Psalms 82:7
Psalms 82:77But like mortals you will die, and like rulers you will fall.”
Jehovah's Witnesses generally downplay verse 7 or interpret the "gods" of Psalm 82 as human judges, making "you will die like men" a straightforward statement that mortal judges will face mortal consequences. Under this reading, the verse has no bearing on the deity question — it merely confirms that human authorities are accountable to God. The Watchtower uses this interpretation to support the claim that "gods" in verse 6 is a broad, flexible title, and therefore Jesus being called "a god" ( NWT) does not make him YHWH.
Protestants highlight that "you will die like men" () is a devastating sentence precisely because it presupposes the beings addressed are not already men. You do not threaten humans with dying "like" humans — the punishment would be meaningless. The statement implies these "gods" possessed some form of immortality or exalted status that is now being stripped away. Whether they are divine council members or exalted spiritual beings, their fate is judgement and death. This creates a sharp contrast with Jesus: the "gods" of Psalm 82 are condemned failures who die, but Jesus receives divinely commanded worship (), is addressed as "God" by the Father (), and claims unity with the Father (). If the JW argument places Jesus in the same category as Psalm 82's "gods," then Jesus should face the same judgement. The fact that he does not — that he is instead exalted above all — demonstrates he belongs in the YHWH category, not the creature category.