Psalm 2


Psalm 2 is the second psalm of the Book of Psalms, generally known in English by its first verse, in the King James Version, "Why do the heathen rage". In Latin, it is known as "Quare fremuerunt gentes". Psalm 2 does not identify its author with a superscription. Acts in the New Testament attributes it to David. According to the Talmud, Psalm 2 is a continuation of Psalm 1.
The psalm is a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Anglican and Protestant liturgies. It has been set to music often; George Frideric Handel set nine verses in Part II of his Messiah.

Background and themes

According to the Talmud, Psalm 2 is a continuation of Psalm 1. Saadia Gaon in his commentary on Psalms notes that Psalm 1 begins with the word "Happy" and the last verse of Psalm 2 ends with the word "Happy", joining them thematically.
According to the Talmud and commentators such as Saadia Gaon, Abraham ibn Ezra, and the Karaite Yefet ben Ali, this psalm is messianic, referring to the advent of the Jewish Messiah who will be preceded by the wars of Gog and Magog. In this vein, the "king" of Psalm 2 is interpreted not as David but as the future King Messiah from the Davidic line, who will restore Israel to its former glory and bring world peace. The Talmud teaches :
Our Rabbis taught: The Holy One, blessed be He, will say to the Messiah, the son of David, "Ask of me anything, and I will give it to you", as it is said, "I will tell of the decree... this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me and I will give the nations for your inheritance".

Similarly, the Midrash Tehillim teaches:
R. Jonathan said: "Three persons were bidden, 'Ask'—Solomon, Ahaz, and the King Messiah. Solomon: 'Ask what I shall give thee'. Ahaz: 'Ask thee a sign'. The King Messiah: 'Ask of Me', etc.."

Rashi and Radak, however, identify the subject of this psalm as David, following his victory over the Philistines. Arenda suggests that Rashi's view was influenced by that of early Christian commentators who interpreted verse 7 as referring to Christ.
Christian writers such as Hermann Gunkel and Hans Joachin Kras see the psalm as a song of the Judean king himself at the festival of his accession, while Hossfeld sees the psalm as merely being influenced by the Egyptian and Hellenistic royal ideology.
Most Christian scholars interpret the subject of the psalm as Jesus Christ and his role as the Messiah. Matthew Henry interprets verses 1–6 are viewed as threats against Christ's kingdom, verses 7–9 as a promise to Christ to be the head of this kingdom, and verses 10–12 as counsel to all to serve Christ. Charles Spurgeon and Adam Clarke similarly interpret the psalm as referring to the opposition against Christ's rulership, the selection of Christ by God as his "own son", and the eventual victory and reign of Christ over his enemies.

Text

Hebrew Bible version

Following is the Hebrew text of Psalm 2:
VerseHebrew
1לָמָּה רָֽגְשׁ֣וּ גוֹיִ֑ם וּ֜לְאֻמִּ֗ים יֶהְגּוּ־רִֽיק
2מַלְכֵי־אֶ֗רֶץ וְרֽוֹזְנִ֥ים נֽוֹסְדוּ־יָ֑חַד עַל־יְ֜הֹוָה וְעַל־מְשִׁיחֽוֹ
3נְֽנַתְּקָה אֶת־מֽוֹסְרוֹתֵ֑ימוֹ וְנַשְׁלִ֖יכָה מִמֶּ֣נּוּ עֲבֹתֵֽימוֹ
4יוֹשֵׁ֣ב בַּשָּׁמַ֣יִם יִשְׂחָ֑ק אֲ֜דֹנָ֗י יִלְעַג־לָֽמוֹ
5אָ֚ז יְדַבֵּ֣ר אֵלֵ֣ימוֹ בְאַפּ֑וֹ וּבַ֖חֲרוֹנ֥וֹ יְבַֽהֲלֵֽמוֹ
6וַֽאֲנִֽי נָסַ֣כְתִּי מַלְכִּ֑י עַל־צִ֜יּ֗וֹן הַר־קָדְשִֽׁי
7אֲסַפְּרָ֗ה אֶ֫ל חֹ֥ק יְהֹוָ֗ה אָמַ֣ר אֵ֖לַי בְּנִ֣י אַ֑תָּה אֲ֜נִ֗י הַיּ֥וֹם יְלִדְתִּֽיךָ
8שְׁאַ֚ל מִמֶּ֗נִּי וְאֶתְּנָ֣ה ג֖וֹיִם נַֽחֲלָתֶ֑ךָ וַֽ֜אֲחֻזָּֽתְךָ֗ אַפְסֵי־אָֽרֶץ
9תְּרֹעֵֽם בְּשֵׁ֣בֶט בַּרְזֶ֑ל כִּכְלִ֖י יוֹצֵ֣ר תְּנַפְּצֵֽם
10וְעַתָּה מְלָכִ֣ים הַשְׂכִּ֑ילוּ הִ֜וָּֽסְר֗וּ שֹׁ֣פְטֵי אָֽרֶץ
11עִבְד֣וּ אֶת־יְהֹוָ֣ה בְּיִרְאָ֑ה וְ֜גִ֗ילוּ בִּרְעָדָֽה
12וְתֹ֬אבְדוּ דֶ֗רֶךְ כִּֽי־יִבְעַ֣ר כִּמְעַ֣ט אַפּ֑וֹ אַ֜שְׁרֵ֗י כָּל־ח֥וֹסֵי בֽוֹ

