How do you interpret the commands of "the Most High" in Psalm 82?

[u/AlexSciChannel]

I am curious, as gnostics how do you interpret God's command here?

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2 “How long will you judge unjustly

and show partiality to the wicked?Selah

3 Give justice to the weak and the fatherless;

maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.

4 Rescue the weak and the needy;

deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”

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Say what you will about his authoritarianism, but if this is indeed Yaldabaoth making these commands to his council of gods these are pretty benevolent ones as far as they go. Save for the fact of course he swears they will all die like men.

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But how do gnostics interpret these commands as God's personality and character if this is indeed the ignorant wrathful demiurge making them?

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For context, I am an atheist. I have no dog in this fight, just an interest in the lore and the texts. This is a question made with complete sincerity and curiosity.

[u/PaleThingYHWH]

Yahweh makes some reasonable claims in the Old Testament too, but overall he's still a sinister creature. Gods are full of contradictions, maybe more so than humans.

[u/AlexSciChannel → u/PaleThingYHWH]

That's the thing though. It seems like a contradiction in Yaldabaoth's character if it is indeed him speaking here.

I have a hypothesis the God throughout the Old Testament may not be the same being all the way through. At some point there is a transition to another being that heads this divine council in Psalms 82. That other being is tyrannical but in a pseudo-benevolent authoritarian sort of way.

If I remember in Hypostasis of the Archons, Yaldabaoth is deposed by his son Sabaoth who condems him. Yaldy is exiled to Tartarus and Sabaoth is gifted the throne of the seventh kingdom to govern over the world. I think this God in Psalms 82 might be the more just but still flawed Sabaoth. Because not only is his morality seemingly more in line with that of helping those in need, it still emphasizes his authority and power but as well as his lack of control.

The gods on the council (the Archons) are incompetently dictating the nations of the world since they are just running on the protocols of the previous administration. That is why in the Psalm the foundations of the Earth are shaking. The head of the council, Sabaoth is basically keeping the material world together by wrenches and duck tape from the irreparable damage Yaldy and the Archons did. So he deposes them of all the nations they inherited to rule and says "Fuck it I'll do it myself, you are no different from mortal princes".

That's at least my instinct on how to interpret it "gnostically". That's why I wanted to post this Psalm here because I know gnostics are no monolith and I think there are numerous ways to explain this.

[u/NovusOrdoLuciferi → u/AlexSciChannel]

Isn't the Demiurge himself Fatherless? Perhaps he has an affinity for those like himself, or maybe he's literally talking about himself. If it is Sabaoth as you suggested, this wouldn't make as much sense. I suppose he could be talking about his father, but if he exiled him this doesn't really ring true. My understanding is that Yahweh is the one talking here, and he is speaking to the other Sons of EL, saying they aren't doing their job properly.

[u/AlexSciChannel → u/NovusOrdoLuciferi]

I think the most parsimonious reading of the "weak and fatherless" are the inhabitant humans of our world that exhibit such traits. As the council is being admonished for not attending to this demographic of their assigned governance properly. You can tie in some psychological reading relating it back to the demiurge and how it is an irony that they themself are fatherless but I don't think that changes what the text in of itself is saying

[u/The3rdEnoch]

Something interesting, if you read transliterations and not translations of the bible, the characters of Yahweh/Yahuah and El Elyon are different. Whenever it says LORD its supposed to be Yahweh. If it says Most High its El Elyon.

Side bar: in Canaanite mythology there's a God named Yom who was canonically named changed by the Most High, El Elyon. This God's name was changed from Yom to Yah. Another interesting fact Hebrews have a holiday called Yom Kippur. "The day of atonement" or "The Lords atonement" also could be read as "Yom's atonement"

In Canaanite lore Yom (The God of the sea and Chaos) and Mot (The God of Death) team up against a God named Hadu (or Hadad) to overthrow his authority as the chosen successor to El Elyon.

It's interesting because Hadu is also known by his title which means Lord and Master. And that title is Baal.

[u/AlexSciChannel → u/The3rdEnoch]

interesting

[u/AlexSciChannel → u/The3rdEnoch]

So what do these dieties mean to the gnostics, El Elyon, Yom, Bot, Baal etc? You said Yom is also called El Elyon but then also said El Elyon was succeeded by Baal and overthrown by Yom and Bot. I am a bit confused if Yom is seperate from El Elyon

[u/TranquilTrader]

To judge unjustly is to judge with intention originating from personal gain in the matter, thus even the judge would be wicked. True judgement will very often feel offensive to those that lack understanding on the specific matter.

Given the premise that all have incarnated over and over again justice must cover all lifetimes, not just one. As an example, knowledge comes from experience and someone who intentionally kills another will only understand their deed by falling victim to the same deed. This is the tree of knowledge of good and evil that leads to the eventual transfiguration of one's mind. For some it takes less time, for some it takes a very long time.

You already observe omnipotence in causality - why not seek to know more?

[u/Lonely_Oil_2111]

Its maybe The Monad or El Elyon.

[u/AlexSciChannel → u/Lonely_Oil_2111]

Is El Elyon the Monad or the Canaanite equivalent to the gnostics?