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Hebrew (BHS)[ ]

לָ֭מָּה רָגְשׁ֣וּ גֹויִ֑ם וּ֝לְאֻמִּ֗ים יֶהְגּוּ־רִֽיק׃ יִ֥תְיַצְּב֨וּ ׀ מַלְכֵי־אֶ֗רֶץ וְרֹוזְנִ֥ים נֹֽוסְדוּ־יָ֑חַד עַל־יְ֝הוָה וְעַל־מְשִׁיחֹֽו׃ נְֽ֭נַתְּקָה אֶת־מֹֽוסְרֹותֵ֑ימֹו וְנַשְׁלִ֖יכָה מִמֶּ֣נּוּ עֲבֹתֵֽימֹו׃ יֹושֵׁ֣ב בַּשָּׁמַ֣יִם יִשְׂחָ֑ק אֲ֝דֹנָ֗י יִלְעַג־לָֽמֹו׃ אָ֤ז יְדַבֵּ֣ר אֵלֵ֣ימֹו בְאַפֹּ֑ו וּֽבַחֲרֹונֹ֥ו יְבַהֲלֵֽמֹו׃ וַ֭אֲנִי נָסַ֣כְתִּי מַלְכִּ֑י עַל־צִ֝יֹּ֗ון הַר־קָדְשִֽׁי׃ אֲסַפְּרָ֗ה אֶֽ֫ל חֹ֥ק יְֽהוָ֗ה אָמַ֘ר אֵלַ֥י בְּנִ֥י אַ֑תָּה אֲ֝נִ֗י הַיֹּ֥ום יְלִדְתִּֽיךָ׃ שְׁאַ֤ל מִמֶּ֗נִּי וְאֶתְּנָ֣ה גֹ֭ויִם נַחֲלָתֶ֑ךָ וַ֝אֲחֻזָּתְךָ֗ אַפְסֵי־אָֽרֶץ׃ תְּ֭רֹעֵם בְּשֵׁ֣בֶט בַּרְזֶ֑ל כִּכְלִ֖י יֹוצֵ֣ר תְּנַפְּצֵֽם׃ וְ֭עַתָּה מְלָכִ֣ים הַשְׂכִּ֑ילוּ הִ֝וָּסְר֗וּ שֹׁ֣פְטֵי אָֽרֶץ׃ עִבְד֣וּ אֶת־יְהוָ֣ה בְּיִרְאָ֑ה וְ֝גִ֗ילוּ בִּרְעָדָֽה׃ נַשְּׁקוּ־בַ֡ר פֶּן־יֶאֱנַ֤ף ׀ וְתֹ֬אבְדוּ דֶ֗רֶךְ כִּֽי־יִבְעַ֣ר כִּמְעַ֣ט אַפֹּ֑ו אַ֝שְׁרֵ֗י כָּל־חֹ֥וסֵי בֹֽו׃

Greek (Rahlfs-Hanhart LXX)

¹ἵνα τί ἐφρύαξαν ἔθνη καὶ λαοὶ ἐμελέτησαν κενά ²παρέστησαν οἱ βασιλεῖς τῆς γῆς καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες συνήχθησαν ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ κατὰ τοῦ κυρίου καὶ κατὰ τοῦ χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ διάψαλμα ³διαρρήξωμεν τοὺς δεσμοὺς αὐτῶν καὶ ἀπορρίψωμεν ἀφ᾽ ἡμῶν τὸν ζυγὸν αὐτῶν ⁴ὁ κατοικῶν ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἐκγελάσεται αὐτούς καὶ ὁ κύριος ἐκμυκτηριεῖ αὐτούς ⁵τότε λαλήσει πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐν ὀργῇ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐν τῷ θυμῷ αὐτοῦ ταράξει αὐτούς ⁶ἐγὼ δὲ κατεστάθην βασιλεὺς ὑπ᾽ αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ Σιων ὄρος τὸ ἅγιον αὐτοῦ ⁷διαγγέλλων τὸ πρόσταγμα κυρίου κύριος εἶπεν πρός με υἱός μου εἶ σύ ἐγὼ σήμερον γεγέννηκά σε ⁸αἴτησαι παρ᾽ ἐμοῦ καὶ δώσω σοι ἔθνη τὴν κληρονομίαν σου καὶ τὴν κατάσχεσίν σου τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς ⁹ποιμανεῖς αὐτοὺς ἐν ῥάβδῳ σιδηρᾷ ὡς σκεῦος κεραμέως συντρίψεις αὐτούς ¹⁰καὶ νῦν βασιλεῖς σύνετε παιδεύθητε πάντες οἱ κρίνοντες τὴν γῆν ¹¹δουλεύσατε τῷ κυρίῳ ἐν φόβῳ καὶ ἀγαλλιᾶσθε αὐτῷ ἐν τρόμῳ ¹²δράξασθε παιδείας μήποτε ὀργισθῇ κύριος καὶ ἀπολεῖσθε ἐξ ὁδοῦ δικαίας ὅταν ἐκκαυθῇ ἐν τάχει ὁ θυμὸς αὐτοῦ μακάριοι πάντες οἱ πεποιθότες ἐπ᾽ αὐτῷ

Phonology[ ]

Vowels

Definition Feature being studied	Occurrences Sections where this feature is present or absent	Clustering	Intersection	Connections	Structure
u	שׁוּ (v.1a), וּלְאֻ...גּוּ (v.1b), בוּ (v.2a), דוּ (v.2b), וּ (v.5b), חֻ (v.8c), לוּ (v.10a), רוּ (v.10b), דוּ (v.11a), לוּ (v.11b), קוּ (v.12a), דוּ (v.12b)	vv.1-2; vv. 10-12; long û nearly absent in vv.3-9 (except in waw conjunction [v.5b]), short u only once in vv.3-9 (v.8c)	in first and fourth sections (occurring mostly with plural verbs)	strengthens connections between parallel lines (v.1ab, 2ab, 10ab, 11ab) as well as the connection between the first and fourth sections	Gives cohesion to first and fourth sections; suggests structural correspondence between these sections
o	גוֹ (v.1a), רוֹ...נוֹ (v.2b), חוֹ (v.2c), מוֹ-רוֹ-מוֹ (v.3a), בֹ-מוֹ (v.3b), יוֹ (v.4a), מוֹ (v.4b), מוֹ...פּוֹ (v.5a), רוֹנוֹ...מוֹ (v.5b), יּוֹ (v.6b), חֹק (v.7a), יּוֹ (v.7d), גוֹ (v.8b), רֹ (v.9a), יוֹ (v.9b), שֹׁ (v.10b), תֹא (v.12b), פּוֹ (v.12c), בוֹ (v.12d)	v.3(5x); v.4(5x); In vv 3-5, the poet plays on the sound /o/, producing an effect which is like rhyme (unusual in Hebrew poetry).	clusters on either side of the first major segment (vv.3-4)	The sound appears first in the arrogant words of the earthly rulers (v 3), but then the same sound of arrogance is converted into a sound anticipating woe in the words introducing God’s response (vv 4b, 5)."^[1]	Anadiplosis. Strengthens the contrastive correspondence between the first and second sections.
i	גוֹיִם (v.1a), מִי...רִי (v.1b), נִי (v.2a), שִׁי (v.2c), לִי (v.3b), יִשְׂ (v.4a), יִלְ (v.4b), נִי...תִּי...כִּי (v.6a), צִיּ...שִׁי (v.6b), נִי (v.7c), נִי...לִדְתּֽי (v.7d), נִּי (v.8a), יִם (v.8b), לִי (v.9b), כִי...כִּי (v.10a), עִבְ...יִרְ (v.11a), גִי...בִּרְ (v.11b), כִּֽי־יִבְ...כִּמְ (v.12c)	v.6 (hireq yod 5x); v.11(4x)	end of second section (v.6)	reinforces connection between parallel lines (v.6ab, v.11ab)	Is the cluster in v.6 meant to foreground the first-person suffix and thereby emphasize Yahweh's role in the events described? Or is it purely euphonic?
e	יֶהְ (v.1b), אֶרֶץ (v.2a), אֶת...תֵי (v.3a), מֶּ תֵי (v.3b), שֵׁב (v.4a), בֵּר...לֵי (v.5a), לֵ (v.5b), אֶל (v.7a), אֵ (v.7b), מֶּנ (v.8a), אֶתְּ...תֶ (v.8b), סֵי־אָֽרֶץ (v.8c), עֵם...שֵׁבֶט...זֶל (v.9a), צֵר...צֵם (v.9b), טֵי אָרֶץ (v.10b), אֶת (v.11a), פֶּן־יֶאֱ...דֶרֶךְ (v.12b), רֵי...סֵי (v.12d)
a	‎לָמָּה רָ (v.1a), יַצְּ...מַלְ (v.2a), יָחַד (v.2b), עַל־יְהוָה וְעַל (v.2c), נַתְּקָה (v.3a), נַשְׁ-כָה (v.3b), בַּשָּׁמַ...חָק (v.4a), אֲדֹנָי ...עַג־לָ (v.4b), אָז ...דַ (v.5a), בְאַפּוֹ (v.5a), וּֽבַחֲ...בַהֲ (v.5b), וַאֲ נָסַ...מַלְ (v.6a), עַל... הַר (v.6b), אֲסַפְּרָה (v.7a), יְהוָה אָמַר (v.7b), אַתָּה (v.7c), אֲ...הַי (v.7d), שְׁאַל (v.8a), נַחֲלָ (v.8b), וַאֲחֻזָּ...אַפְ (v.8c), בַּרְ (v.9a), נַפְּ (v.9b), וְעַתָּה מְלָ...הַשְׂ (v.10a), זָּ (v.10b), יְהוָה...אָה (v.11a), עָדָה (v.11b), נַשְּׁ...בַר (v.12a), נַף (v.12b), עַר...עַט אַפּ (v.12c), אַשְׁ (v.12d)

This feature is considered relevant for this psalm.,

Consonants

Definition Feature being studied	Occurrences Sections where this feature is present or absent	Clustering	Intersection	Connections	Structure
Alveolars (ל, ר, נ)	‎ לָמָּה רָגְשׁוּ (v.1a), וּלְאֻמִּים (v.1b), רִיק (v.1b), מַלְכֵי־אֶרֶץ (v.2a), וְרוֹזְנִים נֽוֹסְדוּ (v.2b), עַל (v.2c), וְעַל (v.2c), נְנַתְּקָה (v.3a), מוֹסְרוֹתֵימו (v.3a), וְנַשְׁלִיכָה מִמֶּנּוּ (v.3b), אֲדֹנָי יִלְעַג־לָמוֹ (v.4b), יְדַבֵּר אֵלֵימוֹ (v.5a), וּֽבַחֲרוֹנוֹ יְבַהֲלֵמוֹ (v.5b), וַאֲנִי נָסַכְתִּי מַלְכִּי (v.6a), עַל־צִיּוֹן הַר (v.6b), אֲסַפְּרָה אֶל (v.7a), אָמַר אֵלַי (v.7b), בְּנִי (v.7c), אֲנִי (v.7d), יְלִדְתּֽיךָ (v.7d), שְׁאַל מִמֶּנִּי (v.8a), וְאֶתְּנָה (v.8b), נַחֲלָתֶךָ (v.8b), אָֽרֶץ (v.8c), תְּרֹעֵם (v.9a), בַּרְזֶל (v.9a), כִּכְלִי יוֹצֵר תְּנַפְּצֵם (v.9b), מְלָכִים הַשְׂכִּילוּ (v.10a), הִזָּסְרוּ (v.10b), אָרֶץ (v.10b), בְּיִרְאָה (v.11a), וְגִילוּ בִּרְעָדָה (v.11b), נַשְּׁקוּ־בַר (v.12a), יֶאֱנַף (v.12b), דֶרֶךְ (v.12b), יִבְעַר (v.12c), אַשְׁרֵי כָּל (v.12d)	ר in vv.10b-12d(8x); ל only once in vv.10b-12c; נ in v.3 (4x)	ר concentrated in final section; ל relatively infrequent in final section		The infrequency of ל and the frequency of ר in the fourth section (vv.10-12) set off this section from the rest of the psalm, thus giving cohesion and creating discontinuity.
Glides (י, ו)	גוֹיִם (v.1a), יֶהְגּוּ (v.1b), יִ֥תְיַצְּבוּ (v.2a), וְרוֹזְנִים (v.2b), יָחַד (v.2b), יְהוָה וְעַל (v.2c), וְנַשְׁלִיכָה (v.3b), יוֹשֵׁב בַּשָּׁמַיִם יִשְׂחָק (v.4a), יִלְעַג (v.4b), יְדַבֵּר (v.5a), יְבַהֲלֵמוֹ (v.5b), וַאֲנִי (v.6a), צִיּוֹן (v.6b), יְהוָה (v.7b), הַיּוֹם יְלִדְתּֽיךָ (v.7d), וְאֶתְּנָה גוֹיִם (v.8b), וַאֲחֻזָּתְךָ (v.8c), יוֹצֵר (v.9b), וְעַתָּה (v.10a), הִזָּסְרוּ (v.10b), יְהוָה בְּיִרְאָה (v.11a), וְגִילוּ (v.11b), יֶאֱנַף וְתֹאבְדוּ (v.12b), יִבְעַר (v.12c),	v.11a(3x); י at v.4a(3x); י more frequent in first half of psalm (vv.1-6) than second (vv.7-12)
Gutturals (א, ע, ה, ח)	וּלְאֻמִּים (v.1b), אֶרֶץ (v.2a), יָחַד (v.2b), עַל (v.2c), וְעַל (v.2c), אֶת (v.3a), עֲבֹתֵימוֹ (v.3b), יִשְׂחָק (v.4a), אֲדֹנָי יִלְעַג (v.4b), אָז (v.5a), אֵלֵימוֹ בְאַפּוֹ (v.5a), וּֽבַחֲרוֹנוֹ יְבַהֲלֵמוֹ (v.5b), וַאֲנִי (v.6a), עַל (v.6b), הַר (v.6b), אֲסַפְּרָה אֶל חֹק (v.7a), אָמַר אֵלַי (v.7b), אַתָּה (v.7c), אֲנִי הַיּוֹם (v.7d), שְׁאַל (v.8a), וְאֶתְּנָה (v.8b), נַחֲלָתֶךָ (v.8b), וַאֲחֻזָּתְךָ אַפְסֵי־אָֽרֶץ (v.8c), תְּרֹעֵם (v.9a), וְעַתָּה (v.10a), הַשְׂכִּילוּ (v.10a), הִזָּסְרוּ (v.10b), אָרֶץ (v.10b), עִבְדוּ אֶת (v.11a), בְּיִרְאָה (v.11a), בִּרְעָדָה (v.11b), יֶאֱנַף (v.12b), יִבְעַר כִּמְעַט אַפּוֹ (v.12c), אַשְׁרֵי (v.12d), חוֹסֵי (v.12d)	v.5(5x); v.7ab(5x), v.8c(4x), v.12cd(5x); ה in v.10; ח in v.2bc and v.8bc; א in v.7(6x) and v.8c(3x)	beginning of 3rd section (v.7); end of psalm (v.12cd)	This feature may form/reinforce a connection between v.5 and v.12c, both of which are about wrath (אף) and contain clusters of gutturals. It also forms connections between parallel lines (v.5ab, v.7, v.10, and v.11[ה]).	On a microstructural level, the feature reinforces parallelisms that form bicola (vv.5ab, 7ab, 10ab).
Labials (מ, ב, פ)	‎ לָמָּה (v.1a), גוֹיִם (v.1a), וּלְאֻמִּים (v.1b), יִ֥תְיַצְּבוּ מַלְכֵי (v.2a), וְרוֹזְנִים (v.2b), מְשִׁיחוֹ (v.2c), מוֹסְרוֹתֵימוֹ (v.3a), מִמֶּנּוּ עֲבֹתֵימוֹ (v.3b), יוֹשֵׁב בַּשָּׁמַיִם (v.4a), לָמוֹ (V.4b), יְדַבֵּר אֵלֵימוֹ בְאַפּוֹ (v.5a), וּֽבַחֲרוֹנוֹ יְבַהֲלֵמוֹ (v.5b), מַלְכִּי (v.6a), אֲסַפְּרָה (v.7a), אָמַר (v.7b), בְּנִי (v.7c), מִמֶּנִּי (v.8a), גוֹיִם (v.8b), אַפְסֵי (v.8c), תְּרֹעֵם בְּשֵׁבֶט בַּרְזֶל (v.9a), תְּנַפְּצֵם (v.9b), מְלָכִים (v.10a), שֹׁפְטֵי (v.10b), עִבְדוּ (v.11a), בְּיִרְאָה (v.11a), בִּרְעָדָה (v.11b), בַר (v.12a), פֶּן־יֶאֱנַף וְתֹאבְדוּ (v.12b), יִבְעַר כִּמְעַט אַפּוֹ (v.12c), בוֹ (v.12d)	vv.3b-4a(8x); v.5(7x), 9a(4x), ב in v.9a(3x) and 11a-12d(7x); with the exception of vv.4-5, ב is rare in the first half of the psalm; פ in v.12bc(3x); מ in v.3(5x); nearly absent in vv.10b-12 (only 1x)	cluster near first major segment (vv.3-4); nearly absent in 4th section	Alliteration of labials strengthens connection between parallel lines (vv. 5ab, 9ab, 12abcd).	On a microstructural level, this feature forms bicola (v.5, 9) and possibly a tetracolon (v.12abcd). On a macrostructural level, the infrequency of מ and the frequency of ב in the fourth section (vv.10-12) set off this section from the rest of the psalm.
Dentals (ד, ט, ת)	יִ֥תְיַצְּבוּ (v.2a), נֽוֹסְדוּ־יָחַד (v.2b), נְנַתְּקָה אֶת־מוֹסְרוֹתֵימוֹ (v.3a), עֲבֹתֵימוֹ (v.3b), אֲדֹנָי (v.4b), יְדַבֵּר (v.5a), נָסַכְתִּי (v.6a), קָדְשִׁי (v.6b), אַתָּה (v.7c), יְלִדְתּֽיךָ (v.7d), וְאֶתְּנָה (v.8b), נַחֲלָתֶךָ (v.8b), וַאֲחֻזָּתְךָ (v.8c), תְּרֹעֵם בְּשֵׁבֶט (v.9a), תְּנַפְּצֵם (v.9b), וְעַתָּה (v.10a), שֹׁפְטֵי (v.10b), עִבְדוּ אֶת (v.11a), בִּרְעָדָה (v.11b), וְתֹאבְדוּ דֶרֶךְ (v.12b), כִּמְעַט (v.12c)	ת in v.3a(3x) and 8b-10a(6x); double ד only in v.2b (נֽוֹסְדוּ־יָחַד) and v.12b (וְתֹאבְדוּ דֶרֶךְ)		There may be a connection between נֽוֹסְדוּ־יָחַד (v.2b) and תֹאבְדוּ דֶרֶךְ (v.12b). Both have clusters of dentals (double ד) as well as similar vowels.
palatals (ג, כ, ק)	רָגְשׁוּ גוֹיִם (v.1a), יֶהְגּוּ־רִיק (v.1b), מַלְכֵי (v.2a), נְנַתְּקָה (v.3a), וְנַשְׁלִיכָה (v.3b), יִשְׂחָק (v.4a), יִלְעַג (v.4b), נָסַכְתִּי מַלְכִּי (v.6a), קָדְשִׁי (v.6b), חֹק (v.7a), יְלִדְתּֽיךָ (v.7d), גוֹיִם נַחֲלָתֶךָ (v.8b), וַאֲחֻזָּתְךָ (v.8c), כִּכְלִי (v.9b), מְלָכִים הַשְׂכִּילוּ (v.10a), וְגִילוּ (v.11b), נַשְּׁקוּ (v.12a), דֶרֶךְ (v.12b), כִּֽי (v.12c), כִּמְעַט (v.12c), כָּל (v.12d)	v.1ab(4x), v.12(5x)	Clusters at beginning (v.1ab) and end (v.12) of psalm.	Reinforces connection between parallel lines (v.1ab)	Forms bicolon (v.1a.). On a macrostructural level, may form inclusio (vv.1, 12).
sibilants (צ, ז, ס, שׂ, שׁ)	רָגְשׁוּ (v1a), יִ֥תְיַצְּבוּ (v.2a), אֶרֶץ (v.2a), וְרוֹזְנִים נֽוֹסְדוּ (v.2b), מְשִׁיחוֹ (v.2c), מוֹסְרוֹתֵימוֹ (v.3a), וְנַשְׁלִיכָה (v.3b), יוֹשֵׁב בַּשָּׁמַיִם יִשְׂחָק (v.4a), אָז (v.5a), נָסַכְתִּי (v.6a), צִיּוֹן (v.6b), קָדְשִׁי (v.6b), אֲסַפְּרָה (v.7a), שְׁאַל (v.8a), וַאֲחֻזָּתְךָ אַפְסֵי־אָֽרֶץ (v.8b), בְּשֵׁבֶט בַּרְזֶל (v.9a), יוֹצֵר תְּנַפְּצֵם (v.9b), הַשְׂכִּילוּ (v.10a), הִזָּסְרוּ שֹׁפְטֵי אָרֶץ (v.10b), נַשְּׁקוּ (v.12a), אַשְׁרֵי (v.12d), חוֹסֵי (v.12d)	v.2ab(x4), v.4a(3x); v.8b(3x), v.10ab(4x); vv.8-9(8x); ז in 8b and 9a; double צ in v.2a and v.9b; שׂ only at v.4a and v.10a	cluster at beginning of second section (v.4a); cluster at beginning of fourth section (v.10ab); שׂ only at beginning of sections 2 (v.4a) and 4 (v.10a)	Reinforces connection between parallel lines (v.2ab)	Forms bicolon (v.2ab). On a macrostructural level, the clusters at 4a and 10ab may be part of what indicates the start of new sections.

