Psalm 2/Story Behind/Assumptions
From Psalms: Layer by Layer
| V. | Text (Hebrew) | Text (CBC) | Proposition (Story Behind) | common ground | local ground | playground |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | לָ֭מָּה רָגְשׁ֣וּ גוֹיִ֑ם | Why are nations in an uproar, | Nations are in an uproar (v. 1a) | • Lesser kings (vassals) frequently rebelled against greater rulers (suzerains; see Ringgren 1983, 91-95), especially when the greater kingdom experienced a change in kingship (cf. Walton 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 (cf. Radner 2016, 46, 54).
|
||
| וּ֝לְאֻמִּ֗ים יֶהְגּוּ־רִֽיק׃ | and [why] do peoples plot emptiness? | Peoples plot emptiness (v. 1b) | ||||
| 2 | יִ֥תְיַצְּב֨וּ ׀ מַלְכֵי־אֶ֗רֶץ | [Why] do earthly kings take a stand | Earthly kings take a stand against YHWH and against his anointed one (v. 2ac) | |||
| וְרוֹזְנִ֥ים נֽוֹסְדוּ־יָ֑חַד | and [why] have rulers conspired together | Rulers conspire together against YHWH and against his anointed one (v. 2bc) | • Rulers (רזן) are closely related in rank/office to Kings (מלכים) (Judg 5:3; Prov 8:15; Prov 31:4; Hab 1:10). • Rulers (רזן) were part of the administrative legal apparatus since, in the Near East, the king was the sole head of state (Westbrook 2003, 25–27).
|
|||
| עַל־יְ֝הוָה וְעַל־מְשִׁיחֽוֹ׃ | against YHWH and against his anointed one? | |||||
| 3 | נְֽ֭נַתְּקָה אֶת־מֽוֹסְרוֹתֵ֑ימוֹ | "Let's tear off their bonds | Nations and rulers tear off the bonds of YHWH and his anointed one (v. 3a) | |||
| וְנַשְׁלִ֖יכָה מִמֶּ֣נּוּ עֲבֹתֵֽימוֹ׃ | and throw their ropes away from us!" | Nations and rulers throw away the ropes of YHWH and his anointed one (v. 3b) | ||||
| 4 | יוֹשֵׁ֣ב בַּשָּׁמַ֣יִם יִשְׂחָ֑ק | The one enthroned in the heavens laughs. | The one enthroned in the heavens laughs (v. 4a) | • The heavens are above the earth, and being "above" someone else implies a superior status
|
||
| אֲ֝דֹנָ֗י יִלְעַג־לָֽמוֹ׃ | The Lord mocks them. | The Lord mocks the nations and rulers (v. 4b) | ||||
| 5 | אָ֤ז יְדַבֵּ֣ר אֵלֵ֣ימוֹ בְאַפּ֑וֹ | Then he speaks to them in his anger | The Lord speaks to the nations and rulers in his anger (v. 5a) | |||
| וּֽבַחֲרוֹנ֥וֹ יְבַהֲלֵֽמוֹ׃ | and terrifies them in his wrath. | The Lord terrifies the nations and rulers in his wrath (v. 5b) | ||||
| 6 | וַ֭אֲנִי נָסַ֣כְתִּי מַלְכִּ֑י | "But I have poured out my king | YHWH casts his king on Zion, his holy mountain (v. 6) | • An image is the physical representation of the deity on earth (cf. Garr 2003, 136-165) • One function of the Mesopotamian image was "to communicate divine presence in its real-world setting... the vehicle through which a god resides in the community, maintains a presence, receives worship and prayer, and can actively participate in society. In other words, the divine image represents a theophany" (Garr 2003, 144) • A divine image can take the form of a human being, especially a king (Garr 2003, 144-145; cf. SAA 8 33 rev. 2-6; SAA 10 196 obv. 17–rev. 6). • A human image of a deity "acts as the conduit through which the authority and power of a divine patron is realized" (Garr 2003, 145) • "By virtue of divine investment. he [the king as the image of a deity] represents and executes these [divine] attributes. He effectively holds a position intermediate between the divine and human spheres" (Garr 2003, 146; cf. i/A obv. 16'-20' [Tukulti-Ninurta epic])
|
||
| עַל־צִ֝יּ֗וֹן הַר־קָדְשִֽׁי׃ | on Zion, my holy mountain." | • YHWH chose Zion, "the city of David" (2 Sam 5:7), as his holy mountain (Ps 132:13-14). • The 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 (see e.g., Gen 22; Exod 3:1-2; 19; cf. Matt 17:1-8)
