The Meaning of נָסַכְתִּי in Ps 2:6

Introduction

The Masoretic text of Ps 2:6 reads as follows:

וַ֭אֲנִי נָסַ֣כְתִּי מַלְכִּ֑י עַל־צִ֝יּ֗וֹן הַר־קָדְשִֽׁי׃

This exegetical issue will focus on the meaning of the word נָסַכְתִּי (a qal 1cs qatal verb from the root נסך).

Ancient and modern translations alike tend to understand this word in one of two ways:

• (1) God establishes 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" (ESV, NET, NIV, GNT, JPS1985, LUT2017, NGÜ, BDS, PDV, NVI, cf. LXX, Peshitta, Jerome)
  • "enthroned" (NEB, REB)

• (2) God anoints his king, thereby ordaining him, and the place where God performs this action is Mount Zion. That is, the verb refers to an action whereby God confers 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)
  • "ordained" (EÜ, NBS?)
  • "crowned" (NVSR)

Two of the standard biblical Hebrew dictionaries adopt a third interpretation:

• (3) to make king with a drink offering (libation):
  • "to be consecrated, be made leader (with a libation)" (HALOT)
  • "consecrate/be consecrated (with a libation)" (DCH)

We have adopted a fourth interpretation, which is not represented in any of the translations or dictionaries that we consulted:

• (4) "But I have poured out/cast my king (as my statue/image) on Zion, my holy mountain."

Argument Maps

"Establish"

The meaning ‘to set up, establish’ for the root נסך derives from LXX translation as well as a parallel in Proverbs 8:23.

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[Establish]: The verb נָסַ֣כְתִּי refers to God ‘establishing’ his king (Hupfeld 1855, 25 :C:). #dispreferred
  +<Ancient Support>: Some ancient versions clearly attest to this meaning #dispreferred
    + [Ancient Support]: Jerome: orditus sum lit., ‘I began’ (>> ‘established’); Peshitta ܐܢܐ ܐ݁ܩܝܡܬ ‘I have set up, established’ #dispreferred
    +<Septuagint>: The Septuagint translates with κατεστάθην ‘I was established’ #dispreferred
      + [Septuagint]: Ἐγὼ δὲ κατεστάθην βασιλεὺς ὑπ̓ αὐτοῦ ‘I was established king by him’ (NETS) #dispreferred
    <_<Emendation>: The LXX's reading requires an unlikely emendation to something like נִסַּכְתִּי מֶלֶךְ ‘I have been established (as)’ plus another element expressing the equivalent of ὑπ̓ αὐτοῦ ‘by him’.
      +<Revisers>: None of the Vorlagen of the revisers reflect such a variant.
        + [Revisers]: Aquilla: ܣܪܓܬ ܡܠܟܐ ܕܝܠܝ ‘I wove my king’; Symmachus: ܡܫܚܬ ܡܠܟܐ ܕܝܠܝ ‘I anointed my king’
      -<Interpretation not Variant>: There is no good explanation for how an underlying prepositional phrase in the Hebrew (represented by ὑπ̓ αὐτοῦ ‘by him’) should have dropped out. The LXX most likely represents an interpretation of the same consonantal text, not a variant (see the quote by Pietersma ‘though it is not impossible that G derives from a parent text at variance with MT, it appears more likely that G was responsible for the changes.’)#dispreferred
  +<Fitting in the Context>: It is fitting that God would undermine the rebels' speech (v. 3) by asserting that God established his king. #dispreferred
  +<Derived Noun>: The noun נָסִיךְ ‘prince’ reflects the state of one who has undergone the action denoted by נסך. #dispreferred
    <_<Begging the Question>: It is still unclear whether the action related to נסיך is one of ‘establishing’ or something else (e.g., ‘anointing’).
  +<Same meaning in Prov. 8:23>: The niphal of נסך means as ‘to be set up, founded’ (cf. Prov. 8:23) (BDB :L:) #dispreferred
    + [Prov. 8:23]: מֵ֭עוֹלָם נִסַּ֥כְתִּי מֵרֹ֗אשׁ ‘Ages ago I was set up at the first’ (ESV); ab aeterno ordita sum ‘long ago I was set up’ (Jerome) #dispreferred
    -<More Contextually Logical Readings Attested>: The word in Prov. 8:23 probably means ‘arranged’ (viz., ‘being prepared to be brought forth’; see scholium in Syrohexapla) instead of 'set up'/'established'. In this case, wisdom being ‘brought forth’ (חוֹלָלְתִּי) in  8:24 and 25 would follow (chrono)logically (Barthélemy 2015, 527 :M:)
      +[Other Renditions]: A scholium in the Syrohexapla reads ܐܬܬܫܬܝܬ ‘to arrange a warp of yarn’ and most manuscripts of Jerome read ordinata ‘to arrange’ (which could be applied to a warp of yarn’) (Barthélemy 2015, 526–527 :M:)
    -<Parallelism with קנה>: Prov. 8:22 (with the verb קנה) is parallel with 8:23 (with the verb נסך). The root קנה also occurs in Psalm 139:13 and is in parallel with a verb meaning ‘to weave, arrange a warp of yarn’, not ‘to establish’.
      + [Ps. 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’.
    <_ <Homonyms>: נסך in Proverbs 8 is probably a different word than נסך in Psalm 2. They are homonyms (cf. HALOT :L:, BDB :L:, DCH :L:).