See the table below on .

v. 1. Note the alliteration between 1a and 1b that strengthens their sonic cohesion.
v.3a. The object marker (את), rare in poetry, appears in v.3a in a cluster of dentals. Its use might be explained on this account.

This feature is considered relevant for this psalm.,

Sound combinations

Definition Feature being studied	Occurrences Sections where this feature is present or absent	Clustering	Intersection	Structure
מוֹ	מוֹסְרוֹתֵימוֹ (v.3a), עֲבֹתֵימוֹ (v.3b), לָמוֹ (v.4b), אֵלֵימוֹ (v.5a), יְבַהֲלֵמוֹ (v.5b)	vv.3-5	clustering around 1st major sectional division
ב + ר	יְדַבֵּר (v.5a), בַּרְזֶל (v.9a), ְּבְּיִרְאָה (v.11a), בִּרְעָדָה (v.11b), בַר (v.12a), יִבְעַר (v.12c)	ב and ר both cluster in the final section (vv.10-12); also in 9a(b-3x, r-2x)		Perhaps this feature is meant to draw attention to the foreign word בַּר (v.12a). At the very least, this feature may partially explain why the author chose to use בַּר instead of בֵּן
ל + מ	‎לָמָּה (v.1a), וּלְאֻמִּים (v.1b), מַלְכֵי (v.2a), וְעַל־מְשִׁיחו (v.2c), לָמוֹ (v.4b), אֵלֵימוֹ (v.5a), יְבַהֲלֵמוֹ (v.5b), מַלְכִּי (v.6a), שְׁאַל מִמֶּנִּי (v.8a), מְלָכִים (v.10a)	vv.1-2; vv.4-6	first two consonants of the psalm (v.1a); especially prominent in first two sections of the psalm; also appears in the opening line of section 4.	Is this alliteration meant to draw attention to thematic significance of the word מלך? Perhaps this explains why the psalmist has chosen to use מוֹ suffixes in v.5.

This feature is considered relevant for this psalm.,

Patterns in endings

Use of the unique מוֹ- suffix (vv.3-5; see above on Sound Combinations) might be explained on phonological/poetic grounds. The noun מוֹסְרוֹת, which begins with מוֹ, might have led the poet to use the מוֹ suffix on this word and on subsequent words for the purpose of rhyme.,

Similar sounds in adjacent lines

Phonological Overview

v.1ab.

both begin with l + m (למה//לאמים)
v.1a ends with ē + m (גוים); v.1b begins with ē + m (לאמים)
alliteration of gutturals (g/q)
verbs ending in וּ

v.2ab.

alliteration of sibilants; ṣ(x2) in a-line; s and z in b-line
verbs ending in וּ

v.3ab.

alliteration of nasals (n[x3], m[x5]) and dentals (t[x4])
end rhyme: תֵמוֹ-

v.4ab.

verb ending guttural + a-class vowel + palatal in both lines (ישׂחק//ילעג)

v.5ab.

alliteration of labials (b/p)
assonance: ō
rhyme: לֵמוֹ

v.6ab.

assonance/rhyme: ē (ני, תי, כי, צי, שׁי)

v.7ab.

alliteration of gutturals: 5/6 words begin with a guttural; 4 with א and 1 with ח.
repetition of אל in each line

v.7cd.

rhyming of first words in each line: בְּנִי//אֲנִי

v.8bc.

each line begins waw + א
similar sounds in נחלתך//אחזתך

v.9ab.

alliteration of labials (b/p)
first and last word both begin with תּ and end in ṣērê + ם

v.10ab.

alliteration of ה at beginning of words (השׂכילו//הוסרו)
verbs ending in וּ
alliteration of sibilants (a-line: שׂ, b-line: ס, שׁ, ץ)

v.11ab.

alliteration of gutturals (a-line: ע, א, א b-line: ע)
alliteration of בּ and ר
first words ending in וּ
assonance: i-class vowels (עִבְדוֹ...בּיִרְאָה // גִילוּ...בִּרְעָדָה)
end rhyme: ā

v.12abcd.

alliteration of labials (b[4x]/p[3x])

v.12cd

end rhyme: labial + ō
guttural with short a-vowel (עַר...עַט...אַפְּ...אַשְׁ),

Other observations

The phrase תֹּאבְדוּ דֶרֶךְ in v.12b sounds like the earlier phrase נוֹסְדוּ יַחַד (v.2b).

Lexical Semantics[ ]

Difficult Words

v. 1a

רָגְשׁוּ – The Hebrew verb רָגַשׁ occurs only here. In Dan. 6:6, 11, 15 the Aramaic cognate verb describes several officials acting as a group. A Hebrew nominal derivative is used in Ps. 55:14 of a crowd of people in the temple. Thus the context must direct the choice of a suitable equivalent in the TL—here, “rebel.”

v. 1b

לְאֻמִּים – "countries" or “peoples” – the Heb. noun לְאֹם is used especially in poetic texts, e.g., Ps. 7:8.
יֶהְגּוּ – The verb הָגָה is variously rendered, depending on the context, e.g., “recite quietly, meditate, moan, growl (lion).” Here it has the metonymic sense of enemies “devising, planning, plotting” (see Ps. 38:12; Pr. 24:2). This verb also occurs in Psalm 1—there in a positive sense with reference to the righteous (1:2)—thus forming another concrete, here contrastive connection between these two foundational, Psalter-initiating texts.
רִיק – Lit., “[plotting] emptiness.” The noun ִריק (“emptiness”) may characterize the rebels’ behavior as “worthless, morally corrupt,” but more likely the term refers to the actual fruitless outcome of their plots, i.e., failure. This nuance is brought out in the rest of the psalm.

v. 2a

יִתְיַצְּבוּ – "Take their stand" or "form a united front." The verb יָצַב is found only in the Hithpael conjugation.
מַלְכֵי אֶרֶץ – The hyperbolic expression “kings of the earth” refers to all those pagan kings, rulers, chieftains, warlords who had been conquered by and were subject to Israel in its heyday, in the latter days of King David and especially King Solomon.

v. 2b

נוֹסְדוּ – "Collaborate" or "conspire together.” The verbal form is a Niphal from יָסַד, defined in BDB as “establish, found.”
מְשִׁיחוֹ – The Davidic king is the referent, as is clear from vv. 6-7. In ancient Israel, the king chosen with the ritual of someone anointing him with oil.

v. 4a

יוֹשֵׁב – Lit., “the one sitting”; the Hebrew verb יָשַׁב is used metonymically in this royal setting with reference to “sitting enthroned” (see Pss. 9:7; 29:10; 55:19; 102:12; 123:1); this nominalized participle severs as a divine epthet.
יִשְׂחָק – Lit., “he laughs” (שָׂחַק); as the next, parallel line indicates, this refers to derisive, scornful laughter—surely not “amusement.”^[2]

v. 4b

יִלְעַג – "scoffs at," "derides," "mocks" (לָעַג) This action (and that of the previous colon) on the part of Yahweh denotes his power over the evil kings. Translators should be careful to chose terms that will not put God in a negative light, rather to indicate his sovereign nature.

v.5b.

יְבַהֲלֵמוֹ – Joseph Lam argues, based on an Ugaritic parallel, that this action “is best understood, not as an act of terrifying the rulers of the earth but as YHWH’s (metaphorical) disinheritance of them, a declaration that is naturally followed by the designation of his anointed one as the exclusive heir of the nations (2:8).”^[3]

v. 6

נָסַכְתִּי – "I have installed” is a metonymic translation (lit., ‘poured out a libation’); perhaps the verb (נָסַךְ) may be rendered “consecrated,” “anointed” here—even performatively: “I hereby install” (cf. 7c).
- Alternatively, the verb נָסַכְתִּי (v. 6) may mean “to pour out” in a metallurgical sense (i.e., to pour liquid metal into a mold).^[4] The use of this word in Psalm 2:6, with the king as the patient, reflects the underlying conceptual metaphor, “Israel's King is Yahweh’s Image/Idol.” Yahweh has cast the king as a craftsman casts an idol. This interpretation of נָסַכְתִּי is supported by the following considerations:

In Biblical Hebrew, נסך almost always means to “pour out.” In the Qal stem, it can refer to the pouring out of libations (Ex. 30:9 [patient: נֵסֶךְ]; Isa. 30:1 [patient: מַסֵּכָה]; Hos. 9:4 [patient: יַיִן]) or to the casting of metal (Isa. 40:19 [patient: פֶּסֶל]; 44:10 [patient: פֶּסֶל]).^[5] This usual sense of the word is not problematic so long as the conceptual metaphor – the King is Yahweh's (metal) image – is recognized.
The idea of the king as God’s “image” is thoroughly biblical (cf. Gen. 1:26) and found elsewhere in the Ancient Near East.^[6]
The sacred hill of Zion (עַל צִיוֹן הַר קָדְשִׁי) is a reference to the location of Yahweh’s temple, a temple being the ideal place for an idol.

הַר קָדְשִׁי – Lit., “the hill of holiness” – here a reference to the place, setting, or general situation in which Yahweh and his anointed king exercise their co-rule over God’s saints and, in a Messianic sense, over all people—the righteous in blessing, the wicked in judgment.

v. 7a

חֹק – The “decree” in this case is the “personal covenant document, renewing God’s covenant commitment to the dynasty of David.”^[7] G. H. Jones notes that “almost without exception the word ֹחק appears in connection with the Covenant made.”^[8]

v. 9a

שֵׁבֶט – The Hebrew term שֵׁבֶט can refer to a “staff” or “rod” (hence the possible allusion to “shepherding” in the preceding line). But here it undoubtedly refers to the Davidic king’s royal scepter, symbolizing his sovereignty and right to rule.

v. 11a

עִבְדוּ – The Hebrew verb translated “serve” (עבד) refers here to submitting to the Lord’s gracious sovereignty as expressed through the rule of the Davidic king. Such “service” (perhaps even “worship”) in a human ANE setting would involve maintaining allegiance to the Davidic king—and God!—as “vassals” by paying the stipulated tribute and making regular sacrificial offerings of obeisance to the deity.

v. 11b

גִּילוּ – The verb גִּיל normally means “rejoice,” but this meaning does not seem to fit well together with “in trembling” (but see Goldingay^[9]). Some try to understand "trembling" (and the parallel יִרְאָה) in the sense of "reverential awe" and then take the verbs “serve” and “rejoice” in the sense of “worship” (cf. NASB). But רְעָדָה (“trembling”) and its related terms consistently refer to utter terror and fear (see Ex. 15:15; Job 4:14; Pss. 48:6, 55:5, 104:32; ִגּיל Isa. 33:14; Dan. 10:11) or at least great emotional distress (Ezr. 10:9). It seems more likely here that גִּיל carries its polarized meaning “mourn, lament,” as in Hos. 10:5. “Mourn, lament” would then be metonymic in this context for “repent” (referring to one’s rebellious ways). On the meaning of the verb in Hos. 10:5, see F. I. Andersen and D. N. Freedman, Hosea (AB).^[10]^[11]

v. 12a

נַשְּקו – kiss the Son = show reverence, submission, and honor to a superior (I Sam. 10:1, I Kings 19:18).
בַר – If the MT's text is accepted, then there are at least three ways of interpreting the word בַּר: as an adjective from ברר functioning as an adverbial (“purely, cleanly”); as a noun meaning “field” (as in Job. 39:4); as the Aramaic word for “son,” referring to “God’s Son”, i.e. established king in 2:7. See below on .

v. 12b

יֶאֱנַף – Elsewhere in BH the subject of this verb is consistently the LORD, suggesting it may be a technical term for divine anger. A Moabite cognate occurs in the Mesha inscription, where it is used of the Moabite god Chemosh's anger at his people^[12]^[13]

v. 12b

דֶרֶךְ – Lit., “and you will perish [in the] way.” The Hebrew word דֶרֶךְ (“way”) here refers to their rebellious behavior.

v. 12d

אַשְׁרֵי – The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness — perhaps better: overall “well-being”—that God-given security and prosperity produce (see Pss. 1:1 (inclusio of Pss. 1-2), 34:9, 41:1, 65:4, 84:12, 89:15, 106:3, 112:1, 127:5, 128:1, 144:15).,

References to God

Definition Feature being studied	Occurrences Sections where this feature is present or absent	Intersection	Structure
אֲדֹנָי	אֲדֹנָי (v.4b)
יוֹשֵׁב בַּשָּׁמַיִם	v.4a	beginning of second section (vv.4-6)	aperture; contrast with previous section
יְהוָה	עַל־יְהוָה (v.2c), יְהוָה (v.7b), אֶת־יְהוָה (v.11b)	2nd occurrence (v.7b) near beginning of 3rd section

v.4a. Yahweh is referred to as יוֹשֵׁב בַּשָּׁמַיִם (v. 4a). The verb ישׁב may refer figuratively to “reigning” (i.e., sitting on a throne). It appears a number of times in the phrase ישׁב על כסא (Ex. 11:5; 12:29; Deut. 17:18; 1 Sam 1:9; 4:13; 1 Kgs. 1:13, 17, 20) and may have a similar meaning even when the prepositional phrase (על כסא) is omitted (cf. Isa. 40:22; Zech. 9:6). The word order of this sentence (v. 4a) is marked; the subject (יוֹשֵׁב בַּשָּׁמַיִם) appears in the preverbal position as the dominant focal element of the sentence. By this, a contrast is intended: whereas the rebellion is led by earthly kings (2a: מַלְכֵי־אֶרֶץ), the one who is about to respond rules “in the heavens” (בַּשָּׁמַיִם).
v.4b. Fokkelman's syllable counting (see below) leads him to conclude that אֲדֹנָי in v.4b should instead be the tetragrammaton. This single change makes for a number of syllables that, when divided by the number of cola, yields the exact integer 9.00.

