The United Theological College Bangalore

BSOT 007b – Life and Death Experiences of the People of God; Hebrew Poetry and
Wisdom Literature (English)

THE EXEGETICAL STUDY ON PSA LM 2:7-12

Submitted to: Prof. Dr. K. Jesurathnam Submitted by: Saneesh P. Anand

Introduction

In the most contemporary forms of religion, the hymnal is usually a collection of hymns and
songs, written by many different people over the course of several centuries. It is basically an
anthology, rather than the work of a single author. The individual compositions of many authors
of entirely different backgrounds are brought together into a single volume by an editor or
editorial team. A similar process also happens in Psalms.1

It’s possible that Psalm 2 did not come initially from the Davidic Psalter because it lacks a
superscription. It is improbable that the two Psalms formed a literary whole because despite
the occasional links with Ps. 1, their contents are very distinct. One could argue that Ps. 2 deals
with the Two Ways for nations in the same way that Ps. 1 presented the Two Ways for
individuals to us, although this connection may only be coincidental. Psalm 2 is a Royal Psalm
that obviously features the King in the foreground. It appears to have been a part of the ritual
utilized on such recurring festival occasions, which were significant religious and political
events. Its cultic setting was either the King’s enthronement or the yearly commemoration of
his accession. Although Psalm 2 is thought to have pre-Exilic origins, it is impossible to be
more precise today than it was in the days when older interpreters assigned this Psalm to David
or Solomon. Its author could have been the current King (v. 6), or more likely, a prophet of a
cult or “court.” Although the Psalm’s speaker appears to be the King, some academics contend
that this poem was a component of a coronation ritual with different speakers. The Psalter is
prefaced by Psalms 1 and 2. Between the two poems, there are several verbal connections.
Psalm 2:11 closes with the same wording as Psalm 1:1, “glad.” Psalm 2:11 repeats the line “you
will perish in the path” from Psalm 16: “the way [of the wicked] shall vanish.” In Psalm 1, it

1
Peter C Craigie, Word Biblical Commentary (Waco, Tex: Word Books,1984). 27.

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is stated that praying the psalms puts one on the correct path and gives one wisdom. Psalm 2
claims that Yahweh stands with the Davidic king and protects Israel from foreign aggression.2

Authorship and Date

Psalm 1 and 2 are considered as introductory psalms but psalm 2 is also called as a royal psalm.
Psalm 2 is used especially during the crowning ceremony of the king. And also, in the
anniversary of these coronations or other significant events in the king’s rule.3 The author of
this psalm traditionally believed that David is the author of this psalm. The text from Acts 4:25-
26 ascribes this psalm as a Davidic Psalm. If it so, then this psalm is probably written around
10th century BCE.

Comparative analysis

The researcher has chosen four versions of Biblical texts for the comparative analysis. The four
texts are New Revised Standard version, King James Version, English Standard version and
New International version.

NRSV KJV ESV NIV

7. I will tell of the
decree of the LORD:
He said to me, “You
are my son, today I
have begotten you.”
I will declare the I will tell of the I will proclaim
decree: the LORD decree: the LORD’s decree:
hath said unto me, the LORD said to He said to me, “You
“thou art my son; me, “You are my are my son; today I
this day have I son; today I have have become your
begotten thee.” begotten you.” father.”

8. Ask of me, and “I
will make the nations
your heritage,” and
the ends of the earth
your possession.
Ask of me, and “I Ask of me, and “I Ask me, and “I will
shall give thee the will make the make the nations
heathen for thine nations your your inheritance,”
inheritance,” and the heritage,” the ends of the earth
uttermost parts of the and the ends of the your possession.

2
The New Interpreter's Study Bible. (1996. 4th ed. Nashville, Tenn.: Abingdon Press).688-689.
3
Walter Brueggemann and William H. Bellinger, Psalms, New Cambridge Bible Commentary, (New
York: Cambridge University Press, 2014). 32.

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 earth for thy earth your
possession. possession.
9. You shall break Thou shalt break You shall break You will break them
them with a rod of them with a rod of them with a rod of with a rod of iron;
iron, iron; thou shalt dash iron and dash them you will dash them
and dash them in them in pieces like a in pieces like a to pieces like
pieces like a potter’s potter's vessel. potter’s vessel.” pottery.”
vessel.”
10. Now therefore, O Be wise now Now therefore, O Therefore, you kings,
kings, be wise; therefore, O ye kings, be wise; be wise;
be warned, O rulers kings: be instructed, be warned, O be warned, you
of the earth. ye judges of the rulers of the earth. rulers of the earth.
earth.
11. Serve Serve the LORD with Serve Serve the LORD with
the LORD with fear, fear, and rejoice with the LORD with fear and celebrate
with trembling trembling. fear, and rejoice his rule with
with trembling. trembling.