"Anoint"

The meaning ‘to anoint’ for נסך in Psalm 2 originates in a few ancient versions that reflect this idea.

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[Anoint]: The verb נָסַ֣כְתִּי refers to God ‘anointing’ his king. #dispreferred
  +<Ancient Support>: Symmachus, the Targum and some Midrashic commentaries understand ‘to anoint’ here. #dispreferred
    + [Symmachus]: Symmachus ܡܫܚܬ ܡܠܟܐ ܕܝܠܝ ‘And I anointed my king’ #dispreferred
    + [Targum]: Targum אני רביית מלכי  ‘I have anointed my king’ #dispreferred
    + [Midrash Tehillim]: אמשחתיה ‘I have anointed him’ (Midrash Tehillim 2:8) #dispreferred
    <_<Problematic Affiliation>: The ancient versions must have been influenced by the root סוך ‘to anoint’, which would not properly refer to ceremonial anointing (Tigay 2003, 246* :A:)
      +<משח not סוך>: The root סוך is used for hygienic anointing, whereas משח is used for ceremonial anointing (Tigay 2003, 246*)
        + [משח not סוך]: Deut. 28:40; 2 Sam. 14:2; Micah 6:15; Ruth 3:3; Dan. 10:3; 2 Chron. 28:15.
  +<Fitting in the Context>: It is fitting that God would undermine the rebels' speech (v. 3) by asserting that He has ‘anointed’ his king and thereby conferred on him the rights and duties of a king. #dispreferred
  +<Extension from ‘to pour out’>: The basic meaning of the verb נסך is ‘to pour out' liquid, which is an appropriate way to describe the anointing of a king #dispreferred
    + [Extension from ‘to pour out’]: Hosea 9:4; Exod. 30:9; Isa. 30:1 #dispreferred
    + [Pouring out as Anointing]: וַיָּ֙קָם֙ וַיָּבֹ֣א הַבַּ֔יְתָה וַיִּצֹ֥ק הַשֶּׁ֖מֶן אֶל־רֹאשׁ֑וֹ וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ל֗וֹ כֹּֽה־אָמַ֤ר יְהוָה֙ אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל מְשַׁחְתִּ֧יךָֽ לְמֶ֛לֶךְ אֶל־עַ֥ם יְהוָ֖ה אֶל־יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ ‘And he arose and went to the house. He then poured out oil on his head and said to him, “Thus says the Lord the God of Israel, ‘I have anointed you as king over the people of Israel’”’ (2 Kgs. 9:6) #dispreferred
    <_<Syntactically Unlikely>: The meaning ‘to pour out’ >> ‘to anoint’ would require an object that denotes a liquid, but the object is מַלְכִי ‘my king’.
      +<Arguments of נסך>: Whenever נסך in the Qal means to ‘pour’ the object is virtually always some kind of liquid.
        + [Arguments of נסך]: Hosea 9:4; Exod. 30:9; Isa. 30:1; 11QT21:10
  -<No Anointing on Zion>: ’History makes no mention of a king of Israel being anointed on Zion‘ (Delitzsch 1883, 94 :C:)

"Consecrate (with a drink offering)"

While no translations reflect the meaning ‘to consecrate with a drink offering’, this is the majority choice of modern lexica. The exact reason is unclear, although it can be said to involve an extension of נסך's more basic meaning ‘to pour out’.