This feature is considered relevant for this psalm.,

Repeated words

Definition Feature being studied	Occurrences Sections where this feature is present or absent	Clustering	Intersection	Connections	Structure
אנף	בְאַפּוֹ (v.5a), יֶאֱנַף (v.12b), אַפּוֹ (v.12c)	v.12bc
ארץ	מַלְכֵי־אֶרֶץ (v.2a), אַפְסֵי־אָֽרֶץ (v.8c), שֹׁפְטֵי אָרֶץ (v.10b)		one occurrence in sections 1, 3, and 4	The earthly kings/judges (v.2a, v.10b) are to be the inheritance of Yahweh's king (v.8c)
גוים	גוֹיִם (v.1a), גוֹיִם (v.8b)		one occurrence in sections 1 and 3	The raging nations (v.2a) are to become the inheritance of Yahweh's king (v.8b)
מלך	מַלְכֵי־אֶרֶץ (v.2a), מַלְכִּי (v.6a), מְלָכִים (v.10a)		one occurrence in sections 1, 2, and 4; near beginning of first section (v.2a); beginning of final section (v.10a)	earthly kings (v.2a, v.10a) are contrasted with Yahweh's king (v.6a)	aperture (v.10a)

1a

גוים

1b

2a

מלך

ארץ

2b

2c

על

יהוה

3a

3b

4a

ב

4b

ל

5a

ב

אל

אף

5b

ב

6a

מלך

אני

6b

על

7a

יהוה

אל

7b

אל

7c

7d

אני

8a

8b

גוים

8c

ארץ

9a

ב

9b

כ

10a

מלך

10b

ארץ

11a

יהוה

ב

11b

12a

12b

אנף

12c

12d

אף

כ

12e

ב

This feature is considered relevant for this psalm.,

Semantically/thematically related words

Definition Feature being studied	Occurrences Sections where this feature is present or absent	Clustering	Intersection	Connections	Structure
sonship language	בְּנִי (v.7c), יְלִדְתּֽיךָ (v.7d), נַחֲלָתֶךָ (v.8b), וַאֲחֻזָּתְךָ (v.8c), בַר (v.12a)	vv.7-8	found primarily in section 3 (Yahweh's 7-line decree)	The language of inheritance (v.8) is connected to the language of sonship (v.7). Intertextual connection to 2 Samuel 7.
words referring to kings/rulers	מַלְכֵי־אֶרֶץ (v.2a), וְרוֹזְנִים (v.2b), מְשִׁיחוֹ (v.2c), יוֹשֵׁב בַּשָּׁמַיִם (v.4a), מַלְכִּי (v.6a), בְּנִי (v.7c), מְלָכִים (v.10a), שֹׁפְטֵי אָרֶץ (v.10b), בַר (v.12a)	v.2(3x)	occurs in each section	The kings of the earth (v.2ab, v.10ab) are contrasted with the divine king of heaven (v.4a), whose authority is manifested through a human king on earth. This human king is referred to as מְשִׁיחוֹ (v.2c), מַלְכִּי (v.6a), בְּנִי (v.7c), and בַר (v.12a).	aperture (v.4a, 10a); peak? (v.6a); climax? (v.7c)

Sonship language

This declaration in v.7cd is often interpreted as “a performative declaration of adoption.”^[14] Israel’s king was metaphorically adopted as God’s son on the day of his enthronement (הַיּוֹם). Yet Craigie argues that “‘I have begotten you’ is metaphorical language; it means more than simply adoption, which has legal overtones, and implies that a ‘new birth’ of a divine nature took place during the coronation.”^[15] The fact that the verb ילד always refers to biological reproduction and never to adoption supports Craigie’s assertion.
This feature is considered relevant for this psalm.,

Borrowed rare words

תְּרֹעֵם (v.8b) – Aramaic (רעע)
בַר (v.12a) – Aramaic

Verbs[ ]

Verb forms

Definition Feature being studied	Occurrences Sections where this feature is present or absent	Clustering	Intersection	Connections	Structure
participle	וְרוֹזֹנִים (v.2b), יֹושֵׁב (v.4a), יֹוצֵר (v.9b), שֹׁפְטֵי (v.10b), חֹוסֵי (v.12d)
cohortative	נְֽנַתְּקָה (v.3a), וְנַשְׁלִיכָה (v.3b), אֲסַפְּרָה (v.7a), וְאֶתְּנָה (v.8b)	v.3	first section (2x) and third section (2x)	The cohortatives spoken by the rebels (v.3) are met by those of Yahweh (v.8b) and his king (v.7a).	The decree of the third section deals with the problems introduced in the first section.
yiqtol	יֶהְגּוּ (v.1b), יִתְיַצְּבוּ (v.2a), יִשְׂחָק (v.4a), יִלְעַג (v.4b), יְדַבֵּ֣ר (v.5a), יְבַהֲלֵמֹו (v.5b), תְּרֹעֵם (v.9a), תְּנַפְּצֵם (v.9b), יֶאֱנַף (v.12b), וְתֹאבְדוּ (v.12b [weyiqtol]), יִבְעַר (v.12c)	vv.4-5(4x)	only at v.4a does the feature intersect with a sectional boundary		Used along with qatal to form a chiasm in vv.1-2.
imperative	שְׁאַל (v.8a), הַשְׂכִּ֑ילוּ (v.10a), הִוָּסְרוּ (v.10b), עִבְדו (v.11a), וְגִילוּ (v.11b), נַשְּׁקוּ (v.12a)	vv.10-12(5x)	Imperatives occur at the beginning of and throughout the final section (vv.10-12)		Cohesion and discontinuity: vv.10-12 are set off from the rest of the psalm by the clustering of imperatives.
qatal	רָגְשׁוּ (v.1a), נֹוסְדוּ (v.2b), נָסַכְתִּי (v.6a), אָמַר (v.7a), יְלִדְתִּיךָ (v.7d)	absent in fourth/final section	beginning of first section (v.1); end of second section (v.6)		Used along with yiqtol to form a chiasm in vv.1-2.

See table on below.

Conjugation

"The verbal conjugations in 1a-2b form chiasms of both gender and conjugation."^[16]
"The two longest lines (2bc and 6ab) mark changes of subject (and each has a qatal predicate following two or four lines with yiqtol): 2b ends the description of the rulers' activities and is followed by their exclamations (3a-b), and 6 contains YHWH's declaration."^[17]

TAM

v. 2a. The Hebrew imperfect form (יֶהְגּוּ) describes the rebellion as already underway.
v. 2b. The imperfect verbal form (יִתְיַצְּבוּ) describes their action as underway or ongoing
v. 4-5 The Hebrew imperfect verbal forms in vv. 4-5 depict a dramatic scene, describing the action from the perspective of an eyewitness (the prophetic-psalmist) who is watching the divine response as it unfolds before his eyes.
v. 8a The initial cohortative verb אֶתְּנָה after the imperative שְׁאַל has a resultative sense.

This feature is considered relevant for this psalm.,

Person, gender and number

Definition Feature being studied	Occurrences Sections where this feature is present or absent	Clustering	Intersection	Connections	Structure
3rd person	רָגְשׁוּ (v.1a), יֶהְגּוּ (v.1b), יִתְיַצְּבוּ (v.2a), נֹוסְדוּ (v.2b), יִשְׂחָק (v.4a), יִלְעַג (v.4b), יְדַבֵּ֣ר (v.5a), יְבַהֲלֵמֹו (v.5b), אָמַר (v.7b), יֶאֱנַף (v.12b), יִבְעַר (v.12c)	vv.1-2; vv. 4-5; v.12bc; less frequent in second half of psalm	beginning of psalm (v.1); end of psalm (v.12); beginning of second section (v.4)		The psalm is framed by third person verbs (vv.1, 12).
2nd person	שְׁאַל (v.8a), תְּרֹעֵם (v.9a), תְּנַפְּצֵם (v.9b), הַשְׂכִּ֑ילוּ (v.10a), הִוָּסְרוּ (v.10b), עִבְדוּ (v.11a), וְגִילוּ (v.11b), נַשְּׁקוּ (v.12a), וְתֹאבְדוּ (v.12b)	vv.8-12; absent in first half of psalm.	end of third section (v.9); beginning of fourth section (v.10)
1st person	נְֽנַתְּקָה (v.3a), וְנַשְׁלִיכָה (v.3b), נָסַכְתִּי (v.6a), אֲסַפְּרָה (v.7a), יְלִדְתִּיךָ (v.7d), וְאֶתְּנָה (v.8b)	v.3(2x); middle of psalm (vv.6-8[4x])	end of first section (v.3); end of second section (v.6); beginning of third section (v.7a)	The first person verbs are set in the mouths of three different speakers: the Psalmist-king (v.7a), his enemies (v.3ab) and Yahweh (vv.6-8), whose speeches form the thematic backbone of the psalm.	1st person verbs indicate closure at v.3 and v.6.
singular	יֹושֵׁב (v.4a), יִשְׂחָק (v.4a), יִלְעַג (v.4b), יְדַבֵּ֣ר (v.5a), יְבַהֲלֵמֹו (v.5b), נָסַכְתִּי (v.6a), אֲסַפְּרָה (v.7a), אָמַר (v.7b), יְלִדְתִּיךָ (v.7d), שְׁאַל (v.8a), וְאֶתְּנָה (v.8b), תְּרֹעֵם (v.9a), יֹוצֵר (v.9b), תְּנַפְּצֵם (v.9b), יֶאֱנַף (v.12b), יִבְעַר (v.12c)	vv.4-9	only singular verbs in the middle sections (vv.4-9)	Sections 2 (vv.4-6) and 3 (vv.7-9) are closely connected in this way. They focus on singular actors (Yahweh and his king), whereas the outer sections focus on plural actors (the nations).	This feature creates additional discontinuity between sections 1 and 2 and sections 3 and 4. It creates continuity between sections 2 and 3.
plural	רָגְשׁוּ (v.1a), יֶהְגּוּ (v.1b), יִתְיַצְּבוּ (v.2a), רוֹזֹנִים (v.2b), נֹוסְדוּ (v.2b), נְֽנַתְּקָה (v.3a), וְנַשְׁלִיכָה (v.3b), הַשְׂכִּ֑ילוּ (v.10a), הִוָּסְרוּ (v.10b), שֹׁפְטֵי (v.10b), עִבְדוּ (v.11a), וְגִילוּ (v.11b), נַשְּׁקוּ (v.12a), וְתֹאבְדוּ (v.12b)	vv.1-3; vv.10-12	only in the first (vv.1-3) and last (vv.10-12) sections; plural verbs begin both of these sections; absent in sections 2 and 3	forms connection between first and final sections	This feature creates additional discontinuity between sections 1 and 2 and sections 3 and 4. It also suggests a correspondence between sections 1 and 4.

See table on below.
This feature is considered relevant for this psalm.,

Paragogic letters

Definition Feature being studied	Occurrences Sections where this feature is present or absent	Clustering	Intersection	Connections	Structure
paragogic ה	נְֽנַתְּקָה (v.3a), וְנַשְׁלִיכָה (v.3b), אֲסַפְּרָה (v.7a), וְאֶתְּנָה (v.8b)	v.3	Verbs with the paragogic ה suffix appear to occur at points of thematic discontinuity (boundaries: 3ab, 7a; peak?: 8b): final verbs of the first section (נְֽנַתְּקָה, וְנַשְׁלִיכָה); first verb of the third section (אֲסַפְּרָה); the verb at the center (4th line/clause) of Yahweh's 7-line decree (וְאֶתְּנָה).	The declarations of rebellion in v.3 are answered by Yahweh (v.8b) and his king (v.7a).	It might mark points of thematic discontinuity/peak.

See table on below.
This feature is considered relevant for this psalm.,

Verb stem types (binyanim)

Definition Feature being studied	Occurrences Sections where this feature is present or absent	Clustering	Intersection	Connections	Structure
Qal	רָגְשׁוּ (v.1a), יֶהְגּוּ (v.1b), רוֹזְנִים (v.2b), יֹושֵׁב (v.4a), יִשְׂחָק (v.4a), יִלְעַג (v.4b), נָסַכְתִּי (v.6a), אָמַר (v.7b), יְלִדְתִּיךָ (v.7d), שְׁאַל (v.8a), וְאֶתְּנָה (v.8b), תְּרֹעֵם (v.9a), יֹוצֵר (v.9b), שֹׁפְטֵי (v.10b), עִבְדוּ (v.11a), וְגִילוּ (v.11b), יֶאֱנַף (v.12b), וְתֹאבְדוּ (v.12b), יִבְעַר (v.12c), חֹוסֵי (v.12d)	vv.7-9, v.12bc; elsewhere, parallel Qals at v.1, 4, 11.	beginning of psalm (v.1); beginning of second section (v.4); end of second section (v.6)
Hithpael	יִתְיַצְּבוּ (v.2a)
Niphal	נֹוסְדוּ (v.2b), הִוָּסְרוּ (v.10b)	only twice, not close to each other.	in the first and final sections	The niphal verb in v. 2b (נֹוסְדוּ) corresponds phonologically and orthographically to the only other niphal verb in the psalm (הִוָּסְרוּ, v. 10b). This correspondence tightens the contrastive link between what the rebellious kings are saying in section A and what they are commanded to do in section A'.	suggests a correspondence between the first and final sections of the psalm
Piel	נְֽנַתְּקָה (v.3a), יְדַבֵּ֣ר (v.5a), יְבַהֲלֵמֹו (v.5b), אֲסַפְּרָה (v.7a), תְּנַפְּצֵם (v.9b), נַשְּׁקוּ (v.12a)	v.5	The first and last verb of the third section are piel (morphological inclusio), while every verb in between is qal.		Forms inclusio in third section
Hiphil	וְנַשְׁלִיכָה (v.3b), הַשְׂכִּ֑ילוּ (v.10a)	only twice, not close to each other	end of first section (v.3b); beginning of fourth section (v.10a)	The hiphil verb in v. 3a (וְנַשְׁלִיכָה) happens to correspond phonologically and orthographically with the only other hiphil verb in the psalm (הַשְׂכִּ֑ילוּ, v. 10a). This correspondence tightens the contrastive link between what the rebellious kings are saying in section A and what they are commanded to do in section A'.	Hiphils marks points of discontinuity (closure in v.3b and aperture in v.10a). This feature also suggests a correspondence between the first and final sections of the psalm.

See table on below.

Verbs with stems other than qal (D, H, N) appear to cluster at thematic boundaries (see Psalm 1:3d).

This feature is considered relevant for this psalm.,

Other

Verse	Verb	Stem	Conjugation	Person	Gender	Number	Pronominal Suffix	Paragogic Suffix	Root
1a	רָגְשׁוּ	Q	qatal	3	c	p			רגשׁ
1b	יֶהְגּוּ	Q	yiqtol	3	m	p			הגה
2a	יִתְיַצְּבוּ	Dt	yiqtol	3	m	p			יצב
2b	וְרוֹזְנִים	Q	ptc		m	p			רזן
2b	נֹוסְדוּ	N	qatal	3	c	p			יסד
3a	נְֽנַתְּקָה	D	coh	1	c	p		h	נתק
3b	וְנַשְׁלִיכָה	H	waw + coh	1	c	p		h	שׁלך
4a	יֹושֵׁב	Q	ptc		m	s			ישׁב
4a	יִשְׂחָק	Q	yiqtol	3	m	s			שׂחק
4b	יִלְעַג	Q	yiqtol	3	m	s			לעג
5a	יְדַבֵּ֣ר	D	yiqtol	3	m	s			דבר
5b	יְבַהֲלֵמֹו	D	yiqtol	3	m	s	3mp		בהל
6	נָסַכְתִּי	Q	qatal	1	c	s			נסך
7a	אֲסַפְּרָה	D	coh	1	c	s		h	ספר
7b	אָמַר	Q	qatal	3	m	s			אמר
7c	יְלִדְתִּיךָ	Q	qatal	1	c	s	2ms		ילד
8a	שְׁאַל	Q	impv	2	m	s			שׁאל
8b	וְאֶתְּנָה	Q	waw + coh	1	c	s		h	נתן
9a	תְּרֹעֵם	Q	yiqtol	2	m	s	3mp		רעע
9b	יֹוצֵר	Q	ptc		m	s			יצר
9b	תְּנַפְּצֵם	D	yiqtol	2	m	s	3mp		נפץ
10a	הַשְׂכִּ֑ילוּ	H	impv	2	m	p			שׂכל
10b	הִוָּסְרוּ	N	impv	2	m	p			יסר
10b	שְׁפְטֵי	Q	ptc		m	p			שׁפט
11a	עִבְדוּ	Q	impv	2	m	p			עבד
11b	וְגִילוּ	Q	waw + impv	2	m	p			גיל
12a	נַשְּׁקוּ	D	impv	2	m	p			נשׁק
12b	יֶאֱנַף	Q	yiqtol	3	m	s			אנף
12c	וְתֹאבְדוּ	Q	weyiqtol	2	m	p			אבד
12d	יִבְעַר	Q	yiqtol	3	m	s			בער
12e	חֹוסֵי	Q	ptc (const)		m	p			חסה

Nouns[ ]

Gender

Definition Feature being studied	Occurrences Sections where this feature is present or absent	Clustering	Intersection	Connections	Structure
masculine	גוֹיִם (v.1a), וּלְאֻמִּים (v.1b), רִיק (v.1b), מַלְכֵי (v.2a), מְשִׁיחוֹ (v.2c), מוֹסְרוֹתֵימוֹ (v.3a), עֲבֹתֵימוֹ (v.3b), בַּשָּׁמַיִם (v.4a), בְאַפּוֹ (v.5a), וּבַחֲרוֹנוֹ (v.5b), מַלְכִּי (v.6a), הַר (v.6b), קָדְשִׁי (v.6b), חֹק (v.7a), בְּנִי (v.7c), הַיּוֹם (v.7d), גוֹיִם (v.8b), אַפְסֵי (v.8c), בְּשֵׁבֶט (v.9a), בַּרְזֶל (v.9a), כִּכְלִי (v.9b), מְלָכִים (v.10a), בַר (v.12a), דֶרֶךְ? (v.12b), אַפּוֹ (v.12c), אַשְׁרֵי (v.12d), כָּל (v.12d)
feminine	אֶרֶץ (v.2a), נַחֲלָתֶךָ (v.8b), וַאֲחֻזָּתְךָ (v.8c), אָרֶץ (v.8c), אָרֶץ (v.10b), בְּיִרְאָה (v.11a), בִּרְעָדָה (v.11b), דֶרֶךְ? (v.12b)	v.8bc(3x); v.10b-11ab(3x)

,

Definiteness

Definition Feature being studied	Occurrences Sections where this feature is present or absent	Clustering	Intersection	Connections	Structure
definite article	בַּשָּׁמַיִם (v.4a), הַיּוֹם (v.7d)
definite nouns	יְהוָה (v.2c), מְשִׁיחוֹ (v.2c), מוֹסְרוֹתֵימוֹ (v.3a), עֲבֹתֵימוֹ (v.3b), בַּשָּׁמַיִם (v.4a), אֲדֹנָי (v.4b), בְאַפּוֹ (v.5a), וּבַחֲרוֹנוֹ (v.5b), מַלְכִּי (v.6a), צִיּוֹן (v.6b), הַר (v.6b), קָדְשִׁי (v.6b), יְהוָה (v.7b), בְּנִי (v.7c), הַיּוֹם (v.7d), נַחֲלָתֶךָ (v.8b), נַחֲלָתֶךָ (v.8c), יְהוָה (v.11a), אַפּוֹ (v.12c)	absent vv.1-2; absent/infrequent in vv.9-12; nearly all occurrences are in vv.2c-8c

