Figurative

Metaphor

v.7c. The king is Yahweh's son (בְּנִי אַתָּה).,

Simile

v.9b. כִּכְלִי יוֹצֵר – before the Davidic king’s awesome power, backed by almighty Yahweh, the rebellious nations are like fragile pottery, ready to be smashed to pieces if they persist in their rebellion.,

Metonymy

v. 1b. יֶהְגּוּ is metonymic for “devising, planning, plotting” (see Ps. 38:12; Pr. 24:2).
v. 4a. יוֹשֵׁב is used metonymically in this royal setting with reference to “sitting enthroned” (see Pss. 9:7; 29:10; 55:19; 102:12; 123:1).
v. 12a. The verb נשׂק (“kiss”) refers metonymically to showing homage (see 1 Sam. 10:1; Hos. 13:2).
v. 12bc. Anger is here used metonymically for judgment.,

Anthropomorphism

v.4. Yahweh sits (Yahweh is a king)
v.6. Yahweh is a craftsman (see above on נָסַכְתִּי).
v.7cd. Yahweh is a father,

Hyperbole

v. 2a. The phrase “kings of the earth” is hyperbolic.,

Rhetorical questions

v. 1. לָמָּה

Psalm 2 begins emphatically with a double rhetorical question (the initial interrogative word לָמָּה is implicit in line B). Some interpreters construe the rhetorical “Why?” (לָמָּה) of v. 1 as applying also to v. 2, e.g., “[Why] do earth’s kings take their stand...”^[1] The psalmist expresses his outrage in defense of his God (YHWH) and chosen King—that the nations would have the audacity to rebel against them. DeClaissé et. al consider the first line to be “an exclamation of surprise” that indicates “puzzlement.”^[2] But that does not seem to be the correct connotation in this context; rather, these dramatic queries indicate a sharp warning and rebuke: How could these nations do such a foolish thing—they cannot win against the Almighty; they will most certainly fail—completely (יהגו ריק)!,

Idioms

v. 12d. “Taking shelter” in the Lord is an idiom for seeking and enjoying his protection. This also demonstrates the subject’s loyalty to the Lord God. In the psalms those who “take shelter” in God are contrasted with the wicked and equated with those who love, fear, and serve him (Pss 5:11-12, 31:17-20, 34:21-22.)

↑ John Goldingay, Psalms: 1-41, Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2006), 98; Peter Craigie, Psalms. 1-50, Word Biblical Commentary (Waco: Word Books, 1983), 63.
↑ Nancy deClaissé-Walford, Rolf Jacobson, and Beth Tanner, The Book of Psalms, in The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing), 68.

[1] John Goldingay, Psalms: 1-41, Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2006), 98; Peter Craigie, Psalms. 1-50, Word Biblical Commentary (Waco: Word Books, 1983), 63.

[2] Nancy deClaissé-Walford, Rolf Jacobson, and Beth Tanner, The Book of Psalms, in The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing), 68.

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Psalm 2/Figurative

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