|
||||
| 7 | אֲסַפְּרָ֗ה אֶֽ֫ל חֹ֥ק | I will tell about the decree; | The king tells about the decree (v. 7a) | • YHWH had 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)
|
||
| יְֽהוָ֗ה אָמַ֘ר אֵלַ֥י בְּנִ֥י אַ֑תָּה | YHWH said to me, "You are my son. | YHWH says to the king, "You are my son" (v. 7b)
The king is YHWH's son (v. 7bβ) |
• The description of the king as God’s son is an idea attested throughout the Ancient Near Eastern world. See the sampling of primary source material in Walton 2018, 260, 262-5. The Old Testament, for example, mentions “Ben-hadad (בֶּן־הֲדַד, “son of [the deity] Hadad”)… king of Syria, who lived in Damascus” (1 Kgs 15:18, ESV; cf. 2 Chron 16:2, 4). An Ugaritic text refers to King Kirta as “the son of Illu, the offspring of the Gracious and Holy One” (COS 1.101; cf. KTU 1.16, 10-11). On Egyptian evidence, see Hoffmeier 1994. Note especially: “[Then said Amun-Re, King of the Gods]: You are my son, my heir, who issued from my body...” (Murnane and Meltzer 1995, 233 no. 107-A). “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" (Gentry 2012, 397). • See the sonship imagery chart for more information
|
|||
| אֲ֝נִ֗י הַיּ֥וֹם יְלִדְתִּֽיךָ׃ | I hereby father you today. | YHWH fathers the king today (v. 7c) | ||||
| 8 | שְׁאַ֤ל מִמֶּ֗נִּי וְאֶתְּנָ֣ה ג֭וֹיִם נַחֲלָתֶ֑ךָ | Ask me, and I will make nations your inheritance | The king asks YHWH (v. 8aα)
YHWH makes the nations the king's inheritance (v. 8aβ) |
• Sons inherit their fathers' property (cf. Num 27:7-11; 1 Kgs 21:3; Job 42:15) • The whole world is YHWH's property (cf. Ps 24:1)
|
||
| וַ֝אֲחֻזָּתְךָ֗ אַפְסֵי־אָֽרֶץ׃ | and the ends of the earth your property. | YHWH makes the ends of the earth the king's property (v. 8b) | ||||
| 9 | תְּ֭רֹעֵם בְּשֵׁ֣בֶט בַּרְזֶ֑ל | You will crush them with an iron scepter. | The king crushes the nations with an iron scepter (v. 9a) | |||
| כִּכְלִ֖י יוֹצֵ֣ר תְּנַפְּצֵֽם׃ | You will smash them like clay pottery." | The king smashes the nations like clay pottery (v. 9b) | ||||
| 10 | וְ֭עַתָּה מְלָכִ֣ים הַשְׂכִּ֑ילוּ | And now, kings, wise up! | Kings wise up (v. 10a) | |||
| הִ֝וָּסְר֗וּ שֹׁ֣פְטֵי אָֽרֶץ׃ | Accept discipline, earthly rulers! | Earthly rulers accept discipline (v. 10b) | ||||
| 11 | עִבְד֣וּ אֶת־יְהוָ֣ה בְּיִרְאָ֑ה | Serve YHWH with fear | Earthly rulers serve YHWH with fear (v. 11a) | • Joy mixed with fearful trembling is an appropriate response to YHWH's reign (cf. Pss 97:1; 99:1)
|
||
| וְ֝גִ֗ילוּ בִּרְעָדָֽה׃ | and rejoice with trembling! | Earthly rulers rejoice with trembling (v. 11b) | ||||
| 12 | נַשְּׁקוּ־בַ֡ר פֶּן־יֶאֱנַ֤ף ׀ וְתֹ֬אבְדוּ דֶ֗רֶךְ | Kiss the son, or else he will become angry and you will perish in your way, | Earthly rulers kiss the son (v. 12a)
The son becomes angry (v. 12bα) Earthly rulers perish in their way (v. 12bβ) |
• 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) • Sons resemble their fathers (cf. Gen 5:3) • "O king of the world, you are the image of Marduk: when you are angry with your servants, we suffer the anger of the king our lord, but we also experience the mercy of the king" (SAA 8 333 rev. 2-6, cited in Garr 2003, 145)
|
||
| כִּֽי־יִבְעַ֣ר כִּמְעַ֣ט אַפּ֑וֹ | for his anger quickly ignites. | The son's anger ignites easily (v. 12c) | ||||
| אַ֝שְׁרֵ֗י כָּל־ח֥וֹסֵי בֽוֹ׃ | Happy are all who take refuge in him! | Happy are all who take refuge in him (v. 12d) | • For the אשרי declaration, see notes on Ps 1:1 • "The refuge metaphor seems to communicate the comprehensive responsibility of ancient oriental kings to ensure the safety of their subjects through military and judicial means" (Creach 1996, 52)
|