skip to content

Psalms 2

W
The Whosoever Study Bible
Whosoever will, may come.
the book of psalms
David (73 psalms), Asaph, Sons of Korah, Moses, Ethan, and others · c. 1450–430 BC
Psalm the Second
Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? 
The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, 
Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. 
He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. 
Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. 
Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. 
I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. 
Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. 
Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel. 
Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. 
Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 
Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him. 
HOW TO USE
PROVISIONIST · DISPENSATIONAL · PRE-TRIBULATIONAL
Chuck Smith · C2000 · 1979 to 1985
Psalms 1-15
Tape C2089 · 1:32:32
Permission granted by The Word For Today
Chuck Smith · C3000 · 1985 to 1999
Psalms 1-5
Tape C3169 · 1:04:21
Permission granted by The Word For Today

Chuck Smith on Psalms 2

Verse by verse, the C2000, 1979 to 1985 series. Permission granted by The Word For Today.

Chapter introduction

The second psalm deals with the Kingdom Age. The glorious Kingdom Age when Jesus reigns upon the earth. A Messianic psalm.

Verses 1–2

Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? For the kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his Anointed (2:1-2),

"His Anointed" there is His Messiah. The word Messiah is the anointed one. So they have taken counsel together against Jehovah and against His Messiah.

Verses 2–3

declaring, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us (2:2-3).

And so, man rebelling against God and against Jesus Christ. The heathen raging, imagining a vain thing that they can cast God off from their lives.

Verses 4–5

But he that sits in the heavens shall laugh: the LORD shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure (2:4-5).

So we are looking at God's judgment upon the Christ-rejecting world. And in spite of their gathering together to try to thwart the return of Jesus Christ, yet God will establish His kingdom upon the earth.

Verses 6–7

God declares,

Yet have I set my King upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me (2:6-7),

Now this is Jesus speaking, the King who is on the holy hill... or rather, beg your pardon, God is still speaking.

Verses 7–8

Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession (2:7-8).

Now, verse 8 is often taken out of context and it is used by many missionary societies as sort of a key verse for the missionary society. "Ask of Me and I'll give You the heathen for Thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession." But this is not really a missionary scripture. It has nothing to do with present day missions. This scripture has to do with the Kingdom Age, as the Father declares unto the Son, "Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten Thee. Ask of Me and I will give You the heathen for Thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession." It's talking about that glorious day when our prayers are fulfilled and His kingdom has come and His will is being done in the earth even as it is in heaven, and His kingdom covers the entire earth. So it is the Father speaking to the Son promising to Him the kingdom, ruling over the whole earth. Then God speaks of the nature of that kingdom.

Verse 9

Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel (2:9).

Now, Jesus in His message to the Church of Thyatira, picked up from this particular psalm, and He said, "He that overcometh," verse 26 of chapter 2 of Revelation, "He that overcometh, and keepeth My works until the end, to him will I give power over the nations. And he shall rule them with a rod of iron, and as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers. As I have received of My Father." And so Jesus actually quotes from this psalm as regards to the nature of the Kingdom Age.

Now, when Jesus comes again to the earth in His second coming, the purpose is to establish God's kingdom upon the earth. That the fulfillment of all the Old Testament prophecies of the Kingdom Age might come to pass, as righteousness will cover the earth and waters do cover the sea. And He will reign in righteousness, in truth, and in judgment. But it will be an ironclad reign. During this period of time Satan is to be bound and cast into the abusso, the bottomless pit. So he will not be one that we will have to contend with in the Kingdom Age. All we'll have to contend with is that inherent evil that is in man.

Now, when Jesus comes again, the first thing that will transpire is that He will gather together all of the nations for judgment and He will separate them as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And He will place those on His right hand, and He will say unto those, "Come ye, blessed of the Father, inherit the kingdom that was prepared for you from the foundations of the earth. For I was hungry and you fed Me; thirsty and you gave Me to drink; naked and you clothed Me; sick and you visited Me" (Matthew 25:34-36). And to those on the left He will say, "Depart from Me ye workers of iniquity into everlasting judgment that was prepared for Satan and his angels. For I was hungry and you didn't feed Me. I was thirsty and you didn't give Me to drink. I was naked and you didn't clothe Me." "Well, Lord, when did we see You in these conditions?" And He said, "Inasmuch as you did it unto the least of these my brethren, you did it unto Me" (Matthew 25:41-45). Speaking of His brethren the Jews. So the nations will actually be judged concerning their treatment of His brethren. Now, those who are placed on the right side will be allowed to go into the Kingdom Age.

Now when Jesus comes again in His second coming, we will be coming with Him, only we will be in our glorified bodies. We will have gone through the metamorphosis that Paul speaks about in I Corinthians, chapter 15. "I show you a mystery, we are not going to all sleep but we're all going to be changed." The metamorphosis. "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. For this corruption must put on incorruption; this mortal must put on immortality." So Paul said, "When Christ who is our life shall appear then shall we also appear with Him in glory." We'll be coming back with Jesus to live and reign with Him for a thousand years, during His millennial reign upon the earth. In Revelation, chapter 1, verse 6, as it is speaking of Jesus Christ, who loved us and gave Himself for us, and all, and it speaks there, "And we shall reign with Him as a kingdom of priests." And then in the fifth chapter of the book of Revelation as He takes the sealed scroll out of the right hand of Him who is sitting upon the throne, the glorious song that is sung at that point by the church is, "Worthy is the Lamb to take the scroll and loose the seals, for He was slain and has redeemed us by His blood out of all nations, tribes, tongues, and peoples. And hath made us unto our God a kingdom of priests and we shall reign with Him upon the earth" (Revelation 5:9-10).