,

Pronominal suffixes

Definition Feature being studied	Occurrences Sections where this feature is present or absent	Clustering
1cs	מַלְכִּי (v.6a), קָדְשִׁי (v.6b), בְּנִי (v.7c)	vv.6-7
3mp (מוֹ)	מוֹסְרוֹתֵימוֹ (v.3a), עֲבֹתֵימוֹ (v.3b)	v.3
3ms	מְשִׁיחוֹ (v.2c), בְאַפּוֹ (v.5a), וּבַחֲרוֹנוֹ (v.5b), אַפּוֹ (v.12c)	v.5; absent in third section
2ms	נַחֲלָתֶךָ (v.8b), וַאֲחֻזָּתְךָ (v.8c)	v.8bc

,

Suffixes as objects

Definition Feature being studied	Occurrences Sections where this feature is present or absent	Clustering	Intersection	Connections	Structure
2ms	יְלִדְתִּיךָ
3mp	יְבַהֲלֵמֹו (v.5b), תְּרֹעֵם (v.9a), תְּנַפְּצֵם (v.9b)	v.9

**Noun Morphology**
Verse	Noun	Gender	Number	"Declension"	Suffix	Definiteness	Root
1a	גוֹיִם	m	p	abs.			גוה
1b	וּלְאֻמִּים	m	p	abs.			לאם
	רִיק	m	s	abs.			ריק
2a	מַלְכֵי	m	p	cst.			מלך
	אֶרֶץ	f	s	abs.			ארץ
2c	יְהוָה					* (proper)
	מְשִׁיחוֹ	m	s	abs.	3ms	*	משׁח
3a	מוֹסְרוֹתֵימוֹ	m	p	abs. w/obj. marker	3mp (מוֹ)	*	אסר
3b	עֲבֹתֵימוֹ	m	p	abs.	3mp (מוֹ)	*	עבת
4a	בַּשָּׁמַיִם	m	d	abs.		*	שׁמה
4b	אֲדֹנָי					* (proper)
5a	בְאַפּוֹ	m	s	abs.	3ms	*	אנף
5b	וּֽבַחֲרוֹנוֹ	m	s	abs.	3ms	*	חרה
6a	מַלְכִּי	m	s	abs.	1cs	*	מלך
6b	צִיּוֹן					* (proper)
	הַר	m	s	cst.		*	הרר
	קָדְשִׁי	m	s	abs.	1cs	*	קדשׁ
7a	חֹק	m	s	abs.			חקק
7b	יְהוָה					* (proper)
7c	בְּנִי	m	s	abs.	1cs	*	בן
7d	הַיּוֹם	m	s	abs.		*	יוֹם
8b	גוֹיִם	m	p	abs.			גוה
	נַחֲלָתֶךָ	f	s	abs.	2ms	*	נחל
8c	וַאֲחֻזָּתְךָ	f	s	abs.	2ms	*	אחז
	אַפְסֵי	m	p	cst.			אפס
	אָֽרֶץ	f	s	abs.			ארץ
9a	בְּשֵׁבֶט	m	s	cst.			שׁבט
	בַּרְזֶל	m	s	abs.			ברז
9b	כִּכְלִי	m	s	cst.			כלה
10a	מְלָכִים	m	p	abs., voc.			מלך
10b	אָרֶץ	f	s	abs., voc.			ארץ
11a	יְהוָה			w/obj. marker		* (proper)
	בְּיִרְאָה	f	s	abs.			ירא
11b	בִּרְעָדָה	f	s	abs.			רעד
12a	בַר	m	s	abs.
12b	דֶרֶךְ	m or f	s	abs.			דרך
12c	אַפּוֹ	m	s	abs.	3ms	*	אנף
12d	אַשְׁרֵי	m	p	cst.			אשׁר
	כָּל	m	s	abs.			כלל

,

Addressee change

see below
This feature is considered relevant for this psalm.,

Speaker change

see below
This feature is considered relevant for this psalm.,

Subject change

**Character Features**
Strophe	Ref.	Speaker	Addressee	Subject
A	v.1a	Psalmist		Rebel Nations
	v.1b	Psalmist		Rebel Nations
	v.2b	Psalmist		Rebel Nations
	v.2b	Psalmist		Rebel Nations
	v. 3a	Rebel Nations	One another	Rebel Nations
	v. 3b	Rebel Nations	One another	Rebel Nations
B	v.4a	Psalmist		Yahweh
	v. 4b	Psalmist		Yahweh
	v. 5a	Psalmist		Yahweh
	v. 5b	Psalmist		Yahweh
	v. 6	Yahweh	Rebel Nations	Yahweh
B'	v. 7a	The King		The King
	v. 7b	The King		Yahweh
	v. 7c	Yahweh	The King	The King
	v. 7d	Yahweh	The King	Yahweh
	v. 8a	Yahweh	The King	The King
	v. 8b	Yahweh	The King	Yahweh
	v. 8c	Yahweh	The King	Yahweh
	v. 9a	Yahweh	The King	The King
	v. 9b	Yahweh	The King	The King
A'	v. 10a	Psalmist	Rebel Nations
	v. 10a	Psalmist	Rebel Nations	Rebel Nations
	v. 10b	Psalmist	Rebel Nations	Rebel Nations
	v. 11a	Psalmist	Rebel Nations	Rebel Nations
	v. 11b	Psalmist	Rebel Nations	Rebel Nations
	v. 12a	Psalmist	Rebel Nations	Rebel Nations
	v. 12b	Psalmist	Rebel Nations	The King / Rebel Nations
	v. 12c	Psalmist	Rebel Nations	The King's anger
	v. 12d	Psalmist	Rebel Nations?	כל חוסי בו

This feature is considered relevant for this psalm.,

Scene change

Shifts in speaker/addressee are accompanied by shifts in scene/location. The first section (vv. 1-3) presents a scene on earth (אֶרָץ), and the second section (vv. 4-6) presents a scene in heaven (בַּשָּׁמַיִם). The third section (vv. 7-9) is focused on the King in Zion (צִיּוֹן הַר קָדְשִׁי), the place where heaven and earth meet. The fourth section (vv. 10-12) represents a return to earth, where the kings of the earth (אֶרָץ) are addressed.

Particles[ ]

Negative markers

no negative markers in this psalm,

Independent personal pronouns

וַאֲנִי (v.6a)
אַתָּה (v.7c),

Prepositions

Word-Bound Prepositions

ב (v.4a, 5ab, 9a, 11ab, 12d)
- forms parallels in v.5ab and 11ab
כ (v.9b, 12c)
ל (v.4b)

Independent Prepositions

אֶל (v.5a, 7ab)
- forms parallel in v.7ab
מִן (v.3b, 8a)
עַל (v.2c[x2], 6b)
- The two lines with עַל (v.2c, 6b) may be connected. Not only do both lines begin with the preposition, but both lines represent the only instances of enjambment in the psalm. Furthermore, both lines are the same length (4 words).,

Waw/Vav

Coordinating words within a line

v.2c (coordinating prepositional phrases)
v.12b (coordinating clauses)

Coordinating lines within a unit
The parallel lines are most often connected to one another by ו at the start of the b-line (1b, 2b, 3b, 5b, 8c, 11b). Exceptions are 4ab, 7cd, and 9ab, which are connected asyndetically (ø).

v.1a --(waw + noun)--> 1b
v.2a --(waw + noun)--> 2b
v.3a --(waw + verb)--> 3b
v.5a --(waw + noun)--> 5b
v.8a --(waw + verb)--> 8b --(waw + noun)--> 8c
v.11a --(waw + verb)--> 11b

Coordinating units (bicola, tricola, etc.) within a section
The bicola are most often connected to one another asyndetically. The only a-lines to begin with ו are 6a (disjunctive waw) and 10a (w/עתה), both of which mark points of discontinuity.

v.6a (waw + pronoun [אֲנִי])

Coordinating sections

v.10a (waw + עַתָּה)

Parallel lines connected asyndetically
*Note the cluster of asyndetic lines in v.7. This has the effect of slowing down the psalm at this dramatic/climactic point.

4ab
7ab
7cd
9ab
10ab,

Other particles

v. 5a. “Then” (אָז) is used here as a stylistic device to introduce a stressed phrase. When things have reached a climactic stage, the point of judicial decision, at that point Yahweh makes his definitive regal pronouncement (v. 6).
v. 10a. “So now...” (וְעַתָּה) – a standard discourse opener begins stanza D. "The use of וְעַתָּה (‟and now therefore”) is meant to alert the reader that there is an informed inference or consequence here" (BDB, 254).^[18]
v. 12b. The particle פֶּן indicates a negative purpose/result relationship.,

Other

The following table depicts the distribution of conjunctions and other particles that connect clauses or lines.

Strophe A
1a
1b	ו
.
2a		ø
2bc	ו
.
3a		ø
3b	ו
.
Strophe B
4a		ø
4b		ø
.
5a			אז
5b	ו
.
6ab	ו
.
Strophe B'
7a		ø
7b		ø
7c		ø
7d		ø
.
8a		ø
8b	ו
8c	ו
.
9a		ø
9b		ø
.
Strophe A'
10a	ו			עתה
10b		ø
.
11a		ø
11b	ו
.
12a		ø
12b					פן
12c	ו
12d						כי
.
12e		ø

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...”^[19] 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.”^[20] 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.)

Context[ ]

Cultural background

The following is an excerpt from an article by Peter Gentry,^[21] concerning the cultural context of kingship in the ANE.
"The ANE and Canaanite cultural context is significant. In Egypt, from at least 1650 BC onwards, people perceived the king as the image of god because he was the son of god. The emphasis was not on physical appearance. For example, a male king could be the image of a female goddess. What is stressed is that the behavior of the king reflects the behavior of the god. The king as the image of god reflects the characteristics and essential notions of the god.^[22]
From Ugarit we have the story of King Kirtu, who is described as the son of El.^[23] His excellent health must indicate his divine origin.^[24]
The OT records an Aramean king of Damascus known as Ben-Hadad.^[25] By his name, he is the son of his god. The prosopography of the Amarna Correspondence and also at Ugarit show a number of people from various levels of society whose names are of the format 'son of Divine Name.'^[26] Thus we do not know if the name Ben-Hadad proves that he considered himself as the representative of Ba‘al to his people. It might depend upon whether the name was a birth name from his parents or a name taken upon accession to the throne.^[27]
The Canaanite and ANE culture shows that the notion of the king as a son of god was well established.^[28] The meaning may have differed in Egypt, Canaan, and Mesopotamia, but the common denominator is the idea that the king represents the character of the god in some way to the people.",

Reference/allusions

2 Samuel 7. ‎אֲנִי֙ אֶהְיֶה־לּ֣וֹ לְאָ֔ב וְה֖וּא יִהְיֶה־לִּ֣י לְבֵ֑ן,

Alluded to in NT

Anderson lists the following "direct quotations or specific allusions" of Psalm 2 in the NT:^[29]

Ps. 2:1-2 – Acts 4:25-26
Ps. 2:1, 5 – Rev. 11:18
Ps. 2:7 – Acts 13:33; Heb. 1:5; 5:5
Ps. 2:8-9 – Rev. 2:26-27; 12:5; 19:15

To these may be added the words of the Father spoken at Jesus' baptism (Matt. 3:17; Mk. 1:11; Lk. 3:22) and transfiguration (Matt. 17:5; Mk. 9:7; Lk. 9:35), all of which allude to Ps. 2:7.,

Other

Canonical Context
Along with Psalm 1, this provides the introduction to the entire Psalter. It particularly includes the additional theme of kingship.

Mathematical[ ]

Fokkelman's prosody and syllable counts

The following table is from Fokkelman's Major Poems of the Hebrew Bible Volume 2, Appendix I.^[30]

Strophe	Verse	Syllables per word	Syllables per line	Syllables per strophe
1	1	2.3.2 / 4.2.1	7 + 7 = 14	58
	2	4.2.1 / 4.3.1 / 1.2.2.3	7 + 8 + 8 = 23
	3	4.1.5 / 4.3.4	10 + 11 = 21
2	4	2.3.2 / 2! 2.2	7 + 6 = 13	47
	5	1.3.3.3 / 5.5	10 + 10 = 20
	6	3.3.2 / 1.2.1.2	8 + 6 = 14
3	7	4.1.1.2 / 2.2.2.2 / 2.2.4	8 + 8 + 8 = 24	63
	8	2.3 / 4.2.4 / 6.2.1	5 + 10 + 9 = 24
	9	3.2.2 / 2.2.4	7 + 8 = 15
4	10	3.3.3 / 4.3.1	9 + 8 = 17	56
	11,12aα	2.1.2.3 / 3.3.3.1	8 + 10 = 18
	12aβ,bcd	1.2.4.1 / 1.2.2.2 / 2.1.2.1	8 + 7 + 6 = 21

"28 cola with 224 syllables; average per colon 8.00"^[31]
"I replace the word אדני in v.4b by the amply attested tetragrammaton and arrive at a division that yields the perfect 8."^[32]
The inclusion of the divine name (יהוה) in 7a (along with the MT) instead of 7b "is supported by a good balance in words, 4 + 4 + 3, and an even better balance in syllables, 8 + 8 + 8 – the figure which is also the norm for the poem as a whole, and which is here realised at the moment of greatest intimacy, with a beautiful trio the total of which is repeated in v.8 (which is also the eight poetic line!)."^[33]
"The total number of syllables in 8ab is 15, an excessively high number which prevents us from accommodating these five words in one colon."^[34]
"The proportions at various levels underline the chiasm. First those of the strophes, measured in numbers of cola: strophes 1 + 4 = 7 + 7 cola = 14 // strophes 2 + 3 = 6 + 8 cola = 14. The inside pair contains 110 syllables, the outside pair 114 syllables, and the figures for A + A' are practically equal (58 and 56)."^[35]
"Strikingly, Ps.97 shows the same proportions, at five levels:
- Ps. 2: 4 strophes, 12 verses, 28 cola, 96 words, 224 syllables
- Ps. 97: 4 strophes, 12 verses, 28 cola, 96 words, 224 syllables"^[36],

Alternative prosody and syllable counts

Fokkelman counts 28 cola in Psalm 2, which gives the perfect 8.00 when dividing 224 (syllables). However, the delineation below below divides the text into 30 cola. If this is accepted, then the number of cola over syllables in psalm 2 is not a perfect integer. If, however, the number of syllables in psalm 2 are added to those of psalm 1 (224 + 144 = 368) and the total is divided by the total number of lines (16 + 30 = 46), then the result is the perfect integer 8.00.,

Cola distribution

Monocola

v.12d

Bicola

v.1ab
v.3ab
v.4ab
v.5ab
v.6ab
v.7ab ?
v.7cd ?
v.9ab
v.10ab
v.11ab

Tricola

v.2abc
v.8abc
v.12abc ?

Tetracola

v.7abcd ?
v.12abcd ?,

Classifying parallelisms

vv. 1-2. In v. 1, the a-line verb is qatal while the b-line verb is yiqtol, and in v. 2 the order is reversed: the a-line verb is yiqtol and the b-line verb is qatal. Thus, with respect to verb morphology, these two verses form a chiasm: A (רָגְשׁוּ – qatal), B (יֶהְגּוּ – yiqtol) // B’ (יִתְיַצְּבוּ – yiqtol), A’ (נֽוֹסְדוּ – qatal). The chiastic parallel structures in these first verses develop key “thoughts” in an aesthetically pleasing manner.

v. 1. Bicolon. Lines 1ab are parallel syntactically (Q – V – S // S – V – O), morphologically (רָגְשׁוּ [QPf3mp] // יֶהְגּוּ [QImpf3mp]; גוֹיִם [mpl]// לְאֻמִּים [mpl]), and semantically (גוֹיִם ≈ לְאֻמִּים; רָגְשׁוּ ≈ יֶהְגּוּ־רִיק), and together form a chiasm (a b // b’ a). The initial interrogative word לָמָּה is implicit in line B.

^cגוֹיִ֑ם	^bרָגְשׁ֣וּ	^aלָ֭מָּה
^b'יֶהְגּוּ־רִֽיק	^c'וּ֜לְאֻמִּ֗ים	^a'⟨⟩

v. 2. Tricolon (A/A'/B). Lines 2ab are parallel syntactically (V – S // S – V – M), morphologically (יִ֥תְיַצְּבוּ [DtImpf3mp] // נֽוֹסְדוּ [NPf3mp]; מְלָכִים [mpl]// רוֹזְנִים [mpl]), and semantically (יִתְיַצְּבוּ ≈ נֽוֹסְדוּ־יָחַד; מַלְכֵי־אֶרֶץ ≈ רוֹזְנִים), also forming a chiastic construction (ab // b’a’) that highlights the adversarial actions in this verse.

^bמַלְכֵי־אֶ֗רֶץ	^aיִ֥תְיַצְּב֙וּ׀
^a'נֽוֹסְדוּ־יָ֑חַד	^b'וְרוֹזְנִ֥ים

v. 2c The two parallel noun phrases at the end of this verse (יהוה, משׁיח) are critical to the Psalm. "The extra cola in v. 2 in the first strophe should be retained and read as a foundation for the theological development in this psalm. In the first strophe, vv. 1-3 each has two cola except v. 2 (cf. vv. 7, 8, 12). The extra cola in v. 2, על יהוה ועל משיחו is not in sync with the rest and hence is suggested to be a gloss, which by implication should be deleted. Yet this extra cola is the key that unlocks the rest of Psalm 2. It sets the stage for the text portraying these two characters, Yahweh and the messiah, interactively with each other and with the kings and the nations."^[37]

‎עַל־יְ֜הוָה וְעַל־מְשִׁיחֽוֹ׃

v. 3. Bicolon. Syntax: (V – O // V – M – O); Morphology: (נְנַתְּקָה [DCoh1cp] // נַשְׁלִיכָה [HCoh1cp]; מוֹסְרוֹתֵימוֹ [mpl + מוsfx] // עֲבֹתֵימוֹ [mpl + מוsfx]); Lexical Semantics: (נְנַתְּקָה ≈ נַשְׁלִיכָה; מוֹסְרוֹתֵימוֹ ≈ עֲבֹתֵימוֹ). These lines are parallel though not chiastic.

