Psalms 2 (DBY)

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Chapter Text

2:1 Why are the nations in tumultuous agitation, and [why] do the peoples meditate a vain thing?

2:2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the princes plot together, against Jehovah and against his anointed:

2:3 Let us break their bonds asunder, and cast away their cords from us!

2:4 He that dwelleth in the heavens shall laugh, the Lord shall have them in derision.

2:5 Then will he speak to them in his anger, and in his fierce displeasure will he terrify them:

2:6 And *I* have anointed my king upon Zion, the hill of my holiness.

2:7 I will declare the decree: Jehovah hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; *I* this day have begotten thee.

2:8 Ask of me, and I will give thee nations for an inheritance, and for thy possession the ends of the earth:

2:9 Thou shalt break them with a sceptre of iron, as a potter's vessel thou shalt dash them in pieces.

2:10 And now, O kings, be ye wise, be admonished, ye judges of the earth.

2:11 Serve Jehovah with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

2:12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish in the way, though his anger burn but a little. Blessed are all who have their trust in him.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "nations", "tumultuous", "agitation", "peoples", "meditate", "vain", "kings", and "earth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "nations" and "tumultuous", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The local DBY text gives this verse as the immediate unit, so "nations" and "tumultuous" carries the first interpretive weight. In The LORD as Shepherd, the local focus is trust, covenant mercy, guidance, and worship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "nations" and "tumultuous" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.