So we are coming back to reign with Jesus upon the earth in his kingdom for a thousand years. That's one company, the church in their glorified bodies. But it will be possible and there will be some who will actually live through the Great Tribulation period; they'll survive it. And providing they have not worshipped the antichrist, providing they have not taken his mark, and providing their interest in God's people, they will be allowed to enter into the Kingdom Age in these bodies like we presently have in an earth that will be renewed and restored as was the Garden of Eden. In that again there will be a restored longevity of life. For a child will die being one hundred, those that are evil. But yet, those that are righteous will fulfill their years. They won't die; they will live during this entire period of time. The longevity will be restored.

But our position with Christ at that time. Satan will be bound, that force will be bound. And so Christ will be ruling, but we will be the enforcers of righteousness. As He said to the church of Thyatira, "To those that are overcome they will be with Me and they will rule over the nations with a rod of iron." And so here speaks of the ironclad type of rule that Jesus will have. In other words, people will be forced to be good. A person who is evil gets popped like a clay pot. Broken in shivers like a potter's vessel when it is hit with a piece of iron. It will be an ironclad rule. We won't have any sob sisters carrying signs in those days of leniency for the rapist. There will be absolute righteous judgment exercised. And people will be forced, that is, those who live in.

Now those who survive and live into the Kingdom Age, being in these bodies, will actually be able bear children, and there probably will be quite a population explosion during this period of time as the earth will be restored to such ideal conditions. However, at that point, we in our glorified bodies will be as the angels who neither marry nor are given in marriage. But we will just be with Christ, reigning and ruling with Him during the Kingdom Age over those people who have survived the Great Tribulation, who have survived the judgment of Jesus. And I do believe that that is what the forty-five day thing is in Daniel, where he says, Daniel is saying, "How long, Lord, until the end?" And He said, "From the time that they cause the daily sacrifices and oblations to cease it will be one 1,290 days, but blessed is he who comes to the 1,335 day." Which that blessedness of it is that you have made it through the judgment period; you can enter into the glorious kingdom of Jesus Christ. During this thousand years, as we live upon a renewed earth under ideal conditions, it will be glorious. Annually we will be all taking a trip to Jerusalem to sit at the feet of Jesus, and just to worship there together in a glorious annual holiday. As the kings of the earth, which will be the church, come and sort of present themselves before the Lord in Jerusalem. Bringing the fruits of their section of the earth.

And the Lord said that in the parable when he had distributed the talents. To the one he gave five, he brought back and he said, "Lord, you gave me five. I have increased them and here are ten." And the Lord said, "Well done thou good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in a few things now I will make thee ruler over ten cities. Enter into the joy of the Lord, enter into the Kingdom Age and ruling over ten cities." So the degree of our reigning and ruling with Christ will be in relationship to the degree of our faithfulness to those things that He has entrusted to us now. If I am faithful now in the little things that God has entrusted to me. But He said if He has entrusted the little things and we have not taken care of them, why would He entrust to us the greater things of the kingdom? So we live and reign with Christ.

Now at the end of that thousand year reign, Satan is going to be released and will go around the earth and will deceive many people. Now, there is no way that Satan at that point could deceive you or drag you down, because you are already in your glorified body. And you see, the only real angle that Satan has with us now is with the body. If it weren't for this body of flesh, Satan would be no problem to me at all. But it is because of my body of flesh, my fleshly desires that he appeals to that cause me to trip up. But I will be in my glorified body. So people say, "Oh, Satan's gonna... you know, many deceived. Will I be deceived?" No. Not if you are a child of God in your glorified body, no way. But those who have come into the kingdom who have been forced to be righteous, those who were born during this thousand-year period, will then have their time of testing. And God, just to prove through all eternity the human depravity of man, will allow Satan to be released. After men have lived in the ideal conditions under the reign of Christ for a thousand years, Satan will actually be able to gather together a great army to rebel against Jesus to come against Jerusalem to try to drive Him out. If you can believe that. Human depravity. God will have proven it once and for all, so that no one throughout all eternity will question the judgment of God in that He has cast certain ones out from His eternal kingdom. There will be no challenging of the fairness or justice of God, because every man will have his chance, and man will prove what is in him.

So the Kingdom Age, this is what we are referring to here. "Ask of Me, and I will give Thee the heathen for Thine inheritance, the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession." As Jesus shall reign as we sing, "Where ere the Son doth ere successive journeys run."

"Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel."

Verse 10

Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth (2:10).

Now he is talking really to us, who will be reigning with Him as kings, as judges, as enforcers of His righteousness.

Verses 11–12

Serve the LORD with fear, rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him (2:11-12).

The bottom line: Blessed are those who put their trust, or, happy are those who put their trust in Him.