12. Kiss his feet, Kiss the Son, lest he Kiss the Son, Kiss his son, or he
or he will be angry, be angry, and ye lest he be angry, will be angry and
and you will perish perish from the way, and you perish in your way will lead
in the way; for his when his wrath is the way, for his to your destruction,
wrath is quickly kindled but a little. wrath is quickly for his wrath can
kindled. Happy are Blessed are all they kindled. flare up in a
all who take refuge that put their trust in Blessed are all who moment. Blessed are
in him. him. take refuge in him. all who take refuge
in him.

This comparison gives the reader an idea of the changes which occurred during the translation
of the Hebrew Text. The changes which are noticed are highlighted by bold letters in the above
table. Since these changes doesn’t make any big changes to the meaning the researcher prefer
to go along with the NRSV translation of the Bible.

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Form, structure and setting

In general terms, the psalm is a royal psalm and must be interpreted in association with the
Hebrew monarchy. More specifically, Ps 2 is a coronation psalm.4 Word Biblical commentary
suggests that the similarities between this psalm and the promises made to David in the oracle
of Nathan clarify the association of the psalm with the coronation of a Davidic king (2 Sam
7:8-16). The psalm is divided into four portions that are almost the same length.

(1) The leaders of foreign nations rebel against God and his king (2:1-3).

(2) By announcing the coronation of a king of his choosing in Zion, God mocks the power of
kings (2:4-6).

(3) The Davidic king proclaims and expresses the words of God in his regal act (2:7-9).

(4) God warns the nations and their monarchs of his wrath and the results of his fury and
pleasure (2:10-12).5

The psalmist or poet portrays a range of characters, each of whom speaks, from a literary
standpoint. He begins by introducing distant nations and kingdoms (2:1-2), who speak in an
arrogant manner (2:3). He then introduces the Lord (2:4-5), who speaks about the appointed
monarch (2:6). The king then proclaims the divine words of royal proclamation after he
presents the king’s words in the third place (2:7-9). Fourth, he offers his own words of wisdom
to the leaders of the foreign countries. As a result, the psalm as a whole has a dramatic tone.
It's probable, from a liturgical standpoint, that different people delivered the psalm’s various
parts throughout the coronation ritual. The introductory verses may have been delivered by the
assembly or its priestly and prophetic leaders (2:1 6). Then the monarch might have spoken
(2:7–9), followed by a conclusion from the congregation or the priest (2:10-12). The poet’s
relatively short sentences emphasize the drama of the situation that the psalm represents. The
employment of parallelism and chiasmus as poetic elements throughout the psalm enhanced its
literary quality.6

The psalm’s overall form is unique and reflects movement and completion; it starts with the
tumultuous nations, then the poet goes to God and his king, before closing with the same

4
Peter C Craigie, Word Biblical…, 64.
5
Peter C Craigie, Word Biblical …, 65.
6
Peter C Craigie, Word Biblical …, 65.

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nations but this time they are subdued rather than agitated. Additionally, the psalm’s tone has a
powerful influence. The sound first appears in the haughty speech of the earthly rulers (v. 3),
but it later transforms into a sound that foreshadows woe in the words that introduce God’s
reaction (v4b, 5). The poet has therefore created a psalm of strength and elegance using a range
of aesthetic techniques, deserving of the drama of its matter.7

The Psalm consists of four strophes, and the metre is mainly 3+3. The first strophe (verses 1-
3) describes the futile conspiracy of the nations of the world against the Lord and his anointed.
The second strophe (verses 4-6) expresses the reaction of Yahweh who views their rebellious
plans with utter derision. The third strophe (verses 7-9) declares the decree of Yahweh
concerning his anointed one and outlines the regent’s authority. The final strophe (verses 10-
12) consists of an ultimatum to the leaders of the peoples and an exhortation to serve Yahweh.8

Interpretation

• The king declares his mandate (2:7-9)

“The words of the king in this section, and the divine words which he quotes, may well be
words which were formally declared by the new king after his anointing and installation, during
the course of the coronation. The principal portion of the king’s declaration is a quotation from
the words of God which are written in the “Lord’s decree” (2:7). The “decree” is a document,
given to the king during the coronation ceremony (2 Kings 11:12); it is his personal covenant
document, renewing God’s covenant commitment to the dynasty of David. The content of the
decree establishes the nature and authority of the newly crowned king. The content of the
decree establishes the nature and authority of the newly crowned king”.9

“I have begotten you” is figurative language; it suggests that a “new birth” of a divine nature
occurred during the coronation rather than just adoption, which has legal undertones. However,
it is crucial to emphasise that, contrary to other Near Eastern conceptions of royalty, the Davidic
king, as the son of God, was a human creature, not a divine being. More background
information on and examples illustrating the idea of sonship and coronation in other Near
Eastern cultures. The rights associated with the king’s sonship had to be requested from God

7
Peter C Craigie, Word Biblical…, 65.
8
Arnold albert Anderson, The book of psalms: New century bible commentary, (Oliphants London, 1972)
65.
9
Peter C Craigie, Word Biblical…, 67.

