Psalm 2 Overview
My king on Zion
Psalm 2
Welcome to the Overview of Psalm 2
This page will introduce and provide orientation to Psalm 2 as a whole. It includes the following sections:
Introduction to Psalm 2
Author
- Anonymous
Book
- Book 1 of the Psalter (Chapters 1–41)
Psalm 2: A Brief Summary
- Psalm 2 is about God’s plan to crush rebellion on the earth. He has his own king, whom he has placed on Zion, and that king will rule over all the earth.
- This psalm is like a miniature drama about earthly kings, the heavenly king, and the focus of this psalm: God's own king, on Zion, the place where heaven and earth meet.
“My King on Zion” This title is a memorable phrase that helps remember the unique character and content of this psalm.
- A helpful way to remember Psalm 2 is part of God’s decree, where he speaks of “my king on Zion.” The authority from this king comes down from heaven, to Mt Zion, and then spreads throughout all the earth.
Purpose The Purpose was the psalmist's probable intent or reason for writing this psalm.
- To call the rebellious kings of the earth to submit to YHWH and his king.
Content The Content is a concise summary of the whole psalm's content.
- Serve YHWH and submit to his king!
Message The Message is the main idea the psalmist probably wanted the audience to remember upon or after hearing the psalm.
- YHWH's anointed king will rule the world.
Psalm 2 At-a-Glance
These sections divide the content of the psalm into digestible pieces , and are determined based on information from many of our layers, including Semantics, Poetics, and Discourse. The columns, left to right, contain: the verse numbers; the main title of the section; a brief summary of the content of that section (quote marks indicate the text is taken directly from the English text of the psalm (as per our Close-but-Clear translation); and an icon to visually represent and remember the content.
Background Orientation for Psalm 2
Following are the common-ground assumptionsCommon-ground assumptions include information shared by the speaker and hearers. In our analysis, we mainly use this category for Biblical/Ancient Near Eastern background. which are the most helpful for making sense of the psalm.
- YHWH made a covenant with David and his descendants (2 Sam 7:12-16; cf. Ps 89:4-5), saying, "I will raise up your offspring after you... and I will establish his kingdom... I will be his father, and he will be my son" (2 Sam 7:12-14).
- Sons inherit their fathers' property (cf. Num 27:7-11; 1 Kgs 21:3; Job 42:15).
- YHWH chose Zion, "the city of David" (2 Sam 5:7), as his holy mountain (Ps 132:13-14).
- A mountain is a place where heaven (cf. v. 4a) and earth (cf. v. 2a) meet and thus a place where people experience God's presence and power (see e.g., Gen 22; Exod 3:1-2; 19; cf. Matt 17:1-8).
- The king is the "image" of his god, the deity's earthly representative (cf. Gen 1:26-28; cf. Garr 2013, 136-165).
- Lesser kings (vassals) frequently rebelled against greater rulers (suzerains; Ringgren 1983, 91-95), especially when the greater kingdom experienced a change in kingship (Hilber 2009, 320). In the Neo-Assyrian period (early 10th–7th centuries BC), accounts of withstanding a rebellion were a regular part of inscriptions and palace decorations which served to confirm the divine appointment of a king (Radner 2016, 46, 54).
- A kiss is "a symbol of veneration both in the secular-political and in the cultic sphere" (TDOT; cf. 1 Sam 10:1; 1 Kgs 19:18).
Background Situation for Psalm 2
The background situation is the series of events leading up to the time in which the psalm is spoken. These are taken from the story triangle – whatever lies to the left of the star icon.
Background Situation for Psalm 2
The background situation is the series of events leading up to the time in which the psalm is spoken. These are taken from the story triangle – whatever lies to the left of the star icon.
Participants in Psalm 2
There are 4 participants/characters in Psalm 2:
Profile List
| Nations |
| "Peoples" (v. 1) |
| "Ends of the earth" (v. 8) |
| Earthly kings & nations |
| Earthly kings |
| "Rulers" (v. 2) |
| "Kings" (v. 10) |
| "Earthly rulers" (v. 10) |
| YHWH |
| "The one enthroned in the heavens" (v. 4) |
| "The Lord" (v. 4) |
| YHWH & YHWH's king |
| King |
| "YHWH's anointed" (v. 2) |
| "YHWH's king" (v. 6) |
| "YHWH's son" (vv. 7, 12) |
| Those who take refuge in the king |
Profile Notes
- YHWH is the "Lord" (v. 4) over all the earth, "the one enthroned in the heavens" (v. 4a) as the highest king.
- YHWH, the heavenly king, does not rule over the nations directly. Rather, his rule is mediated by his anointed one (v. 2c), the king whom he placed as his image on Mt. Zion (v. 6), his only son and heir (vv. 7-9).
- The nations rightfully belong to the king, who rules over them like an emperor rules over the various domains in his empire. When Psalm 2 begins, however, the nations are "in an uproar" (v.1a), trying to throw off the shackles of YHWH and his anointed one (v. 3). Specifically, the earthly kings who rule the nations (vv. 2, 10) want to gain independence from YHWH and his king. Instead of being part of the king's empire and submitting to his rule, they want to govern themselves.
- Those who take refuge in the king are those who have gladly submitted to his rule and, therefore, will experience all of the benefits of living under a good king: peace, justice, and prosperity.