Commentary on Psalms 2

Whosoever Will · The Whosoever Study Bible’s verse commentary

Psalms 2:1

Psalm 2 is the Psalter's second gateway, after the two-ways introduction of Psalm 1, the cosmic drama of the Messiah's installation. The nations rage (lamah rag'shu goyim) the same question Acts 4:25-26 will ask when the Jerusalem authorities arrest the apostles. Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves in battle array against the LORD and against his Mashiach, his anointed. The divine response to the rebellion is laughter. He who sits in the heavens laughs, yishaq. Not the laughter of amusement but the laughter of absolute sovereign certainty. The rebellion is not a threat. It is absurd from the perspective of the heavenly throne. Then He speaks in wrath: yet I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill. The decree: YHWH said to me (you are my Son; today I have begotten you). The enthronement declaration. Ask of me and I will make the nations your heritage, the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel, the same rod of iron that Revelation 2:27 promises to the overcomer who shares in the Son's reign. Thread 3 is the whole psalm: the royal trajectory that has been running since Genesis 3:15 arrives here at its most explicit pre-incarnation statement. The Messiah is the King installed on Zion to whom the nations must submit. Thread 7 is the closing invitation: kiss the Son (the ultimatum-invitation, the last offer before the wrath falls). Blessed are all who take refuge in him: ashrei kol-chosei vo, the same ashrei as Psalm 1:1, the blessing that belongs to those who choose the right path.
Why do the nations rage: the Psalm that opens the Messianic prophetic library; the raging of the nations, the decree of sonship, the inheritance of the ends of the earth, and the kiss of submission: the entire eschatological arc from Armageddon to the Millennial kingdom in twelve verses.
יְהוָה אָמַר אֵלַי בְּנִי אַתָּה אֲנִי הַיּוֹם יְלִדְתִּיךָ (YHWH amar elay beni attah ani ha-yom ylidtikha): the LORD hath said unto me Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee: beni attah (my Son are you, the covenant declaration of divine sonship; not biological generation but covenant installation; the same formula applied to the Davidic king at his enthronement, and cited by Hebrews 1:5 and Acts 13:33 as applied to the resurrection-enthronement of Jesus); ha-yom ylidtikha (this day I have begotten you, the decree is the decisive installation event; Hebrews 1:5 applies this to the Son's eternal relationship with the Father, Acts 13:33 to the resurrection) · נַשְּׁקוּ בַר פֶּן יֶאֱנַף (nashqu var pen ye'enaf): kiss the Son lest he be angry: nashqu var (kiss the Son, bar, the Aramaic word for son embedded in this Hebrew psalm; the Aramaic bar anticipates the Son of Man of Daniel 7:13; the kiss is the ANE gesture of submission and homage to a superior; the kings of the earth who raged against the anointed are now commanded to submit to him); Thread 7 in the form of an ultimatum-invitation: submit and be blessed, or resist and perish
threads t3 · t4 · t7 · see Acts 4:25-26 · Hebrews 1:5 · Revelation 2:27

Psalms 2:2

Psalm 2 is the Psalter's second gateway, after the two-ways introduction of Psalm 1, the cosmic drama of the Messiah's installation. The nations rage (lamah rag'shu goyim) the same question Acts 4:25-26 will ask when the Jerusalem authorities arrest the apostles. Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves in battle array against the LORD and against his Mashiach, his anointed. The divine response to the rebellion is laughter. He who sits in the heavens laughs, yishaq. Not the laughter of amusement but the laughter of absolute sovereign certainty. The rebellion is not a threat. It is absurd from the perspective of the heavenly throne. Then He speaks in wrath: yet I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill. The decree: YHWH said to me (you are my Son; today I have begotten you). The enthronement declaration. Ask of me and I will make the nations your heritage, the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel, the same rod of iron that Revelation 2:27 promises to the overcomer who shares in the Son's reign. Thread 3 is the whole psalm: the royal trajectory that has been running since Genesis 3:15 arrives here at its most explicit pre-incarnation statement. The Messiah is the King installed on Zion to whom the nations must submit. Thread 7 is the closing invitation: kiss the Son (the ultimatum-invitation, the last offer before the wrath falls). Blessed are all who take refuge in him: ashrei kol-chosei vo, the same ashrei as Psalm 1:1, the blessing that belongs to those who choose the right path.
Why do the nations rage: the Psalm that opens the Messianic prophetic library; the raging of the nations, the decree of sonship, the inheritance of the ends of the earth, and the kiss of submission: the entire eschatological arc from Armageddon to the Millennial kingdom in twelve verses.
יְהוָה אָמַר אֵלַי בְּנִי אַתָּה אֲנִי הַיּוֹם יְלִדְתִּיךָ (YHWH amar elay beni attah ani ha-yom ylidtikha): the LORD hath said unto me Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee: beni attah (my Son are you, the covenant declaration of divine sonship; not biological generation but covenant installation; the same formula applied to the Davidic king at his enthronement, and cited by Hebrews 1:5 and Acts 13:33 as applied to the resurrection-enthronement of Jesus); ha-yom ylidtikha (this day I have begotten you, the decree is the decisive installation event; Hebrews 1:5 applies this to the Son's eternal relationship with the Father, Acts 13:33 to the resurrection) · נַשְּׁקוּ בַר פֶּן יֶאֱנַף (nashqu var pen ye'enaf): kiss the Son lest he be angry: nashqu var (kiss the Son, bar, the Aramaic word for son embedded in this Hebrew psalm; the Aramaic bar anticipates the Son of Man of Daniel 7:13; the kiss is the ANE gesture of submission and homage to a superior; the kings of the earth who raged against the anointed are now commanded to submit to him); Thread 7 in the form of an ultimatum-invitation: submit and be blessed, or resist and perish
threads t3 · t4 · t7 · see Acts 4:25-26 · Hebrews 1:5 · Revelation 2:27

