Why Do the Nations Rage
Psalm 2 summary: what it means
Psalm 2 opens with a question: why do the nations rage? Kings and rulers plot together against the LORD and against his Anointed, and they want to throw off his bonds. The scene then moves to heaven. God laughs at the plot and answers in anger. He has already set his King on Zion. The King then speaks and reports a decree: the LORD has called him his son and promised him the nations.
The psalm ends with advice rather than a threat alone. The kings are told to be wise, to serve the LORD with fear, and to give sincere homage to the Son before his anger is kindled. The last line turns from warning to welcome: blessed are all those who take refuge in him.
Psalm 2: Why Do the Nations Rage
World English Bible, public domain. allpsalms.com/psalm-2
Psalm 2 commentary: explained verse by verse
Why do the nations rage,and the peoples plot a vain thing?
Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
The psalm opens with a question rather than a statement. The nations and peoples are in uproar, but the verse already calls their plan a vain thing, something that will come to nothing.
Also read Acts 16:22, Psalm 18:42, Psalm 21:11, Acts 19:28-32
The kings of the earth take a stand,and the rulers take counsel together,against the LORD, and against his Anointed, saying,
The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,
The plot is named. Kings and rulers join forces against two targets at once: the LORD and his Anointed, the king he has chosen. The verse ends mid sentence, leading straight into their own words.
Also read Luke 23:11-12, Psalm 74:23, John 1:41, Exodus 16:7
“Let’s break their bonds apart,and cast their cords from us.”
Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
This is the rulers' slogan. They see the LORD's rule as bonds and cords, restraints to be broken and thrown off. The psalm lets the rebels speak for themselves before God replies.
Also read Luke 19:27, Luke 19:14, 1 Peter 2:7-8, Jeremiah 5:5
He who sits in the heavens will laugh.The Lord will have them in derision.
He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.
The view cuts from earth to heaven. The one who sits in the heavens is not alarmed. He laughs and holds the plotters in derision, which shows how small their plan looks from where he is.
Also read 2 Kings 19:21, Isaiah 57:15, Psalm 53:5, Psalm 11:4
Then he will speak to them in his anger,and terrify them in his wrath:
Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.
The laughter gives way to speech. God speaks to the rulers in his anger, and his wrath terrifies them. The verse sets up the announcement that follows.
Also read Psalm 50:16-22, Matthew 22:7, Psalm 21:9, Luke 19:43-44
“Yet I have set my King on my holy hill of Zion.”
Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
This is what God says to the rebels. Whatever they plan, he has already set his King on Zion, his holy hill. The word yet makes the point: the matter was settled before they began.
Also read Acts 2:34-36, Psalm 89:27, Philippians 2:9-11, Psalm 78:68
I will tell of the decree:The LORD said to me, “You are my son.Today I have become your father.
I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
Now the King speaks, and he reports a decree. The LORD has told him: you are my son, today I have become your father. In the New Testament, Acts 13:33 and Hebrews 1:5 quote this line and apply it to Jesus.
Also read Hebrews 1:5-6, John 3:16, Acts 8:36, Psalm 148:6
Ask of me, and I will give the nations for your inheritance,the uttermost parts of the earth for your possession.
Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
The promise continues. The son only has to ask, and the nations become his inheritance and the ends of the earth his possession. The same nations that plotted in verse 1 are here handed to the king they opposed.
Also read John 17:4-5, Psalm 89:27, Daniel 7:13, Psalm 72:8
You shall break them with a rod of iron.You shall dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”
Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.
The King's rule is pictured in hard terms. He will break the rebels with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. A clay pot shatters with one blow, which is the picture of how little their resistance will count for.
Also read Jeremiah 19:11, Revelation 12:5, Revelation 2:26-27, Psalm 89:23
Now therefore be wise, you kings.Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.
The tone changes from announcement to advice. The kings and judges of the earth who plotted in verse 2 are now told to be wise and to accept instruction. The psalm gives them a way out.
Also read Isaiah 49:23, Isaiah 60:3, Isaiah 52:15, Psalm 82:1-8
Serve the LORD with fear,and rejoice with trembling.
Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
The advice has two parts that sit together: serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Joy and awe are not set against each other here.
Also read Hebrews 4:1-2, Psalm 99:1, Psalm 95:1-8, Hebrews 12:28-29
Give 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.
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.
The last verse urges the rulers to give sincere homage to the Son before his anger is kindled. It then closes with a blessing for everyone, not only kings: all who take refuge in him are blessed.