^bאֶת־מֽוֹסְרוֹתֵ֑ימוֹ	^aנְֽ֭נַתְּקָה
^b'עֲבֹתֵֽימוֹ	^a'וְנַשְׁלִ֖יכָה מִמֶּ֣נּוּ

v.4. Bicolon. Like verse 3, verse 4 consists of two parallel lines which are not chiastic. The parallelism is semantic (paradigmatic), lexical, syntactic, and morphological.

^bיִשְׂחָ֑ק	^aיוֹשֵׁ֣ב בַּשָּׁמַ֣יִם
^b'יִלְעַג־לָֽמוֹ׃	^a'אֲ֜דֹנָ֗י

v. 5. Bicolon. Verse 5 features another chiastic construction that syntactically puts the protagonists in angry, antithetical opposition: V-PP / PP- V.

^bבְאַפּ֑וֹ	^aיְדַבֵּ֣ר אֵלֵ֣ימוֹ	אָ֤ז
^a'יְבַהֲלֵֽמוֹ׃	^b'וּֽבַחֲרוֹנ֥וֹ

v. 6. Bicolon. The two poetic lines of v. 6 are syntactically dependent; together they form a single (7 word) clause. The prepositional phrase in the second half corresponds to the prepositional phrase in v. 2c: both begin with על (the only two occurrences of this preposition in the psalm) and both consist of four words.

‎מַלְכִּ֑י	נָסַ֣כְתִּי	וַ֭אֲנִי
‎עַל־צִ֜יּ֗וֹן הַר־קָדְשִֽׁי׃

v. 7. Tetracolon/two bicola. Verse 7 has two parallel statements: "You are my Son // I am your Father." The correspondences among the various constituents form a chiasm (see the colored text below). One may perhaps identify another set of parallelisms in 7ab (‎אֲסַפְּרָ֗ה אֶֽ֫ל חֹ֥ק יְֽהוָ֗ה // אָמַ֨ר אֵלַ֥י). Each of these lines has two constituents, both of which find parallels in the corresponding line: verbs indicating speech (אֲסַפְּרָ֗ה // אָמַ֨ר) and indirect objects marked by the same preposition (אֶֽ֫ל חֹ֥ק יְֽהוָ֗ה // אֵלַ֥י).

^bאֶֽ֫ל חֹ֥ק יְֽהוָ֗ה	^aאֲסַפְּרָ֗ה
^b'אֵלַ֥י	^a'אָמַ֨ר
^d'אַ֑תָּה	^cבְּנִ֥י
^c'יְלִדְתִּֽיךָ׃	הַיּ֥וֹם ^d'אֲ֜נִ֗י

v. 8. Tricolon (A/B/B'). The use of a tricolon at the center of Yahweh's 7-line decree may function to mark a climax.^[38]

Lines 8bc, related to 8a syntagmatically (action/result) are parallel syntactically (V O OC // OC O [gapped V]), morphologically (נַחֲלָתֶךָ [fs noun / 2ms suffix] // אֲחֻזָּתְךָ [fs noun / 2ms suffix]), and semantically (נַחֲלָה ≈ אֲחֻזָּה) and form a chiasm (a b // b’ a’). There is gapping of the verb in 8c. Colon 8c is semantically heightened and a chiastic reversal of nominal expressions from 8b underscores the LORD’s promise.

			שְׁאַ֤ל מִמֶּ֗נִּי
^cנַחֲלָתֶ֑ךָ	^bג֭וֹיִם	^aוְאֶתְּנָ֣ה
^b'אַפְסֵי־אָֽרֶץ׃	^c'וַ֜אֲחֻזָּתְךָ֗	^a'⟨⟩

v. 9. Bicolon. Lines 9ab are parallel syntactically (V+o M // M V+o), morphologically (תְּרֹעֵם/תִּרְעֵם [D/QImpf2ms / 3mp suf] // תְּנַפְּצֵם [DImpf2ms / 3mp suf]), and semantically (תְּרֹעֵם ≈ תְּנַפְּצֵם). The couplet forms a chiasm (a b // b’ a’).

^bבְּשֵׁ֣בֶט בַּרְזֶ֑ל	^aתְּ֭רֹעֵם
^a'תְּנַפְּצֵֽם׃	^b'כִּכְלִ֖י יוֹצֵ֣ר

v. 10. Bicolon. Lines 10ab are parallel syntactically (S[voc] V // V S[voc]), morphologically (מְלָכִים [voc.n.mp] // שֹׁפְטִים [voc.n.mp]; הַשְׂכִּילוּ [H.Impv.2.m.pl.] // הִוָּסְרוּ [N.Impv.2.m.pl.]), and semantically (מְלָכִים ≈ שֹׁפְטֵי אָרֶץ; הַשְׂכִּילוּ ≈ הִוָּסְרוּ) and together form a chiasm (Voc. + Impv. // Impv. + Voc), thus observing the poet’s preference for chiastic arrangements.

^bהַשְׂכִּ֑ילוּ	^aמְלָכִ֣ים	וְ֭עַתָּה
^a'שֹׁ֣פְטֵי אָֽרֶץ׃	^b'הִ֜וָּסְר֗וּ

v. 11. Bicolon. Lines 11ab are parallel syntactically (V O M // V M), morphologically (עִבְדוּ [Q.Impv.m.pl] // גִילוּ [Q.Impv.m.pl]; בְּיִרְאָה [prep. בְּ + n.f.s.] // בִּרְעָדָה [prep. בְּ + n.f.s.]), and semantically (בְּיִרְאָה ≈ בִּרְעָדָה).

^bבְּיִרְאָ֑ה	אֶת־יְהוָ֣ה	^aעִבְד֣וּ
^b'בִּרְעָדָֽה׃		^a'וְ֜גִ֗ילוּ

v. 12abc' Tricolon? The lineation of this verse is difficult since there is no clear parallelism. The text below has thus been delineated syntactically.

נַשְּׁקוּ־בַ֡ר

פֶּן־יֶאֱנַ֤ף׀ וְתֹ֬אבְדוּ דֶ֗רֶךְ

כִּֽי־יִבְעַ֣ר כִּמְעַ֣ט אַפּ֑וֹ

v. 12e Monocolon. According to Watson, a monocolon may function structurally to "close a stanza or poem."^[39]

‎‎אַ֜שְׁרֵ֗י כָּל־ח֥וֹסֵי בֽוֹ׃

,

Selah

The LXX has διάψαλμα (סלה) at the end of v. 2.,

Quotations / direct speech

Psalm 2 uses “direct discourse” to delineate the global structure.

Each stanza ends in a significant quotation (direct speech)—except for the last, where the silence of acquiescence is presupposed (the worldly kings have nothing more to say). See the table below.
The inner quotation of v. 3 brings stanza A to a close on an ironic note of defiance; it is incongruous for created beings to issue such self-commands (cohortatives) to their Creator!
The direct quotation of v. 6 both parallels and also dramatically responds to that of the enemies in v. 3. As in the case of stanza A, this quotation, now by Yahweh, brings stanza B to a close (parallel end closures, or structural epiphora). Fokkelman also notes that "verses 3 and 6 are both embedded speech that has not been marked by an inquit. The characters speaking here (the rulers of the earth versus God) do so in the first person (plural versus singular). In this way, the poetic lines form a parallelism at strophe level. Strophe 3 becomes even more explicit, as it announces in 7a + 7bα that God is quoted here."^[40]
The speaker shifts from Yahweh in v. 6 to his chosen king in v. 7, thus also underscoring the support for a stanza break at this point. So Fokkelman writes, "The first person of the speaker in v.7a, who is expressly not the 'I' in v.6, marks the beginning of a strophe."^[41]
The quotation of the LORD’s “decree” concludes the stanza (C) once more with embedded direct discourse (as in stanzas A and B). "God even speaks in seven clauses (here = cola) so that this strophe, after six introductory words, may be termed a complete divine oracle."^[42],

Elision

vv.1-2. The interrogative לָמָּה is implied in v.1b and possibly also in v.2ab.
v.8bc. Verb gapping: אֶתְּנָה elided in b-line.,

Chiasms

The following sets of parallel lines are chiastic (the inclusion of v.7cd is questionable).

v.1ab
v.2ab
v.5ab
v.7cd
8bc
9ab
10ab

See the above micro-structural analysis for details.,

Word order

v. 4a. יוֹשֵׁב בַּשָׁמַיִם is fronted to focus on the shift to a new topic/agent.
v. 4b. the subject/agent (אֲדֹנַי) is fronted for emphasis–It is the almighty ‘Lord’ (אֲדֹנַי—a form used only in reference to God) who mocks them!
v. 6a. The first person pronoun with preposed waw (וַאֲנִי) appears before the first person verbal form for emphasis (constituent focus), reflected in NET’s translation by “I myself”—which is reinforced also by the subsequent י alliteration.
v. 7ab. The divine name (יְהוָה) may be either the free member of the bound phrase חֹק יְהוָה or the preverbal subject of a new clause (יְהוָה אָמַר אֵלִי). According to the latter option, the subject, יְהוָה, is fronted as in v. 4ab.
v. 7c. The fronted subject complement (בְּנִי) is an instance of constituent focus.
v. 7d. The fronted temporal reference—“today!” (הַיּוֹם)—is an instance of constituent focus: “The emphasis on today also occurs in other types of covenant renewal ceremony; see Deut 26:17 and 30:19.”^[43] The fronted personal pronoun (אֲנִי), an instance of [renewed] topic focus, corresponds to “my son” (בְּנִי) in the preceding line—also phonologically.,

Lunn on Word order

The following table has been adapted from Nicholas Lunn's Word-Order Variation in Biblical Hebrew Poetry, Appendix 2.^[44] For a key to the various symbols and abbreviations, click here.

Ref.	Text	Constituent Order	Colon-Type
1	לָמָּה רָגְשׁוּ גוֹיִם // וּלְאֻמִּים יֶהְגּוּ־רִיק	Q V S // w-S V-O	CAN//DEF
2	יִ֥תְיַצְּבוּ מַלְכֵי־אֶרֶץ // וְרוֹזְנִים נֽוֹסְדוּ־יָחַד / עַל־יְהוָה וְעַל־מְשִׁיחוֹ	V S // w-S V-M / M w-M	CAN//DEF/Nom
3	נְנַתְּקָה אֶת־מוֹסְרוֹתֵימוֹ // וְנַשְׁלִיכָה מִמֶּנּוּ עֲבֹתֵימוֹ	V O // w-V M O	CAN//CAN
4	יוֹשֵׁב בַּשָּׁמַיִם יִשְׂחָק // אֲדֹנָי יִלְעַג־לָמוֹ	S V // S V M	MKD//MKD
5	אָז יְדַבֵּר אֵלֵימוֹ בְאַפּוֹ // וּֽבַחֲרוֹנוֹ יְבַהֲלֵמוֹ	C V M M // w-M V-o	CAN//DEF
6	וַאֲנִי נָסַכְתִּי מַלְכִּי / עַל־צִיּוֹן הַר־קָדְשִׁי	w-S^pn V O / M	MKD/Nom
7ab	אֲסַפְּרָה אֶל חֹק / יְהוָה אָמַר אֵלַי	V M / S V M	CAN/MKD
7cd	בְּנִי אַתָּה // אֲנִי הַיּוֹם יְלִדְתּֽיךָ	Comp S^pn // S^pn M V-o	Nom//MKD
8	שְׁאַל מִמֶּנִּי וְאֶתְּנָה גוֹיִם נַחֲלָתֶךָ // וַאֲחֻזָּתְךָ אַפְסֵי־אָֽרֶץ	V M w-V O O // w-O O	CAN²//Gap
9	תְּרֹעֵם בְּשֵׁבֶט בַּרְזֶל // כִּכְלִי יוֹצֵר תְּנַפְּצֵם	V-o M // M V-o /	CAN//DEF
10	וְעַתָּה מְלָכִים הַשְׂכִּילוּ // הִזָּסְרוּ שֹׁפְטֵי אָרֶץ	w-M [Voc] V // V [Voc]	CAN//CAN
11	עִבְדוּ אֶת־יְהוָה בְּיִרְאָה // וְגִילוּ בִּרְעָדָה	V O M / w-V M CAN/CAN
12a-c	נַשְּׁקוּ־בַר / פֶּן־יֶאֱנַף / וְתֹאבְדוּ דֶרֶךְ	V-O / C-V / w-V M	CAN/CAN/CAN
12de	כִּֽי־יִבְעַר כִּמְעַט אַפּוֹ / אַשְׁרֵי כָּל־חוֹסֵי בוֹ	C-V M S / Comp S	CAN/Nom

,

Middle word (maqqef)

Total words: 77
Middle (39th) word: בְּנִי

This is indeed one of the most thematically important words/lines in the psalm.,

Middle word (independent lexemes)

Total words: 91
Middle (46th) word: אָמַר,

Middle line

v.7bc

יְֽהוָ֗ה אָמַ֨ר אֵלַ֥י
בְּנִ֥י אַ֑תָּה

Variants[ ]

Kinds of variants

v. 2. The LXX reads διάψαλμα (סלה) at the end of v. 2.
v. 9a. The LXX reads “you will shepherd them” (ποιμανεῖς). This reading, quoted in the Greek text of the NT in Rev. 2:27, 12:5, and 19:15, assumes a different vocalization of the consonantal Hebrew text (תִּרְעֵם) and understands the verb as רָעָה (“to shepherd”) rather than רָעַע (“to break”). But the presence of נָפַץ (“to smash”) in the next line strongly favors the MT vocalization. Goldingay proposes a deliberate rhetorical ambiguity here, namely, that this line “lays alternative possibilities before the nations—either firm shepherding or devastating destruction.”^[45]
vv. 11-12^[46] וְגִילוּ בִרְעָדָה: נַשְּׁקוּ בַר {B} MT, α', σ', Hier, Gal, Hebr, S, T, // facil-styl: G, s
- Traditionally, “kiss the son” (KJV)—“the crux interpretum of Ps 2.”^[47] But בַּר is the Aramaic word for “son,” not the Hebrew (cf. Prov. 31:2). For this reason many regard the reading as suspect. Some propose emendations of vv. 11-12. One of the more popular proposals is to read בִּרְעָדָה נַשְּקוּ לְרַגְלָיו (“in trembling kiss his feet”). It makes better sense to understand בַּר as an adjective meaning “pure” (see Pss. 24:4, 73:1 and BDB 141 s.v. 3 בַר) functioning here in an adverbial sense. If read this way, then the syntactical structure of exhortation (imperative followed by adverbial modifier) corresponds to the two preceding lines (see v. 11). The verb נשׂק (“kiss”) refers metonymically to showing homage (see 1 Sam. 10:1; Hos. 13:2). The exhortation in v. 12 advocates a genuine expression of allegiance and warns against insincerity. When swearing allegiance, vassal kings would sometimes do so insincerely, with the intent of rebelling when the time was right. The so-called “Vassal Treaties of Esarhaddon” also warn against such an attitude. In this treaty the vassal is told: “If you, as you stand on the soil where this oath [is sworn], swear the oath with your words and lips [only], do not swear with your entire heart, do not transmit it to your sons who will live after this treaty, if you take this curse upon yourselves but do not plan to keep the treaty of Esarhaddon ...may your sons and grandsons because of this fear in the future.”^[48]^[49]
  - However, the proposal that בַּר should be read as ‘pure’ is not entirely satisfying. The verb נשׁק (‘to kiss’) is normally followed by ל to indicate the person kissed. The person kissed is rarely indicated without ל as a complement of the verb: 1 Sam 20:41, Hos 13:2, Prov 24:26. The person kissed may also be a pronominal suffix: 1 Sam 10:1, Cant 1:2, 8:1 and Gen 33:4. In Psalm 2:11, עבד has a direct object. The adverbial modifiers are clearly marked as such by prepositions. So, the parallel suggested is weak. Note that occurrences of נשׁק without ל are found in poetry and this is the case of Psalm 2.,

Likely solutions

v.12 Why is reading בַּר as ‘son’ problematic? The main reason is that Aramaic was not a lingua franca until the Chaldean Kings of Babylon beginning around 600 B.C. Yet there are many Aramaic words in Classical Hebrew.^[50] An important example is Psalm 139 with more than half a dozen clear Aramaisms and this Psalm also is attributed to David in the superscription. There is also the same kind of admixture of Phoenician / Hebrew and Aramaic in the inscriptions of Panammu and Zenjirli from the Eighth Century BCE. Consideration of 2 Samuel 23 shows one might expect considerable dialectical variation among the heroes of David’s Army. The reading in the LXX, δράξασθε παιδείας is obviously based upon reading the word בַּר as ‘son’. Admittedly translators of the LXX were influenced by Late Hebrew and Aramaic, but it may also represent an interpretive tradition. Finally, it makes excellent sense to construe בַּר as ‘son’ since foreign kings are being addressed by the psalmist.

The phonological analysis above, which noted the alliteration of בר in vv.11-12, might also explain why the author used בַּר instead of בֵּן in v.12a.

