Psalms 82:2

How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked?

Magistrates rebuked for unjust judgment

1. The sin reproved in general, and that is unjust judgment,--a sin most peculiar to judges. To be covetous, envious, passionate, and proud, is evil; but to judge unjustly, to justify the wicked, and condemn the just is not only abominable, but an abomination in the abstract (Proverbs 17:15). This is iniquity and perverseness with a witness.

2. The duration of their sin, implied in “how long?” It implies that they had for a long time persevered in this practice, and therefore he doth not simply say, ye do unjustly, but how long will ye do unjustly? The interrogation is a vehement negation, ye ought in no wise to continue so long in your injustice as you have done.

3. The generality of the sinners implied in “ye”; how long will ye, i.e. all of ye, judge unjustly? There might be some few, some gleanings, as the prophet speaks (Micah 7:1), of just judges, but the generality was very corrupt.

4. An exegesis, an illustration, or, if you will, an aggravation of what went before. “Ye judge unjustly.” What is that? Why, ye accept the persons of the wicked, ye admire their persons, ye favour their faces, ye plead their causes; but the cause of the poor and the righteous man cannot be heard. In the original it is, Ye accept the face of the wicked. Now, to accept the face of a man is a Hebrew phrase, and signifies a showing favour and respect to a man (Genesis 19:22).

Observations:

1. Even great men, when they go astray, must be sharply reproved. But for this great wisdom and prudence is required.

2. Continuance in evil is a great evil. How long, saith God, will ye judge unjustly? To do an unjust act is ill, but to persevere for many years in acting unrighteousness is the height of evil. As perseverance in goodness is the crown of goodness (Job 2:3), so perseverance in sin is sin in grain; it is of a deep dye; it is hardly, if ever, set out again.

3. It is no wonder to see judges judge unjustly. They did so here, and God complains of such elsewhere (Isaiah 1:23; Jeremiah 5:1; Micah 3:9).

4. Few great men are good men. They are subject to great temptations, and so to great corruptions.

5. Perverting of judgment is a great sin (Ezekiel 22:6; Isaiah 5:6; Jeremiah 5:28; Amos 2:6; Amos 5:6; Amos 5:11; Malachi 3:5).

6. Magistrates must judge impartially. They must not respect persons but causes. They must look more on the face of the cause than the face of the man. This respecting of persons is not good, saith Solomon, that is, it is very bad (Proverbs 24:23). It is a sin oft forbidden (Deuteronomy 1:17; Deuteronomy 16:19; Job 13:8; Job 13:10; 2 Chronicles 19:6; Proverbs 18:5; Proverbs 28:21; James 2:9; Jude 1:16), Men must not judge according to any outward appearance or quality of the person that appears before them, but according to the equity of the cause (John 7:24). (T. Hall, B. D.)

Corrupt judges

Catiline, being prosecuted for some great offence, corrupted the judges. When they had given their verdict, though he was acquitted only by a majority of two, he said he had put himself to a needless expense in bribing one of those judges, for it would have been sufficient to have had a majority of one. (Plutarch’s Cicero.)