The Meaning of נָסַכְתִּי in Ps 2:6

Introduction

The Masoretic text of Psalm 2:6 reads:

וַ֭אֲנִי נָסַ֣כְתִּי מַלְכִּ֑י עַל־צִ֝יּ֗וֹן הַר־קָדְשִֽׁי׃

This exegetical issue will focus on the meaning of the word in bold—נָסַכְתִּי.

Both modern translations and the most ancient versions understand this word to refer to one of two different things:

• Either the word refers to an action whereby God stations his king upon Mount Zion—this idea is brought out by the following translation choices:
  • ‘put, placed, set’ (CEV, NLT, NRSV; ZÜR; S21; RVR95; ) >>
  • ‘installed, established’ (LXX, Peshitta, ESV, NET, NIV, GNT, JPS1985; LUT2017; NGÜ; BDS; PDV; NVI; cf. Vulgate) >>
  • ‘enthroned’ (NEB, REB)

• Or the word refers to an action whereby God ordains his king, and the place God performs this action is Mount Zion. That is, the verb refers to an action whereby God confers the rights and privileges upon the king. This is brought out in translation in the following ways:
  • ‘anointed’ (Symmachus, Targum, NJB, TOB; BTX4) >> ‘consecrated, set apart’ (NFC; DHH) >> ‘crowned’ (NVSR)
  • ‘ordained’ (EÜ, NBS?)

The standard Biblical Hebrew dictionaries also place Psalm 2:6 under one of these two basic meanings:

• One standard dictionary adopts the interpretation station:
  • BDB defines the word as ‘set, install’
• Two of the standard lexica adopt the interpretation ordain:
  • HALOT defines the word as ‘to be consecrated, be made leader (with a libation)’
  • DCH defines the word as ‘consecrate/be consecrated (with a libation)’

Our CBC for this verse reads as follows:

But I have cast my king (as my image) on Zion, my holy mountain.

When comparing our CBC to standard translations and lexica, it will be noticed that we take a novel position on the meaning of this word. The purpose of this exegetical issue is therefore to assess the arguments for the two standard definitions as well as provide the reasons for our interpretation.

Argument Map(s)

נָסַק means to ‘set, establish’

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[Establish]: The verb נָסַ֣כְתִּי refers to God ‘establishing’ his king.
  +<Ancient Support>: The Vulgate and Peshitta clearly attest to this meaning
    +Vulgate: orditus sum lit., ‘I began’ (>> ‘established’); Peshitta ܐܢܐ ܐ݁ܩܝܡܬ ‘I have set up, established’ 
  +<Fitting in the Context>: It is fitting that God would undermine the rebels' speech (v. 3) by asserting that God established his king.
  +<Same meaning in Prov. 8:23>: The niphal of נסך has been interpreted as ‘to be set up, founded’ (BDB :L:)
    + מֵ֭עוֹלָם נִסַּ֥כְתִּי מֵרֹ֗אשׁ ‘Ages ago I was set up at the first’ (ESV); ab aeterno ordita sum ‘long ago I was set up’ (VUL)
    <_<Other Renditions>: A scholium in the Syrohexapla reads ܐܬܬܫܬܝܬ ‘to arrange a warp of yarn’ and most manuscripts of Vulgate read ordinata ‘to arrange’ (which could be applied to a warp of yarn’) (Barthélemy 2015, 526–527 :M:)
    -<Parallelism with קנה>: A verb meaning ‘to weave, arrange a warp of yarn’ is in parallel with קנה in Psalm 139:13.
      +  כִּֽי־אַ֭תָּה קָנִ֣יתָ כִלְיֹתָ֑י תְּ֝סֻכֵּ֗נִי בְּבֶ֣טֶן אִמִּֽי׃ ‘For you created my inward parts, you prepared (metaphor from lit., ‘arranged’) me in my mother's womb’.
    

נָסַק means to ‘ordain’

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[Ordain]: The verb נָסַ֣כְתִּי refers to God ‘ordaining’ his king.

נָסַק means to ‘cast’

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[Cast]: The verb נָסַ֣כְתִּי has the sense of ‘cast’, used here to metaphorically refers to God making an image of himself.
 

