Psalm 2/Lexical Semantics
From Psalms: Layer by Layer
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.”[1]
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).”[2]
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).[3] 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]).[4] 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.[5]
- 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.”[6] G. H. Jones notes that “almost without exception the word ֹחק appears in connection with the Covenant made.”[7]
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[8]). 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).[9][10]
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[11][12]
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 | Clustering | Intersection | Connections | 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.,
| 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.”[13] 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.”[14] 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
- ↑ 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).