PSALM 2 COMME�TARYWritten and edited by Glenn Pease

PREFACE

I quote some contemporary authors, and if any of them does not wish their wisdomto be shared in this way, they can let me know and I will remove it from thiscommentary. My e-mail is glenn_p86@yahoo.com

I�TRODUCTIO�

1. Spurgeon: “The first Psalm was a contrast between the righteous man and thesinner; the second Psalm is a contrast between the tumultuous disobedience of theungodly world and the sure exaltation of the righteous Son of God. In the firstPsalm, we saw the wicked driven away like chaff; in the second Psalm we see thembroken in pieces like a potter’s vessel. In the first Psalm, we beheld the righteouslike a tree planted by the rivers of water; and here, we contemplate Christ, theCovenant Head of the righteous, made better than a tree planted by the rivers ofwater, for he is made king of all the islands, and all the heathen bow before him andkiss the dust.”

2. Leupold, “The first strophe describes the bitter opposition of the enemies of theLord’s anointed. The second describes the calm assurance of the Lord Himself inthe face of this opposition. The third presents the glorious divine ordinanceappointed for the Lord’s anointed. The last consists of an exhortation to the rebelsto submit discreetly to Him who is their Lord.”

3. Murphy : “This Psalm is Messianic, for it speaks of an Anointed One whotranscends all earthly sovereigns; catholic, for it calls the Gentiles into the Church;evangelical, for it announces happiness to all who trust in the Lord; and monitory,for it warns the rebels to make a timely submission. It celebrates the kingly office ofthe Messiah. The first and second Psalms form a pair. The former gives prominenceto the moral son of God, the latter to the proper Son of God; the one signalizes thelaw as set forth in the spiritual life of the new man, the other celebrates the gospel inthe person of the Messiah, who secures the happiness of all who trust in Him.”

4. Warren Wiersbe, “We need to distinguish the four voices of Psalm 2. The first is

the voice of defiance--the nations of the world (vv. 1-3). It is amazing that thenations would defy Almighty God. He has provided for them (Acts 14:17), guidedthem (I Tim. 6:17) and determined their histories (Acts 17:26). Why do the nationsrebel? They seek freedom without God. P. T. Forsythe said, "The purpose of life isnot to find your freedom. The purpose of life is to find your Master." Authoritydemands submission (Matt. 11:29).

Second, we have the voice of derision--the voice of God the Father (vv. 4-6). Whilethere is tumult on earth, there is tranquillity in heaven. God laughs because theKingdom is secure; the King has been established. Jesus is God's King. Though thenations rebel, we don't need to worry, for the King is already enthroned in heaven.

A third voice we hear in the world is the voice of declaration-- God the Son (vv. 7-9).He runs the universe by decree, not by democracy. He knows everything, iseverywhere and can do anything. God's decrees will succeed. Puny, foolish men withtheir godless living will not eradicate or hinder His decrees. God decrees that JesusChrist is His Son. Jesus is God, and He is King by nature, by conquest and by HisResurrection. He is reigning today, and we can reign in life through Him (Rom.5:17).

The fourth voice is the voice of decision--the Holy Spirit (vv. 10-12). He wants us tolearn--to be wise, to be instructed. Many depend on philosophy, psychology andhistory. These disciplines are helpful, but Christians must rely first and foremost onthe Spirit of God to reveal truth. The Holy Spirit wants us to be willing to serve. Weserve the Lord, not sin. There is joy with our fear because God is our Father. Insearching for liberty, the rebellious crowd practices anarchy, for freedom withoutauthority is anarchy. We are made in the image of God. To rebel against Him is torebel against our own nature. The Holy Spirit also wants us to be reconciled. God isreconciled to us through Christ (Acts 16:31). Jesus "kissed" us in His birth anddeath. Today He is the Lamb, but someday He will come as the Lion to judge. Godis holy and will not allow sin and rebellion to go on forever.”

5. Jerry Shirley has the same idea, but puts it together like this:

Four different voices express themselves in Psalm 2…

A. Voice of the world speaking in Rejection and Rebellion. (1-3)

B. Voice of God speaking of Reproof and Retribution. (4-6)

C. Voice of Christ speaking of Rule and Relationships. (7-9)

D. Voice of the Spirit speaking of Receiving and Rejoicing. (10-12)

6. Robert Wm. Redding has produced one of the best outlines of this Psalm.

Section A. - The Deliberations Against the Lord 1.Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?2.The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, againstthe LORD, and against his anointed, saying, 3.Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.

Section B. - The Displeasure of the Lord 4.He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. 5.Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. 6.Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.

Section C. - The Decree of the Lord 7.I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this dayhave I begotten thee. 8.Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and theuttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. 9.Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like apotter's vessel.

Section D. - The Discernment From the Lord 10.Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. 11.Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12.Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath iskindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

7. “Traditionally, the Jewish interpretation of psalm 2 can be divided into 3streams: a) RaSHI explains that "Our Rabbis have taught that this concerns the

Messiah-King, and in harmony with this interpretion it can be applied to David

himself... " b) Ibn Ezra reckons that the psalm refers to the "anointing of David as

king, for which reason it is written; 'This day I have begotten you', or else it concerns

the Messiah... " author unknown

8. Treasury of David, “We shall not greatly err in our summary of this sublimePsalm if we call it THE PSALM OF MESSIAH THE PRI�CE; for it sets forth, as ina wondrous vision, the tumult of the people against the Lord's anointed, thedeterminate purpose of God to exalt his own Son, and the ultimate reign of that Sonover all his enemies. Let us read it with the eye of faith, beholding, as in a glass, thefinal triumph of our Lord Jesus Christ over all his enemies. Lowth has the followingremarks upon this Psalm: "The establishment of David upon his throne,notwithstanding the opposition made to it by his enemies, is the subject of thePsalm. David sustains in it a twofold character, literal and allegorical. If we readover the Psalm, first with an eye to the literal David, the meaning is obvious, and putbeyond all dispute by the sacred history. There is indeed an uncommon glow in theexpression and sublimity in the figures, and the diction is now and then exaggerated,as it were on purpose to intimate, and lead us to the contemplation of higher and

more important matters concealed within. In compliance with this admonition, if wetake another survey of the Psalm as relative to the person and concerns of thespiritual David, a noble series of events immediately rises to view, and the meaningbecomes more evident, as well as more exalted. The coloring which may perhapsseem too bold and glaring for the king of Israel, will no longer appear so when laidupon his great Antitype. After we have thus attentively considered the subjectsapart, let us look at them together, and we shall behold the full beauty and majestyof this most charming poem. We shall perceive the two senses very distinct fromeach other, yet conspiring in perfect harmony, and bearing a wonderfulresemblance in every feature and lineament, while the analogy between them is soexactly preserved, that either may pass for the original from whence the other wascopied. �ew light is continually cast upon the phraseology, fresh weight and dignityare added to the sentiments, till, gradually ascending from things below to thingsabove, from human affairs to those that are Divine, they bear the great importanttheme upwards with them, and at length place it in the height and brightness ofheaven."

9. Mark Copeland, “This psalm is Messianic in nature, with its theme being "TheUltimate Victory Of The Lord's Anointed." It is quoted by the apostles andearly church in their prayer for help against persecution (cf. Ac 4:24-30), inwhich they applied it to the efforts of Pontius Pilate along with Gentiles andthose of Israel who crucified Christ. From this reference in Acts we alsolearn that David was the author.”

10. Calvin, “David boasts that his kingdom, though assailed by a vast multitude ofpowerful enemies, would, notwithstanding, be perpetual, because it was upheld bythe hand and power of God. He adds, that in spite of his enemies, it would beextended even to the uttermost ends of the earth. And, therefore, he exhorts kingsand other rulers to lay aside their pride, and receive, with submissive minds, theyoke laid upon them by God; as it would be vain for them to attempt to shake it off.All this was typical and contains a prophecy concerning the future kingdom ofChrist.”

11. McGee, “When we come to the second psalm we find that the Spirit of God usestwo cameras in a dramatic way beyond the imagination of man. First, the camera onearth comes on, and when it does, we hear the voices of the masses. We hear littleman speaking his little piece and playing his part — as Shakespeare puts it, "A poorplayer that struts and frets his hour upon the stage" of life. Little man. Then thecamera on earth goes off, the camera in heaven comes on, and we hear God theFather speak. After He speaks, the camera shifts to His right hand, and God the Sonspeaks His part. Then the camera in heaven goes off, the camera on earth comes onagain, and God the Holy Spirit has the last word.”

12. As I studied this Psalm, I was impressed as to how relevant this chapter is to thewhole world of politics. The rulers of our nation and the nations of this modern

world have the same obligations as those in the days of David. They have the duty toacknowledge God's King as their ultimate authority. Jesus is the King of kings, andif you have authority in this world in any nation, you need to submit to thatauthority or risk the wrath of God. This becomes the key way we should be lookingat leaders and politicians. Do they kiss the Son? Do they make decisions that honorthe revelation of God revealed in Christ? Do they conform to the ways and wisdomthat he has revealed by his life and teaching? These are the questions that peopleneed to ask, and then seek answers to before they vote.

