What is the Divine Council?

Psalm 82:1

“God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment.”

“The term divine council is used by Hebrew and Semitics scholars to refer to the heavenly host, the pantheon of divine beings who administer the affairs of the cosmos. All ancient Mediterranean cultures had some conception of a divine council. The divine council of Israelite religion, known primarily through the psalms, was distinct in important ways.” ^[1]

Most Bible students haven’t addressed this simple Biblical concept that was clearly understood by the ancients.  It was one of the ‘without being said’ ideas that we miss entirely because our modern scientific-minded approach is blinded too.

I want to explore some critical articles and concepts that will clear up some of the blurry lines that modern theology has caused.

Use the links to the right to explore some of these ideas 

I owe a huge amount of gratitude to many scholars who have done the hard work to make these ideas accessible to us ‘mere mortals.’ I wish to express specific gratitude to Dr. Michael Hesier for much of his contributions on this topic.

You can also follow the link below to watch Dr. Heiser explain the Divine Council Worldview.

^[1] M. S. Heiser, “Divine Council,” in Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry & Writings, ed. Tremper Longman III and Peter Enns (Downers Grove, IL; Nottingham, England: IVP Academic; Inter-Varsity Press, 2008), 112.