Psalms 2:3

Psalm 2 is the Psalter's second gateway, after the two-ways introduction of Psalm 1, the cosmic drama of the Messiah's installation. The nations rage (lamah rag'shu goyim) the same question Acts 4:25-26 will ask when the Jerusalem authorities arrest the apostles. Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves in battle array against the LORD and against his Mashiach, his anointed. The divine response to the rebellion is laughter. He who sits in the heavens laughs, yishaq. Not the laughter of amusement but the laughter of absolute sovereign certainty. The rebellion is not a threat. It is absurd from the perspective of the heavenly throne. Then He speaks in wrath: yet I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill. The decree: YHWH said to me (you are my Son; today I have begotten you). The enthronement declaration. Ask of me and I will make the nations your heritage, the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel, the same rod of iron that Revelation 2:27 promises to the overcomer who shares in the Son's reign. Thread 3 is the whole psalm: the royal trajectory that has been running since Genesis 3:15 arrives here at its most explicit pre-incarnation statement. The Messiah is the King installed on Zion to whom the nations must submit. Thread 7 is the closing invitation: kiss the Son (the ultimatum-invitation, the last offer before the wrath falls). Blessed are all who take refuge in him: ashrei kol-chosei vo, the same ashrei as Psalm 1:1, the blessing that belongs to those who choose the right path.
Why do the nations rage: the Psalm that opens the Messianic prophetic library; the raging of the nations, the decree of sonship, the inheritance of the ends of the earth, and the kiss of submission: the entire eschatological arc from Armageddon to the Millennial kingdom in twelve verses.
יְהוָה אָמַר אֵלַי בְּנִי אַתָּה אֲנִי הַיּוֹם יְלִדְתִּיךָ (YHWH amar elay beni attah ani ha-yom ylidtikha): the LORD hath said unto me Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee: beni attah (my Son are you, the covenant declaration of divine sonship; not biological generation but covenant installation; the same formula applied to the Davidic king at his enthronement, and cited by Hebrews 1:5 and Acts 13:33 as applied to the resurrection-enthronement of Jesus); ha-yom ylidtikha (this day I have begotten you, the decree is the decisive installation event; Hebrews 1:5 applies this to the Son's eternal relationship with the Father, Acts 13:33 to the resurrection) · נַשְּׁקוּ בַר פֶּן יֶאֱנַף (nashqu var pen ye'enaf): kiss the Son lest he be angry: nashqu var (kiss the Son, bar, the Aramaic word for son embedded in this Hebrew psalm; the Aramaic bar anticipates the Son of Man of Daniel 7:13; the kiss is the ANE gesture of submission and homage to a superior; the kings of the earth who raged against the anointed are now commanded to submit to him); Thread 7 in the form of an ultimatum-invitation: submit and be blessed, or resist and perish
threads t3 · t4 · t7 · see Acts 4:25-26 · Hebrews 1:5 · Revelation 2:27

Psalms 2:4

Psalm 2 is the Psalter's second gateway, after the two-ways introduction of Psalm 1, the cosmic drama of the Messiah's installation. The nations rage (lamah rag'shu goyim) the same question Acts 4:25-26 will ask when the Jerusalem authorities arrest the apostles. Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves in battle array against the LORD and against his Mashiach, his anointed. The divine response to the rebellion is laughter. He who sits in the heavens laughs, yishaq. Not the laughter of amusement but the laughter of absolute sovereign certainty. The rebellion is not a threat. It is absurd from the perspective of the heavenly throne. Then He speaks in wrath: yet I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill. The decree: YHWH said to me (you are my Son; today I have begotten you). The enthronement declaration. Ask of me and I will make the nations your heritage, the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel, the same rod of iron that Revelation 2:27 promises to the overcomer who shares in the Son's reign. Thread 3 is the whole psalm: the royal trajectory that has been running since Genesis 3:15 arrives here at its most explicit pre-incarnation statement. The Messiah is the King installed on Zion to whom the nations must submit. Thread 7 is the closing invitation: kiss the Son (the ultimatum-invitation, the last offer before the wrath falls). Blessed are all who take refuge in him: ashrei kol-chosei vo, the same ashrei as Psalm 1:1, the blessing that belongs to those who choose the right path.
Why do the nations rage: the Psalm that opens the Messianic prophetic library; the raging of the nations, the decree of sonship, the inheritance of the ends of the earth, and the kiss of submission: the entire eschatological arc from Armageddon to the Millennial kingdom in twelve verses.
יְהוָה אָמַר אֵלַי בְּנִי אַתָּה אֲנִי הַיּוֹם יְלִדְתִּיךָ (YHWH amar elay beni attah ani ha-yom ylidtikha): the LORD hath said unto me Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee: beni attah (my Son are you, the covenant declaration of divine sonship; not biological generation but covenant installation; the same formula applied to the Davidic king at his enthronement, and cited by Hebrews 1:5 and Acts 13:33 as applied to the resurrection-enthronement of Jesus); ha-yom ylidtikha (this day I have begotten you, the decree is the decisive installation event; Hebrews 1:5 applies this to the Son's eternal relationship with the Father, Acts 13:33 to the resurrection) · נַשְּׁקוּ בַר פֶּן יֶאֱנַף (nashqu var pen ye'enaf): kiss the Son lest he be angry: nashqu var (kiss the Son, bar, the Aramaic word for son embedded in this Hebrew psalm; the Aramaic bar anticipates the Son of Man of Daniel 7:13; the kiss is the ANE gesture of submission and homage to a superior; the kings of the earth who raged against the anointed are now commanded to submit to him); Thread 7 in the form of an ultimatum-invitation: submit and be blessed, or resist and perish
threads t3 · t4 · t7 · see Acts 4:25-26 · Hebrews 1:5 · Revelation 2:27

