Inheritance
From Psalms: Layer by Layer
Key Words
| Word | Gloss | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| נַחֲלָה | "inheritance" | Ps. 2:8 |
| אֲחֻזָּה | "possession" | Ps. 2:8 |
- The noun נַחֲלָה usually refers to “inalienable, thus enduring, property, esp. land, which devolves (נפל) upon individuals or a group as a grant (נתן ← לקח ← חלק), as an inheritance (עבר) or through dispossession of the prior owner.”[1]
- The noun אֲחֻזָּה “consistently means ‘possession, property,’ mostly in the sense of land or real estate (Gen. 23:4, 9, 20: possession of a grave; Lev. 25:45f.: possession of slaves).”[2]
Ancient Setting
Target Domains
- In Psalm 2, the legal image of an inheritance, entailed by the metaphor of son-ship (2:7), maps onto the nations, which are given to Israel's king to be ruled.