Kiss

From Psalms: Layer by Layer
Jump to: navigation, search

Key Words

Word Gloss Ref.
נשׁק "kiss" Ps. 2:12

Ancient Setting

"In the ancient world, to kiss the feet of a king (or the ground in front of the king’s feet) was a symbol of humility and political obedience (see Ps. 72:9; Isa. 49:23; Mic. 7:17).”[1]

Psalms

  • In Psalm 2, the act of kissing is a political symbol of homage. The rebellious nations are summoned to kiss Yahweh's representative king.

References

  1. Rolf Jacobson, The Book of Psalms, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2014).