Psalms 82:3
Give ear to the cause of the poor and the children without fathers; let those who are troubled and in need have their rights.
Bible in Basic English
In The King James Version
Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.
In Context
2How long will you go on judging falsely, having respect for the persons of evil-doers? (Selah.)
4Be the saviour of the poor and those who have nothing: take them out of the hand of the evil-doers.
Cross References
Exodus 23:3But, on the other hand, do not be turned from what is right in order to give support to a poor man's cause.
Deuteronomy 10:18Judging uprightly in the cause of the widow and of the child who has no father, and giving food and clothing in his mercy to the man from a strange country.
Job 29:12For I was a saviour to the poor when he was crying for help, to the child with no father, and to him who had no supporter.
Psalms 10:18To give decision for the child without a father and for the broken-hearted, so that the man of the earth may no longer be feared.
Isaiah 1:17Take pleasure in well-doing; let your ways be upright, keep down the cruel, give a right decision for the child who has no father, see to the cause of the widow.
Jeremiah 5:28They have become fat and strong: they have gone far in works of evil: they give no support to the cause of the child without a father, so that they may do well; they do not see that the poor man gets his rights.
Matthew Henry on Psalms 82:2-6
The Duty of Magistrates. 1 God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods. 2 How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah. 3 Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy. 4 Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked. 5 They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course. We have here, I. God's supreme presidency and power in all councils… Read the whole commentary →