Psalms 2:5

Psalm 2 is the Psalter's second gateway, after the two-ways introduction of Psalm 1, the cosmic drama of the Messiah's installation. The nations rage (lamah rag'shu goyim) the same question Acts 4:25-26 will ask when the Jerusalem authorities arrest the apostles. Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves in battle array against the LORD and against his Mashiach, his anointed. The divine response to the rebellion is laughter. He who sits in the heavens laughs, yishaq. Not the laughter of amusement but the laughter of absolute sovereign certainty. The rebellion is not a threat. It is absurd from the perspective of the heavenly throne. Then He speaks in wrath: yet I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill. The decree: YHWH said to me (you are my Son; today I have begotten you). The enthronement declaration. Ask of me and I will make the nations your heritage, the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel, the same rod of iron that Revelation 2:27 promises to the overcomer who shares in the Son's reign. Thread 3 is the whole psalm: the royal trajectory that has been running since Genesis 3:15 arrives here at its most explicit pre-incarnation statement. The Messiah is the King installed on Zion to whom the nations must submit. Thread 7 is the closing invitation: kiss the Son (the ultimatum-invitation, the last offer before the wrath falls). Blessed are all who take refuge in him: ashrei kol-chosei vo, the same ashrei as Psalm 1:1, the blessing that belongs to those who choose the right path.
Why do the nations rage: the Psalm that opens the Messianic prophetic library; the raging of the nations, the decree of sonship, the inheritance of the ends of the earth, and the kiss of submission: the entire eschatological arc from Armageddon to the Millennial kingdom in twelve verses.
יְהוָה אָמַר אֵלַי בְּנִי אַתָּה אֲנִי הַיּוֹם יְלִדְתִּיךָ (YHWH amar elay beni attah ani ha-yom ylidtikha): the LORD hath said unto me Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee: beni attah (my Son are you, the covenant declaration of divine sonship; not biological generation but covenant installation; the same formula applied to the Davidic king at his enthronement, and cited by Hebrews 1:5 and Acts 13:33 as applied to the resurrection-enthronement of Jesus); ha-yom ylidtikha (this day I have begotten you, the decree is the decisive installation event; Hebrews 1:5 applies this to the Son's eternal relationship with the Father, Acts 13:33 to the resurrection) · נַשְּׁקוּ בַר פֶּן יֶאֱנַף (nashqu var pen ye'enaf): kiss the Son lest he be angry: nashqu var (kiss the Son, bar, the Aramaic word for son embedded in this Hebrew psalm; the Aramaic bar anticipates the Son of Man of Daniel 7:13; the kiss is the ANE gesture of submission and homage to a superior; the kings of the earth who raged against the anointed are now commanded to submit to him); Thread 7 in the form of an ultimatum-invitation: submit and be blessed, or resist and perish
threads t3 · t4 · t7 · see Acts 4:25-26 · Hebrews 1:5 · Revelation 2:27

Psalms 2:6

Psalm 2 is the Psalter's second gateway, after the two-ways introduction of Psalm 1, the cosmic drama of the Messiah's installation. The nations rage (lamah rag'shu goyim) the same question Acts 4:25-26 will ask when the Jerusalem authorities arrest the apostles. Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves in battle array against the LORD and against his Mashiach, his anointed. The divine response to the rebellion is laughter. He who sits in the heavens laughs, yishaq. Not the laughter of amusement but the laughter of absolute sovereign certainty. The rebellion is not a threat. It is absurd from the perspective of the heavenly throne. Then He speaks in wrath: yet I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill. The decree: YHWH said to me (you are my Son; today I have begotten you). The enthronement declaration. Ask of me and I will make the nations your heritage, the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel, the same rod of iron that Revelation 2:27 promises to the overcomer who shares in the Son's reign. Thread 3 is the whole psalm: the royal trajectory that has been running since Genesis 3:15 arrives here at its most explicit pre-incarnation statement. The Messiah is the King installed on Zion to whom the nations must submit. Thread 7 is the closing invitation: kiss the Son (the ultimatum-invitation, the last offer before the wrath falls). Blessed are all who take refuge in him: ashrei kol-chosei vo, the same ashrei as Psalm 1:1, the blessing that belongs to those who choose the right path.
Why do the nations rage: the Psalm that opens the Messianic prophetic library; the raging of the nations, the decree of sonship, the inheritance of the ends of the earth, and the kiss of submission: the entire eschatological arc from Armageddon to the Millennial kingdom in twelve verses.
יְהוָה אָמַר אֵלַי בְּנִי אַתָּה אֲנִי הַיּוֹם יְלִדְתִּיךָ (YHWH amar elay beni attah ani ha-yom ylidtikha): the LORD hath said unto me Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee: beni attah (my Son are you, the covenant declaration of divine sonship; not biological generation but covenant installation; the same formula applied to the Davidic king at his enthronement, and cited by Hebrews 1:5 and Acts 13:33 as applied to the resurrection-enthronement of Jesus); ha-yom ylidtikha (this day I have begotten you, the decree is the decisive installation event; Hebrews 1:5 applies this to the Son's eternal relationship with the Father, Acts 13:33 to the resurrection) · נַשְּׁקוּ בַר פֶּן יֶאֱנַף (nashqu var pen ye'enaf): kiss the Son lest he be angry: nashqu var (kiss the Son, bar, the Aramaic word for son embedded in this Hebrew psalm; the Aramaic bar anticipates the Son of Man of Daniel 7:13; the kiss is the ANE gesture of submission and homage to a superior; the kings of the earth who raged against the anointed are now commanded to submit to him); Thread 7 in the form of an ultimatum-invitation: submit and be blessed, or resist and perish
threads t3 · t4 · t7 · see Acts 4:25-26 · Hebrews 1:5 · Revelation 2:27