1 Why do the nations conspire [a] and the peoples plot in vain?

1. The question is, why are people so foolish as to think they can oppose the Godwho made them and all things besides? What possesses people who actually setdown and plot how they can outwit the Lord, who is all wise, and all powerful? Evilis guided by the irrational and not by wisdom and knowledge, which is the guide forthose who do good. There is no rational explanation for why people choose to followthe path of evil, for it is contrary to all that makes sense. It is no wonder that Godlaughs at such folly, for it is pure stupidity, and it is laughable. All efforts by man tooutwit God, and overthrow his plan for history are futile and vain. �ot every storyof the little guy against the giant ends in victory for the little guy. Sometimes it is thestory of the ant and the man, and it ends with a foot crushing the ant. Such is thestory of God and the rebel nations.

2. Barnes, “Why do the heathen rage - “Why do nations make a noise?” Prof.Alexander. The word “heathen” here - גוים gôyim - means properly “nations,” without respect, so far as the word is concerned, to the character of the nations. It wasapplied by the Hebrews to the surrounding nations, or to all other people than theirown; and as those nations were in fact pagans, or idolators, the word came to havethis signification. �eh_5:8; Jer_31:10; Eze_23:30; Eze_30:11; compare אדם 'âdâm,Jer_32:20. The word Gentile among the Hebrews (Greek, ἔθνος ethnos expressedthe same thing. Mat_4:15; Mat_6:32; Mat_10:5, Mat_10:18; Mat_12:21, et soepe.The word rendered “rage” - רגׁש râgash - means to make a noise or tumult, andwould be expressive of violent commotion or agitation. It occurs in the HebrewScriptures only in this place, though the corresponding Chaldee word - רגׁש regash

is found in Dan_6:6, Dan_6:11, Dan_6:15 - rendered in Dan_6:6, “assembledtogether,” in the margin “came tumultuously,” - and in Dan_6:11, Dan_6:15,rendered “assembled.” The psalmist here sees the nations in violent agitation orcommotion, as if under high excitement, engaged in accomplishing some purpose -

rushing on to secure something, or to prevent something. The image of a mob, or ofa tumultuous unregulated assemblage, would probably convey the idea of thepsalmist. The word itself does not enable us to determine how extensive thisagitation would be, but it is evidently implied that it would be a somewhat generalmovement; a movement in which more than one nation or people would participate.The matter in hand was something that affected the nations generally, and whichwould produce violent agitation among them.

And the people - לאמים Le'umiym. A word expressing substantially the same idea,that of people, or nations, and referring here to the same thing as the word rendered“heathen” - according to the laws of Hebrew parallelism in poetry. It is the peoplehere that are seen in violent agitation: the conduct of the rulers, as associated withthem, is referred to in the next verse. Imagine - Our word “imagine” does notprecisely express the idea here. We mean by it, “to form a notion or idea in themind; to fancy.” Webster. The Hebrew word, הגה hâgâh, is the same which, inPsa_1:2, is rendered “meditate.” See the notes at that verse. It means here that themind is engaged in deliberating on it; that it plans, devises, or forms a purpose; - inother words, the persons referred to are thinking about some purpose which is herecalled a vain purpose; they are meditating some project which excites deep thought,but which cannot be effectual.

A vain thing - That is, which will prove to be a vain thing, or a thing which theycannot accomplish. It cannot mean that they were engaged in forming plans whichthey supposed would be vain - for no persons would form such plans; but that theywere engaged in designs which the result would show to be unsuccessful. Thereference here is to the agitation among the nations in respect to the divine purposeto set up the Messiah as king over the world, and to the opposition which this wouldcreate among the nations of the earth. See the notes at Psa_2:2. An ample fulfillmentof this occurred in the opposition to him when he came in the flesh, and in theresistance everywhere made since his death to his reign upon the earth. �othing hasproduced more agitation in the world (compare Act_17:6), and nothing still excitesmore determined resistance. The truths taught in this verse are:

(1) that sinners are opposed - even so much as to produce violent agitation ofmind, and a fixed and determined purpose - to the plans and decrees of God,especially with respect to the reign of the Messiah; and

(2) that their plans to resist this will be vain and ineffectual; wisely as theirschemes may seem to be laid, and determined as they themselves are in regard totheir execution, yet they must find them vain.

What is implied here of the particular plans against the Messiah, is true of all thepurposes of sinners, when they array themselves against the government of God.”

3. Clarke, “Why do the heathen rage - It has been supposed that David composedthis Psalm after he had taken Jerusalem from the Jebusites, and made it the head ofthe kingdom; 2Sa_5:7-9. The Philistines, hearing this, encamped in the valley of

Rephaim, nigh to Jerusalem, and Josephus, Antiq. lib. 7: c. 4, says that all Syria,Phoenicia, and the other circumjacent warlike people, united their armies to thoseof the Philistines, in order to destroy David before he had strengthened himself inthe kingdom. David, having consulted the Lord, 2Sa_5:17-19, gave them battle, andtotally overthrew the whole of his enemies. In the first place, therefore, we maysuppose that this Psalm was written to celebrate the taking of Jerusalem, and theoverthrow of all the kings and chiefs of the neighboring nations. In the second placewe find from the use made of this Psalm by the apostles, Act_4:27, that Davidtypified Jesus Christ; and that the Psalm celebrates the victories of the Gospel overthe Philistine Jews, and all the confederate power of the heathen governors of theRoman empire.

The heathen, גוים goyim, the nations; those who are commonly called the Gentiles.

Rage, רגשו rageshu, the gnashing of teeth, and tumultuously rushing together, ofthose indignant and cruel people, are well expressed by the sound as well as themeaning of the original word. A vain thing. Vain indeed to prevent the spread of theGospel in the world. To prevent Jesus Christ, the King of kings, and Lord of lords,from having the empire of his own earth. So vain were their endeavors that everyeffort only tended to open and enlarge the way for the all-conquering sway of thescepter of righteousness.

4. Henry, “We have here a very great struggle about the kingdom of Christ, hell andheaven contesting it; the seat of the war is this earth, where Satan has long had ausurped kingdom and exercised dominion to such a degree that he has been calledthe prince of the power of the very air we breathe in and the god of the world we livein. He knows very well that, as the Messiah's kingdom rises and gets ground, hisfalls and loses ground; and therefore, though it will be set up certainly, it shall notbe set up tamely. Observe here,

I. The mighty opposition that would be given to the Messiah and his kingdom, tohis holy religion and all the interests of it, Psa_2:1-3. One would have expected thatso great a blessing to this world would be universally welcomed and embraced, andthat every sheaf would immediately bow to that of the Messiah and all the crownsand sceptres on earth would be laid at his feet; but it proves quite contrary. �everwere the notions of any sect of philosophers, though ever so absurd, nor the powersof any prince or state, though ever so tyrannical, opposed with so much violence asthe doctrine and government of Christ - a sign that it was from heaven, for theopposition was plainly from hell originally.”

5. Stuart D. Robertson, “Today Psalm 2 is before us. It is one of the "royal psalms."These are psalms that have to do with the king of Israel. We’re told that the royalpsalms were sung or chanted at the coronation of Israel’s kings. You would thinkthat a song sung at a king’s coronation would glorify the office of the king. The firstroyal psalm indeed tells us the king was anointed by God, but only after uttering anexplosive complaint. It is remarkable that the first royal psalm should begin: "Whydo the nations conspire, and the peoples plot in vain?" Was this the first thing

needful to say at his successors’ coronation, that the king is surrounded by aseething sea of opposition--hostile neighboring nations, a muttering multitude? Youwonder, how long after David was crowned did he write this? Did the pressures ofthe job get to him? Is David thin-skinned, or paranoid? Is this the first thing thatwould be important to remember each time a king was crowned?

He faced the running battle with the Philistines, whose giant Goliath fell to himwhen he was a lad. Other neighboring nations, the Amelakites, Moabites, and other"ites" wished to conquer Israel. He faced rebellion within his own family. He facedthe residue of resentment from courtiers who were loyal to king Saul, who precededhim. David had reason to recognize that the position of king was not secure. "Whydo the peoples plot?" Did he add "in vain" as a wish, a prayer that their plots mightbe in vain?”

6. Spurgeon, “We have, in these first three verses, a description of the hatred ofhuman nature against the Christ of God. �o better comment is needed upon it thanthe apostolic song in Acts 4:27, 28: "For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus,whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and thepeople of Israel, were gathered together, for to do whatsoever thy hand and thycounsel determined before to be done." The Psalm begins abruptly with an angryinterrogation; and well it may: it is surely but little to be wondered at, that the sightof creatures in arms against their God should amaze the psalmist's mind. We see theheathen raging, roaring like the sea, tossed to and fro with restless waves, as theocean in a storm; and then we mark the people in their hearts imagining a vain

thing against God. Where there is much rage there is generally some folly, and inthis case there is an excess of it.”

7. Treasury of David, “Verse 1. "A vain thing." A medal was struck by Diocletian,which still remains, bearing the inscription, "The name of Christians beingextinguished." And in Spain, two monumental pillars were raised, on which werewritten:—I. "Diocletian Jovian Maximian Herculeus Caesares Augusti, for havingextended the Roman Empire in the east and the west, and for having extinguishedthe name of Christians, who brought the Republic to ruin." II. "Diocletian JovianMaximian Herculeus Caesares Augusti, for having adopted Galerius in the east, forhaving everywhere abolished the superstition of Christ, for having extended theworship of the gods." As a modern writer has elegantly observed: "We have here amonument raised by Paganism, over the grave of its vanquished foe. But in this 'thepeople imagined a vain thing;' so far from being deceased, Christianity was on theeve of its final and permanent triumph, and the stone guarded a sepulchre empty asthe urn which Electra washed with her tears. �either in Spain, nor elsewhere, canbe pointed out the burial place of Christianity; it is not, for the living have notomb.'"