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[Consecrate with a Drink Offering]: The root נסך in Psalm 2:6 refers to a consecration ceremony involving a drink offering (HALOT :L:; DCH :L:). #dispreferred
 +<Extension from ‘to pour out’>: The idea of ‘pouring out a drink offering’ in order to consecrate a king is derived from the verb's usual meaning of ‘pouring’ out liquid. #dispreferred
   +[Extension from ‘to pour out’]: Hosea 9:4; Exod. 30:9; Isa. 30:1 #dispreferred
   -<Too much Ellipsis so as to be Obscure>: ‘“Pour the king” would be an extremely elliptical way of saying “pour a libation to make king”’ (Tigay 2003, 246* :A:)
 -<Not how kings were ordained>: ‘There is no evidence or reason to believe that libation played a role in Israelite coronation ceremonies’ (Tigay 2003, 246* :A:)
 

"Cast (into an image)"

The meaning ‘to cast (into an image/idol)’ is attested throughout the history of Northwest Semitic and is naturally connected to the more basic meaning of ‘to pour out’. The ensuing interpretation reflects concepts and practices known from the Ancient Near East.

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[Cast]: The verb נָסַ֣כְתִּי has the sense of ‘cast’, used here to metaphorically refers to God making an image.
  +<Attested Meaning>: The meaning ‘to cast’ in the sense of pouring out out molten liquid for metalwork is well attested in Northwest Semitic and Hebrew.
    +<Etymology>: The use of the root נסך in the domain of metal working is widespread throughout Northwest Semitic.
      +[Etymology]:E.g., Ugaritic ptcp. nsk /nāsiku/ ‘caster, forger of metals’ (del Olmo Lete and Sanmartin 2015, 635 :L:); Phonecian nsk ‘iron caster’, ‘goldsmith’ (Tomback 1978, 214 :L:); Old Aramaic nsk ‘to pour out, found (in metal)’ (Hoftjizer et. al. 1995, 736 :L:)
    +<Early Hebrew>: The occupation nsk brzl ‘iron-caster’ is known from an early Hebrew funerary inscription from the 4th century.
      + [Early Hebrew]: ḥgy ()'r ()bn 'bd ()y. m()' rk nsk brzl ‘Haggay (...)'r (k?) son of 'bd (?) y m (...) the Tall (the) iron caster (text and translation from Heltzer 1989, 202 :A:)
    +<Attested extension of typical meaning>:The meaning ‘to cast’ is an extension of the typical meaning ‘to pour out’ actually attested elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible.
      +<Biblical Hebrew>: The meaning ‘to cast’ an idol is also attested in Biblical Hebrew with reference to casting a mould for making an idol.
        + [Biblical Hebrew]: ‏הַפֶּ֙סֶל֙ נָסַ֣ךְ חָרָ֔שׁ ‘Craftmen cast idol (lit., ‘the idols’) (Isa. 40:19); ‏מִֽי־יָצַ֥ר אֵ֖ל וּפֶ֣סֶל נָסָ֑ךְ לְבִלְתִּ֖י הוֹעִֽיל׃ ‘who makes a god or casts an idol that does not have any benefit?’ (Isa. 44:10).
      +<‘Pour out’ as the Regular Meaning>: To ‘pour out’ is the most common meaning of the word in the Hebrew Bible.
       + [‘Pour out’ as the Regular Meaning]: Exod. 30:9; Isa. 29:10; Hosea 9:4; 1 Chron. 11:18; cf. Exod. 25.29; 37:16
  +<The King must ‘Ask’ God>: The king is commanded to ‘ask’ (שְׁאַ֤ל) God in v. 8, which was a function of a royal idol.
    +<A Royal Statue's Purpose>:In the Ancient Near East, the purpose of making an idol of the king was to place it in the temple so that it could be ‘constantly in prayer before the deity’s cult statue‘ (Dick 2016 :A:)
  +<Ancient Near Eastern Idol-Making>: Idols were made by pouring metals into a mould. The mould would be created by coating wax figurines with clay, then melting out the wax and baking the clay. The bronze would then be poured into the mold through a spout on the bottom of the feet, which would later serve as a peg to attach the idol to a wooden base. The cast would then be overlaid with gold or silver foil using a small hammer to affix it to the edges provided for that purpose. (Walton et. al. 2000, 626 :C:)