King James Version

  1. Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
  2. The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying,
  3. Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
  4. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.
  5. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.
  6. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
  7. I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
  8. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
  9. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.
  10. Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.
  11. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
  12. 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.

    Uses

Judaism

Verse 1 is recited during Selichot.
This psalm is also recited to alleviate a headache, and when caught in a sea gale.

New Testament

Some verses of Psalm 2 are referenced in the New Testament:
According to the Rule of St. Benedict, Psalm 1 to Psalm 20 were mainly reserved for the office of Prime. This psalm was chosen by St. Benedict of Nursia for Monday of the office of Prime, in the Rule of St. Benedict of 530 it was recited or sung between Psalm 1 and Psalm 6.
In the Liturgy of the Hours, Psalm 2 is sung or recited in the Office of Readings of the Sunday of the first week, with Psalm 1 and Psalm 3. Every Tuesday, the faithful of Opus Dei, after invoking their Guardian Angel and kissing the rosary, recite Psalm 2 in Latin.

Book of Common Prayer

In the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer, Psalm 2 is appointed to be read on the morning of the first day of the month.

Musical settings

In 1567, Thomas Tallis set Psalm 2, "Why fum'th in sight", for his Nine Tunes for Archbishop Parker's Psalter.
Psalm 2 is one of the psalms used in Handel's Messiah. He set verses 1 to 9 in four in movement in Part II, beginning with movement 40.
In France, Michel-Richard de Lalande in 1706 made his grand motet on this Psalm.
Verse 8 of Psalm 2 is used in the song "You Said" by Reuben Morgan.
Verses 1–4 form one of the texts Leonard Bernstein used for his Chichester Psalms. It is used as counterpart to Psalm 23 in the second movement, sung by the tenors and basses.

Dead Sea Scrolls

There is 1 clear reference to Psalm 2 in 1 Enoch, found in 1En. 48:8-10. This text states that "downcast will be the faces of the kings of the earth" who have "denied the Lord of Spirits and his anointed one." The phrase "kings of the earth" and "Lord...and his anointed one" point back to Ps 2:2.

Psalms of Solomon

17 contains a number of shared themes and likely allusions to Psalm 2, including one clear reference to, found in Ps. Sol. 17:23-24. Those verses read, "To smash the arrogance of the sinner like a potter’s vessel, to shatter all their substance with an iron rod." Additionally, the phrase "the peoples of the nations to be subject to him under his yoke" may look back to.

Controversy

English-speaking Protestant Christians commonly translate verse 12 as "Kiss the son", as in the King James Version. The most common Jewish interpretation is "Embrace purity", an interpretation close to that of Catholics, who traditionally follow the Vulgate and translate the phrase as "Embrace discipline". To translate as "Kiss the son", the word "bar" must be read as Aramaic rather than Hebrew or Septuagint and Vulgate "discipline", "training", "teaching". Some Jewish authors have accused Protestant Christians of arbitrarily choosing to interpret the word as in a different language to give the text a meaning more favourable to Christians. Protestants, however, cite other places in the Bible with isolated Aramaic words found in Hebrew like the same word "bar" occurring in.