2 The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the LORD and against his Anointed One. [b]

1. Barnes, “The kings of the earth - This verse is designed to give a more specificform to the general statement in Psa_2:1. In the first verse the psalmist sees ageneral commotion among the nations as engaged in some plan that he sees must bea vain one; here he describes more particularly the cause of the excitement, andgives a nearer view of what is occurring. He now sees kings and rulers engaged in aspecific and definite plot against Yahweh and against His Anointed. The word“kings” here is a general term, which would be applicable to all rulers - as thekingly government was the only one then known, and the nations were under thecontrol of absolute monarchs. A sufficient fulfillment would be found, however, ifany rulers were engaged in doing what is here described.

Set themselves - Or, take their stand. The latter expression would perhaps betterconvey the sense of the original. It is the idea of taking a stand, or of settingthemselves in array, which is denoted by the expression; - they combine; theyresolve; they are fixed in their purpose. Compare Exo_2:4; Exo_19:17; Exo_34:5.The attitude here is that of firm or determined resistance. And the rulers - A slightaddition to the word kings. The sense is, that there was a general combinationamong all classes of rulers to accomplish what is here specified. It was not confinedto any one class.

Take counsel together - Consult together. Compare Psa_31:13, “While they tookcounsel together against me.” The word used here, יחד yachad, means properly tofound, to lay the foundation of, to establish; then, to be founded (�iphal); to supportoneself; to lean upon - as, for example, to lean upon the elbow. Thus used, it isemployed with reference to persons reclining or leaning upon a couch or cushion,especially as deliberating together, as the Orientals do in the divan or council.Compare the notes at Psa_83:3. The idea here is that of persons assembled todeliberate on an important matter.

Against the Lord - Against Jehovah - the small capitals of “Lord” in our commonversion indicating that the original word is Yahweh. The meaning is, that they wereengaged in deliberating against Yahweh in respect to the matter here referred to - towit, his purpose to place the “Anointed One,” his King (Psa_2:6), on the hill of Zion.It is not meant that they were in other respects arrayed against him, though it istrue in fact that opposition to God in one respect may imply that there is an

aversion to him in all respects, and that the same spirit which would lead men tooppose him in any one of his purposes would, if carried out, lead them to opposehim in all things.

And against his Anointed - - מׁשיחו meshı̂ychô - his Messiah: hence, our wordMessiah, or Christ. The word means “Anointed,” and the allusion is to the custom ofanointing kings and priests with holy oil when setting them apart to office, orconsecrating them to their work. Compare Mat_1:1, note; Dan_9:26, note. Theword Messiah, or Anointed, is therefore of so general a character in its significationthat its mere use would not determine to whom it was to be applied - whether to aking, to a priest, or to the Messiah properly so called. The reference is to bedetermined by something in the connection. All that the word here necessarilyimplies is, that there was some one whom Yahweh regarded as his Anointed one,whether king or priest, against whom the rulers of the earth had arrayedthemselves. The subsequent part of the psalm Psa_2:6-7 enables us to ascertain thatthe reference here is to one who was a King, and that he sustained to Yahweh therelation of a Son. The �ew Testament, and the considerations suggested in theintroduction to the psalm (Section 4), enable us to understand that the reference isto the Messiah properly so called - Jesus of �azareth. This is expressly declaredAct_4:25-27 to have had its fulfillment in the purposes of Herod, Pontius Pilate, theGentiles, and the people of Israel, in rejecting the Saviour and putting him to death.�o one can doubt that all that is here stated in the psalm had a complete fulfillmentin their combining to reject him and to put him to death; and we are, therefore, toregard the psalm as particularly referring to this transaction. Their conduct was,however, an illustration of the common feelings of rulers and people concerninghim, and it was proper to represent the nations in general as in commotion inregard to him.

1B. DAVID JAMES BURRELL, "who began this war?" The kings and rulers of theearth are represented as sitting in council to devise schemes for thwarting thebeneficent plans of the Father and his anointed Son. But kings and their counselorsare not alone to blame. Behold the mob! The heathen are raging and the peopleimagining a vain thing. Hear them shouting " Let us break his bands asunder andcast away his cords from us!'*

What bands? The bands of law and order and humanity and righteousness. Whosecords? The restraining cords of the Lord and his Anointed. Thus rulers and peopleclasp hands in an effort to cast off salutary restraint and revel in lawless freedom.This is the world's war — All hands to the firing line ! It is a mad, reckless,tumultuous revolt against God. “

1C. Spurgeon, “�ote, that the commotion is not caused by the people only, but theirleaders foment the rebellion. "The kings of the earth set themselves." In determinedmalice they arrayed themselves in opposition against God. It was not temporaryrage, but deep-seated hate, for they set themselves resolutely to withstand the Princeof Peace. "And the rulers take counsel together." They go about their warfare

craftily, not with foolish haste, but deliberately. They use all the skill which art cangive. Like Pharaoh, they cry, "Let us deal wisely with them." O that men were halfas careful in God's service to serve him wisely, as his enemies are to attack hiskingdom craftily. Sinners have their wits about them, and yet saints are dull. Butwhat say they? what is the meaning of this commotion? "Let us break their bands

asunder." "Let us be free to commit all manner of abominations. Let us be our owngods. Let us rid ourselves of all restraint." Gathering impudence by the traitorousproposition of rebellion, they add—"let us cast away;" as if it were an easy matter —"let us fling off 'their cords from us.'" What! O ye kings, do ye think yourselvesSamsons? and are the bands of Omnipotence but as green withs before you? Do youdream that you shall snap to pieces and destroy the mandates of God—the decreesof the Most High—as if they were but tow? and do ye say, "Let us cast away theircords from us?" Yes! There are monarchs who have spoken thus, and there are stillrebels upon thrones. However mad the resolution to revolt from God, it is one inwhich man has persevered ever since his creation, and he continues in it to this veryday. The glorious reign of Jesus in the latter day will not be consummated, until aterrible struggle has convulsed the nations. His coming will be as a refiner's fire, andlike fuller's soap, and the day thereof shall burn as an oven. Earth loves not herrightful monarch, but clings to the usurper's sway: the terrible conflicts of the lastdays will illustrate both the world's love of sin and Jehovah's power to give thekingdom to his only Begotten. To a graceless neck the yoke of Christ is intolerable,but to the saved sinner it is easy and light. We may judge ourselves by this, do welove that yoke, or do we wish to cast it from us?”

2. Jamison, “anointed — Hebrew, “Messiah”; Greek, “Christ” (Joh_1:41).Anointing, as an emblem of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, was conferred on prophets(Isa_6:1); priests (Exo_30:30); and kings (1Sa_10:1; 1Sa_16:13; 1Ki_1:39). Hencethis title well suited Him who holds all these offices, and was generally used by theJews before His coming, to denote Him (Dan_9:26). While the prophet has in viewmen’s opposition generally, he here depicts it in its culminating aspect as seen in theevents of Christ’s great trial. Pilate and Herod, and the rulers of the Jews(Mat_27:1; Luk_23:1-25), with the furious mob, are vividly portrayed.”

3. Gill, “ The kings of the earth set themselves,.... Rose and stood up in great wrathand fury, and presented themselves in an hostile manner, and opposed the Messiah:as Herod the great, king of Judea, who very early bestirred himself, and sought totake away the life of Jesus in his infancy; and Herod Antipas, tetrarch of Galilee,who is called a king, Mar_6:14; who with his men of war mocked him, and set himat nought; and Pontius Pilate, the governor of Judea, who represented the Romanemperor, and condemned him to death, Mat_27:26; and all the kings of the earthever since, who ever persecuted Christ in his members, and have set themselves withall their might to hinder the spread of his Gospel and the enlargement of hisinterest;

and the rulers take counsel together; as did the Jewish sanhedrim, the great court of

judicature among the Jews, the members of which were the rulers of the people,who frequently met together and consulted to take away the life of Christ: though itmay also include all other governors and magistrates who have entered into schemes

against the Lord, and against his Anointed, or Messiah, Christ: by "the Lord", orJehovah, which is the great, the glorious, and incommunicable name of God, and isexpressive of his eternal being and self-existence, and of his being the fountain ofessence to all creatures, is meant God the Father; since he is distinguished from hisSon, the Messiah, his anointed One, as Messiah and Christ signify; and who is socalled, because he is anointed by God with the Holy Ghost, without measure, to theoffice of the Mediator, Prophet, Priest, and King; from whom the saints receive theanointing, which teacheth all things, and every grace of the Spirit in measure; andwho, after his name, are called Christians. This name of the promised Redeemerwas well known among the Jews, Joh_1:41; and which they took from this passage,and from some others;

4. Henry, “We are here told who would appear as adversaries to Christ and thedevil's instruments in this opposition to his kingdom. Princes and people, court andcountry, have sometimes separate interests, but here they are united against Christ;not the mighty only, but the mob, the heathen, the people, numbers of them,communities of them; though usually fond of liberty, yet they were averse to theliberty Christ came to procure and proclaim. �ot the mob only, but the mighty(among whom one might have expected more sense and consideration) appearviolent against Christ. Though his kingdom is not of this world, nor in the leastcalculated to weaken their interests, but very likely, if they pleased, to strengthenthem, yet the kings of the earth and rulers are up in arms immediately. See theeffects of the old enmity in the seed of the serpent against the seed of the woman,and how general and malignant the corruption of mankind is. See how formidablethe enemies of the church are; they are numerous; they are potent. The unbelievingJews are here called heathen, so wretchedly had they degenerated from the faith andholiness of their ancestors; they stirred up the heathen, the Gentiles, to persecute theChristians. As the Philistines and their lords, Saul and his courtiers, the disaffectedparty and their ringleaders, opposed David's coming to the crown, so Herod andPilate, the Gentiles and the Jews, did their utmost against Christ and his interest inmen, Act_4:27.

