Psalms — Chapter 2
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1Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?
2The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together, against the LORD and against His Anointed One:
3“Let us break Their chains and cast away Their cords.”
4The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord taunts them.
5Then He rebukes them in His anger, and terrifies them in His fury:
6“I have installed My King on Zion, upon My holy mountain.”
7I will proclaim the decree spoken to Me by the LORD: “You are My Son; today I have become Your Father.
8Ask Me, and I will make the nations Your inheritance, the ends of the earth Your possession.
9You will break them with an iron scepter; You will shatter them like pottery.”
10Therefore be wise, O kings; be admonished, O judges of the earth.
11Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
12Kiss the Son, lest He be angry and you perish in your rebellion, when His wrath ignites in an instant. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.
1Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
2The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,
3Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
4He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.
5Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.
6Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
7I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
8Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
9Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.
10Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.
11Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
12Kiss 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.
1Why do the nations rage, And the peoples meditate a vain thing?
2The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against Jehovah, and against his anointed, [saying],
3Let us break their bonds asunder, And cast away their cords from us.
4He that sitteth in the heavens will laugh: The Lord will have them in derision.
5Then will he speak unto them in his wrath, And vex them in his sore displeasure:
6Yet I have set my king Upon my holy hill of Zion.
7I will tell of the decree: Jehovah said unto me, Thou art my son; This day have I begotten thee.
8Ask of me, and I will give [thee] the nations for thine inheritance, And the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
9Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter`s vessel.
10Now therefore be wise, O ye kings: Be instructed, ye judges of the earth.
11Serve Jehovah with fear, And rejoice with trembling.
12Kiss the son, lest he be angry, and ye perish in the way, For his wrath will soon be kindled. Blessed are all they that take refuge in him. Psalm 3 A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.
1Why do the nations rebel? Why are the countries devising plots that will fail?
2The kings of the earth form a united front; the rulers collaborate against the Lord and his anointed king.
3They say, “Let’s tear off the shackles they’ve put on us. Let’s free ourselves from their ropes.”
4The one enthroned in heaven laughs in disgust; the Lord taunts them.
5Then he angrily speaks to them and terrifies them in his rage, saying,
6“I myself have installed my king on Zion, my holy hill.”
7The king says, “I will announce the Lord’s decree. He said to me: ‘You are my son. This very day I have become your father.
8Ask me, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, the ends of the earth as your personal property.
9You will break them with an iron scepter; you will smash them like a potter’s jar.’”
10So now, you kings, do what is wise; you rulers of the earth, submit to correction.
11Serve the Lord in fear. Repent in terror.
12Give sincere homage. Otherwise he will be angry, and you will die because of your behavior, when his anger quickly ignites. How blessed are all who take shelter in him!
1Why do the nations rage, and the peoples plot a vain thing?
2The kings of the earth take a stand, and the rulers take counsel together, against Yahweh, and against his Anointed, saying,
3“Let’s break their bonds apart, and cast their cords from us.”
4He who sits in the heavens will laugh. The Lord will have them in derision.
5Then he will speak to them in his anger, and terrify them in his wrath:
6“Yet I have set my King on my holy hill of Zion.”
7I will tell of the decree. Yahweh said to me, “You are my son. Today I have become your father.
8Ask of me, and I will give the nations for your inheritance, the uttermost parts of the earth for your possession.
9You shall break them with a rod of iron. You shall dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”
10Now therefore be wise, you kings. Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
11Serve Yahweh with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
12Give sincere homage to the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish on the way, for his wrath will soon be kindled. Blessed are all those who take refuge in him.
Summary
A royal and messianic psalm. The nations and their rulers conspire and rage against the LORD and his anointed king, plotting to throw off his authority (vv. 1-3), but God in heaven laughs at their defiance and installs his chosen king on Zion (vv. 4-6). The king declares God's decree naming him as son, promising him the nations as an inheritance and the ends of the earth as his possession, with power to break rebellious nations (vv. 7-9). The psalm ends with a warning to earth's rulers to serve the LORD with reverence and submit to his son, pronouncing blessing on all who take refuge in him (vv. 10-12).
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- Zion (v.6): The hill on which Jerusalem/the Temple stood; often used poetically for God's dwelling.
Places on this map
- JerusalemJerusalemA hill town about 2,500 feet up in the central spine of Judah, roughly 35 miles inland from the Mediterranean and 15 miles west of the Jordan. It sits on no trade route and has no river, which is why it mattered as a fortress and a sanctuary rather than as a market. Wikipedia
Towns sit on their excavated or traditional site. Regions, rivers and seas are ringed rather than dotted, because for those a single point is only an anchor. Coastlines from Natural Earth.
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Verse-by-verse commentary on this chapter, written for the everyday reader and freely available online.
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
- Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.
Videos
Articles
- GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of Psalms -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.
Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.
Reflection
- The Futility of Rebellion (vv.1-4) — Nations and rulers conspire against the Lord and His Anointed, but God responds not with anxiety but with laughter from heaven. When chaos in the world feels overwhelming, do you trust that God is not rattled by it?
- An Already-Settled Reign (v.6) — God declares His king installed on Zion as an accomplished fact, not a pending negotiation. Where do you need to remember that God's purposes are already secured, even while opposition continues?
- Father and Son (v.7) — The Lord's decree names the king as His Son, a declaration the New Testament applies to Christ's eternal sonship. How does knowing Jesus reigns by divine decree, not human vote, shape your confidence in Him?
- Wisdom Means Submission (vv.10-12) — Rulers are warned to serve the Lord with reverence rather than resist Him, because opposing Him is its own undoing. What would it look like for you to trade stubborn independence for reverent submission this week?
- Blessed Are Those Who Take Refuge (v.12) — The psalm closes by pronouncing blessing on everyone who runs to God rather than away from Him. When you sense God's power, is your instinct to flee or to take refuge in Him?