  +<A King's Two-Fold Origin>: In the Ancient Near East the process of a king becoming the deity's ‘image’ was portrayed through imagess of birth (cf. v. 7 יְלִדְתִּיךָ ‘I have become your father) and manufacture (cf. v. 6 נָסַכְתִּי) (see McDowell 2015, 84 :M:).
    +<Tukulti-Nunurta I>: A royal hymn to the Assyrian king Tukulti-Ninurta I (1233–1197 B.C.E.) describes him being born ‘thorugh the birth canal of the mother goddess and cast as though he were metal being formed into a statue’ (Machinist 1976, 462 n.23 :A:)
      + [Tukulti-Nunurta I]: ina purussû bēl mātāti ina ra-a-aṭ šas/turri ilāni ši-pi-ik-šu i-te-ešra ‘by the decision of the lord of all the lands he (Tukulti-Nunurta) was successfuly cast into/poured through the channel of the womb of the gods’ (text and translation from Manchinist 1976, 462 :A:).
  +<The King as Image>: In the Hebrew Bible, the king is God's image. 
    +<The King is God's Son>: God calls the king his ‘son’ (בְּנִ֥י אַ֑תָּה ‘you are my son’ Psa. 2:7), and a son was the ‘image’ of his father.
     + [Son as Image]:וַֽיְחִ֣י אָדָ֗ם שְׁלֹשִׁ֤ים וּמְאַת֙ שָׁנָ֔ה וַיּ֥וֹלֶד בִּדְמוּת֖וֹ כְּצַלְמ֑וֹ וַיִּקְרָ֥א אֶת־שְׁמ֖וֹ שֵֽׁת׃ ‘When Adam was 130 years old, he fathered (a son) in his likeness and according to his image, and he named him Seth’ (Gen. 5.3)
    +<God's Image-Bearers are Rulers>: Those who are God's image-bearers were commanded to rule over creation as kings.
      + [Gen. 1:28]: וַיְבָ֣רֶךְ אֹתָם֮ אֱלֹהִים֒ וַיֹּ֨אמֶר לָהֶ֜ם אֱלֹהִ֗ים פְּר֥וּ וּרְב֛וּ וּמִלְא֥וּ אֶת־הָאָ֖רֶץ וְכִבְשֻׁ֑הָ וּרְד֞וּ בִּדְגַ֤ת הַיָּם֙ וּבְע֣וֹף הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וּבְכָל־חַיָּ֖ה הָֽרֹמֶ֥שֶׂת עַל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃ ‘And God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and thus fill the earth, and subdue it and rule over the fish fo the sea, the birds of the air, and over all living things that crawl on the ground”’ (Gen. 1.28).
   

Conclusion

Although our translation differs from that of many of the ancient versions, modern versions and lexica, it is actually the more conservative option because it is consistent with (1) usual meaning of נסך ‘to pour out’ and (2) is an actually attested extension of this basic meaning. The meanings ‘to establish’, ‘to anoint’ or ‘to appoint as king with a drink offering’ all basically suffer from either idiosyncratic readings foreign to the etymological meaning(s) of the root as well as its plain meaning elsewhere in the Bible, or they suffer from reference to a coronation practice unknown to Israelite society. By contrast, the meaning ‘to cast (into a mould)’ is consistent with the meaning of the root in neighbouring Northwest Semitic languages. Crucially, however, the meaning ‘to cast (into a mould)’ reflects a practice towards kings that was widespread throughout the Ancient Near East. A king was considered a deity's image and this was normally expressed with two metaphors: the king being ‘born’ to the deity and the king being made into a ‘statue’ or an ‘image’. The first expression is attested in 2:7 (בְּנִ֥י אַ֑תָּה ‘You are my son’) and the second here in v. 6 (נָסַ֣כְתִּי). Finally, statues representing the king were normally placed in the temple so that they could constantly be in prayer before the deity. This cultural practice accounts for the king being poured out ‘on Zion’ (viz., where the temple is) as well as God's command to his king to ‘ask’ (שְׁאַ֤ל v. 8). For these reasons, we have chosen to translate וַאֲנִי נָסַ֣כְתִּי מַלְכִּ֑י as ‘As for me, I have cast my king (as my image)’.