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(v. 8a), who would then graciously give them. The privileges are described in ideal terms as
having dominion over all countries to the farthest reaches of the earth (v. 8) and having the
ability to “break them” and “pulverise them” (v. 9), phrases that allude to the earthly nations’
history of rebellion (2:1-3). An “iron rod” is something that is inherently strong, much as a
potter’s cup is constitutionally frail, according to the poetry in verse 9. This regal authority is
presented in a dramatic way by the verse. The strength of the Hebrew king was not human
strength, but rather the might of God, the speaker of these words, which explained the striking
difference between the power of the Davidic king and the frailty of earthly monarchs.10

• A warning to earthly rulers (2:10-12)

The earthly kings and rulers, who were behaving hastily and haughtily at the beginning of the
song (2:1-3), are now cautioned and told to carefully consider the ramifications of the recent
coronation (v. 10). The term “service” (TY) has political connotations and suggests that the
foreign countries should bow as vassals to Israel’s God. They are encouraged to “serve” the
Lord. They are known as slaves because, in order to submit to God, they would need to subject
to his son, the king; (1 Sam 10:1; 1 Kings 19:18). Kissing was a show of reverence and
submission to God through his ruler, and failure to do so would be disastrous because God’s
ferocious wrath would ultimately end in their destruction (v 12). But surrender, despite being
difficult for the haughty, would result in a vassal relationship and the happiness of “those who
take refuge in him” (v 12).11

Theological and ethical analysis

The hymn exalts the Lord’s dominion over the attack, nations, and the unsurpassed stature of
the Lord's anointed. It achieves this in a story about a stereotypical assault on the Davidic ruler
and Mount Zion, the agency and location of the Lord. The psalmist only mentions the One
Enthroned in the Heavens and the order establishing the ruler on Zion in response to the
impious assertion of independence from God. In the history of the holy community that chanted
it, the psalm was used in three different circumstances. The first time was when a Davidic king
was still in power. Israel prayed the psalm to emphasis its conviction that the Lord had chosen
Zion and the Davidic dynasty, despite the fact that the Davidic Empire was a small factor in
world affairs for most of its history. When there was no ruler in Israel during the Second Temple
era, the people prayed this psalm to convey their desire that a king would be established to free

10
Peter C Craigie, Word Biblical…, 67.
11
Peter C Craigie, Word Biblical…, 68.

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them from servitude to the nations. The third background is the continual proclamation of the
Son of God and the Anointed One by the Christian community. The book Wisdom of Solomon,
which was most likely produced in Alexandria in the first century BCE or the early first century
CE, is greatly affected by the imagery of Psalm 2.12 Although this rule is not yet entirely
apparent, it teaches that the Lord reigns over Gentile monarchs. The eschatological framework
of Wisdom of Solomon is used to explain Psalm 2: God’s kingdom is made known through the
wise and upright, the people of God. This psalm is used more often than any other in the New
Testament. Verses 1-2 are seen as having been fulfilled in Acts 4:25–28 by Jews and Gentiles
opposing “your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed.” You are my son; today I have begotten
you,” is interpreted in Acts 13:33 as a reference to Jesus’ resurrection, while Rom 1:4 makes a
similar connection between sonship and resurrection. The context of the New Testament title
“Christ” (NRSV: “anointed”; Heb. masîah, Gk. christos) and his other title “Son of God” (Ps
2:7b) in Matthew 26:63, John 1:49, and other places both have a connection to this psalm. The
Word of God destroys the nations in Rev 19:15 (cf. Rev 12:5) with an iron rod (cf. Ps 2:9). And
finally, Heb 5:5 places Ps 2 and 110 together as a witness to the eternal priesthood of Christ.13

Implication

The psalm doesn’t mention the author, but Acts 4:25-28 shows it was written by King David.
This psalm opens a way to know how to be blessed in this world, what we have to avoid and
to be blessed.

The people who had received the blessings and healings from Jesus were standing against him.
The blessings we receive in this world are now being remembered for the time being, but when
the world stands against the Lord, we too stand against him. This shows the nature of human
beings. Whenever we receive a chance to stand against some people or institutions, people
won’t hesitate. They will stand against, and they will forget what blessings they received in
their life etc. It’s like how the world crucified Jesus Christ.