Also read Genesis 41:43-44, Psalm 146:3-5, Hosea 13:2, Jeremiah 17:7
A prayer from Psalm 2
Lord, the nations rage and rulers plot against you and your Anointed, yet you sit in the heavens and you are not shaken. When the noise of the world is loud, help me remember that you have set your King on your holy hill. Make me wise and willing to be instructed. Let me serve you with fear and rejoice with trembling. Keep me from the proud wish to throw off your cords. You say that all who take refuge in you are blessed, so I come to take refuge in you. Amen.
Psalm 2 Bible study questions
- In verses 2 and 3, what do the kings and rulers say they want to do, and against whom do they take their stand?
- In verse 4, the response from heaven is laughter; how does that differ from what the plotting rulers might expect?
- Verse 11 pairs serving with fear and rejoicing with trembling; how might fear and joy exist together for you?
- Where do you notice the kind of restless plotting described in verse 1, whether in the world around you or in yourself?
- Psalm 1:1 opens with the word blessed and Psalm 2:12 closes with it; what do the two blessings have in common?
Questions about Psalm 2
What is Psalm 2 about?
It is about the nations and their kings plotting against the LORD and his Anointed king. God answers that he has already set his King on Zion, and the psalm ends by urging the rulers to submit and by blessing all who take refuge in him.
Who wrote Psalm 2?
The psalm has no heading, and the text does not name its author.
What does Psalm 2:7 mean?
In verse 7 the King reports what the LORD said to him: you are my son, today I have become your father. It marks the king as chosen and backed by God. Acts 13:33 and Hebrews 1:5 in the New Testament quote this verse about Jesus.
What does Psalm 2:8 mean?
It is God's promise to the King: ask, and the nations will be your inheritance and the ends of the earth your possession. The King James Version reads "Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession."
What does Psalm 2:9 mean?
It describes the King's power over the rebellious nations: he will break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. It is a picture of complete defeat for those who oppose God's King.
What does Psalm 2:6 say?
"Yet I have set my King on my holy hill of Zion." It is God's answer to the plotting kings: the King is already in place.
Psalm 2 KJV: the King James Version
Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?1
The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,2
Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.3
He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.4
Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.5
Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.6
I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.7
Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.8
Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.9
Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.10
Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.11
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.12
Psalm 2 in Hebrew
The Hebrew text from the Westminster Leningrad Codex, public domain. Verse numbers follow the Hebrew Bible, which counts a psalm's heading as verse 1, so they can run one ahead of English Bibles.
Show the text
1 לָ֭מָּה רָגְשׁ֣וּ גוֹיִ֑ם וּ֝לְאֻמִּ֗ים יֶהְגּוּ־רִֽיק׃
2 יִ֥תְיַצְּב֨וּ ׀ מַלְכֵי־אֶ֗רֶץ וְרוֹזְנִ֥ים נֽוֹסְדוּ־יָ֑חַד עַל־יְ֝הוָה וְעַל־מְשִׁיחֽוֹ׃
3 נְֽ֭נַתְּקָה אֶת־מֽוֹסְרוֹתֵ֑ימוֹ וְנַשְׁלִ֖יכָה מִמֶּ֣נּוּ עֲבֹתֵֽימוֹ׃
4 יוֹשֵׁ֣ב בַּשָּׁמַ֣יִם יִשְׂחָ֑ק אֲ֝דֹנָ֗י יִלְעַג־לָֽמוֹ׃
5 אָ֤ז יְדַבֵּ֣ר אֵלֵ֣ימוֹ בְאַפּ֑וֹ וּֽבַחֲרוֹנ֥וֹ יְבַהֲלֵֽמוֹ׃
6 וַ֭אֲנִי נָסַ֣כְתִּי מַלְכִּ֑י עַל־צִ֝יּ֗וֹן הַר־קָדְשִֽׁי׃
7 אֲסַפְּרָ֗ה אֶֽ֫ל חֹ֥ק יְֽהוָ֗ה אָמַ֘ר אֵלַ֥י בְּנִ֥י אַ֑תָּה אֲ֝נִ֗י הַיּ֥וֹם יְלִדְתִּֽיךָ׃
8 שְׁאַ֤ל מִמֶּ֗נִּי וְאֶתְּנָ֣ה ג֭וֹיִם נַחֲלָתֶ֑ךָ וַ֝אֲחֻזָּתְךָ֗ אַפְסֵי־אָֽרֶץ׃
9 תְּ֭רֹעֵם בְּשֵׁ֣בֶט בַּרְזֶ֑ל כִּכְלִ֖י יוֹצֵ֣ר תְּנַפְּצֵֽם׃
10 וְ֭עַתָּה מְלָכִ֣ים הַשְׂכִּ֑ילוּ הִ֝וָּסְר֗וּ שֹׁ֣פְטֵי אָֽרֶץ׃
11 עִבְד֣וּ אֶת־יְהוָ֣ה בְּיִרְאָ֑ה וְ֝גִ֗ילוּ בִּרְעָדָֽה׃
12 נַשְּׁקוּ־בַ֡ר פֶּן־יֶאֱנַ֤ף ׀ וְתֹ֬אבְדוּ דֶ֗רֶךְ כִּֽי־יִבְעַ֣ר כִּמְעַ֣ט אַפּ֑וֹ אַ֝שְׁרֵ֗י כָּל־ח֥וֹסֵי בֽוֹ׃
Psalm 2 in the Catholic Douay-Rheims Bible
The Douay-Rheims Bible, 1899 edition, public domain. It follows the Greek and Latin numbering, so this psalm is Psalm 2 there.