Summary[ ]

Line divisions

‎1a לָמָּה רָגְשׁוּ גוֹיִם

1b וּלְאֻמִּים יֶהְגּוּ־רִיק

2a יִ֥תְיַצְּבוּ מַלְכֵי־אֶרֶץ

2b וְרוֹזְנִים נֽוֹסְדוּ־יָחַד

2c עַל־יְהוָה וְעַל־מְשִׁיחוֹ

3a נְנַתְּקָה אֶת־מוֹסְרוֹתֵימוֹ

3b וְנַשְׁלִיכָה מִמֶּנּוּ עֲבֹתֵימוֹ

4a יוֹשֵׁב בַּשָּׁמַיִם יִשְׂחָק

4b אֲדֹנָי יִלְעַג־לָמוֹ

5a אָז יְדַבֵּר אֵלֵימוֹ בְאַפּוֹ

5b וּֽבַחֲרוֹנוֹ יְבַהֲלֵמוֹ

6a וַאֲנִי נָסַכְתִּי מַלְכִּי

6b עַל־צִיּוֹן הַר־קָדְשִׁי

7a אֲסַפְּרָה אֶל חֹק

7b יְהוָה אָמַר אֵלַי

7c בְּנִי אַתָּה

7d אֲנִי הַיּוֹם יְלִדְתּֽיךָ

8a שְׁאַל מִמֶּנִּי

8b וְאֶתְּנָה גוֹיִם נַחֲלָתֶךָ

8c וַאֲחֻזָּתְךָ אַפְסֵי־אָֽרֶץ

9a תְּרֹעֵם בְּשֵׁבֶט בַּרְזֶל

9b כִּכְלִי יוֹצֵר תְּנַפְּצֵם

10a וְעַתָּה מְלָכִים הַשְׂכִּילוּ

10b הִזָּסְרוּ שֹׁפְטֵי אָרֶץ

11a עִבְדוּ אֶת־יְהוָה בְּיִרְאָה

11b וְגִילוּ בִּרְעָדָה

12a נַשְּׁקוּ־בַר

12b פֶּן־יֶאֱנַף וְתֹאבְדוּ דֶרֶךְ

12c כִּֽי־יִבְעַר כִּמְעַט אַפּוֹ

12d אַשְׁרֵי כָּל־חוֹסֵי בוֹ

The division of lines in v.7 and v.12 is difficult to determine.

v.7. There are at least two uncertainties in v.7. In the first place, does the divine name conclude the first line (as the free member of the bound phrase חֹק יְהוָה) or begin the second line as fronted subject (יְהוָה אָמַר)? The latter option presents a better parallel in terms of length: each line has three words and six syllables. It also reproduces the pattern of Ps. 2 where an agent in focus (here, ְֽיהָ֗וה) is fronted (cf. v. 4). The second uncertainty concerns whether the following verbless clause (בְּנִי אַתָּה) constitute its own line or is it to be included with the introductory words (אָמַר אֵלַי) (so Fokkelman^[51]). The lineation above has been adopted on the basis of the parallelism: אֲסַפְּרָה אֶל חֹק // יְהוָה אָמַר אֵלַי (note parallel prepositional phrases); בְּנִי אַתָּה // אֲנִי הַיּוֹם יְלִדְתּֽיךָ (note semantic parallelism as well as possible chiasm).
v.12. This verse contains 5 clauses. Does each clause constitute its own line or do פֶּן־יֶאֱנַף and וְתֹאבְדוּ דֶרֶךְ constitute a single line? It seems likely that these two clauses form a single line for the following reasons: both are governed by the one particle פֶּן; they are coordinated by waw; פֶּן־יֶאֱנַף, with only three (pre-masoretic) syllables and one accented syllable, is too short to stand on its own.,

Section divisions

The text consists of four stanzas, each of which is comprised of three verses, which are longer in lexical length in the second half: A (22 words), B (19), C (25), D (26).

Stanza A (vv.1-3)

Stanza B (vv.4-6)

Stanza C (vv.7-9)

Stanza D (vv.10-12)

Jacobson also proposes that the "poem consists of four stanzas, which have an A-B-B-A structure:"^[52]

St. 1 The “kings of the earth” rebel

St. 2 The divine king enthroned in heaven

St. 3 The Davidic king enthroned on Zion

St. 4 The “kings” are warned

This segmentation is based on the fact that "each of the first three stanzas ends with a quotation, each focuses on a different character or characters, and each implies a different location."^[53]

Fokkelman also segments the Psalm into four parts (what he calls Strophes instead of Stanzas), "whose contents or semantic coherence shows the AB-B'A' pattern:"^[54]

strophe 1: pretensions of people and kings (vv. 1-3)

strophe 2: God rebukes, points to Zion and his king (vv. 4-6)

strophe 3: God speaks, his king will be victorious (vv. 7-9)

strophe 4: speaker demands homage to God from kings (vv. 10-12)

Goldingay also divides the text into four sections, noting that they "work abbʹaʹ":^[55]

vv. 1– 3 The nations’ plans

vv. 4– 6 The Lord’s response to them

vv. 7– 9 The king’s own response

vv. 10– 12 the implications for the nations.,

Communicative function

The flow of principal “speech-acts” and associated “attitudes” in the psalm is as follows:

A – rulers arrogantly RENOUNCE God/divine King;

B – God angrily REPROACHES rulers;

C – Yahweh reassuringly ORDAINS Son,

D – The Son/righteous psalmist sternly REPRIMANDS rulers.

The divine pronouncement “My son [are] you!” is clearly performative speech—the very saying accomplishes its reference.,

Cohesion

All the antagonists engaged in this cosmic drama are introduced in vv. 1-2 and remain “on stage” throughout the semi-narrative progressions that gives the text thematic cohesion (frequently underscored by chiastic syntactic constructions) as well as performative impact and poetic appeal.,

Discontinuity & boundaries

Boundaries are marked by shifts in speaker, addressee, subject, and scene. Direct speech concludes each of the first three strophes.,

Prominence

Craigie feels that the first “climax” of the psalm occurs in v. 6: “God terrifies the earthly rulers, not with any direct threat, but simply with the announcement that he has established his king in Zion”^[56]—no ordinary monarch, but one who has all the authority and power of the sole Deity, Yahweh, behind him. Craigie does not explicitly indicate where another “climax” occurs, but that must surely be in the very next verse (7), where the divine performative act is uttered: ‎בְּנִ֥י אַ֑תָּה אֲ֜נִ֗י הַיּ֥וֹם יְלִדְתִּֽיךָ. Thus, the psalm’s emotive (6) and thematic (7) high points coincide in the center of the text, whereas the implications of this momentous divine decree is situated on the borders of the text: all impudent insurrectionists (stanza A) will be mercifully given a chance to fall into line and accept the new King’s rule (and receive a blessing, v. 12c); failing that, they must face the dire consequences of God’s righteous decrees (stanza D).

Verse 7c may be the most linguistically marked line in the psalm (verbless clause + independent pronoun + evocative language [2 Sam. 7] + figurative language [metaphor] + performative speech). This short line (4 syllables), which stands at the center of the psalm (בְּנִי is the middle word) and at the head of Yahweh's 7-line decree, makes a claim (grounded in the Davidic covenant) that is foundational to the rest of the psalm.,

Main message

Two primary motives emerge, each of which is lexically supported and conceptually integrated throughout the text: human/divine SPEECH rejects // promotes KINGSHIP.^[57].

Yahweh’s heavenly kingship (section 2) is realized on earth in the reign of his king (sections 2–3) to the exclusion of all other earthly kingdoms (sections 1 and 4).,

Large-scale structures

The four parts of the Psalm are arranged chiastically. The two outer stanzas focus on earthly kings, while the inner pair focus on YHWH and his divinely anointed (Davidic) king. This thematic-pragmatic arrangement may be displayed as follows:

A (1-3) – worldly rulers verbally rebel against the LORD and “his anointed one”

B (4-6) – God silences all enemies by introducing “my king”

C (7-9) – Yahweh officially installs and commissions “my Son”

D (10-12) – worldly rulers are warned to submit to the LORD and “the Son”,

Translation

A literary (artistic-rhetorical) translation is required in order to match the verbal excellence of the original text. As Craigie correctly observes: “Through a variety of artistic devices, the poet has created a psalm of power and elegance, worthy of the drama of its theme.”^[58] Timothy Wilt (see below, from his collection, Praise, Prayer and Protest, 3)^[59] renders Psalm 2 along the lines of a poetic narrative, as suggested by Goldingay:^[60]

Warlords and petty kings ally themselves and rouse their rabble.

“We’ll be no one’s slaves. Let’s break away” they say, rebels

Against Yahweh and the one he has chosen to rule over all.

Yahweh watches from heaven. He laughs at their delusions,

for a moment, then speaks, from the holy mountain Zion: “I

have enthroned and empowered the one to rule on my behalf.”

They freeze, terrified by his anger.

Then our kind speaks: “Yahweh has said to me: ‘Today, I

Give birth to you. You are my son. Over any nation you ask

from me, wherever it may be, I give you full rights. If you wish,

take an iron club and smash the clay men.

“So swear allegiance to me, Yahweh’s chosen

representative. And serve Yahweh as subjects a breath away

from death, as ones whose slightest offense will rouse his

annihilating anger.”

How wonderful it is

for those who come to Yahweh for protection!

—For the Royalty

The second example of Psalm 2 is a “metrical version” in English composed by Fred R. Anderson.^[61] He defines this as “a poetic paraphrase of a biblical text, set in contemporary, vernacular language, versified in strict meter, and usually rhymed, so that it can be sung to a well-known tune of the same metrical setting. Metrical settings are characterized and named by the number of syllables in each line and the number of lines in each stanza (there are no limits to stanzas, but three to five are quite normal).”^[62] The meter for Psalm 2 is given as: 7.7.7.7 D – Aberystwyth, Hintze.^[63]

Why are the nations gumbling,

And conspiring plots in vain?

Rulers of the world rise up,

Weaving webs of death and pain.

Then against the Lord they cry,

And against God’s Holy Son,

“Let us tear their bonds from us,

And with their control be done.”

But the Lord has scorn on them,

Laughing and enthroned on high;

God brings wrath upon their work,

Filled with anger God replies:

“It is my own holy will

That the Christ on earth shall reign,

And on Zion’s holy hill

My anointed I’ll maintain.”

God’s decree unto the King

Tells what the Lord did say:

“You are my own holy child,

I’ve begotten you this day.

Ask of me and I will make

All the nations your own stay.

These possessions you shall rule,

Strong as iron smashing clay.”

Therefore leaders of the earth,

Serve the Lord with holy fear;

Trembling come before the throne,

Or God’s anger will appear.

Kiss God’s feet in trembling awe,

Or the Lord will use the rod,

Making beggars of all kings.

Blest are those who trust in God.

The third and final example of a poetic translation comes from the restructuring of Psalm 2 prepared by William A. Smalley, with special emphasis upon the “expressive function” of language, that is, in an effort to recreate in English “the mood and emotional thrust of the Psalm.”^[64]

The subject peoples are planning rebellion...

Their people are plotting...

Their kings and rulers join in revolt...

“Freedom!” they say,

“Freedom from rule!”

“off with control

of the Lord

and the king he has chosen.”

Plotting

Useless plots.

Why?

The Lord laughs on his throne.

Mocks them in heaven.

Furious, he terrifies them,

Speaks to them, angry,

"I have installed the king,

Placed him on Zion,

My holy hill.”

And the king announces

what the Lord has declared to him:

“You are my son.

Today I became your father.

Ask me for the nations,

and I’ll give you them.

Ask for the earth,

and the whole world will be yours

to rule.

Break the nations in pieces

Like a clay pot smashes.

Rule them with a harsh king’s rule.”

So listen closely, rebel kings.

Watch out, you plotting rulers.

Tremble!

Bow down!

Serve him with fear

or you will die!

But people are happy

who go to the Lord

for protection.

Smalley concludes with several caveats regarding poetic translation.^[65]

The better the poem, of course, the more subtle and powerful is its text structure ..., the tightly-knit interplay of many elements on many levels of deep and surface structure. This cannot be preserved as such in translation, but elements of deep structure which the translator keeps must be formed into a new intricate text structure in the receptor language.
A dynamic equivalent translation must evoke [the original functions], and although the information content should be fully preserved in translation, it should be integrated with the expressive function, which is primary. As with all translation, this can only be done in English by changing the poetic form, and translating the meaning in terms of another surface structure than that of the original.
To the degree that there is a poem in the original there should be a poem of nearly equivalent value in the receptor language if the other functions involved are also suitable to verse form in the receptor language.
Translation is not an interlingual Xerox process which produces the same work of art in another language. Every piece of literary art, whether a poem or a piece of literary prose, is in some respects unique. It is a unique combination of deep and surface structure elements, and has a gestalt all its own. ... If the restructuring is done by an artist equivalent to the original artists, presumably he [she] can produce an equivalent piece of literary art with a different surface structure, but with the same content and function.

Poetic Translation by Brad Willits

The kings of the earth gather together,

and stand against Yahweh and his Chosen King.

They declare, “We will not serve him, we will rebel.”(1)

Why do the nations conspire against Him?

What do the people plot their rebellion?

Such action is futile! (2)

King God in heaven laughs at them.

He mocks them.

He rebukes them in anger.

His wrath terrifies them. (3)

He declares, “I have chosen the King

On my holy hill of Zion.”

This is how God proclaimed me to be King. (4)

He said to me:

Today you become my Son.

Today I become your Father.

Ask me and I will give you the nations.

Ask me and I will give you the earth.

You will rule them with a fist of iron.

You will break them like a clay pot. (5)

Kings and rulers, think about your decision to rebel. (6)

You have been warned. (7)

Serve Yahweh with fear.

Be happy that you can. (8)

Show him true honor and affection (9)

Lest you be destroyed in your rebellion

Since he can easily wipe you out in his wrath.

Blessed are those who allow Him to protect themselves.

Notes about the Translation with Principles for Translators:

the metaphor of “breaking chains and fetters” has been changed to a non symbolic statement to avoid the negative connotation of God chaining up people.
Significant reordering has been done in this first stanza.
Repetition of structure has been used to underline the intensity.
The theme of the “declaration” connects to the previous verse, and the translation specifies that the direct quotation is the “manner” in which God made his declaration.
Three parallel couplets using grammatical structure and semantic content highlight the poetical nature of the passage.
The reference to “wisdom” has been changed because of its positive and noble connotation.
An idiomatic phrase has been used in this line.
This line tries to make sense out of the phrase “rejoice with trembling.”
The significance of the “kiss” has been portrayed instead of the cultural manner in which it was originally expressed.,

Outline or visual representation

Wendland's Expository outline^[66]:

I. The psalmist describes the attack: (1-2)

A. The heathen rage. But don’t fear because...

Ps 9:15 The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made: in the net which they hid is their own foot taken.

Ps 33:10: The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect.

B. The people have vain imaginations. “The people” indicate this was a popular, grassroots attack. Vain means “empty”.

2 Cor 10:5: Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

C. The kings and rulers take counsel and set themselves against their target.

1. It is a deliberate plan. “Set” means they take up a deliberate position.

2. Their target is the Lord (YHWH) and His Anointed (Jesus, the Messiah); God’s plans, people, and purposes.

3. The kings are political rulers.

4. The rulers are religious rulers.

II. Their announcements: (3)

A. Let us break their bands asunder.

B. Let us cast away their cords from us.

1. They want to rid themselves of all restraint.

Someday, the Holy Spirit who restrains will be taken out of the way and then the Antichrist will be revealed: 2 Th 2:7-10: For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

2. What are some of the bands they want to cast away?

a. The bands of marriage.

b. The bands of God’s Word.

c. The bands of the laws of God and the land.

III. The Almighty: (4-9)

A. His response:

1. He laughs (mocks) them.

Ps 59:8: But thou, O Lord, shalt laugh at them...

Little men who defy God aren’t around long: For example, Mussolini, Stalin, Hitler, etc.

2. He will have them in derision.

Ps 59:8: But thou, O Lord...shalt have all the heathen in derision.

3. He troubles and terrifies them.

B. His rebuke:

1. He has already anointed, installed, and placed His King on His holy hill.

a. While they are proposing, God is disposing: He has already disposed of the matter. His King, Jesus Christ, is enthroned. As the book of Revelation reveals, their rebellion is futile.

C. His rule: (7-9)

1. He anoints and sets the anointed one in His place.

2. He is the one who anoints us also and gives to us, as heirs of Christ:

a. The nations as an inheritance.

b. The uttermost parts of the earth as a possession.

3. He empowers us to rule over all.

4. He will resurrect His only begotten Son: Compare 2:7 with Acts 13:33.

IV. The advice: (10-12)

A. Act wisely.

B. Serve the Lord with fear (reverent awe).

C. Rejoice with trembling (lest you displease Him).

Ps 18:49: Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name.

D. Kiss the Son (pay homage to Him), lest you perish from the way when His wrath is kindled.

V. The advantage: (12) Those who put their trust in Him are blessed.

Study further on trusting the Lord in Psalms and Proverbs. Here is a sampling:

Ps 4:5: Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the Lord.

Ps 5:11: But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.

Ps 9:10: And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.

Ps 18:30: As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.

Ps 20:7: Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.

Ps 31:6: I have hated them that regard lying vanities: but I trust in the Lord.

Ps 37:3: Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

Ps 37:40: And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.

Ps 56:4: In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.

Ps 56:11: In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.

Ps 62:8: Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.

Ps 64:10: The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and shall trust in him; and all the upright in heart shall glory.

Ps 71:5: For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth.

Prov 3:5: Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

Prov 29:25: The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.

Prov 30:5: Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.

Authorship[ ]

Although the Psalm itself is anonymous, it is attributed to David in the book of Acts (Acts 4:25-26).

Genre[ ]

Anderson classifies this psalm as a "Royal Psalm"^[67] The category “Royal Psalm” is based on content and not on form. Anderson’s categories can be reduced to three on the basis of the native tradition given in 1 Chronicles 16:4: (1) complaint / lament psalms, (2) hymns of praise, and (3) songs of thanksgiving. There is no formal basis for distinguishing communal versus individual laments but not communal versus individual songs of thanks. John Eaton argues that the person speaking in many of the psalms is the king.^[68]

Since Gerald Wilson’s work, The Editing of the Hebrew Psalter,^[69] scholars have also paid attention to the genres specified in the superscriptions. For classifying data in the superscriptions, cf. Daniel Bourguet.^[70] In terms of emic genre (the internal system of classifying Psalms in the superscriptions), Psalm 2 receives no classification.

