Psalm 2 explained: God's Chosen King and the Rebels

The nations rebel (vv. 1-3)

Kings and peoples band together against the LORD and his anointed, meaning the king set apart for God by having oil poured on his head. The chains they want to break picture the control a ruling king held over subject nations, and the crowning of a new king was a common moment for such revolts.

God laughs from heaven (vv. 4-6)

The LORD is pictured as calm and unthreatened, mocking plans that cannot succeed. His answer is simply that his king is already installed on Zion, the hill in Jerusalem tied to God's presence and the king's throne.

The king repeats God's promise (vv. 7-9)

The king himself speaks, quoting God calling him his son "today," which most scholars see as coronation language echoing God's promise to treat David's descendants as sons. The iron rod and smashed pottery picture a defeat so complete it cannot be undone.

A warning to rulers (vv. 10-12)

The rulers are urged to submit while there is still time, and the call to kiss the son seems to mean a gesture of loyalty to the king, though the Hebrew is unclear and some translate it quite differently. The psalm ends by calling blessed all who take refuge in "him," which could mean God or the king.

How Christians read it (vv. 1-12)

Christians read this psalm as pointing to Jesus, and the New Testament applies its words about God's son to him. The Hebrew word for "anointed" is "Messiah," and in Greek it is "Christ."

Key verse: Psalm 2:7

Where Christians differ

Christians differ on whether the psalm first described a human king in David's line and was only later applied to Jesus, or was a direct prophecy about the Messiah from the start.

Something to think about

When people push to break free of a power over them, what helps you tell whether they are resisting something unjust or something they would be better off trusting?