Who it is that they quarrel with, and muster up all their forces against; it is against

the Lord and against his anointed, that is, against all religion in general and theChristian religion in particular. It is certain that all who are enemies to Christ,whatever they pretend, are enemies to God himself; they have hated both me and my

Father, Joh_15:24. The great author of our holy religion is here called the Lord's

anointed, or Messiah, or Christ, in allusion to the anointing of David to be king. He isboth authorized and qualified to be the church's head and king, is duly invested inthe office and every way fitted for it; yet there are those that are against him; nay,therefore they are against him, because they are impatient of God's authority,envious at Christ's advancement, and have a rooted enmity to the Spirit of

holiness.”

The opposition they give is here described. (1.) It is a most spiteful and maliciousopposition. They rage and fret; they gnash their teeth for vexation at the setting upof Christ's kingdom; it creates them the utmost uneasiness, and fills them withindignation, so that they have no enjoyment of themselves; see Luk_13:14;Joh_11:47; Act_5:17, Act_5:33; Act_19:28. Idolaters raged at the discovery of theirfolly, the chief priests and Pharisees at the eclipsing of their glory and the shaking oftheir usurped dominion. Those that did evil raged at the light. (2.) It is a deliberateand politic opposition. They imagine or meditate, that is, they contrive means tosuppress the rising interests of Christ's kingdom and are very confident of thesuccess of their contrivances; they promise themselves that they shall run downreligion and carry the day. (3.) It is a resolute and obstinate opposition. They set

themselves, set their faces as a flint and their hearts as an adamant, in defiance ofreason, and conscience, and all the terrors of the Lord; they are proud and daring,like the Babel-builders, and will persist in their resolution, come what will. (4.) It isa combined and confederate opposition. They take counsel together, to assist andanimate one another in this opposition; they carry their resolutions nemine

contradicente - unanimously, that they will push on the unholy war against theMessiah with the utmost vigour: and thereupon councils are called, cabals areformed, and all their wits are at work to find out ways and means for the preventingof the establishment of Christ's kingdom, Psa_83:5.”

5. Spurgeon : “However mad the resolution to revolt from God, it is one in whichman has persevered ever since his creation, and he continues in it to this very day.The glorious reign of Jesus in the latter day will not be consummated, until aterrible struggle has convulsed the nations. His coming will be as a refiner’s fire,and like fuller’s soap, and the day thereof shall burn as an oven. Earth loves not herrightful monarch, but clings to the usurper’s sway: the terrible conflicts of the lastdays will illustrate both the world’s love of sin and Jehovah’s power to give thekingdom to his only Begotten. To a graceless neck the yoke of Christ is intolerable,but to the saved sinner it is easy and light. We may judge ourselves by this, do welove that yoke, or do we wish to cast it from us?”

6. C Bouwman, “the revolt David alludes to in this Psalm was not just a separateevent in the history of mankind. This revolt, being as it is a revolt against God andHis anointed, lies on a line with the revolt of Paradise. Adam and Eve - and in themthe human race- had rebelled against God, had sought to be independent of God,had endeavored to burst asunder what they then considered to be God’s bonds. Andthat revolt of Paradise was in turn instigated by the earlier revolt in heaven, when anumber of angels left their God-given place and determined to cast off God’ssovereignty. Indeed, this revolt of which David writes in Ps 2 has its roots in thatrevolt of Satan and his angels, a revolt brought to earth in the fall in Paradise. It’sall on one line; this revolt of the kings described in Ps 2 is part and parcel of theantithesis, of the struggle between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent.Of that David is convinced, and that’s why he has no trouble in describing thispolitical revolt in terms of rebellion against none less than the God of heaven and

earth.”

7. “It is extremely important! In this hymn, God makes known three wonderfulnames of the Redeemer who would come into the world to bring salvation to thechildren of Adam. Did you hear the three names? They are: The Messiah, the King,and the Son. First, we see that God calls the Redeemer "the Messiah." Messiah is aHebrew word meaning the One whom God has selected {Lit. the Anointed One}. Withthe name Messiah, God was announcing to the children of Adam that everyone mustbelieve and accept the Redeemer who was to come into the world, because He is theOne whom God Himself has selected as the Savior and Judge of the world. However,in the first three verses of this hymn, God predicted that most of the children ofAdam would reject the Messiah whom God was going to send into the world. Youmight be interested to know that the Hebrew word Messiah is the same as the Greekword Christ. Both mean "the One whom God has selected."

The second name is "the King." The Messiah is also the King. Through that name,God wants everyone to know that the Messiah will, in the end, be the Judge andRuler of the world even though most people would reject Him. On the great Day ofJudgment, everyone will kneel before Him, because He is the One whom God hasselected to be the King of kings, the Lord of lords. Consequently, the Messiah will beeither your Savior or your Judge-because, like it or not, He is the King whom Godhas selected to reign forever!

Third, we heard in this chapter another name which God gives the Messiah. It is aname we must consider very carefully. It is "the Son." Here are three reasons fromthe Writings of the Prophets why God called the Messiah His Son.

First, you must know that God called the Messiah His Son, because the Messiahcame from above; from heaven. Everyone who believes the Writings of theProphets, knows that the Messiah did not come from a man, but from the presenceof God. As you know, the Messiah did not have an earthly father. Concerning Hisearthly existence, He came through the descendants of David, because the Messiahwas born of a virgin woman who was a relative of king David. But on His Father'sside, the Messiah came forth uniquely from the Spirit of God. That is why Godcould say to Him, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father!"

Second, God called the Messiah His Son because the Scripture says that God andthe Messiah share the same holy character. Like father, like son. The promisedRedeemer had to be pure and holy just as God is pure and holy. We cannot go farwith this now, but when we come to the Gospel record we will see that the Messiahwas not like the sons of Adam who are stained with sin! As we have seen, even thegreatest of the prophets committed sin. However, the Messiah never sinned. Healways did the will of God. It was necessary that the Messiah be without sin since Hecame into the world to save sinners from their sin! Can those with great debts paythe debts of others? �o, they cannot! The Messiah had no debt of sin. The Scripturecalls Him the "one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above

the heavens." (Heb. 7:26) Yes, the Redeemer was holy, just as God who sent Him is

holy! That is why God was not ashamed to call him His Son.

Third, you should know that God called the Messiah His Son to distinguish Himfrom all the other prophets. We have already seen how Abraham was called "the

friend of God." The prophet Moses was called "the man of God." Of David, Godsaid, "I have found a man after my own heart." But to which prophet did God say,"You are my Son; today I have become your Father"? That could only be said to theMessiah, because the Messiah is the only one who came from above, who was bornof a virgin, and was unstained by sin.” author unknown

8. Vernon McGee, “�ow when did this movement begin? Scripture lets us knowabout this. Over in the fourth chapter of the Book of Acts, when the firstpersecution broke out against the church, we're told that the apostles, Peter andJohn, after they had been threatened, returned back to the church to give theirreport: "And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with oneaccord, and said, Lord, thou art God . . ." ( Acts 4:24 ).

". . . Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and allthat in them is: Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did theheathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?" ( Acts 4:24-25 ). As you can see,they were quoting Psalm 2 . "The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers weregathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ" ( Acts 4:26 ). �ow this isthe Holy Spirit's interpretation: "For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whomthou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and thepeople of Israel, were gathered together" ( Acts 4:27 ). Here is this movement,beginning, we are told by the Holy Spirit, back yonder when Pilate joined up withthe religious rulers and Herod in order to put Jesus to death. This is a movementagainst God and Christ. It has been snowballing as it has come down through thecenturies, and it will break out finally in a worldwide revolution against God and against Christ.”

9. Treasury of David, “Verse 2. "Against Jehovah and against his Anointed." Whatan honour it was to David to be thus publicly associated with Jehovah! And becausehe was HIS anointed, to be an object of hatred and scorn to the ungodly world! Ifthis very circumstance fearfully augmented the guilt, and sealed the doom of theseinfatuated heathen, surely it was that which above everything else would preservethe mind of David calm and serene, yea, peaceful and joyful notwithstanding theproud and boastful vauntiness of his enemies. . . .When writing this Psalm Davidwas like a man in a storm, who hears only the roaring of the tempest, or seesnothing but the raging billows threatening destruction on every side of him. And yethis faith enabled him to say, "The people imagine a vain thing." They cannotsucceed. They cannot defeat the counsels of heaven. They cannot injure the Lord'sAnointed. David Pitcairn, 1851.”