Imagery[ ]

The nations see the rule of Yahweh and his anointed king as bonds to be broken (v. 3). Yahweh, who is depicted as a heavenly king in contrast to the earthly kings, responds to them with laughter and fiery indignation (v. 4-5). His response is cast in metallurgical imagery: Yahweh, like a craftsman, has cast the king as his idol in the temple of Zion (v. 6). Yahweh’s relationship to the king is further depicted with another image: that of a father begetting his son (v. 7), a metaphor which entails the legal image of inheritance (v. 8). The king (depicted in the LXX as a shepherd) wields an iron rod against the nations, who are depicted as fragile pottery (and implicitly in the LXX as sheep) (v. 9). The rebellious nations are summoned to become Yahweh’s servants (v. 11) and to kiss the Son to avoid his burning anger (v. 12). The Psalm concludes with the images of a pathway (cf. Psalm 1) and of refuge, two metaphorical schemas that generate a host of images that populate the Psalter’s iconic landscape.^[71]

Guide Questions for Analyzing and Translating Psalm 2[ ]

Whole Text[ ]

a) What is the genre of this psalm? Give reasons for your answer. Do you have a similar genre in your language (YL)? Can this genre be used as a model to follow when translating Psalm 2 in YL? Explain why—or why not.

b) Into how many parts (stanzas) would you divide Psalm 2? Which verses belong in each stanza? Tell how each stanza is related to the next in meaning.

c) Explain why you have divided the psalm in this way—what are the discourse “markers” in the text on which you are basing your decisions?

d) Give a one-sentence summary of each stanza. Then suggest a general theme (or title) for Psalm 2 as a whole.

e) How does the genre and content of this psalm relate to that of Psalm 1? Of Psalm 3?

v. 1[ ]

a) What sort of question do we find in v. 1? What is the expected answer to this question? Actually, there are two questions here, but the second one has been elided in line B. What is this elided question?

b) Are rhetorical questions commonly used in YL? How are they marked linguistically? Could RQs be used effectively (naturally) here at the beginning of Psalm 2 in YL? If not, how can their impact and intended implication be replaced?

c) Who are the “nations” referred to in v. 1? How are they different from the “peoples"? Would a literal translation suggest that two entirely different groups are involved here? If so, how would you clarify the intended sense in YL?

d) What do the verbs “conspire” (רגשׁו) and “plot in vain” (יהגו ריק) mean? What aspect of meaning is added in line B, and how can this be expressed in YL?

v. 2[ ]

a) How is verse 2 related in meaning to verse 1? What is different then with regard to content?

b) Are two different groups of political leaders referred to here, or just one? Explain—also how you would convey this in YL.

c) How do you express the two verbs of lines A&B?

d) How do you translate “Yahweh” (the Tetragrammaton—יהוה) in YL? Explain why this is a good—or not the best—choice. Are there any good alternatives that might be considered?

e) How do you translate “Anointed One” (משיח)? To whom does this term refer? There are two possibilities: Does one exclude the other? Explain. How do you express the concept of “anointing” in YL? Does this procedure have any special significance in your culture, whether traditional or contemporary? Explain.

v. 3[ ]

a) Who is speaking in verse 3? How do you know? Does this shift need to be marked in your translation? If so, how can this be done?

b) What do the kings of the earth propose to do in their speech of lines A&B? What sort of attitude is being expressed here, and how :can this be rendered in YL?

c) What kind of figure of speech do we find involving “chains” and “fetters”? Can this be translated literally in YL, or does some adjustment need to be made (specify)?

v. 4[ ]

a) Why is it reasonable to begin a new stanza at v. 4? List the various structural markers that indicate a break here.

b) What is the general figure of speech in v. 4 called? Is it common to describe or speak of “God” as a human being in your culture? Explain.

c) What does “the one who sits in the heavens” (יושב בשמים) mean? How can this concept be expressed in YL?

d) Does God ever “laugh” according to the religious traditions of your culture? If so, what does this signify? In this particular context, why does God laugh? How would you render this in YL?

e) How do you translate “Lord” (אדני) in YL?

f) What does it mean to say that God is “mocking” (ילעג) someone? Could the connotation of this concept present a problem in your sociocultural context? Explain.

g) Whom is God mocking and why? How do you know this?

v. 5[ ]

a) How does v. 5 intensify the thought of v. 4? How, in turn, does the B poetic line of v. 5 intensify the A line?

b) What is the best way to translate the initial adverb “then” (אז)—what is the rhetorical function of this particle?

c) The verb in the Hebrew line A is “he speaks” (ידבר); does a literal reproduction work in YL—that is, in conjunction with “anger” (אף)? Explain. If not, what verb better renders the sense?

d) How does “wrath” (חרון) differ from “anger”? Note: “The noun translated fury is used in the Old Testament only with God as subject. It means literally “burning,” that is, an anger that consumes and destroys the enemy (see Exo 15.7).”^[72] Are you able to convey the notion of “burning” with the same sense (cf. Chewa: amapya mtima “he burns [in] heart” – an idiom)?

e) Why is the Lord so angry? Is the intended sense and connotation clear in your translation? If not, how can you modify it to get the idea across?

v. 6[ ]

a) Who is speaking the words of this verse? How can you make this clear in YL without upsetting the poetic character of your translation?

b) Note the additional emphasis upon the initial Hebrew pronoun “and I” (אני). How can you convey this idiomatically in YL?

c) How do you express the idea of “installing a king” (נסכתי מלכי) in YL? What does God mean by saying “my king”? Does the semantic relationship implied by the possessive form need to be made explicit in your translation? If so, how would you do this?

d) Note the ellipsis in line B of this verse: what has been omitted as being understood from the context?

e) How do you translate the proper name “Zion” (ציון)? Note Handbook on Psalms: “The name Zion was applied to the hill (Mount Moriah) on which Solomon built the Temple; by extension the name was applied to the Temple, to the city of Jerusalem, and sometimes to the whole land of Israel. The hill is called holy because it belongs exclusively to God.”^[73]

f) Why is this “hill” called “holy” (הר קדשׁי)? How is the concept of “holiness” expressed in YL? Is an explanatory footnote needed to make the sense of this verse clear? If so, how would you word it?

v. 7[ ]

a) What text markers indicate that a new stanza begins at v. 7?

b) How many speakers appear to be saying something in this verse? Who are they, and how can you distinguish them in YL? In addition, is an explanatory footnote necessary?

c) How would you express the strong (cohortative) initial verb: “Let me announce" (אספרה)

d) What is a “decree” (חק) and where is it found in v.7?

e) Note the contrastive chiastic construction of the paralleled lines of the Lord’s pronouncement: x: my-son, y: you; y’: I, x’: today I-have-begotten-you (‎בְּנִ֥י אַ֑תָּה אֲ֜נִ֗י הַיּ֥וֹם יְלִדְתִּֽיךָ). Both lines are saying the same thing, but in different words. It is important to know the cultural background that acts as a frame of reference for these important words: “‘You are my son!’ The Davidic king was viewed as God’s “son” (see 2Sa 7:14; Ps 89:26- 27). The idiom reflects ancient Near Eastern adoption language associated with covenants of grant, by which a lord would reward a faithful subject by elevating him to special status, referred to as “sonship.” Like a son, the faithful subject received an “inheritance,” viewed as an unconditional, eternal gift. Such gifts usually took the form of land and/or an enduring dynasty” (NET Study Note). First of all then, how do you express the notion of being “begotten” in YL (note that a euphemistic expression may be needed here). Compare your version with translations in other languages to see if improvement can be made.

f) To which “day” or “time” does “today” (היום) refer to? How would you make this clear in your translation?

g) Note the comments of the Handbook on Psalms regarding this verse:

The major problem in translating verse 7b is making clear to whom the pronouns refer (moreover these references must not be confused with those of v. 6). This may often be done by using direct speech; for instance, “God said to me, ‘You, king, are now my son’” or indirectly “God told me that I the king am his son.” The expression today I have begotten you may create confusion, as a king is not normally begotten on the day he is made king. It may be necessary to relate this explicitly to the day of enthronement; for example, “On this the day of your becoming king I have become your father."^[74]

Are these observations helpful? What could you add to the preceding after translating this verse yourself?

v. 8[ ]

a) Who is speaking the words of verses 8-9? How can you make this clear in your translation?

b) What is being asked for in this verse? To whom does the term “nations” (גוים) refer? How does this differ in reference from "the ends of the earth" (אפסי ארץ) in line B? Is there a figurative way of saying this (cf. Chewa: kumphepo zonse zinai ‘to the four winds’)?

c) What is the difference in meaning between “inheritance" (נחלה) and "possession" (אחזה)? Does this difference need to be maintained in translation? Explain. Do the comments in the Handbook on Psalms give you any help?

"Heritage is a term often used in the Old Testament of what God gives his people; it involves the idea of permanent possession. Many times it refers to the land of Canaan as Israel’s gift from God (see Deut 4.21); the word possession is similarly used (see Gen 17.8; Deut 32.49). The noun “heritage” and the verb 'to inherit' do not, in a context like this, carry the meaning ordinarily associated with these terms, that is, of a gift or a right that is given someone at the death of the one who previously owned the gift or held the right. So GNT92.PSA.2.8 translates "I will give you."^[75]

v. 9[ ]

a) There is an important textual issue that must be resolved in this verse (see above on Textual Criticism). The Handbook on Psalms adds: “‘break’ and ‘shatter... in pieces.’" One of the most common techniques to achieve intensification in biblical parallelism is the use of the simile in the second clause. The intensification of poetic effect is made here also by the contrast of breaking with an iron rod and the shattering of a fragile clay pot.”^[76] Check some other versions and commentaries and explain whether you agree with this conclusion, or not.

b) What types of figurative language do we find in this verse? What is their meaning, and how does the B line intensify the A line? Do you have any difficulty conveying the imagery of this verse in YL? Explain.

v. 10[ ]

a) What are the indicators that a new stanza begins in v. 10 (also note the chiastic construction of lines A and B)?

b) Who is the speaker of verses 10-12? Why do you think so?

c) How can you duplicate the structural function of the initial connective expression “And now...” (ועתה) in YL?

d) Explain how the second main verb of this verse clarifies, or specifies, the first: “be wise...be warned” (NIV) (השׂכילו הוסרו). Is there a way of indicating in YL that this is a serious warning? If so, tell how (Chewa suggests this by the word order in the vocative phrases).

v. 11[ ]

a) What type of “serving” (עבד) and what sort of “fear” (יראה) is being referred to in line A?

b) The second line of v. 11 is difficult to understand in Hebrew (see above on Lexical Semantics). Compare the above explanation with several other versions and commentaries; then give your conclusion as to how you will translate this B line in YL. What difficulty would you have in rendering the NIV’s “rejoice with trembling”?

v. 12[ ]

a) There is another difficult exegetical problem in line A of this verse (see above on Textual Criticism). The Handbook on Psalms concludes: “Until more light is shed on the subject, the translator’s best course is to follow one of the standard translations. However, a literal translation of ‘kiss his feet’ in many languages will be misleading. It is therefore preferable in such cases to use a nonfigurative expression such as ‘bow down to him’, or the appropriate physical gesture for doing obeisance before a high-ranking person, such as ‘stoop before him’, ‘lower the head before him’, or ‘crouch in front of him’.”^[77] — Compare this explanation with several other versions and commentaries; then give your conclusion as to how you will translate this A line in YL. What difficulty would you have in rendering the NIV’s “Kiss the Son lest he be angry”?

b) What does the expression in line B “lest...you perish in your way" (‎פֶּן...תֹ֬אבְדוּ דֶ֗רֶךְ) mean—and how will you translate this?

c) How does line C connect with the preceding content: “when his anger quickly burns" (‎כִּֽי־יִבְעַ֣ר כִּמְעַ֣ט אַפּ֑וֹ)? How will you clarify this in your translation?

d) Why does the last line of this psalm (D) sound out of place? Compare with Psalm 1:1 and then suggest a possible explanation for its presence here (cf. also 1:6).

e) How do you express the concept of being “blessed" (אשׁרי)

f) What does it mean to “take refuge in” (חסה) someone? Note the comment in the Handbook on Psalms: “Take refuge in him translates a verb which appears some twenty-four times in Psalms and is always used with God as the protector. The expression take refuge in him must often be recast as a verbal phrase with the meaning of ‘covering’, ‘caring for’, or ‘helping’. The last line may sometimes be rendered, for example, ‘But how happy are the people God takes care of’ or ‘But how fortunate are the people God helps.'”^[78] Do you have a figurative way of expressing this in YL? If so, tell what this is.

g) have a figurative way of expressing this in YL? If so, tell what this is.

References[ ]

↑ Peter Craigie, Psalms. 1-50. Word Biblical Commentary (Waco: Word Books, 1983), 65.
↑ John Goldingay, Psalms: 1-41, Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2006), 99.
↑ Joseph Lam, “Psalm 2 and the Disinheritance of Earthly Rulers: New Light from the Ugaritic Legal Text RS 94.2168,” Vetus Testamentum 64 (2014): 24–46.
↑ Jeffrey Tigay, “Divine Creation of the King in Psalms 2:6,” Eretz-Israel 27 (2003): 246–51.
↑ Francis Brown, S.R. Driver, and Charles Briggs, The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon (Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 1996).
↑ Peter Gentry and Stephen Wellum, Kingdom through Covenant: A Biblical-Theological Understanding of the Covenants (Wheaton: Crossway, 2012).
↑ Peter Craigie, Psalms. 1-50, Word Biblical Commentary (Waco: Word Books, 1983), 67.
↑ G.H. Jones, “The Decree of Yahweh (Ps. II 7),” Vetus Testamentum 15, no. 3 (1965): 336–44.
↑ John Goldingay, Psalms: 1-41, Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2006), 102.
↑ David Freedman and Francis Andersen, Hosea : A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary, Vol. 24, The Anchor Bible (Garden City: Doubleday, 1980), 556-57.
↑ NET note adapted.
↑ James Pritchard, The Ancient Near East, Vol. 1 (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1975), 1:209.
↑ NET note, adapted.
↑ John Goldingay, Psalms: 1-41, Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2006), 100.
↑ Peter Craigie, Psalms. 1-50, Word Biblical Commentary (Waco: Word Books, 1983).
↑ Frederic Putnam, “Working with Biblical Hebrew Poetry,” in Basics of Hebrew Discourse, edited by Miles van Pelt (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Academic, 2019), 204-205.
↑ Frederic Putnam, “Working with Biblical Hebrew Poetry,” in Basics of Hebrew Discourse, edited by Miles van Pelt (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Academic, 2019), 204-205.
↑ Alan Kam-Yau Chan, Melchizedek Passages in the Bible (Warsaw/Berlin: De Gruyter Open Ltd., 2016), 233.
↑ 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.
↑ Peter Gentry, "A Preliminary Evaluation and Critique of Prosopological Exegesis," SBJT 23.2 (2019): 113.
↑ See P. E. Dion, “Ressemblance et image du Dieu,” Suppléments aux Dictionnaire de la Bible X, ed. H. Cazelles and A. Feuillet, 55:365–403.
↑ See Gregorio del Olmo Lete and Joaquín Sanmartín, A Dictionary of the Ugaritic Language in the Alphabetic Tradition (trans. W. G. E. Watson; 2 vols.; Handbook of Oriental Studies I: The Near and Middle East 67; Leiden, Netherlands: Brill, 2003), 226. Also noteworthy: K. A. Kitchen, "The King List of Ugarit," Ugarit Forschungen 9 (1977): 131–142; T. Kleven, “Kingship in Ugarit (KTU 1.16 I 1–23),” in Ascribe to the Lord: Biblical and Other Studies in Memory of Peter C. Craigie (ed. L. Eslinger and G. Taylor; JSOTSup 67; She eld, UK: She eld Academic Press, 1988), 29–53.
↑ Cf. also P. Kyle McMarter, Jr., “Two Bronze Arrowheads with Archaic Alphabetic Inscriptions,” Eretz-Israel 26 (1999): 124*–128*.
↑ 1 Kings 15:18, 20; 2 Chronicles 16:2, 4. See M. Cogan, 1 Kings (Anchor Bible 10; New York: Doubleday, 2000), 399–400.
↑ For a listing of all names in texts from Amarna and Ugarit of the type, “son of DN,” see excursus in Peter J. Gentry and Stephen J. Wellum, Kingdom through Covenant: A Biblical-Theological Understanding of the Covenants (2nd ed.; Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2018), 252-254.
↑ Some argue that this is a dynastic name, but there is no clear evidence to support this. See K. Lawson Younger, Jr., “Shalmaneser III and Israel,” in Israel—Ancient Kingdom or Late Invention? Archaeology, Ancient Civilizations, and the Bible (ed. Daniel I. Block; Nashville, TN: B&H, 2008), 225–256.
↑ See especially Ivan Engnell, Studies in Divine Kingship in the Ancient Near East (2nd ed.; Oxford: Blackwell, 1967), 80.
↑ Bernhard Anderson and Steven Bishop, Out of the Depths: The Psalms Speak for Us Today, third edition (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2000), 225.
↑ J.P. Fokkelman, Major Poems of the Hebrew Bible: At the Interface of Prosody and Structural Analysis, Vol. 2 (Assen: Van Gorcum, 2000), 388.
↑ J.P. Fokkelman, Major Poems of the Hebrew Bible: At the Interface of Prosody and Structural Analysis, Vol. 2 (Assen: Van Gorcum, 2000), 388.
↑ J.P. Fokkelman, Major Poems of the Hebrew Bible: At the Interface of Prosody and Structural Analysis, Vol. 2 (Assen: Van Gorcum, 2000), 57.
↑ J.P. Fokkelman, Major Poems of the Hebrew Bible: At the Interface of Prosody and Structural Analysis, Vol. 2 (Assen: Van Gorcum, 2000), 56.
↑ J.P. Fokkelman, Major Poems of the Hebrew Bible: At the Interface of Prosody and Structural Analysis, Vol. 2 (Assen: Van Gorcum, 2000), 56.
↑ J.P. Fokkelman, Major Poems of the Hebrew Bible: At the Interface of Prosody and Structural Analysis, Vol. 2 (Assen: Van Gorcum, 2000), 55.
↑ J.P. Fokkelman, Major Poems of the Hebrew Bible: At the Interface of Prosody and Structural Analysis, Vol. 2 (Assen: Van Gorcum, 2000), 57.
↑ Alan Kam-Yau Chan, Melchizedek Passages in the Bible (Warsaw/Berlin: De Gruyter Open Ltd., 2016), 233.
↑ Wilfred Watson, 'Classical Hebrew Poetry: A Guide to its Techniques (Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 2001), 170
↑ Wilfred Watson, 'Classical Hebrew Poetry: A Guide to its Techniques (Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 2001), 170.
↑ J.P. Fokkelman, Major Poems of the Hebrew Bible: At the Interface of Prosody and Structural Analysis, Vol. 2 (Assen: Van Gorcum, 2000), 55.
↑ J.P. Fokkelman, Major Poems of the Hebrew Bible: At the Interface of Prosody and Structural Analysis, Vol. 2 (Assen: Van Gorcum, 2000), 55.
↑ J.P. Fokkelman, Major Poems of the Hebrew Bible: At the Interface of Prosody and Structural Analysis, Vol. 2 (Assen: Van Gorcum, 2000), 55.
↑ Peter Craigie, Psalms. 1-50, Word Biblical Commentary (Waco: Word Books, 1983), 67.
↑ Nicholas Lunn, Word-Order Variation in Biblical Hebrew Poetry: Differentiating Pragmatics and Poetics (Milton Keynes: Paternoster, 2006).
↑ John Goldingay, Psalms: 1-41, Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2006), 101.
↑ Dominique Barthélemy, Critique textuelle de l’Ancien Testament: Tome 4. Psaumes, https://doi.org/10.5167/uzh-150304
↑ Peter Craigie, Psalms. 1-50, Word Biblical Commentary (Waco: Word Books, 1983), 64.
↑ James Pritchard, The Ancient Near East. Vol. 2. (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1975), 2:62.
↑ NET note, adapted; see also Nancy deClaissé-Walford, Rolf Jacobson, and Beth Tanner, The Book of Psalms. The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2014), 67; John Goldingay, Psalms: 1-41, Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2006), 103.
↑ Max Wagner, Die lexicalischen und grammatikalischen Aramaismen im alttestamentlichen Hebräisch, BZAW 96 (Giessen, Germany: Töpelmann, 1966).
↑ J.P. Fokkelman, Major Poems of the Hebrew Bible: At the Interface of Prosody and Structural Analysis, Vol. 2 (Assen: Van Gorcum, 2000).
↑ Nancy deClaissé-Walford, Rolf Jacobson and Beth Tanner, The Book of Psalms. The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2014).
↑ Nancy deClaissé-Walford, Rolf Jacobson and Beth Tanner, The Book of Psalms. The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2014).
↑ J.P. Fokkelman, Major Poems of the Hebrew Bible: At the Interface of Prosody and Structural Analysis, Vol. 2 (Assen: Van Gorcum, 2000), 55.
↑ John Goldingay, Psalms: 1-41, Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2006).
↑ Peter Craigie, Psalms. 1-50, Word Biblical Commentary (Waco: Word Books, 1983), 66.
↑ Nancy deClaissé-Walford, Rolf Jacobson, and Beth Tanner, The Book of Psalms, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2014), 66.
↑ Peter Craigie, Psalms. 1-50, Word Biblical Commentary (Waco: Word Books, 1983), 65.
↑ Timothy Wilt, Praise, Prayer and Protest: The David Collection (Psalms 1-72) (Murfreesboro: Wilt, 2002).
↑ John Goldingay, Psalms: 1-41, Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2006), 96.
↑ Fred R.Anderson, Singing God’s Psalms: Metrical Psalms and Reflections (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2016), 26-27.
↑ Fred R.Anderson, Singing God’s Psalms: Metrical Psalms and Reflections (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2016), xv.
↑ Fred R.Anderson, Singing God’s Psalms: Metrical Psalms and Reflections (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2016), 5.
↑ William A. Smalley, Restructuring Translations of the Psalms as Poetry, in M. Black and Wm. Smalley, eds., On Language, Culture, and Religion: In Honor of Eugene A. Nida (The Hague: Mouton, 1974), 337-371.
↑ William A. Smalley, Restructuring Translations of the Psalms as Poetry, in M. Black and Wm. Smalley, eds., On Language, Culture, and Religion: In Honor of Eugene A. Nida (The Hague: Mouton, 1974), 360, 363, 366.
↑ Ernst Wendland, Expository Outlines of the Psalms, https://www.academia.edu/37220700/Expository_Outlines_of_the_PSALMS
↑ Bernhard Anderson and Steven Bishop, Out of the Depths: The Psalms Speak for Us Today, third edition (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2000), 219.
↑ John Eaton, Kingship and the Psalms (London: SCM Press, 1976).
↑ Gerald H. Wilson, The Editing of the Hebrew Psalter, SBLDS 76 (Chico, CA: Scholars Press, 1985).
↑ Daniel Bourguet, “La structure des titres des psaumes,” in Revued’Histoire et de Philosophie Religieuses, 61 (1981):109-124.
↑ William Brown, Seeing the Psalms: A Theology of Metaphor (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2002).
↑ Robert Bratcher and William Reyburn, A Translator’s Handbook on the Book of Psalms (New York: United Bible Societies, 1991).
↑ Robert Bratcher and William Reyburn, A Translator’s Handbook on the Book of Psalms (New York: United Bible Societies, 1991).
↑ Robert Bratcher and William Reyburn, A Translator’s Handbook on the Book of Psalms (New York: United Bible Societies, 1991).
↑ Robert Bratcher and William Reyburn, A Translator’s Handbook on the Book of Psalms (New York: United Bible Societies, 1991).
↑ Robert Bratcher and William Reyburn, A Translator’s Handbook on the Book of Psalms (New York: United Bible Societies, 1991).
↑ Robert Bratcher and William Reyburn, A Translator’s Handbook on the Book of Psalms (New York: United Bible Societies, 1991).
↑ Robert Bratcher and William Reyburn, A Translator’s Handbook on the Book of Psalms (New York: United Bible Societies, 1991).

