uses, (f) plural-of-majesty analysis history from Maimonides through modern Hebraists.
• [H5945-elyon] — gap noted: עֶלְיוֹן as divine epithet ("Most High") also warrants a canonical word study; occurs ~30× OT with distinct honorific/titular function.

NT interface

• John 10:34–36 — Jesus' citation of Ps 82:6 LXX (Ps 81:6). LXX Θεοί ἐστε preserves the Hebrew predicate-first NmCl with explicit present-indicative 2pl copula. The argument-form is qal-wa-ḥōmer from Scripture's own non-exclusive use of θεός/אֱלֹהִים to the legitimacy of Jesus' υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ self-identification.

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Summary: What the Grammar Does and Does Not Decide

What the grammar does decide:

1. אֱלֹהִים in v.1a and v.1c (as subject of ms verb/participle) refers to a single being.
2. אֱלֹהִים in v.6 (predicate of 2mp NmCl) refers to plural addressees being predicatively called "elohim / gods."
3. The morphological plural form of אֱלֹהִים is not a reliable indicator of numerical/ontological plurality — agreement controls reference.
4. אֱלֹהִים can be predicated of non-YHWH beings within inspired Hebrew Scripture without grammatical irregularity; the NmCl at 82:6 is morphologically unremarkable.
5. The psalm uses three distinct divine nouns (אֱלֹהִים, אֵל, עֶלְיוֹן) in distinct syntactic roles within a single pericope.
6. The addressees of v.6 are grammatically commanded (vv.3–4) to perform judicial duties toward human protected-parties.
7. Jesus' LXX-faithful citation of v.6 in John 10:34 preserves the Hebrew predicate-first NmCl and presupposes the unbreakability of this grammatical fact.

What the grammar does not decide:

1. The identity of the אֱלֹהִים-addressees of v.6 — divine-council members / angels / human judges / Israel-at-Sinai / typological rulers are all consistent with the grammar.
2. Whether the אֵל of v.1b and the אֱלֹהִים-subject of v.1a and the עֶלְיוֹן of v.6b are the same being (common Christian / Jewish reading) or distinct members of a hierarchy (ancient Near Eastern council background reading).
3. Whether the plural form of אֱלֹהִים ever carries meaningful Trinitarian signal — in this passage the plural form is clearly not functioning that way (it is applied, with plural agreement, to creaturely addressees in v.6 and to the being(s) judged in v.1c); whether it functions that way elsewhere (Gen 1:26 נַעֲשֶׂה אָדָם; Isa 6:8 מִי יֵלֶךְ־לָנוּ) is a separate grammatical investigation.
4. The theological weight of v.7 (not treated here — beyond the stated scope of vv.1–6) — כְּאָדָם תְּמוּתוּן "you will die like men" — which is where the mortality-contrast lands and sharpens the referential question.

The grammatical upshot for the Trinitarian / plural-of-majesty debate: Psa 82 is strong evidence that Hebrew אֱלֹהִים is a flexible class-noun whose referent is fixed by syntactic agreement and context, not by morphology alone. Any argument that infers intra-divine plurality from the -im ending of אֱלֹהִים must reckon with the fact that the identical form is grammatically predicated of plural creaturely addressees in Ps 82:6, and is governed by singular agreement (hence singular-referent) in Ps 82:1a. The -im ending by itself does no referential work.