3 "Let us break their chains," they say, "and throw off their fetters."

1. Barnes, “Let us break their bands asunder - The bands of Yahweh and of hisAnointed. They who are engaged in this combination or conspiracy regard Yahwehand his Anointed as one, and as having one object - to set up a dominion over theworld. Hence, they take counsel against both; and, with the same purpose anddesign, endeavor to cast off the authority of each. The word “bands” here refers tothe restraints imposed by their authority. The figure is probably taken fromfastening a yoke on oxen, or the bands or cords which were used in plowing - thebands of the yoke being significant of their subjection to the authority or will ofanother. The same figure is used by the Saviour in Mat_11:29 : “Take my yokeupon you.” The idea here is, that it was the purpose of Yahweh and his Anointed toestablish a dominion over men, and that it was equally the purpose of the kings andrulers here referred to that it should not be done.

And cast away their cords from us - The same idea under another form - the cordsreferring not to that which would bind them as prisoners, but to the ropes or thongswhich bound oxen to the plow; and, hence, to that which would bind men to theservice of God. The word translated “cords” is a stronger word than that which isrendered bands. It means properly what is twisted or interlaced, and refers to theusual manner in which ropes are made. Perhaps, also, in the words “let us castaway” there is the expression of an idea that it could be easily done: that they hadonly to will it, and it would be done. Together, the expressions refer to the purposeamong men to cast off the government of God, and especially that part of hisadministration which refers to his purpose to establish a kingdom under theMessiah. It thus indicates a prevalent state of the human mind as being impatient ofthe restraints and authority of God, and especially of the dominion of his Son,anointed as King.

The passage Psa_2:1-3 proves:

(1) that the government of Yahweh, the true God, and the Messiah or Christ, isthe same;

(2) that opposition to the Messiah, or to Christ, is in fact opposition to thepurposes of the true God;

(3) that it may be expected that men will oppose that government, and there willbe agitation and commotion in endeavoring to throw it off.

The passage, considered as referring to the Messiah, had an ample fulfillment

(a) in the purposes of the high priests, of Herod, and of Pilate, to put him to death,and in the general rejection of him by his own countrymen;

(b) in the general conduct of mankind - in their impatience of the restraints of thelaw of God, and especially of that law as promulgated by the Saviour, demandingsubmission and obedience to him; and

(c) in the conduct of individual sinners - in the opposition of the human heart tothe authority of the Lord Jesus.

The passage before us is just as applicable to the world now as it was to the timewhen the Savior personally appeared on the earth.

2. Clarke, “Let us break their bands - These are the words of the confederateheathen powers; and here, as Bishop Horne well remarks, “we may see the groundof opposition; namely, the unwillingness of rebellious nature to submit to theobligations of Divin0

3. Henry, “We are here told what it is they are exasperated at and what they aim atin this opposition (Psa_2:3): Let us break their bands asunder. They will not be underany government; they are children of Belial, that cannot endure the yoke, at leastthe yoke of the Lord and his anointed. They will be content to entertain such notionsof the kingdom of God and the Messiah as will serve them to dispute of and tosupport their own dominion with: if the Lord and his anointed will make them richand great in the world, they will bid them welcome; but if they will restrain theircorrupt appetites and passions, regulate and reform their hearts and lives, andbring them under the government of a pure and heavenly religion, truly then they

will not have this man to reign over them, Luk_19:14. Christ has bands and cords forus; those that will be saved by him must be ruled by him; but they are cords of a

man, agreeable to right reason, and bands of love, conducive to our true interest:and yet against those the quarrel is. Why do men oppose religion but because theyare impatient of its restraints and obligations? They would break asunder the bandsof conscience they are under and the cords of God's commandments by which theyare called to tie themselves out from all sin and to themselves up to all duty; theywill not receive them, but cast them away as far from them as they can.

They are here reasoned with concerning it, Psa_2:1. Why do they do this? (1.) Theycan show no good cause for opposing so just, holy, and gracious a government,which will not interfere with the secular powers, nor introduce any dangerousprinciples hurtful to kings or provinces; but, on the contrary, if universally received,would bring a heaven upon earth. (2.) They can hope for no good success inopposing so powerful a kingdom, with which they are utterly unable to contend. It isa vain thing; when they have done their worst Christ will have a church in the worldand that church shall be glorious and triumphant. It is built upon a rock, and the

gates of hell shall not prevail against it. The moon walks in brightness, though thedogs bark at it.”

4. Gill, “ Let us break their bands asunder,.... These are not the words of theapostles, nor of the saints in Gospel times, encouraging one another,notwithstanding the rage and opposition of Jews and Gentiles against their Master

and his interest, to break asunder the bands of wickedness, the idolatrous customsand practices of the Heathens, and to throw off the insupportable yoke of bondage,of Jewish traditions and ceremonies, see Isa_58:6; but of the Heathen, the people,and kings of the earth, and rulers who, with one voice, say this and what follows,

and cast away their cords from us; with relation to the Lord and his Anointed,whose laws, ordinances, and truths, they call "bands" and "cords"; so Aramainterprets them of the law, and the commandments; or a "yoke", as the VulgateLatin, Septuagint, Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions render the last word; andthe phrases in general express their irreverence of God and the Messiah, theirrejection Christ and his religion; their non-subjection to him, and their refusal tohave him to rule over them; and their disesteem and contempt of his Gospel, and ofthe ordinances of it, and of the laws and rules of his government in his churches:and also they show the wrong notion that carnal men have of these things thatwhereas Christ's yoke is easy, and his burden light, Mat_11:30; his Gospel and thetruths of it make men free from the slavery of sin and Satan, and from a spirit ofbondage, Rom_8:15; and true Gospel liberty consists in an observance of hiscommands and ordinances; yet they look upon these things as bands and cords, asfetters and shackles, as so many restraints upon their liberty, which are not to bebore: when, on the other hand, they promise themselves liberty in a disengagementfrom them, and in the enjoyment of their own lusts and sinful pleasures; whereasthereby they are brought into bondage, and become the servants of corruption.Some render it "cast away from him" (c); either from Christ, or everyone fromhimself.”

5. Tim's Sermons, “Two points should also be made regarding verse 3 "Let us breaktheir chains … and throw off their fetters (v. 3)". This verse affirms the Lord’s holdon his creation, on the sinner and the saved. The Lord restraints us from indulgingin all sorts of abominations. Just think, if you thought our depraved society was bad,how much worse it would be without the staying hand of God on sinners!! Yet, thedepraved man wants the abomination, wants the debauchery, and man knows thatthe only way we can indulge in our sin is to rid ourselves of the yoke of the Lord.As Spurgeon writes, "To a graceless neck the yoke of Christ is intolerable, but to thesaved sinner it is easy and light. We may judge ourselves by this, do we love thatyoke, or do we wish to cast it from us?"

The question posed by God in verses 1 to 3 of our psalm has to be understood as arhetorical question of whether men will succeed against God, for which therhetorical answer is provided in the rest of this psalm. Verses 4-6 tell us how Godanswers the question just as we would answer a rhetorical question - He laughs andscoffs at us who shake our fists at Him!”

6. Calvin, “Let us break, etc. This is a prosopopoeia, in which the prophet introduceshis-enemies as speaking; and he employs this figure the better to express theirungodly and traitorous design. �ot that they openly avowed themselves rebelsagainst God, (for they rather covered their rebellion under every possible pretext,and presumptuously boasted of having God on their side;) but since they were fully

determined, by all means, fair or foul, to drive David from the throne, whateverthey professed with the mouth, the whole of their consultation amounted to this,how they might overthrow the kingdom which God himself had set up. When hedescribes his government under the metaphorical expressions of bonds, and a yoke,on the persons of his adversaries, he indirectly condemns their pride. For herepresents them speaking scornfully of his government, as if to submit to it were aslavish and shameful subjection, just as we see it is with all the enemies of Christwho, when compelled to be subject to his authority reckon it not less degrading thanif the utmost disgrace were put upon them.”

7. Unknown author, "We will be our own god! We will rid ourselves of all restraintand be free to commit all manner of abomination." What a vain and foolish thing!Yet–

(a) SATA� TRIED IT (Isa. 14:12-15). "O son of the morning, O day starhow has mischief entered thine heart," to rid thyself of God. What a vain andempty scheme!

(b) ADAM TRIED IT (Gen. 3:5-6). This was the first man's sin. "We will begods ourselves," thereby rejecting the reign and rule of the Lord God.

(c) ME� TRIED IT AT CALVARY (Acts 4:25-28). "We will not have thisman reign over us. We have no king but Caesar. Crucify Him!"

(d)THE CO�SPIRACY, LED BY THE A�TICHRIST SATA�, CO�TI�UES TODAY

4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.