[1] Peter Craigie, Psalms. 1-50. Word Biblical Commentary (Waco: Word Books, 1983), 65.

[2] John Goldingay, Psalms: 1-41, Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2006), 99.

[3] Joseph Lam, “Psalm 2 and the Disinheritance of Earthly Rulers: New Light from the Ugaritic Legal Text RS 94.2168,” Vetus Testamentum 64 (2014): 24–46.

[4] Jeffrey Tigay, “Divine Creation of the King in Psalms 2:6,” Eretz-Israel 27 (2003): 246–51.

[5] Francis Brown, S.R. Driver, and Charles Briggs, The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon (Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 1996).

[6] Peter Gentry and Stephen Wellum, Kingdom through Covenant: A Biblical-Theological Understanding of the Covenants (Wheaton: Crossway, 2012).

[7] Peter Craigie, Psalms. 1-50, Word Biblical Commentary (Waco: Word Books, 1983), 67.

[8] G.H. Jones, “The Decree of Yahweh (Ps. II 7),” Vetus Testamentum 15, no. 3 (1965): 336–44.

[9] John Goldingay, Psalms: 1-41, Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2006), 102.

[10] David Freedman and Francis Andersen, Hosea : A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary, Vol. 24, The Anchor Bible (Garden City: Doubleday, 1980), 556-57.

[11] NET note adapted.

[12] James Pritchard, The Ancient Near East, Vol. 1 (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1975), 1:209.

[13] NET note, adapted.

[14] John Goldingay, Psalms: 1-41, Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2006), 100.

[15] Peter Craigie, Psalms. 1-50, Word Biblical Commentary (Waco: Word Books, 1983).

[16] Frederic Putnam, “Working with Biblical Hebrew Poetry,” in Basics of Hebrew Discourse, edited by Miles van Pelt (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Academic, 2019), 204-205.

[17] Frederic Putnam, “Working with Biblical Hebrew Poetry,” in Basics of Hebrew Discourse, edited by Miles van Pelt (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Academic, 2019), 204-205.

[18] Alan Kam-Yau Chan, Melchizedek Passages in the Bible (Warsaw/Berlin: De Gruyter Open Ltd., 2016), 233.

[19] 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.

[20] 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.

[21] Peter Gentry, "A Preliminary Evaluation and Critique of Prosopological Exegesis," SBJT 23.2 (2019): 113.

[22] See P. E. Dion, “Ressemblance et image du Dieu,” Suppléments aux Dictionnaire de la Bible X, ed. H. Cazelles and A. Feuillet, 55:365–403.

[23] See Gregorio del Olmo Lete and Joaquín Sanmartín, A Dictionary of the Ugaritic Language in the Alphabetic Tradition (trans. W. G. E. Watson; 2 vols.; Handbook of Oriental Studies I: The Near and Middle East 67; Leiden, Netherlands: Brill, 2003), 226. Also noteworthy: K. A. Kitchen, "The King List of Ugarit," Ugarit Forschungen 9 (1977): 131–142; T. Kleven, “Kingship in Ugarit (KTU 1.16 I 1–23),” in Ascribe to the Lord: Biblical and Other Studies in Memory of Peter C. Craigie (ed. L. Eslinger and G. Taylor; JSOTSup 67; She eld, UK: She eld Academic Press, 1988), 29–53.

[24] Cf. also P. Kyle McMarter, Jr., “Two Bronze Arrowheads with Archaic Alphabetic Inscriptions,” Eretz-Israel 26 (1999): 124*–128*.

[25] 1 Kings 15:18, 20; 2 Chronicles 16:2, 4. See M. Cogan, 1 Kings (Anchor Bible 10; New York: Doubleday, 2000), 399–400.

[26] For a listing of all names in texts from Amarna and Ugarit of the type, “son of DN,” see excursus in Peter J. Gentry and Stephen J. Wellum, Kingdom through Covenant: A Biblical-Theological Understanding of the Covenants (2nd ed.; Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2018), 252-254.

[27] Some argue that this is a dynastic name, but there is no clear evidence to support this. See K. Lawson Younger, Jr., “Shalmaneser III and Israel,” in Israel—Ancient Kingdom or Late Invention? Archaeology, Ancient Civilizations, and the Bible (ed. Daniel I. Block; Nashville, TN: B&H, 2008), 225–256.

[28] See especially Ivan Engnell, Studies in Divine Kingship in the Ancient Near East (2nd ed.; Oxford: Blackwell, 1967), 80.

[29] Bernhard Anderson and Steven Bishop, Out of the Depths: The Psalms Speak for Us Today, third edition (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2000), 225.

[30] J.P. Fokkelman, Major Poems of the Hebrew Bible: At the Interface of Prosody and Structural Analysis, Vol. 2 (Assen: Van Gorcum, 2000), 388.

[31] J.P. Fokkelman, Major Poems of the Hebrew Bible: At the Interface of Prosody and Structural Analysis, Vol. 2 (Assen: Van Gorcum, 2000), 388.

[32] J.P. Fokkelman, Major Poems of the Hebrew Bible: At the Interface of Prosody and Structural Analysis, Vol. 2 (Assen: Van Gorcum, 2000), 57.

[33] J.P. Fokkelman, Major Poems of the Hebrew Bible: At the Interface of Prosody and Structural Analysis, Vol. 2 (Assen: Van Gorcum, 2000), 56.

[34] J.P. Fokkelman, Major Poems of the Hebrew Bible: At the Interface of Prosody and Structural Analysis, Vol. 2 (Assen: Van Gorcum, 2000), 56.

[35] J.P. Fokkelman, Major Poems of the Hebrew Bible: At the Interface of Prosody and Structural Analysis, Vol. 2 (Assen: Van Gorcum, 2000), 55.

[36] J.P. Fokkelman, Major Poems of the Hebrew Bible: At the Interface of Prosody and Structural Analysis, Vol. 2 (Assen: Van Gorcum, 2000), 57.

[37] Alan Kam-Yau Chan, Melchizedek Passages in the Bible (Warsaw/Berlin: De Gruyter Open Ltd., 2016), 233.

[38] Wilfred Watson, 'Classical Hebrew Poetry: A Guide to its Techniques (Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 2001), 170

[39] Wilfred Watson, 'Classical Hebrew Poetry: A Guide to its Techniques (Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 2001), 170.

[40] J.P. Fokkelman, Major Poems of the Hebrew Bible: At the Interface of Prosody and Structural Analysis, Vol. 2 (Assen: Van Gorcum, 2000), 55.

[41] J.P. Fokkelman, Major Poems of the Hebrew Bible: At the Interface of Prosody and Structural Analysis, Vol. 2 (Assen: Van Gorcum, 2000), 55.

[42] J.P. Fokkelman, Major Poems of the Hebrew Bible: At the Interface of Prosody and Structural Analysis, Vol. 2 (Assen: Van Gorcum, 2000), 55.

[43] Peter Craigie, Psalms. 1-50, Word Biblical Commentary (Waco: Word Books, 1983), 67.

[44] Nicholas Lunn, Word-Order Variation in Biblical Hebrew Poetry: Differentiating Pragmatics and Poetics (Milton Keynes: Paternoster, 2006).

[45] John Goldingay, Psalms: 1-41, Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2006), 101.

[46] Dominique Barthélemy, Critique textuelle de l’Ancien Testament: Tome 4. Psaumes, https://doi.org/10.5167/uzh-150304

[47] Peter Craigie, Psalms. 1-50, Word Biblical Commentary (Waco: Word Books, 1983), 64.

[48] James Pritchard, The Ancient Near East. Vol. 2. (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1975), 2:62.

[49] NET note, adapted; see also Nancy deClaissé-Walford, Rolf Jacobson, and Beth Tanner, The Book of Psalms. The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2014), 67; John Goldingay, Psalms: 1-41, Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2006), 103.

[50] Max Wagner, Die lexicalischen und grammatikalischen Aramaismen im alttestamentlichen Hebräisch, BZAW 96 (Giessen, Germany: Töpelmann, 1966).

[51] J.P. Fokkelman, Major Poems of the Hebrew Bible: At the Interface of Prosody and Structural Analysis, Vol. 2 (Assen: Van Gorcum, 2000).

[52] Nancy deClaissé-Walford, Rolf Jacobson and Beth Tanner, The Book of Psalms. The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2014).

[53] Nancy deClaissé-Walford, Rolf Jacobson and Beth Tanner, The Book of Psalms. The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2014).

[54] J.P. Fokkelman, Major Poems of the Hebrew Bible: At the Interface of Prosody and Structural Analysis, Vol. 2 (Assen: Van Gorcum, 2000), 55.

[55] John Goldingay, Psalms: 1-41, Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2006).

[56] Peter Craigie, Psalms. 1-50, Word Biblical Commentary (Waco: Word Books, 1983), 66.

[57] Nancy deClaissé-Walford, Rolf Jacobson, and Beth Tanner, The Book of Psalms, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2014), 66.

[58] Peter Craigie, Psalms. 1-50, Word Biblical Commentary (Waco: Word Books, 1983), 65.

[59] Timothy Wilt, Praise, Prayer and Protest: The David Collection (Psalms 1-72) (Murfreesboro: Wilt, 2002).

[60] John Goldingay, Psalms: 1-41, Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2006), 96.

[61] Fred R.Anderson, Singing God’s Psalms: Metrical Psalms and Reflections (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2016), 26-27.

[62] Fred R.Anderson, Singing God’s Psalms: Metrical Psalms and Reflections (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2016), xv.

[63] Fred R.Anderson, Singing God’s Psalms: Metrical Psalms and Reflections (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2016), 5.

[64] William A. Smalley, Restructuring Translations of the Psalms as Poetry, in M. Black and Wm. Smalley, eds., On Language, Culture, and Religion: In Honor of Eugene A. Nida (The Hague: Mouton, 1974), 337-371.

[65] William A. Smalley, Restructuring Translations of the Psalms as Poetry, in M. Black and Wm. Smalley, eds., On Language, Culture, and Religion: In Honor of Eugene A. Nida (The Hague: Mouton, 1974), 360, 363, 366.

[66] Ernst Wendland, Expository Outlines of the Psalms, https://www.academia.edu/37220700/Expository_Outlines_of_the_PSALMS

[67] Bernhard Anderson and Steven Bishop, Out of the Depths: The Psalms Speak for Us Today, third edition (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2000), 219.

[68] John Eaton, Kingship and the Psalms (London: SCM Press, 1976).

[69] Gerald H. Wilson, The Editing of the Hebrew Psalter, SBLDS 76 (Chico, CA: Scholars Press, 1985).

[70] Daniel Bourguet, “La structure des titres des psaumes,” in Revued’Histoire et de Philosophie Religieuses, 61 (1981):109-124.

[71] William Brown, Seeing the Psalms: A Theology of Metaphor (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2002).

[72] Robert Bratcher and William Reyburn, A Translator’s Handbook on the Book of Psalms (New York: United Bible Societies, 1991).

[73] Robert Bratcher and William Reyburn, A Translator’s Handbook on the Book of Psalms (New York: United Bible Societies, 1991).

[74] Robert Bratcher and William Reyburn, A Translator’s Handbook on the Book of Psalms (New York: United Bible Societies, 1991).

[75] Robert Bratcher and William Reyburn, A Translator’s Handbook on the Book of Psalms (New York: United Bible Societies, 1991).

[76] Robert Bratcher and William Reyburn, A Translator’s Handbook on the Book of Psalms (New York: United Bible Societies, 1991).

[77] Robert Bratcher and William Reyburn, A Translator’s Handbook on the Book of Psalms (New York: United Bible Societies, 1991).

[78] Robert Bratcher and William Reyburn, A Translator’s Handbook on the Book of Psalms (New York: United Bible Societies, 1991).

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Psalm 2/Full

Hebrew (BHS)[ ]

Greek (Rahlfs-Hanhart LXX)

Phonology[ ]

Vowels

Consonants

Sound combinations

Patterns in endings

Similar sounds in adjacent lines

Other observations

Lexical Semantics[ ]

Difficult Words

References to God

Repeated words

Semantically/thematically related words

Borrowed rare words

Verbs[ ]

Verb forms

Person, gender and number

Paragogic letters

Verb stem types (binyanim)

Other

Nouns[ ]

Gender

Definiteness

Pronominal suffixes

Suffixes as objects

Addressee change

Speaker change

Subject change

Scene change

Particles[ ]

Negative markers

Independent personal pronouns

Prepositions

Waw/Vav

Other particles

Other

Figurative[ ]

Metaphor

Simile

Metonymy

Anthropomorphism

Hyperbole

Rhetorical questions

Idioms

Context[ ]

Cultural background

Reference/allusions

Alluded to in NT

Other

Mathematical[ ]

Fokkelman's prosody and syllable counts

Alternative prosody and syllable counts

Cola distribution

Classifying parallelisms

Selah

Quotations / direct speech

Elision

Chiasms

Word order

Lunn on Word order

Middle word (maqqef)

Middle word (independent lexemes)

Middle line

Variants[ ]

Kinds of variants

Likely solutions

Summary[ ]

Line divisions

Section divisions

Communicative function

Cohesion

Discontinuity & boundaries

Prominence

Main message

Large-scale structures

Translation

Outline or visual representation

Authorship[ ]