Psalm 2/Notes/Lexical.v. 6.788656

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Poured out. In Biblical Hebrew, the verb 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]).[1] Since ancient times, translators have struggled with this concept; what would it mean for YHWH to "pour out" his king on mount Zion? As noted above, the verb נסך may refer to the act of pouring out liquid metal into a mold in order to fashion an image/idol (e.g. Isa. 40:19; 44:10). In the Ancient Near East, the king was said to be a living "image" of God, since he resembled God's character and functioned as his earthly representative. Thus, in Psalm 2:6, YHWH declares to the rebellious nations that he has forged his king as his image. For more information, see the Exegetical Issue The Meaning of נָסַכְתִּי in Psalm2:6.

  1. ↑ BDB.