Psalms 2:7

Psalm 2 is the Psalter's second gateway, after the two-ways introduction of Psalm 1, the cosmic drama of the Messiah's installation. The nations rage (lamah rag'shu goyim) the same question Acts 4:25-26 will ask when the Jerusalem authorities arrest the apostles. Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves in battle array against the LORD and against his Mashiach, his anointed. The divine response to the rebellion is laughter. He who sits in the heavens laughs, yishaq. Not the laughter of amusement but the laughter of absolute sovereign certainty. The rebellion is not a threat. It is absurd from the perspective of the heavenly throne. Then He speaks in wrath: yet I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill. The decree: YHWH said to me (you are my Son; today I have begotten you). The enthronement declaration. Ask of me and I will make the nations your heritage, the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel, the same rod of iron that Revelation 2:27 promises to the overcomer who shares in the Son's reign. Thread 3 is the whole psalm: the royal trajectory that has been running since Genesis 3:15 arrives here at its most explicit pre-incarnation statement. The Messiah is the King installed on Zion to whom the nations must submit. Thread 7 is the closing invitation: kiss the Son (the ultimatum-invitation, the last offer before the wrath falls). Blessed are all who take refuge in him: ashrei kol-chosei vo, the same ashrei as Psalm 1:1, the blessing that belongs to those who choose the right path.
Why do the nations rage: the Psalm that opens the Messianic prophetic library; the raging of the nations, the decree of sonship, the inheritance of the ends of the earth, and the kiss of submission: the entire eschatological arc from Armageddon to the Millennial kingdom in twelve verses.
יְהוָה אָמַר אֵלַי בְּנִי אַתָּה אֲנִי הַיּוֹם יְלִדְתִּיךָ (YHWH amar elay beni attah ani ha-yom ylidtikha): the LORD hath said unto me Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee: beni attah (my Son are you, the covenant declaration of divine sonship; not biological generation but covenant installation; the same formula applied to the Davidic king at his enthronement, and cited by Hebrews 1:5 and Acts 13:33 as applied to the resurrection-enthronement of Jesus); ha-yom ylidtikha (this day I have begotten you, the decree is the decisive installation event; Hebrews 1:5 applies this to the Son's eternal relationship with the Father, Acts 13:33 to the resurrection) · נַשְּׁקוּ בַר פֶּן יֶאֱנַף (nashqu var pen ye'enaf): kiss the Son lest he be angry: nashqu var (kiss the Son, bar, the Aramaic word for son embedded in this Hebrew psalm; the Aramaic bar anticipates the Son of Man of Daniel 7:13; the kiss is the ANE gesture of submission and homage to a superior; the kings of the earth who raged against the anointed are now commanded to submit to him); Thread 7 in the form of an ultimatum-invitation: submit and be blessed, or resist and perish
threads t3 · t4 · t7 · see Acts 4:25-26 · Hebrews 1:5 · Revelation 2:27

Psalms 2:8

Psalm 2 is the Psalter's second gateway, after the two-ways introduction of Psalm 1, the cosmic drama of the Messiah's installation. The nations rage (lamah rag'shu goyim) the same question Acts 4:25-26 will ask when the Jerusalem authorities arrest the apostles. Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves in battle array against the LORD and against his Mashiach, his anointed. The divine response to the rebellion is laughter. He who sits in the heavens laughs, yishaq. Not the laughter of amusement but the laughter of absolute sovereign certainty. The rebellion is not a threat. It is absurd from the perspective of the heavenly throne. Then He speaks in wrath: yet I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill. The decree: YHWH said to me (you are my Son; today I have begotten you). The enthronement declaration. Ask of me and I will make the nations your heritage, the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel, the same rod of iron that Revelation 2:27 promises to the overcomer who shares in the Son's reign. Thread 3 is the whole psalm: the royal trajectory that has been running since Genesis 3:15 arrives here at its most explicit pre-incarnation statement. The Messiah is the King installed on Zion to whom the nations must submit. Thread 7 is the closing invitation: kiss the Son (the ultimatum-invitation, the last offer before the wrath falls). Blessed are all who take refuge in him: ashrei kol-chosei vo, the same ashrei as Psalm 1:1, the blessing that belongs to those who choose the right path.
Why do the nations rage: the Psalm that opens the Messianic prophetic library; the raging of the nations, the decree of sonship, the inheritance of the ends of the earth, and the kiss of submission: the entire eschatological arc from Armageddon to the Millennial kingdom in twelve verses.
יְהוָה אָמַר אֵלַי בְּנִי אַתָּה אֲנִי הַיּוֹם יְלִדְתִּיךָ (YHWH amar elay beni attah ani ha-yom ylidtikha): the LORD hath said unto me Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee: beni attah (my Son are you, the covenant declaration of divine sonship; not biological generation but covenant installation; the same formula applied to the Davidic king at his enthronement, and cited by Hebrews 1:5 and Acts 13:33 as applied to the resurrection-enthronement of Jesus); ha-yom ylidtikha (this day I have begotten you, the decree is the decisive installation event; Hebrews 1:5 applies this to the Son's eternal relationship with the Father, Acts 13:33 to the resurrection) · נַשְּׁקוּ בַר פֶּן יֶאֱנַף (nashqu var pen ye'enaf): kiss the Son lest he be angry: nashqu var (kiss the Son, bar, the Aramaic word for son embedded in this Hebrew psalm; the Aramaic bar anticipates the Son of Man of Daniel 7:13; the kiss is the ANE gesture of submission and homage to a superior; the kings of the earth who raged against the anointed are now commanded to submit to him); Thread 7 in the form of an ultimatum-invitation: submit and be blessed, or resist and perish
threads t3 · t4 · t7 · see Acts 4:25-26 · Hebrews 1:5 · Revelation 2:27