1. Henry, “ The mighty conquest gained over all this threatening opposition. Ifheaven and earth be the combatants, it is easy to foretel which will be theconqueror. Those that make this mighty struggle are the people of the earth, and thekings of the earth, who, being of the earth, are earthy; but he whom they contestwith is one that sits in the heavens, Psa_2:4. He is in the heaven, a place of such avast prospect that he can oversee them all and all their projects; and such is hispower that he can overcome them all and all their attempts. He sits there, as oneeasy and at rest, out of the reach of all their impotent menaces and attempts. Therehe sits as Judge in all the affairs of the children of men, perfectly secure of the full

accomplishment of all his own purposes and designs, in spite of all opposition,Psa_29:10. The perfect repose of the Eternal Mind may be our comfort under all thedisquietments of our mind. We are tossed on earth, and in the sea, but he sits in theheavens, where he has prepared his throne for judgment; and therefore,

1. The attempts of Christ's enemies are easily ridiculed. God laughs at them as acompany of fools. He has them, and all their attempts, in derision, and therefore the

virgin, the daughter of Zion, has despised them, Isa_37:22. Sinners' follies are the justsport of God's infinite wisdom and power; and those attempts of the kingdom ofSatan which in our eyes are formidable in his are despicable. Sometimes God is saidto awake, and arise, and stir up himself, for the vanquishing of his enemies; here issaid to sit still and vanquish them; for the utmost operations of God's omnipotencecreate no difficulty at all, nor the least disturbance to his eternal rest.

2. Warren Wiersbe, “Are you surprised that God laughs? "He who sits in theheavens shall laugh; the Lord shall hold them in derision" (v. 4). God has a sense ofhumor, but His laughter is the kind that is born of judgment. It's the laughter ofderision, the laughter of irony. What is God laughing at? He's laughing at punylittle kings and rulers who have united to shake their fists at His throne and tell Himthey don't want Him to rule over them (vv. 2,3). God laughs at them because Heknows man cannot survive without submitting to His authority. Man is made in theimage of God, and if he fights against Him, he fights against himself. Man, in hisrebellion, tries to make God in his own image. He thinks God can be treated withdisdain and disobedience. And God laughs.”

3. Barnes, “He that sitteth in the heavens - God, represented as having his home, hisseat, his throne in heaven, and thence administering the affairs of the world. Thisverse commences the second strophe or stanza of the psalm; and this strophePsa_2:4-6 corresponds with the first Psa_2:1-3 in its structure. The former describesthe feelings and purposes of those who would cast off the government of God; thisdescribes the feelings and purposes of God in the same order, for in each case thepsalmist describes what is done, and then what is said: the nations ragetumultuously Psa_2:1-2, and then say Psa_2:3, “Let us break their bands.” God sitscalmly in the heavens, smiling on their vain attempts Psa_2:4, and then solemnlydeclares Psa_2:5-6 that, in spite of all their opposition, he “has set his King upon hisholy hill of Zion.” There is much sublimity in this description. While men rage andare tumultuous in opposing his plans, he sits calm and undisturbed in his ownheaven. Compare the notes at the similar place in Isa_18:4.

Shall laugh - Will smile at their vain attempts; will not be disturbed or agitated bytheir efforts; will go calmly on in the execution of his purposes. Compare as aboveIsa_18:4. See also Pro_1:26; Psa_37:13; Psa_59:8. This is, of course, to be regardedas spoken after the manner of men, and it means that God will go steadily forwardin the accomplishment of his purposes. There is included also the idea that he willlook with contempt on their vain and futile efforts.

The Lord shall have them in derision - The same idea is expressed here in a variedform, as is the custom in parallelism in Hebrew poetry. The Hebrew word לעג lâ‛ag,means properly to stammer; then to speak in a barbarous or foreign tongue; then to

mock or deride, by imitating the stammering voice of anyone. Gesenius, LexiconHere it is spoken of God, and, of course, is not to be understood literally, anymorethan when eyes, and hands, and feet are spoken of as pertaining to him. Themeaning is, that there is a result in the case, in the Divine Mind, as if he mocked orderided the vain attempts of men; that is, he goes calmly forward in the execution ofhis own purposes, and he looks upon and regards their efforts as vain, as we do theefforts of others when we mock or deride them. The truth taught in this verse is,that God will carry forward his own plans in spite of all the attempts of men tothwart them. This general truth may lie stated in two forms:

(1) He sits undisturbed and unmoved in heaven while men rage against him, andwhile they combine to cast off his authority.

(2) He carries forward his own plans in spite of them. This he does:

(a) directly, accomplishing his schemes without regard to their attempts; and

(b) by making their purposes tributary to his own, so making them theinstruments in carrying out his own plans. Compare Act_4:28.

4. Gill, “He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh,.... At the rage and tumult of theHeathen; at the vain imaginations of the people; at the opposition of the kings of theearth; at the mad counsel of the rulers, against him and his Messiah; and at theirproposal to one another to throw off the yoke and government of them both. This isa periphrasis of God, "who dwells in the heavens", and sits there enthroned; thoughhe is not included and comprehended in them, but is everywhere; and his beingthere is mentioned in opposition to the kings of the earth, and the people in it; andto show the vast distance there is between them, and how they are as nothing to him,Isa_40:1, Job_4:18; and how vain and fruitless their attempts must be against himand his Messiah: and his sitting there still and quiet, serene and undisturbed, isopposed to the running to and fro, and the tumultuous and riotous assembling of theHeathen. Laughing is ascribed unto him, according to the language of men, as theJewish writers speak (d), by an anthropopathy; in the same sense as he is said torepent and grieve, Gen_6:6; and expresses his security from all their attempts,Job_5:22; and the contempt he has them in, and the certain punishment of them,and the aggravation of it; who will not only then laugh at them himself, but exposethem to the laughter and scorn of others, Pro_1:26;

the Lord shall have them in derision; which is a repetition of the same thing in otherwords; and is made partly to show the certainty of their disappointment and ruin,and partly to explain who is meant by him that sits in the heavens. The Targum callshim, "the Word of the Lord"; and Alshech interprets it of the Shechinah.

5. Henry, “The mighty conquest gained over all this threatening opposition. Ifheaven and earth be the combatants, it is easy to foretel which will be theconqueror. Those that make this mighty struggle are the people of the earth, and thekings of the earth, who, being of the earth, are earthy; but he whom they contestwith is one that sits in the heavens, Psa_2:4. He is in the heaven, a place of such avast prospect that he can oversee them all and all their projects; and such is his

power that he can overcome them all and all their attempts. He sits there, as oneeasy and at rest, out of the reach of all their impotent menaces and attempts. Therehe sits as Judge in all the affairs of the children of men, perfectly secure of the fullaccomplishment of all his own purposes and designs, in spite of all opposition,Psa_29:10. The perfect repose of the Eternal Mind may be our comfort under all thedisquietments of our mind. We are tossed on earth, and in the sea, but he sits in theheavens, where he has prepared his throne for judgment; and therefore,

The attempts of Christ's enemies are easily ridiculed. God laughs at them as acompany of fools. He has them, and all their attempts, in derision, and therefore the

virgin, the daughter of Zion, has despised them, Isa_37:22. Sinners' follies are the justsport of God's infinite wisdom and power; and those attempts of the kingdom ofSatan which in our eyes are formidable in his are despicable. Sometimes God is saidto awake, and arise, and stir up himself, for the vanquishing of his enemies; here issaid to sit still and vanquish them; for the utmost operations of God's omnipotencecreate no difficulty at all, nor the least disturbance to his eternal rest.”

6. C Bouwman, “ God laughs. It’s not the laughter of delight and pleasure, but aholy derision. The same word is used in Ezekiel 23 to describe what shall happen toJerusalem on account of her sins. Says Ezekiel: "You shall be laughed to scorn andheld in derision" (vs 31). It strikes us as strange. God has someone in derision? Theconcept does not really fit in our mental picture of our holy God. Yet that,congregation, is what the text says. God laughs, has particular persons in derision,holds them in scorn.

�otice too that God is not just described as being "in heaven"; rather, God isdescribed as "sitting". And "sitting" is a Scriptural designation of power, ofgoverning; it is when the king sits on his throne that he is carrying out his royaltask. Then the Ammonite and Syrian kings may plot together against David andagainst the God behind David, but in so doing they are plotting against a God who

governs, a God who both has power and carries out His power. These kings maypretend to be so important and so powerful, but in actual fact these kings arenothing compared to the God behind David. And that is why the God of heavenlaughs. For the whole idea of earthly kings rising in revolt against the God of heavenis ludicrous, is preposterous. Fancy mice confidently revolting against a lion! Smallwonder that God has them in derision….

When the kings of the earth set themselves against David, and so against the God ofDavid, they ultimately rose up against the coming Christ! Do you see, then, beloved,how their revolt lay on a line not just with the revolt of Paradise, but also with therevolt of those mighty men in the days of Christ’s earthly sojourn - these kings andrulers who counseled together, plotted their strategy to destroy the Son of God, toput Him to death? For so read the Scriptures; the priests and the elders of Israel -men of influence and power all- together with Pilate and Herod conspired togetherto destroy the King God had set on Zion, the King to whom God had promised theends of the earth (cf Acts 4:27). They conspired, and seemed indeed able to break in

pieces the bonds of God and Christ His anointed, to cast divine cords from them.For altogether they decided that Jesus of �azareth ought to the crucified, enthronedon a pole - king of the Jews that He claimed to be….

Yes, on Calvary they conspired together, "Herod and Pontius Pilate, with theGentiles and the peoples of Israel." But behind the conspiracy of these earthly kings,these rulers made of dust, was Satan and his hosts, was the same force as motivatedthe kings of the Ammonites and the Syrians; on Calvary climaxed the revolt of thedemons against God. And when God, in awesome wrath against sin, turned His facefrom His Son in those three hours of darkness, it was the hosts of hell that attackedJesus, that conspired against Him in an effort to destroy once and for all the powerof Him who sits in the heavens.

