Why DO the Nations Rage? – Psalm 2 Explained

PLEASE PIN THIS IMAGE - What is Psalm 2 really about?

What is the meaning of Psalm 2? Certain verses of the second Psalm have been interpreted as hints of a Messianic coming, but there is a lot of ancient Near Eastern culture infused within the words that add much more depth than the vast majority of Christians are aware of.

Unlike Psalm 1, the poem that follows it hardly evokes warm fuzzies. But it does provide a compelling view into how God’s justice reins over the evil in the world. And despite its difference in tone with Psalm 1, many scholars believe that the first two psalms are meant to go together.

Let’s have a look at the second psalm in the Bible.

Why do the nations rage?

Verse one begins the psalm with a question: “Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot a vain thing?”

The Hebrew word translated as “plot” is yehgu. Interestingly, the word translated as “meditate” in the first psalm comes from the same root. There, the meaning referring to how God’s people murmur His law to themselves.

In Psalm 2:1, the same root describes rebellious scheming. A Hebrew reader who is paying attention and reading the Psalms in order would notice this contrast in thinking between the righteous and the wicked. Like I just stated, many Hebrew scholars believe the first two psalms were intended to be read together, as a pair.

The Lord and His Anointed.

“The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against His Anointed [vs. 2].”

In this verse, the word “anointed” originates from the Hebrew word Mashiach, which directly translates into “Messiah.”

However, for the ancient Jews, Mashiach referred to a king who had been anointed with oil, as when the prophet Samuel sought out David and anointed him to be king of Israel after Saul. It didn’t mean a divine or eternal figure.

On the other hand, back in those days kings were considered to have been appointed by God to act on His behalf on earth. The verse was not written to foretell a coming Savior, but was in reference to King David.

Divine laughter.

Moving on to verses four and five, we read: "He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall hold them in derision. Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, and distress them in His deep displeasure.”

Although you can get an idea of what kind of laughter God is doing from the context, the English doesn’t make it as clear as the Hebrew. The word translated as “laughs,” yischaq, points to divine superiority over human pretensions. It’s not amused laughter, but scornful.

“Do you pipsqueaks really think you can get away with that? Seriously?” is the sentiment.

Since ancient peoples believed that their kings reflected divine authority, rebellion against the king was part and parcel to rebellion against God.

Spare the rod…

“You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them into pieces like a potter’s vessel…[vs. 9]”

If you’re like me and picture a piece of rebar when you read this verse, you’re a little off. The rod of iron actually refers to a shepherd’s staff made of iron.

And if you think that the words reflect physical violence, well... yes and no.Primarily, the iron staff here is a symbol of absolute and unbreakable authority.

The “potter’s vessel” refers to a clay pot. Thus, the verse illustrates the ease with which the king’s enemies will be destroyed (probably by violent means).

If you want to impose a spiritual interpretation on the verse, you’re probably correct to do so, especially if God had inspired the author of the psalm to unwittingly infuse it with hints of a future messianic rule. As Christians, through Christ’s authority and power, we have the ability to strike down demons as easily as a clay pot can be smashed to pieces.

Christians sort of get this verse wrong.

In verse seven, Psalm 2 reads: “I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, ‘You are my Son; today I have begotten you.’”

If you’re like me, you have been told only that this was a reference to the future Messiah. But there is more to it than that, as it originally held no such meaning.

The Hebrew words for “son” and “begotten” are royal and covenantal terms. In ancient Near Eastern culture when a new king received his crown, some such statement – along with the verbiage – was used to show how the divine being was adopting the ruler as a son and bringing him into covenant.

Unlike a lot of verses in Psalms that have been wrongly interpreted as messianic, this one is correctly assumed to carry a double entendre. In the books of Acts and Hebrews in the New Testament (13:33 and 1:5, respectively), the authors apply this verse to Yeshua.

However, in doing so they are declaring His Kingship over heaven and earth and thus, His divine authority. They are not suggesting that God “begot” Yeshua in a temporal sense at a point in time. This fact flies in the face of those who deny that Yeshua is equal to God.

An emotional ‘90s worship song… which took this verse completely out of context.

Back in the 1990’s, the lyric of one of the more popular contemporary worship songs went, “You said, ‘Ask and I’ll give the nations to you.’ That’s the cry of my heart. Distant shores and the islands will see Your light…”

Both the melody and the lyric tug at the heartstrings. They make you want to get on a plane and fly to Africa and start a mission.

Because that’s the intention of the song, to give you a heart for missions. To encourage you to evangelize.

That’s all well and good, except the verse isn’t about Christian missions or spreading the Gospel.

At.

All.

Instead, the statement came out of the ancient Near Eastern idea that a deity grants dominion over nations to the chosen king. As the Psalms were assembled (and primarily written, some scholars believe) during various times when the Israelites were in exile, such words were an implied challenge to whatever empire was dominating them at the time. They portray Israel’s belief that God would ultimately rule over the entire world.

It’s not about romance or affection.

“Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way,” reads the first part of the twelfth verse.

Christians have invented their own meaning for the verse, and they might be on the right track. The Hebrew words translated as “Kiss the Son” could also be translated as “Do homage in purity.” Scholars believe this ambiguity was intentional, the author providing a double meaning to the words which the original hearers would have understood.

In ancient Israel, to kiss either a sovereign or an idol was a gesture of submission and loyalty. With either translation, the verse is a call to surrender and allegiance to the divine king.

The rest of the verse says, “Blessed are all who put their trust in Him.”

This “blessed” comes from the same Hebrew word translated as “blessed” in the first of all the psalms. As Psalm 1 and Psalm 2 are so closely tied, this statement is believed to be a literary device, closing the two psalms with similar wording with which they began (“Blessed is the man…[Psalm 1:1]”).

Now you know!

Psalm 2 is packed with references to ancient royal ideology. At the same time, it points forward to ultimate divine kingship. I encourage you to read the first two psalms together with your new knowledge in hand, and see what God has to say to you through them.