Psalms 2:9

Psalm 2 is the Psalter's second gateway, after the two-ways introduction of Psalm 1, the cosmic drama of the Messiah's installation. The nations rage (lamah rag'shu goyim) the same question Acts 4:25-26 will ask when the Jerusalem authorities arrest the apostles. Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves in battle array against the LORD and against his Mashiach, his anointed. The divine response to the rebellion is laughter. He who sits in the heavens laughs, yishaq. Not the laughter of amusement but the laughter of absolute sovereign certainty. The rebellion is not a threat. It is absurd from the perspective of the heavenly throne. Then He speaks in wrath: yet I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill. The decree: YHWH said to me (you are my Son; today I have begotten you). The enthronement declaration. Ask of me and I will make the nations your heritage, the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel, the same rod of iron that Revelation 2:27 promises to the overcomer who shares in the Son's reign. Thread 3 is the whole psalm: the royal trajectory that has been running since Genesis 3:15 arrives here at its most explicit pre-incarnation statement. The Messiah is the King installed on Zion to whom the nations must submit. Thread 7 is the closing invitation: kiss the Son (the ultimatum-invitation, the last offer before the wrath falls). Blessed are all who take refuge in him: ashrei kol-chosei vo, the same ashrei as Psalm 1:1, the blessing that belongs to those who choose the right path.
Why do the nations rage: the Psalm that opens the Messianic prophetic library; the raging of the nations, the decree of sonship, the inheritance of the ends of the earth, and the kiss of submission: the entire eschatological arc from Armageddon to the Millennial kingdom in twelve verses.
יְהוָה אָמַר אֵלַי בְּנִי אַתָּה אֲנִי הַיּוֹם יְלִדְתִּיךָ (YHWH amar elay beni attah ani ha-yom ylidtikha): the LORD hath said unto me Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee: beni attah (my Son are you, the covenant declaration of divine sonship; not biological generation but covenant installation; the same formula applied to the Davidic king at his enthronement, and cited by Hebrews 1:5 and Acts 13:33 as applied to the resurrection-enthronement of Jesus); ha-yom ylidtikha (this day I have begotten you, the decree is the decisive installation event; Hebrews 1:5 applies this to the Son's eternal relationship with the Father, Acts 13:33 to the resurrection) · נַשְּׁקוּ בַר פֶּן יֶאֱנַף (nashqu var pen ye'enaf): kiss the Son lest he be angry: nashqu var (kiss the Son, bar, the Aramaic word for son embedded in this Hebrew psalm; the Aramaic bar anticipates the Son of Man of Daniel 7:13; the kiss is the ANE gesture of submission and homage to a superior; the kings of the earth who raged against the anointed are now commanded to submit to him); Thread 7 in the form of an ultimatum-invitation: submit and be blessed, or resist and perish
threads t3 · t4 · t7 · see Acts 4:25-26 · Hebrews 1:5 · Revelation 2:27

Psalms 2:10

Psalm 2 is the Psalter's second gateway, after the two-ways introduction of Psalm 1, the cosmic drama of the Messiah's installation. The nations rage (lamah rag'shu goyim) the same question Acts 4:25-26 will ask when the Jerusalem authorities arrest the apostles. Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves in battle array against the LORD and against his Mashiach, his anointed. The divine response to the rebellion is laughter. He who sits in the heavens laughs, yishaq. Not the laughter of amusement but the laughter of absolute sovereign certainty. The rebellion is not a threat. It is absurd from the perspective of the heavenly throne. Then He speaks in wrath: yet I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill. The decree: YHWH said to me (you are my Son; today I have begotten you). The enthronement declaration. Ask of me and I will make the nations your heritage, the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel, the same rod of iron that Revelation 2:27 promises to the overcomer who shares in the Son's reign. Thread 3 is the whole psalm: the royal trajectory that has been running since Genesis 3:15 arrives here at its most explicit pre-incarnation statement. The Messiah is the King installed on Zion to whom the nations must submit. Thread 7 is the closing invitation: kiss the Son (the ultimatum-invitation, the last offer before the wrath falls). Blessed are all who take refuge in him: ashrei kol-chosei vo, the same ashrei as Psalm 1:1, the blessing that belongs to those who choose the right path.
Why do the nations rage: the Psalm that opens the Messianic prophetic library; the raging of the nations, the decree of sonship, the inheritance of the ends of the earth, and the kiss of submission: the entire eschatological arc from Armageddon to the Millennial kingdom in twelve verses.
יְהוָה אָמַר אֵלַי בְּנִי אַתָּה אֲנִי הַיּוֹם יְלִדְתִּיךָ (YHWH amar elay beni attah ani ha-yom ylidtikha): the LORD hath said unto me Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee: beni attah (my Son are you, the covenant declaration of divine sonship; not biological generation but covenant installation; the same formula applied to the Davidic king at his enthronement, and cited by Hebrews 1:5 and Acts 13:33 as applied to the resurrection-enthronement of Jesus); ha-yom ylidtikha (this day I have begotten you, the decree is the decisive installation event; Hebrews 1:5 applies this to the Son's eternal relationship with the Father, Acts 13:33 to the resurrection) · נַשְּׁקוּ בַר פֶּן יֶאֱנַף (nashqu var pen ye'enaf): kiss the Son lest he be angry: nashqu var (kiss the Son, bar, the Aramaic word for son embedded in this Hebrew psalm; the Aramaic bar anticipates the Son of Man of Daniel 7:13; the kiss is the ANE gesture of submission and homage to a superior; the kings of the earth who raged against the anointed are now commanded to submit to him); Thread 7 in the form of an ultimatum-invitation: submit and be blessed, or resist and perish
threads t3 · t4 · t7 · see Acts 4:25-26 · Hebrews 1:5 · Revelation 2:27