And make no mistake, beloved: Satan did his utmost to break God’s anointed. Witha rod of iron Satan chastised Jesus on the cross, endeavored to dash Him to pieceslike a potter’s vessel. He hung there, a broken man, rejected by the God whoanointed Him, having nothing royal, nothing authoritative about Him. And thehenchmen of hell jeered at Him, they laughed Him to scorn; "Come on, you who sayyou are the King of the Jews, save yourself." And hell sat in stitches when on top ofthe pole that sign was nailed; "Jesus, King of the Jews." "I have set my king onZion, my holy hill.’ Yes, O Israel, behold your king! He’s on his hill, alright.Crucified. Behold your king!

Hell laughed, laughed while the Son of God hung so dejectedly on the cross. But,beloved, make no mistake here either: heaven laughed too! O certainly, the awfulanger of holy God was poured out upon the Son, this king on Zion. But while thekings of the earth, instigated as they were by the devil, nailed Christ to the cross,while Satan pulled out all the stops in his effort to destroy this king, God in heavenhad Satan and his henchmen in derision. For here is the folly of hell. Satan, andHerod and Pontius Pilate and the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel with him, wasdoing exactly what God had predestined should take place (cf Acts 4:28). Theyconspired, revolted against God. And yet did not conspire without God. In fact,their very revolt was proof that God remained sovereign; they were doing what Godhad determined that they should do.”

7. God always has the last laugh. An unknown author wrote, “Psalm 2 opens withthe enemies of the LORD God in open rebellion against Him and His Anointed One.It also describes the ultimate victory of the Lord's anointed over His rebelliousenemies. It reaches beyond King David to the glorious reign of the one who canfulfill every aspect of the eternal kingdom as promised to David in 2 Samuel 7:13,16. "He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of HisKingdom forever. . . and your house and your kingdom shall endure before Meforever: your throne shall be established forever." “Mark the quiet dignity of theomnipotent God. He does not take the trouble to rise up and do battle with theraging people. HE LAUGHS! How absurd, how irrational, how futile are the claimsand boasting of weak and frail creatures against Him!”

8. Dr. McGee, “What kind of laughter is this? Let me say at the outset that it is notthe laughter of humor. He is not being funny. Do not misunderstand me — there ishumor in the Bible. The devil has really hit a home run by making people think thatgoing to church is quite an ordeal. We are living in a day when folk think you can'thave fun in church. I think the Bible is full of humor. Those of you who study withus through the Bible know we find a lot of it. There used to be a dear maiden lady ata church I served who never found any humor in the Bible. When I gave a messagewhich cited some humorous incident, she used to come down, shake a bony fingerunder my nose and say, "Dr. McGee, you are being irreverent to find humor in the Bible." I said to her, "Don't you wish you could?" She's gone now to be with theLord, and I certainly hope she's had a good laugh since she has been there becauseshe has gone to the place where she can have a good time. She needs to have a goodtime — she never had one down here. There are too many Christians like thattoday. My friend, it is going to be thrilling to be with Him some day. We're going tohave a wonderful time with Him. It's going to be fun, and I'm looking forward tothat. God has a sense of humor, and there is humor in His Word.

Since this is not the laughter of humor, what is it? Well, look at it from God'sviewpoint — little man down there parading up and down, shaking his midget fist inHeaven's face and saying, "Come on out and fight me! I'm against you." God looksdown at the puny little creature. It's utterly preposterous. It is so ridiculous! Helooks down and laughs. "He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shallhave them in derision." It is so utterly ridiculous, my friend. Little men putting themselves in opposition to God won't be around very long. Mussolini did a lot of talking, and we haven't heard from him lately. Stalin did the same thing, and he isgone. Little man plays his brief role here on the stage of life, then his part is over.How ridiculous and preposterous for him to oppose God!”

9. Treasury of David, “Verse 4. "He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh." Theyscoff at us, God laughs at them. Laugh? This seems a hard word at the first view:are the injuries of his saints, the cruelties of their enemies, the derision, thepersecution of all that are round about us, no more but matter of laughter? SevereCato thought that laughter did not become the gravity of Roman consuls; that it is adiminution of states, as another told princes, and it is attributed to the Majesty ofheaven? According to our capacities, the prophet describes God, as ourselves wouldbe in a merry disposition, deriding vain attempts. He laughs, but it is in scorn; hescorns, but it is with vengeance. Pharaoh imagined that by drowning the Israelitemales, he had found a way to root their name from the earth; but when at the sametime, his own daughter, in his own court gave princely education to Moses, theirdeliverer, did not God Laugh?

Short is the joy of the wicked. Is Dagon put up to his place again? God's smileshall take off his head and his hands, and leave him neither wit to guide nor powerto subsist. . . . . We may not judge of God's works until the fifth act: the case,deplorable and desperate in outward appearance, may with one smile from heavenfind a blessed issue. He permitted his temple to be sacked and rifled, the holy vessels

to be profaned and caroused in; but did not God's smile make Belshazzar to trembleat the handwriting on the wall? Oh, what are his frowns, if his smiles be so terrible!Thomas Adams. Verse 4. The expression, "He that sitteth in the heavens," at once fixes our thoughtson a being infinitely exalted above man, who is of the earth, earthy. And when it issaid, "HE shall laugh," this word is designed to convey to our minds the idea, thatthe greatest confederacies amongst kings and peoples, and their most extensive andvigorous preparations, to defeat HIS purposes or to injure HIS servants, are in HISsight altogether insignificant and worthless. HE looks upon their poor and punyefforts, not only without uneasiness or fear, but HE laughs at their folly; HE treatstheir impotency with derision. He knows how HE can crush them like a moth whenHE pleases, or consume them in a moment with the breath of HIS mouth. Howprofitable it is for us to be reminded of truths such as these! Ah! it is indeed "a vain

thing" for the potsherds of the earth to strive with the glorious Majesty of Heaven.David Pitcairn.

Verse 4. "The Lord," in Hebrew, Adonai, mystically signifieth my stays, or mysustainers—my pillars. Our English word "Lord" hath much the same force, beingcontracted of the old Saxon word "Llaford," or "Hlafford," which cometh from"Laef," to sustain, refresh, cherish. Henry Ainsworth.

Verse 4. "He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh at them: the Lord shall have them

in derision." This tautology or repetition of the same thing, which is frequent in theScriptures, is a sign of the thing being established: according to the authority of thepatriarch Joseph (Genesis 41:32), where, having interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh,he said, "and for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because thething is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass." And therefore,here also, "shall laugh at them," and "shall have them in derision," is a repetition toshow that there is not a doubt to be entertained that all these things will most surelycome to pass. And the gracious Spirit does all this for our comfort and consolation,that we may not faint under temptation, but lift up our heads with the most certainhope; because, "he that shall come will come, and will not tarry." Hebrews 10:37.Martin Luther.

5 Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,

1. Henry, “They are justly punished, Psa_2:5. Though God despises them asimpotent, yet he does not therefore wink at them, but is justly displeased with themas impudent and impious, and will make the most daring sinners to know that he isso and to tremble before him. (1.) Their sin is a provocation to him. He is wroth; he

is sorely displeased. We cannot expect that God should be reconciled to us, or wellpleased in us, but in and through the anointed; and therefore, if we affront andreject him, we sin against the remedy and forfeit the benefit of his interpositionbetween us and God. (2.) His anger will be a vexation to them; if he but speak tothem in his wrath, even the breath of his mouth will be their confusion, slaughter,and consumption, Isa_11:4; 2Th_2:8. He speaks, and it is done; he speaks in wrath,and sinners are undone. As a word made us, so a word can unmake us again. Who

knows the power of his anger? The enemies rage, but cannot vex God. God sits still,and yet vexes them, puts them into a consternation (as the word is), and brings themto their wits' end: his setting up this kingdom of his Son, in spite of them, is thegreatest vexation to them that can be. They were vexatious to Christ's good subjects;but the day is coming when vexation shall be recompensed to them.

2. Barnes, “Then shall he speak unto them - That is, this seeming indifference andunconcern will not last forever. He will not always look calmly on, nor will he sufferthem to accomplish their purposes without interposing. When he has shown how heregards their schemes - how impotent they are, how much they are really the objectsof derision, considered as an attempt to cast off his authority - he will interpose anddeclare his own purposes - his determination to establish his king on the hill of Zion.This is implied in the word “then.”

In his wrath - In anger. His contempt for their plans will be followed byindignation against themselves for forming such plans, and for their efforts toexecute them. One of these things is not inconsistent with the other, for the purposeof the rebels may be very weak and futile, and yet their wickedness in forming theplan may be very great. The weakness of the scheme, and the fact that it will bevain, does not change the character of him who has made it; the fact that he isfoolish does not prove that he is not wicked. God will treat the scheme and thosewho form it as they deserve - the one with contempt, the other with his wrath. Theword “wrath” here, it is hardly necessary to say, should be interpreted in the samemanner as the word “laugh” in Psa_2:4, not as denoting a feeling precisely like thatwhich exists in the human mind, subject as man is to unreasonable passion, but as itis proper to apply it to God - the strong conviction (without passion or personalfeeling) of the evil of sin, and the expression of his purpose in a manner adapted toshow that evil, and to restrain others from its commission. It means that he willspeak to them as if he were angry; or that his treatment of them will be such as menexperience from others when they are angry.

