“They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course.”
My Notes
What Does Psalms 82:5 Mean?
"They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course." God addresses unjust judges (the 'gods' of verse 1) who govern corruptly: they don't know and they won't understand. The ignorance is willful — 'neither will they' implies refusal, not inability. They walk in darkness because they chose darkness. And the consequence is cosmic: the earth's foundations are destabilized.
The phrase "walk on in darkness" (bachoshek yithallechu — they walk about in darkness) means the unjust judges operate in permanent darkness: they haven't stumbled into a dark patch. They WALK in darkness — it's their habitual environment. The darkness is their office, their courtroom, their way of doing business.
The "foundations of the earth are out of course" (yimmotu kol mosdei aretz — all foundations of the earth are shaken/moved) connects judicial injustice to cosmic instability: when judges are corrupt, the foundations of society — and symbolically of creation itself — shake. The structural integrity of the world depends on the structural integrity of its justice.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What foundations in your world are shaking — and is the cause external or internal?
- 2.How does willful ignorance ('neither will they understand') differ from circumstantial blindness?
- 3.What does the connection between judicial corruption and cosmic instability teach about leadership responsibility?
- 4.Where are YOU walking in darkness — and what foundations are moving because of it?
Devotional
They don't know. They won't understand. They walk in darkness. And the earth's foundations shake. The psalm describes the cascading failure of unjust leadership: the judges who should illuminate instead darken. The leaders who should stabilize instead destabilize. The people who should uphold foundations are the reason the foundations move.
The 'neither will they understand' is the terrifying part: it's not 'they can't.' It's 'they won't.' The understanding is available. The knowledge is accessible. But they refuse it. The ignorance is chosen. The darkness is preferred. The walking-in-darkness is a lifestyle decision, not a circumstantial tragedy.
The 'all the foundations of the earth are out of course' is the cosmic consequence of judicial corruption: when the judges are corrupt, EVERYTHING shakes. Not just the courtroom. The foundations. The structural underpinnings of society. The very ground reality stands on moves when the people responsible for justice abandon it. One corrupt judge doesn't just affect their courtroom. They destabilize the foundations that everyone stands on.
This verse connects individual corruption to systemic collapse: the unjust judge walking in darkness doesn't just harm the cases before them. They harm the entire structure. The foundations move because the guardians of the foundations have abandoned their post. The shaking isn't caused by external force. It's caused by internal corruption.
What foundations in your world are shaking — and is the cause external pressure or internal corruption?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
They knew not,.... The Targum adds, to do well. This is to be understood of unjust judges and wicked magistrates, who…
They know not, neither will they understand - This is designed still further to characterize the magistrates at the time…
We have here,
I. God's supreme presidency and power in all councils and courts asserted and laid down, as a great truth…
The character of these judges described and their sentence pronounced.
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture