View source for Psalm 2 Semantics

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=About the Semantics Layer=
{{SemanticsIntro}} 
=Semantics Visuals for Psalm 2=
==Lexical and Phrase-level Semantics Diagram==
{{Phrasal Legend}} 
* See our growing collection of [https://psalms.scriptura.org/w/Venn_Diagrams Venn Diagrams], not only for Psalm 2, but for all of the psalms. 
* See [https://semanticdictionary.org/overview.php?book=19&chapter=2 SDBH on Psalm 2]. 

==v. 1==
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* The first verb of the psalm ('''רָגַשׁ''') occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible, and so its meaning is unclear. There are two main options:
** "assemble" (NJPS) >> "conspire" (NIV, NRSV; cf. CEV, GNT). So SDBH: "action by which a relatively large number of people form a group in order to pursue a common goal together."<ref>SDBH; cf. Rashi: למה רגשו ונתקבצו גוים; Ibn Ezra: התחברו.</ref>
** "rage" (KJV, ESV, CSB); also "are... angry" (NLT), "in turmoil" (REB), "in an uproar" (NASB)
:The meaning "assemble" is based on an Aramaic cognate (רגשׁ ''aphel'' stem) that means "to gather together urgently."<ref>CAL; see Dan 6:7, 12, 16; cf. the noun רֶגֶשׁ [="assembly"] in Ps 55:15.</ref> But the Aramaic verb only has this meaning in the ''aphel'' (= ''hiphil'') stem. In the basic stem (= ''qal''), the Aramaic verb means "to rage, be upset."<ref>See CAL; see esp. the use of the word in the Proverbs of Ahiqar: "[Then Esarhaddon, King of Assyria] will be abundantly (= very) agitated [ירגש] (when) words he hears..." TAD C1.1.29), and this is the more likely meaning of the word in Ps 2:1 (so HALOT; Gesenius 2013, 1220; cf. Aquila: ἐθoρύβησαν "make an uproar;" Jerome ''iuxta Hebr''.: ''turbabuntur'' "be disturbed, agitated."</ref> The word רגשׁ (''hithpael'', ''niphal'', and ''qal'') occurs with this sense in some later Hebrew texts:
** "against me the assembly of the wicked rages (תתרגש), and they roar (ויהמו) like stormy seas when their waves crash (בהרגש)" (1QH<sup>a</sup> col. 10, line 14. DJD vol. 40, p. 132, 142).
** "when the waves and the breakers of the waters surge up (ויתרגשו) on high with their noisy roar (המון)" (1QH<sup>a</sup> col. 11, line 16-17. DJD vol. 40, p. 155).
** "Lo, heaven and the highest heaven, the abyss and the earth, tremble (σαλευθήσονται = ירגשו?) at his visitation!" (Sirach 16:18, NRSV; cf. Ben Sira Ms A 16:18. which reads כרגשו—"when he rages")
:Interestingly, in the first two of these passages, the "raging" wicked are likened to the tumultuous sea, an image which we find elsewhere in the Psalter (see esp. Ps 46). This would be a fitting image for the nations in Ps 2 as well.
: Note that verbs for anger also occurs in the last verse of Ps 2 (יאנף...יבער אפו), thus forming an inclusio.
: The use of an Aramaic word at the beginning of the psalm might be a deliberate rhetorical device: the psalm deals with events of international significance, so it makes use of the international language of Aramaic. (Note other Aramaisms in vv. 9, 12. Compare also the use of Aramaic in Dan 2-7 where the content also concerns international politics).
* '''לְאֻמִּים''' is used especially in poetic texts.<ref>BDB.</ref>
* The verb הָגָה ("mutter" [SDBH]) has "the metonymic nuance 'devise, plan, plot' (see Ps 38:12; Prov 24:2)" (NET). In this context, the verb contributes further to the picture in the previous line of the nations as a noisy crowd, agitated like a tumultuous sea. Elsewhere, הגה can refer to a noisy inarticulate sound (cf. TDOT). E.g., "We all growl (נֶהֱמֶה) like bears; we moan mournfully (הָגֹה נֶהְגֶּה) like doves" (Isa 59:11, NIV). In Job 37:2, the noun הֶגֶה refers to "rumbling" of thunder (ESV, NIV, NET). Thus, with the verbs רגשׁ and הגה, Ps 2:1 gives an image of the nations like a gathering storm (cf. Ps 46).
* "The noun '''רִיק''' (“emptiness”) may characterize their behavior as 'worthless, morally bankrupt' but more likely refers to the outcome of their plots (i.e., failure). As the rest of the psalm emphasizes, their rebellion will fail."<ref>NET notes.</ref>
==v. 2==
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* "kings of earth >> '''earthly kings'''," i.e., "earthly kings in contrast to the heavenly king (v. 4)."<ref>Baethgen 1904, 5; cf. Ibn Ezra; cf. the same phrase in Pss 76:13; 89:28; 138:4; 148:11.</ref>
* The verb "'''stand'''" (יִתְיַצְּבוּ) can mean to "take one’s stand (firmly)" (HALOT) and, by metaphorical extension, "to resist" (HALOT; see e.g., Deut 7:2; Josh 1:5; Job 41:2; 1 Chron 20:6).
* The same expression '''הִוָּסֵד יחד על''' occurs in Ps 31:14: "For I hear many whispering, 'Terror on every side!' They conspire against me (בְּהִוָּסְדָם יַחַד עָלַי) and plot to take my life" (Ps 31:14, NIV). In this passage, as in Ps 2, the verb probably means "get together" >> "conspire" (cf. HALOT; so REB and NASB ["conspire"]; LXX: "gather" [συνήχθησαν]). According to HALOT and Gesenius 2013, 471, this verb probably derives from the root יסד II (a by-form of סוד; cf. the nοun סוֹד which can refer both to a "group, gathering" of people and, by metaphorical extension, to a "plot" or "scheme" known only by that group [see SDBH]).
* The preposition in the phrase "'''against (עַל) YHWH and against (עַל) his anointed one'''" is used in "the oppositional sense."<ref>Mena 2012, §5.4.6; cf. 2 Chr 26:18—"and they stood against [עַל] Uzziah".</ref> The repetition of the preposition עַל in v. 2c draws attention to the conflict.
==v. 3==
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==v. 4==
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* The verb '''ישׁב''' (lit.: "sit") can refer figuratively to "reigning" (i.e., sitting on a throne). It appears a number of times in the phrase ישׁב על כסא (Exod 11:5; 12:29; Deut 17:18; 1 Sam 1:9; 4:13; 1 Kgs 1:13, 17, 20) and can have a similar meaning even when the prepositional phrase (על כסא) is omitted (e.g., Isa 40:22; Zech 9:6). The verb probably has this meaning in this context, where YHWH "the one who reigns in heaven" is contrasted with the "kings of earth" (v. 2). So SDBH: "action by which humans or deities assume a position of leadership, as if sitting on an actual throne." Cf. NIV: "The One enthroned in heaven" (cf. NLT, CSB, CEV, GNT).
*  The ''lamed'' preposition in the phrase "'''laugh [at them (למו)]... mock them (למו)'''" indicates the entity negatively affected by the action,<ref>Cf. Jenni 2000, #5521.</ref> the object of scorn and mockery (cf. Ps 22:8—יַלְעִגוּ לִי; Ps 37:13—יִשְׂחַק לוֹ).

==v. 5==
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* In regard to '''בַחֲרוֹנוֹ''', it seems that "Since the object of this rage is almost always Israel (except Hab 3:8; Ps 18:8), and since the source of provocation often is 'transgression of the covenant' (Josh 7:1; 23:16; Judg 2:20) or 'pursuit of other gods' (Deut 6:14–15; 11:16–17; 31:16–17), ḥrh and ḥārôn seem to have a specialized use designating the legitimate rage of a suzerain against a disobedient vassal.'"<ref>Herion 1992.</ref>
* The ''bet'' prepositions in the phrases "'''in his anger'''" and "'''in his wrath'''" indicate the mode of the actions.<ref>(see BHRG §39.6(4); Jenni 1992, #423, #445.</ref>

==v. 6==
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*'''Poured out'''. In Biblical Hebrew, the verb נסך almost always means to “pour out.” In the ''qal'' stem, it can refer to the pouring out of libations (Ex. 30:9 [patient: נֵסֶךְ]; Isa. 30:1 [patient: מַסֵּכָה]; Hos. 9:4 [patient: יַיִן]) or to the casting of metal (Isa. 40:19 [patient: פֶּסֶל]; 44:10 [patient: פֶּסֶל]).<ref>''BDB''.</ref> Since ancient times, translators have struggled with this concept; what would it mean for YHWH to "pour out" his king on mount Zion? As noted above, the verb נסך may refer to the act of pouring out liquid metal into a mold in order to fashion an image/idol (e.g. Isa. 40:19; 44:10). In the Ancient Near East, the king was said to be a living "image" of God, since he resembled God's character and functioned as his earthly representative. Thus, in Psalm 2:6, YHWH declares to the rebellious nations that he has forged his king as his image. For more information, see the Exegetical Issue [[The Meaning of נָסַכְתִּי in Ps 2:6]].
* "'''My king'''" indicates "the king who is mine, whom I made to be king" ([https://mg.alhatorah.org/Full/Tehillim/2.6#e0n6 Malbim]: מלך שלי שהמלכתיו).
* "On my mountain of holiness" >> "'''on my holy mountain'''" indicates the mountain that is devoted to me as holy (cf. Joel 4:17; Obad 16; Pss 3:5; 15:1; 43:3; 48:2; 99:9; Dan 9:16; etc.).

==v. 7==
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* The preposition '''אֶל''' modifying the verb of speaking ספּר indicates the topic of the discourse: "tell of the decree" (ESV, NJPS) or "tell about the decree" (cf. Gen 20:2—"And Abraham said of (אֶל) Sarah his wife, 'She is my sister'" [ESV]; cf. Isa 29:22; Ezek 21:33; Job 42:8. Similarly, with verbs of speaking, the preposition עַל can indicate "the focus of attention" (i.e., "about," "concerning").<ref>Mena 2012, §5.4.11; e.g., 1 Chr 17:17—וַתְּדַבֵּ֥ר עַל־בֵּֽית־עַבְדְּךָ֖.</ref>
* The word "'''decree'''" (חֹק) here refers to a "god-given" "prescription" or "rule" (HALOT), though "the emphasis is on the right and privilege that it brings about, rather than upon the call for its observance and obedience."<ref>Victor 1966, 361.</ref> Specifically, in this context, "the ''ḥōq'' of Yahweh to the king appears to be the [covenantal] promise of sonship pronounced at the king’s enthronement,"<ref>TDOT</ref> the “personal covenant document, renewing God’s covenant commitment to the dynasty of David.”<ref>Craigie 1983, 67; cf. Jones 1965, 336-44.</ref> On the close relationship between "covenant" and "decree," see e.g., Ps 105:9-11 (ESV):
** "He remembers his covenant forever, the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations, the covenant that he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac, which he confirmed to Jacob as ''a statute'', to Israel as an everlasting covenant, saying, 'To you I will give the land of Canaan as your portion for an inheritance.'"
** As in Ps 105, so here in Ps 2: the covenant with David is "confirmed as a statue (חֹק)" to one of David's descendants.

==v. 8==
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* The phrase "'''the ends of the earth'''" (part-divided whole) often refers to people (e.g., Pss 22:28; 67:8; 98:3) but here with the word אֲחֻזָּה ("property" or, more specifically, "landed property" [HALOT]) it probably refers to land (cf. Ps 72:8).

==v. 9==
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* "Scepter of iron" >> "'''an iron scepter'''" (CSB), indicates a scepter made of iron.
* "Vessels of a potter" >> "'''clay pottery'''" (cf. NIV, NLT, GNT).

==v. 10==
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* "Rulers of earth" >> "'''earthly rulers'''" (see v. 2)
* The verb '''הִוָּסְרוּ''' has been translated variously as "be warned" (NIV, ESV, NLT, NRSV), "be instructed" (KJV), "submit to correction" (NET), "learn this lesson" (GNT), and accept discipline" (NJPS). According to SDBH, the word means "literally: to be disciplined; hence: = action by which humans bring themselves to a position of submission before God, as a result of his disciplinary actions." This definition works well for all of the occurrences of this word (see Lev 26:18; Jer 6:8; 31:18; Prov 29:19). Cf. LXX: "be instructed" (παιδεύθητε).

==v. 11==
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* To "'''serve'''" YHWH in this context is to submit to his authority, his lordship (cf. the word אדני in v. 4), and to embrace his "decree" (vv. 7-9). So SDBH: "action by which humans, either as individuals or as groups, assume a position of subservience towards a deity, perform the required rituals, and live in accordance with the requirements of that deity."
* The ''bet'' prepositions in the phrases "'''with fear'''" and "'''with trembling'''" indicate the mode of the actions.<ref>(see BHRG §39.6(4); Jenni 1992, #423, #445.</ref>

==v. 12==
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* For the verb "'''kiss'''," see the Venn diagram. The use of the piel (instead of the usual qal) probably implies repeated kissing (event-internal plurality).<ref>cf. Penney 2023; TDOT "piel, 'to kiss long and much'".</ref>
:[[File:Nasheq - to kiss.jpg|500px|class=img-fluid]]
* Interestingly, the verb translated "'''become angry'''" in v. 12 is "almost exclusively used with God as the subject."<ref>SDBH, see e.g., 1 Kgs 8:46; Isa 12:1; Pss 60:3; 79:5; 85:6; Ezra 9:14; 2 Chron 6:36.</ref> Psalm 2:12 is the only exception. The human king, as YHWH's image and son (vv. 6-7) has divine characteristics (cf. Pss 110, 111-112).
:[[File:Psalm 002 - Anaf - become angry.jpg|500px|class=img-fluid]]
* The adverbial accusative "'''way'''" (דֶּרֶךְ) could be "in the way"<ref> ESV; cf. CSB: "in your rebellion;" REB: "in middle course;" NLT: "in the midst of all your activities;" so R. Sforno: כ׳דרך׳ שהוא עושה כאשר ׳יבער כמעט אפו׳.</ref> or "from the way."<ref>KJV; cf. LXX trans. NETS: "and you will perish from [ἐξ] the righteous way."</ref> The expression is probably synonymous with "the way of wicked people will come to an end."<ref>Ps 1:6; so Radak, Rashi.</ref> Both expressions are figures of speech for death and destruction: "a person comes to an end on his way/life" = "a person's way/life comes to an end" = "a person dies." Thus, GNT: "you will suddenly die."
* On the word "ignite" cf. Ps 79:5—תִּבְעַ֥ר כְּמֹו־אֵ֝֗שׁ קִנְאָתֶֽךָ. According to BDB, the verb means, "specifically begin to burn, be kindled." Hence, "ignite" (so CSB, NET).
* The adverbial phrase כִּמְעַט is translated variously as "but a little" (KJV; cf. NJPS: "in the mere flash of his anger;" so DCH : "and you die along the way when his anger hardly blazes, i.e. at the very onset of his anger"), "easily" (cf. ELB, ZÜR [leicht]; so Jenni 1994, #94; SDBH), "quickly" (ESV, NRSV, GNT, NET, HFA, NGÜ, GNB, LXX trans. NETS [ἐν τάχει]; cf. NIV, NLT), "soon" (NASB; cf. CSB, LUT; cf. Rashi: כי ברגע מועט יבער אפוב עליכם פתאום). Thus we have the following three options (the second and third of the above translations resulting in the same meaning):
** "when his wrath has only just been ignited" ( = his anger is extremely powerful)
** "for/when his anger quickly/easily ignites" (= it does not take much for him to get angry, so tread lightly!)
** "for his anger will soon ignite" (= the time of his wrath is immanent, so hurry and submit to him!)
:The second of these options ("quickly/easily") seems the most likely, given the context and the use of the phrase elsewhere (e.g., Ps 81:15—"How quickly I would then subdue their enemies!" [NIV, cf. NLT]; Job 32:22—"otherwise, my Maker would remove me in an instant."<ref>CSB; so LXX: ἐν τάχει; Jenni 1994, #94; BDB.</ref> In spoken English, we might paraphrase: "'cause his anger ignites like that (snap fingers)." The clause is explaining why it is that they will perish in the way if they refuse to submit to the son; it is because his anger ignites quickly/easily. The clause is reminiscent of YHWHs' warning to Moses in Exod 33:3—"But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way (פֶּן אֲכֶלְךָ בַּדָּרֶךְ)" (Exod 33:3).
* On "happiness," see notes on [https://psalms.scriptura.org/w/Psalm_1_Verse-by-Verse#Notes Ps 1:1].

==Verbal Semantics Chart==
{{Verbal Legend}} 
[[File:Psalm 2 Verbal Semantics Chart.jpg|825px|class=img-fluid]]

=Bibliography=
:Baethgen, Friedrich. 1904. [https://archive.org/details/diepsalmen00baet ''Die Psalmen'']. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck und Ruprecht.
:Craigie, Peter C. 1983. ''Psalms 1–50''. WBC 19. Waco, TX: Word.
:Gesenius, W. Donner, H. Rüterswörden, U. Renz, J. Meyer, R. (eds.). 2013. ''Hebräisches und aramäisches Handwörterbuch über das Alte Testament''. 18. Auflage Gesamtausgabe. Berlin: Springer.
:Herion, Gary A. 1992. “Wrath of God (OT).” In ''Anchor Bible Dictionary'', edited by David Noel Freedman, 6:989–96. New York: Doubleday.
:Jenni, Ernst. 1992. ''Die Hebräischen Präpositionen Band 1: Die Präposition Beth''. Stuttgart: W. Kohlhammer.
:___. 1994. ''Die Hebräischen Präpositionen Band 2: Die Präposition Kaph''. Stuttgart: W. Kohlhammer.
:___. 2000. ''Die hebräischen Präpositionen Band 3: Die Präposition Lamed''. Stuttgart: Verlag W. Kohlhammer.
:Jones, G H. 1965. “The Decree of Yahweh (Ps. II 7).” ''Vetus Testamentum'' 15 (3): 336–44.
:Mena, Andrea K. 2012. “The Semantic Potential of עַל in Genesis, Psalms, and Chronicles.” MA Thesis, Stellenbosch University.
:Penney, Jason. 2023. [https://www.diu.edu/documents/theses/Penney_Jason-thesis.pdf “A Typological Examination of Pluractionality in the Biblical Hebrew Piel.”] MA, Dallas: Dallas International University.
:Victor, Peddi. 1966. “Note on Choq in the Old Testament.” ''Vetus Testamentum'' 16 (3): 358–61.
=References=