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)

• Jerome

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׃

But I have anointed my king and installed him on Zion, the mountain of my sanctuary.

Modern

‘Stations’

This idea is expressed through the following glosses: ‘put, placed, set’ >> ‘installed, established’ >> ‘enthroned’

‘Put, placed, set’

• CEV: I've put my king on Zion, my sacred hill.
• NLT: I have placed my chosen king on the throne in Jerusalem, on my holy mountain
• NRSV: I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill.
• ZÜR:  Ich selbst habe meinen König eingesetzt auf Zion, meinem heiligen Berg.
• S21: «C’est moi qui ai établi mon roi sur Sion, ma montagne sainte!»
• RVR95: «Yo he puesto mi rey sobre Sión, mi santo monte.»

‘Installed, established’

• 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
• GNT: On Zion, my sacred hill," he says, "I have installed my king."
• JPS1985: ‘But I have installed my king on Zion, My holy mountain!’
• LUT2017: »Ich aber habe meinen König eingesetzt auf meinem heiligen Berg Zion.«
• NGÜ:  Er spricht: »Ich selbst habe meinen König eingesetzt hier auf dem Zion, meinem heiligen Berg!«
• 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. »
• NVI: «He establecido a mi rey sobre Sión, mi santo monte».

‘Enthroned’

• 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’

‘Anoints’

This idea is expressed through the following glosses: ‘anointed’ >> ‘consecrated, set apart’ >> ‘ordained’ >> ‘crowned’

‘Anointed’

• NJB: ‘I myself have anointed my king on Zion my holy mountain’
• TOB: Moi, j'ai sacré mon roi sur Sion, ma montagne sainte
• BTX4: Yo mismo he ungido a mi Rey sobre Siơn, mi santo monte

‘Consecrated/set apart’

• NFC: « À Sion, la montagne qui m'appartient, dit-il, j'ai mis à part le roi que j'ai choisi.
• DHH: «Ya he consagrado a mi rey sobre Sión, mi monte santo.»

‘Ordained’

• EÜ:  Ich selber habe meinen König eingesetzt auf Zion, meinem heiligen Berg.
• NBS:C'est moi qui ai investi mon roi sur Sion, ma montagne sacrée!

‘Crowned’

• NVSR: C'est moi qui ai sacré mon roi Sur Sion, ma montagne sainte !

Other

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

Secondary Literature

Barthélemy, Dominique. 2015. Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament Tome 5: Job, Proverbes, Qohélet et Cantique Des Cantiques. Vol. 5. Göttingen: Academic Press/Vandenhoeck Ruprecht.

Dick, Michael B, et al. 2016. "Idols, Idolatry" In Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception. Edited by Constance M. Furey, Peter Gemeinhardt, Joel Marcus LeMon, Thomas Chr. Römer, Jens Schröter, Barry Dov Walfish and Eric Ziolkowski. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter.

Delitzsch, Franz. 1883. Biblical Commentary on the Psalms: Vol. 1. Translated by Eaton David. Vol. 1. New York: Funk and Wagnalls.

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Machinist, Peter. 1976. “Literature as Politics: The Tukulti-Ninurta Epic and the Bible.” The Catholic Biblical Quarterly 38 (4): 455–82.

McDowell, Catherine L. 2015. The Image of God in the Garden of Eden: The Creation of Humankind in Genesis 2:5-3:24 in Light of the Mīs Pî, Pīt Pî, and Wpt-r Rituals of Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt. Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns.

Olmo Lete, Gregorio del, and Joaquín Sanmartín. 2015. A Dictionary of the Ugaritic Language in the Alphabetic Tradition. Edited and translated by Wilfred G.E. Watson. Leiden: Brill.

Tigay, Jeffrey H. 2003. “Divine Creation of the King in Psalms 2:6.” Eretz-Israel: Archaeological, Historical and Geographical Studies 27: 246*-251*.

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Walton, John H.; Matthews, Victor H.; Chavalas Mark W. 2000. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press

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