Show the text
1 Why have the Gentiles raged, and the people devised vain things?
2 The kings of the earth stood up, and the princes met together, against the Lord and against his Christ.
3 Let us break their bonds asunder: and let us cast away their yoke from us.
4 He that dwelleth in heaven shall laugh at them: and the Lord shall deride them.
5 Then shall he speak to them in his anger, and trouble them in his rage.
6 But I am appointed king by him over Sion his holy mountain, preaching his commandment.
7 The Lord hath said to me: Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee.
8 Ask of me, and I will give thee the Gentiles for thy inheritance, and the utmost parts of the earth for thy possession.
9 Thou shalt rule them with a rod of iron, and shalt break them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.
10 And now, O ye kings, understand: receive instruction, you that judge the earth.
11 Serve ye the Lord with fear: and rejoice unto him with trembling.
12 Embrace discipline, lest at any time the Lord be angry, and you perish from the just way.
13 When his wrath shall be kindled in a short time, blessed are all they that trust in him.
Psalm 2 in Latin
The Clementine Vulgate, public domain, where this psalm is Psalm 2.
Show the text
1 Quare fremuerunt gentes, et populi meditati sunt inania?
2 Astiterunt reges terræ, et principes convenerunt in unum adversus Dominum, et adversus christum ejus.
3 Dirumpamus vincula eorum, et projiciamus a nobis jugum ipsorum.
4 Qui habitat in cælis irridebit eos, et Dominus subsannabit eos.
5 Tunc loquetur ad eos in ira sua, et in furore suo conturbabit eos.
6 Ego autem constitutus sum rex ab eo super Sion, montem sanctum ejus, prædicans præceptum ejus.
7 Dominus dixit ad me: Filius meus es tu; ego hodie genui te.
8 Postula a me, et dabo tibi gentes hæreditatem tuam, et possessionem tuam terminos terræ.
9 Reges eos in virga ferrea, et tamquam vas figuli confringes eos.
10 Et nunc, reges, intelligite; erudimini, qui judicatis terram.
11 Servite Domino in timore, et exsultate ei cum tremore.
12 Apprehendite disciplinam, nequando irascatur Dominus, et pereatis de via justa.
13 Cum exarserit in brevi ira ejus, beati omnes qui confidunt in eo.
Printable Psalm 2: free, large print and PDF
Print Psalm 2 for free: the whole psalm or only the verses you tick. Choose regular, large or extra large print, and a plain page, a framed sheet to hang on the wall or a verse card, in the World English Bible or the King James Version. To keep a PDF, choose Save as PDF in the print window. Nothing to sign up for.
Psalm 2 at a glance
| Verses | 12 |
| Heading in the text | No heading |
| Attributed to | The psalm has no heading, so its author is not named in the text. |
| Type | Royal |
| Number in Greek and Latin Bibles | Psalm 2, the same |
Read Psalm 2 when you are facing
Psalm 2 in other translations
This page prints the World English Bible and the King James Version because both are public domain. The NIV, ESV, NKJV, NLT and NASB are under copyright, so they cannot be printed in full here. You can read Psalm 2 in those translations at Bible Gateway.
Where Psalm 2 belongs
How this page was made
The psalm text comes from public domain translations and is not edited. The summary, the verse notes and the answers are written for this page from the text of the psalm itself. Where a claim goes beyond the text, it is sourced below.
Sources
- Text: World English Bible and King James Version, both public domain, from ebible.org source
- New Testament quotations: Acts 13:33 and Hebrews 1:5 checked against the King James Version text from ebible.org source
- Hebrew text: Westminster Leningrad Codex, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Douay-Rheims: Douay-Rheims Bible, 1899 edition, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Latin text: Clementine Vulgate, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Numbering: Greek and Latin psalm numbering, Wikipedia, Psalms source