Troublesome Topic: DOES PSALM 89 REFER TO NEPHILIM OR A COUNCIL OF GODS?

Psalms 89:5

Translation

The heavens will throw your marvels, YHVH, and more than that, your steadfastness

in the assembly of the holy ones.

Paraphrase

That which is far beyond the reach of human beings will praise your marvelous works, Oh ETERNAL AND PERSONAL GOD, and more than that, they will praise your faithfulness to you own character in the presence of the angels gathered around you and ready to do your bidding.

Psalms 89:6

Translation

For who in the heavens can be placed beside YHVH? And who can be likened to YHVH among the sons of ELIM?

Paraphrase

For which of the angelic beings can be compared to THE ETERNAL AND PERSONAL GOD? And who among the mighty, can be considered similar to THE ETERNAL AND PERSONAL GOD?

Psalms 89:7

Translation

EL is to be trembled at

in the intimate circle of the holy ones,

and greatly feared by all in the circuit.

Paraphrase

GOD is to be obeyed by the angels He trusts with His most important instructions, and held in great awe by all those around Him.

Psalms 89:8

Translation

YHVH, ELOHE

OF THE ARMIES,

who is like you? Mighty YH,

your steadfastness surrounds you like a circuit.

(See comment below.)

Paraphrase

Oh ETERNAL AND PERSONAL GOD, who is also THE CREATOR AND RULER OF ALL THINGS AS WELL AS THE GENERAL OVER AN UNCOUNTABLE ARMY, what other powerful entity can claim to be as powerful as you are? [There is none who can.] Oh all-powerful ETERNAL AND PERSONAL GOD, you are not only powerful, but your faithfulness to your own character is one of the qualities about you that we admire the most.

THIS PSALM DOES NOT REFER TO NEPHILIM OR A COUNCIL OF GODS

This stanza of psalm 89 is used by some as support for the idea that there is not just one all-powerful God, but rather there is a council of gods, all of which have power, but one has more power than the others. Some say this council of gods includes Nephilim mentioned in Genesis 6:1-4. Michael Heiser has been the most prominent promoter of this theory.

Such an interpretation is unnecessary; these verses clearly refer to angels. Nothing in the Bible requires a change away from the traditional understanding of angels to a substitute theory of a council of gods which includes Nephilim. Not only so, but the passages that are used to support that theory, such as this one, must be twisted considerably in the process.

Moreover, there are many, many, many passages of Scripture which clearly articulate the doctrine that there is only one true God, the Creator of the universe who is sovereign in every way, He holds all power, all knowledge, and is present everywhere at the same time. He is the one who has made salvation from the guilt of our sins available to us at very high cost to Himself.

Footnotes

1: "steadfastness":

Steadfastness and faithfulness are close to the same thing. In my paraphrase I add that his faithfulness is to His own character. God is not faithful to what we want, He is faithful to His own character, which provides us with what we need, even if we don’t know enough to want what we need. II Tim 2:13 says that God is faithful because He is unable to deny Himself.

2: "holy ones":

Because the context is “the heavens”, this phrase “holy ones” most likely refers to angels.

3: "the sons of Elim":

This is the name El with a plural ending attached. However, it is not always rendered as a plural; the phrase can mean “sons of a god” or “sons of the mighty.” It is probable, due to context, that this phrase is intended to mean “sons of the mighty, i.e. possessors of might,” and is referring to the angels.

4: "trembled at":

This word for “fear” comes from a root meaning “to tremble”. One shows fear of an authority figure by obeying him..

5: "holy ones":

While the phrase “the holy ones” can mean either holy men or angels, the context of this portion of the psalm clearly points to angels.

6: "ELOHE":

There are several different spellings of the name ELOHIM depending on the grammatical role it plays or what it is attached to. This is the possessive form which means “God of.”

7: "of the armies":

“God of the armies” (sometimes rendered “Lord of hosts”) implies an uncountable army of angels. It is a way to indicate the greatest power of any powerful entity, If He is the general over the most powerful army ever assembled, then He is the most powerful general ever; no one can stop Him.

8: "YH":

This is a shortened version of YHVH, thus it has the same meaning as YHVH.

9: "your steadfastness surrounds you":

God’s faithfulness to His own character sets Him apart from false gods and makes us want to be like Him. His character is just the right balance between holiness and compassion. Thus, it is not only the degree of power of supposed powerful entities that is being compared here, but also their character – how they act. None can compare to the God of the Bible in either part of that comparison.