Psalms 2:11

Psalm 2 is the Psalter's second gateway, after the two-ways introduction of Psalm 1, the cosmic drama of the Messiah's installation. The nations rage (lamah rag'shu goyim) the same question Acts 4:25-26 will ask when the Jerusalem authorities arrest the apostles. Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves in battle array against the LORD and against his Mashiach, his anointed. The divine response to the rebellion is laughter. He who sits in the heavens laughs, yishaq. Not the laughter of amusement but the laughter of absolute sovereign certainty. The rebellion is not a threat. It is absurd from the perspective of the heavenly throne. Then He speaks in wrath: yet I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill. The decree: YHWH said to me (you are my Son; today I have begotten you). The enthronement declaration. Ask of me and I will make the nations your heritage, the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel, the same rod of iron that Revelation 2:27 promises to the overcomer who shares in the Son's reign. Thread 3 is the whole psalm: the royal trajectory that has been running since Genesis 3:15 arrives here at its most explicit pre-incarnation statement. The Messiah is the King installed on Zion to whom the nations must submit. Thread 7 is the closing invitation: kiss the Son (the ultimatum-invitation, the last offer before the wrath falls). Blessed are all who take refuge in him: ashrei kol-chosei vo, the same ashrei as Psalm 1:1, the blessing that belongs to those who choose the right path.
Why do the nations rage: the Psalm that opens the Messianic prophetic library; the raging of the nations, the decree of sonship, the inheritance of the ends of the earth, and the kiss of submission: the entire eschatological arc from Armageddon to the Millennial kingdom in twelve verses.
יְהוָה אָמַר אֵלַי בְּנִי אַתָּה אֲנִי הַיּוֹם יְלִדְתִּיךָ (YHWH amar elay beni attah ani ha-yom ylidtikha): the LORD hath said unto me Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee: beni attah (my Son are you, the covenant declaration of divine sonship; not biological generation but covenant installation; the same formula applied to the Davidic king at his enthronement, and cited by Hebrews 1:5 and Acts 13:33 as applied to the resurrection-enthronement of Jesus); ha-yom ylidtikha (this day I have begotten you, the decree is the decisive installation event; Hebrews 1:5 applies this to the Son's eternal relationship with the Father, Acts 13:33 to the resurrection) · נַשְּׁקוּ בַר פֶּן יֶאֱנַף (nashqu var pen ye'enaf): kiss the Son lest he be angry: nashqu var (kiss the Son, bar, the Aramaic word for son embedded in this Hebrew psalm; the Aramaic bar anticipates the Son of Man of Daniel 7:13; the kiss is the ANE gesture of submission and homage to a superior; the kings of the earth who raged against the anointed are now commanded to submit to him); Thread 7 in the form of an ultimatum-invitation: submit and be blessed, or resist and perish
threads t3 · t4 · t7 · see Acts 4:25-26 · Hebrews 1:5 · Revelation 2:27

Psalms 2:12

Psalm 2 is the Psalter's second gateway, after the two-ways introduction of Psalm 1, the cosmic drama of the Messiah's installation. The nations rage (lamah rag'shu goyim) the same question Acts 4:25-26 will ask when the Jerusalem authorities arrest the apostles. Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves in battle array against the LORD and against his Mashiach, his anointed. The divine response to the rebellion is laughter. He who sits in the heavens laughs, yishaq. Not the laughter of amusement but the laughter of absolute sovereign certainty. The rebellion is not a threat. It is absurd from the perspective of the heavenly throne. Then He speaks in wrath: yet I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill. The decree: YHWH said to me (you are my Son; today I have begotten you). The enthronement declaration. Ask of me and I will make the nations your heritage, the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel, the same rod of iron that Revelation 2:27 promises to the overcomer who shares in the Son's reign. Thread 3 is the whole psalm: the royal trajectory that has been running since Genesis 3:15 arrives here at its most explicit pre-incarnation statement. The Messiah is the King installed on Zion to whom the nations must submit. Thread 7 is the closing invitation: kiss the Son (the ultimatum-invitation, the last offer before the wrath falls). Blessed are all who take refuge in him: ashrei kol-chosei vo, the same ashrei as Psalm 1:1, the blessing that belongs to those who choose the right path.
Why do the nations rage: the Psalm that opens the Messianic prophetic library; the raging of the nations, the decree of sonship, the inheritance of the ends of the earth, and the kiss of submission: the entire eschatological arc from Armageddon to the Millennial kingdom in twelve verses.
יְהוָה אָמַר אֵלַי בְּנִי אַתָּה אֲנִי הַיּוֹם יְלִדְתִּיךָ (YHWH amar elay beni attah ani ha-yom ylidtikha): the LORD hath said unto me Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee: beni attah (my Son are you, the covenant declaration of divine sonship; not biological generation but covenant installation; the same formula applied to the Davidic king at his enthronement, and cited by Hebrews 1:5 and Acts 13:33 as applied to the resurrection-enthronement of Jesus); ha-yom ylidtikha (this day I have begotten you, the decree is the decisive installation event; Hebrews 1:5 applies this to the Son's eternal relationship with the Father, Acts 13:33 to the resurrection) · נַשְּׁקוּ בַר פֶּן יֶאֱנַף (nashqu var pen ye'enaf): kiss the Son lest he be angry: nashqu var (kiss the Son, bar, the Aramaic word for son embedded in this Hebrew psalm; the Aramaic bar anticipates the Son of Man of Daniel 7:13; the kiss is the ANE gesture of submission and homage to a superior; the kings of the earth who raged against the anointed are now commanded to submit to him); Thread 7 in the form of an ultimatum-invitation: submit and be blessed, or resist and perish
threads t3 · t4 · t7 · see Acts 4:25-26 · Hebrews 1:5 · Revelation 2:27
study these verses in the reader