The planning for the wicked actions took a very long time, but when the lord came to action,
he broke all the bondages. The Christ, who is our king, came to this world for humans. The

12
Patrick D Miller, Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries, (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2001),
47.
13
Patrick D Miller, Abingdon Old…, 47.

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people never listened to the Lord and his teachings. Every action we do in this world is seen
by God. He is above everything and he laughs when we do and plan in this world.

As per the scripture, we know Christ is the Word who comes to this world. Following the
scriptures and commandments is one of the wise decisions a human can make. The people must
understand that when God touches the mud pot, it will shatter. God is represented as an iron
rod, and when the iron rod touches the mud pot, it will shatter. So, when God is in control, the
wicked or crooked actions of the world can’t make any changes or harm anyone. The psalmist
compels us to have faith in and trust in the creator. Dramatic imagery such as a flowering tree
against dried and scattered straw and the genuine king of the earth verses a group of cunning
and cursed kings are used in Psalms 1 and 2 to illustrate dualism.

Sermon

Title: “The Sovereign Savior: A Reflection on Psalm 2:7-12”

Today, let us turn our hearts and minds to Psalm 2, verses 7-12, which speak of the sovereign
authority of our Lord and Savior. These verses declare, “I will proclaim the Lord’s decree: He
said to me, ‘You are my son; today I have become your father. Ask me, and I will make the
nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. You will break them with a rod
of iron; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.’ Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned,
you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling. Kiss his
son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up
in a moment. Blessed is all who take refuge in him.” These verses remind us that God’s
sovereignty is absolute and eternal. He has established His Son, Jesus Christ, as the ruler of all
nations. The imagery of breaking the nations with a rod of iron signifies His ultimate authority
and power. Therefore, as believers, we are called to recognize the majesty of our Lord and
serve Him with reverence and awe.

This passage from the Book of Psalms in the Bible that holds significant theological and
practical relevance in various contexts:

• Messiahship of Jesus: In the Christian faith, these verses are often cited to emphasize
Jesus Christ as the prophesied Messiah and Son of God. It highlights His divine
authority and the fulfilment of Old Testament prophecies regarding His reign.

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 • Kingship and Authority: In a political context, these verses can serve as a reminder of
the limits of human authority. They emphasize that all earthly rulers should
acknowledge God’s ultimate sovereignty and rule with wisdom and justice.
• Missions and Evangelism: These verses can be used to underscore the Christian
mission to share the gospel with the nations. “Ask me, and I will make the nations your
inheritance” highlights the global nature of the gospel, encouraging believers to share
their faith with people from all backgrounds.
• Worship and Reverence: In a church context, Psalm 2:7-12 can be part of worship and
reflection, reminding congregants to approach God with reverence and awe. “Serve the
Lord with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling” emphasizes the importance of
worshiping God with humility.

Psalm 2:7-12 provides a rich source of guidance, inspiration, and reflection across various
aspects of faith, governance, evangelism, worship, and personal spirituality. Its timeless
message continues to resonate with believers and seekers alike. In a world filled with turmoil
and uncertainty, we find our refuge in Christ. The psalmist reminds us that failing to
acknowledge His lordship will lead to our destruction. Let us not be deceived by the fleeting
pleasures of this world but seek refuge in the loving embrace of our Savior.

As we go about our daily lives, let us remember that our allegiance is to the King of kings and
the Lord of lords. Let us strive to honour Him in all that we do and share the good news of His
salvation with those who have not yet taken refuge in Him. In doing so, we can truly experience
the blessedness of being in His presence.

May we serve the Lord with fear, celebrate His rule with trembling, and find our ultimate joy
and security in Him. Amen.

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Bibliography

Anderson, Arnold Albert. The Book of Psalms. 1st ed. Grand Rapids Eerdmans, 1992.

Anderson, Arnold Albert. The Book of Psalms. Eerdmans, 1992. Books, 1983.

Brueggemann, Walter. And, Bellinger, William H. Psalms, New Cambridge Bible

Commentary, New York: Cambridge University Press, 2014.

Commentary: Old Testament. Bangalore: Omega Book World, 2015.

Craigie, Peter C. Word Biblical Commentary, Psalms 1-50, Vol.19, Dallas, Texas: Word.

Miller, Patrick D. Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press,
2001.

The New Interpreter's Study Bible. 4th ed. Nashville, Tenn.: Abingdon Press, 1996.

Walton, John H, Victor H. Matthews and Mark W. Chavalas. The IVP Bible Background.

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