Research

Translations

Ancient

LXX

Ἐγὼ δὲ κατεστάθην βασιλεὺς ὑπ̓ αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ Σιων ὄρος τὸ ἅγιον αὐτοῦ

But I was established by him as king on Sion his holy mountain

Aquilla & Quinta

καὶ ἐγὼ ἐδιασάμην βασιλέα μου

And I shaped my king

ܣܪܓܬ ܡܠܟܐ ܕܝܠܝ (Syro-Hexapla)

I assembled (lit., ‘wove’ ‘framed’) my king

Symmachus

κἀγω ἔχρισα τὸν βασιλέα μου (retroverted from:)

ܡܫܚܬ ܡܠܟܐ ܕܝܠܝ

And I anointed my king

Sexta

κἀγὼ διέσωσα τὸν β. μου

I preserved my king (viz., kept him from danger)

Vul

ego autem orditus sum regem meum super Sion montem sanctum suum

Lit., ‘I began my king over Sion his holy mountain’

Peshitta

ܐܢܐ ܐ݁ܩܝܡܬ ܡ݁ܠܟܝ ܥܠ ܨܗܝܘܢ ܛܘܪܐ ܕܩܘܕܫܝ݁

I have set up/established my king on Zion my holy mountain’

Targum

אני רביית מלכי ומניתיה עַל טור מקדשׁי׃

I have anointed my king and appointed him over my holy mountain

Modern

English

• ESV: I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain
• NET: I myself have installed my king on Zion, my holy hill.
• NIV: I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain
• CEV: I've put my king on Zion, my sacred hill.
• GNT: On Zion, my sacred hill," he says, "I have installed my king."
• NLT: I have placed my chosen king on the throne in Jerusalem, on my holy mountain
• NEB: I have enthroned my king on Zion my holy hill
• REB: ‘I myself have enthroned my king’, he says, ‘on Zion, my holy mountain’
• NRSV: I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill.
• NJB: ‘I myself have anointed my king on Zion my holy mountain’
• JPS1985: ‘But I have installed my king on Zion, My holy mountain!’

German

• LUT2017: »Ich aber habe meinen König eingesetzt auf meinem heiligen Berg Zion.«
• HFA: Er spricht: »Ich selbst habe meinem König die Herrschaft übertragen! Er regiert auf dem Zion, meinem heiligen Berg.«
• NGÜ:  Er spricht: »Ich selbst habe meinen König eingesetzt hier auf dem Zion, meinem heiligen Berg!«
• ELB:  »Habe doch ich meinen König geweiht auf Zion, meinem heiligen Berg!«
• EÜ:  Ich selber habe meinen König eingesetzt auf Zion, meinem heiligen Berg.
• GNB: »Ich habe meinen König eingesetzt! Er regiert auf dem Zion, meinem heiligen Berg.«
• ZÜR:  Ich selbst habe meinen König eingesetzt auf Zion, meinem heiligen Berg.

French

• TOB: Moi, j'ai sacré mon roi sur Sion, ma montagne sainte
• NBS:C'est moi qui ai investi mon roi sur Sion, ma montagne sacrée!
• NVSR: C'est moi qui ai sacré mon roi Sur Sion, ma montagne sainte !
• BDS: « Moi, j’ai établi ╵mon Roi par l’onction sur Sion, ma montagne sainte. »
• PDV: Le Seigneur leur dit : « Moi, j’ai établi mon roi à Sion, sur ma montagne sainte. »
• NFC: « À Sion, la montagne qui m'appartient, dit-il, j'ai mis à part le roi que j'ai choisi.
• S21: «C’est moi qui ai établi mon roi sur Sion, ma montagne sainte!»

Spanish

• RVR95: «Yo he puesto mi rey sobre Sión, mi santo monte.»
• NVI: «He establecido a mi rey sobre Sión, mi santo monte».
• DHH: «Ya he consagrado a mi rey sobre Sión, mi monte santo.»
• BTX4: Yo mismo he ungido a mi Rey sobre Siơn, mi santo monte

References

2:6