And vex them - The word here rendered “vex” - בהל bâhal - means in the originalor Qal form, to tremble; and then, in the form used here, the Piel, to cause totremble, to terrify, to strike with consternation. This might be done either by athreat or by some judgment indicative of displeasure or anger. Psa_83:15;Dan_11:44; Job_22:10. The idea here is that he would alarm them, or make themquake with fear, by what is specified of his purpose; to wit, by his determination toset his King on his holy hill, and by placing the scepter of the earth in his hands.Their designs, therefore, would be frustrated, and if they did not submit to him theymust perish (see Psa_2:9-12).

In his sore displeasure - literally, in his “heat” or “burning,” that is, in his anger;

as we speak of one that is inflamed with anger, or that burns with indignation; or, aswe speak of the passions, kindling into a flame. The meaning here is, that Godwould be displeased with their purposes, and that the expression of his design wouldbe adapted to fill them with the deepest alarm. Of course, all such words are to beinterpreted in accordance with what we know to be the nature of God, and not inaccordance with the same passions in men. God is opposed to sin, and will expresshis opposition as if he felt angry, but it will be in the most calm manner, and not asthe result of passion. It will be simply because it ought to be so.

3. Gill, “Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath,.... Or, "and he shall speak tothem"; so �oldius: that is, the Lord that sits in the heavens, and laughs, and has theHeathen, the people, the kings and rulers in derision, shall not only silently despisetheir furious and concerted opposition to him and his Messiah, but shall at lastspeak out unto them, not in his word, but in his providences; and not in love, as tohis own people, when he chastises them, but in great wrath, inflicting severe and justpunishment. It seems to refer to the destruction of Jerusalem, after the crucifixion,sufferings, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ; and after the pouring out ofthe Spirit, and when the Gospel, to their great mortification, had got ground, andmade large advances in the Gentile world;

and vex them in his sore displeasure; or "in the heat of his anger" (e): seeDeu_29:24, where the Holy Ghost speaks of the same people, and of the same ruinand destruction of them at the same time, as here: and as the carrying of the Jewscaptive into Babylon is called their vexation, Isa_9:1; much more may theirdestruction by the Romans; then it was they howled for vexation of spirit,Isa_65:14; the wrath of God came upon them to the uttermost; they were filled withtrouble and confusion, with terror and consternation, as the word (f) used signifies;they were vexed to see themselves straitened and pent in on every side by the Romanarmies, oppressed with famine and internal divisions, rapine and murder; to seetheir temple profaned and burnt, their city plundered and destroyed, andthemselves taken and carried captive: and what most of all vexed them was, thattheir attempts against Jesus of �azareth, the true Messiah, were fruitless; and that,notwithstanding all their opposition to him, his name was famous, his interestincreased, his kingdom was enlarged, through the spread of his Gospel among theGentiles; and what Jehovah in Psa_2:6 says, though it is to the comfort of his people,was to their terror and vexation.”

4. Spurgeon, “After he has laughed he shall speak; he needs not smite; the breath ofhis lips is enough. At the moment when their power is at its height, and their furymost violent, then shall his Word go forth against them. And what is it that he says?—it is a very galling sentence— "Yet," says he, "despite your malice, despite yourtumultuous gatherings, despite the wisdom of your counsels, despite the craft ofyour lawgivers, 'yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion'." Is not that agrand exclamation! He has already done that which the enemy seeks to prevent.While they are proposing, he has disposed the matter. Jehovah's will is done, andman's will frets and raves in vain. God's Anointed is appointed, and shall not be

disappointed. Look back through all the ages of infidelity, hearken to the high andhard things which men have spoken against the Most High, listen to the rollingthunder of earth's volleys against the Majesty of heaven, and then think that God issaying all the while, "Yet have I set my kimg upon my holy hill of Zion." Yet Jesusreigns, yet he sees the travail of his soul, and "his unsuffering kingdom yet shallcome" when he shall take unto himself his great power, and reign from the riverunto the ends of the earth. Even now he reigns in Zion, and our glad lips sound forththe praises of the Prince of Peace. Greater conflicts may here be foretold, but wemay be confident that victory will be given to our Lord and King. Glorioustriumphs are yet to come; hasten them, we pray thee, O Lord! It is Zion's glory andjoy that her King is in her, guarding her from foes, and filling her with good things.Jesus sits upon the throne of grace, and the throne of power in the midst of hischurch. In him is Zion's best safeguard; let her citizens be glad in him.”

"Thy walls are strength, and at thy gatesA guard of heavenly warriors waits;�or shall thy deep foundations move,Fixed on his counsels and his love.

Thy foes in vain designs engage;Against his throne in vain they rage,Like rising waves, with angry roar,That dash and die upon the shore."

7. Treasury of David, “Verses 5, 9. It is easy for God to destroy his foes. . . . . BeholdPharaoh, his wise men, his hosts, and his horses plouting and plunging, and sinkinglike lead in the Red sea. Here is the end of one of the greatest plots ever formedagainst God's chosen. Of thirty Roman emperors, governors of provinces, andothers high in office, who distinguished themselves by their zeal and bitterness inpersecuting the early Christians, one became speedily deranged after some atrociouscruelty, one was slain by his own son, one became blind, the eyes of one started outof his head, one was drowned, one was strangled, one died in a miserable captivity,one fell dead in a manner that will not bear recital, one died of so loathsome adisease that several of his physicians were put to death because they could not abidethe stench that filled his room, two committed suicide, a third attempted it, but hadto call for help to finish the work, five were assassinated by their own people orservants, five others died the most miserable and excruciating deaths, several ofthem having an untold complication of diseases, and eight were killed in battle, orafter being taken prisoners. Among these was Julian the apostate. In the days of hisprosperity he is said to have pointed his dagger to heaven defying the Son of God,whom he commonly called the Galilean. But when he was wounded in battle, he sawthat all was over with him, and he gathered up his clotted blood, and threw it intothe air, exclaiming, "Thou hast conquered, O thou Galilean." Voltaire has told us ofthe agonies of Charles IX. of France, which drove the blood through the pores of theskin of that miserable monarch, after his cruelties and treachery to the Hugenots.William S. Plumer, D.D., L.L.D., 1867.

6 "I have installed my King [c] on Zion, my holy hill."

1. Henry, “They are certainly defeated, and all their counsels turned headlong(Psa_2:6): Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. David was advanced tothe throne, and became master of the strong-hold of Zion, notwithstanding thedisturbance given him by the malcontents in his kingdom, and particularly theaffronts he received from the garrison of Zion, who taunted him with their blindand their lame, their maimed soldiers, 2Sa_5:6. The Lord Jesus is exalted to theright hand of the Father, has all power both in heaven and in earth, and is head overall things to the church, notwithstanding the restless endeavors of his enemies tohinder his advancement. (1.) Jesus Christ is a King, and is invested by him who isthe fountain of power with the dignity and authority of a sovereign prince in thekingdom both of providence and grace. (2.) God is pleased to call him his King,because he is appointed by him, and entrusted for him with the sole administrationof government and judgment. He is his King, for he is dear to the Father, and one inwhom he is well pleased. (3.) Christ took not this honor to himself, but was called toit, and he that called him owns him: I have set him; his commandment, hiscommission, he received from the Father. (4.) Being called to this honor, he wasconfirmed in it; high places (we say) are slippery places, but Christ, being raised, isfixed: “I have set him, I have settled him.” (5.) He is set upon Zion, the hill of God'sholiness, a type of the gospel church, for on that the temple was built, for the sake ofwhich the whole mount was called holy. Christ's throne is set up in his church, thatis, in the hearts of all believers and in the societies they form. The evangelical law ofChrist is said to go forth from Zion (Isa_2:3, Mic_4:2), and therefore that is spokenof as the head-quarters of this general, the royal seat of this prince, in whom thechildren of men shall be joyful. We are to sing these verses with a holy exultation,triumphing over all the enemies of Christ's kingdom (not doubting but they will allof them be quickly made his footstool), and triumphing in Jesus Christ as the greattrustee of power; and we are to pray, in firm belief of the assurance here given,“Father in heaven, Thy kingdom come; let thy Son's kingdom come.”

2. Barnes, “Yet have I set my king - The word “yet” is merely the translation of theconjunction “and.” It is rendered in the Vulgate “but ...autem;” and so in theSeptuagint, δέ de. It would be better rendered perhaps by the usual word “and:”“And I have set or constituted my king,” etc. This is properly to be regarded as the

expression of God himself; as what he says in reply to their declared purposesPsa_2:3, and as what is referred to in Psa_2:5. The meaning is, he would speak tothem in his anger, and say, “In spite of all your purposes and all your opposition, Ihave set my king on the hill of Zion.” That is, they had their plans and God had his;they meant to cast off his authority, and to prevent his purpose to set up the Messiahas king; he resolved, on the contrary, to carry out his purposes, and he would do it.The word rendered set - נסך nâsak - means, literally, to pour, to pour out, as inmaking a libation to the Deity, Exo_30:9; Hos_9:4; Isa_30:1; then, to pour out oil inanointing a king or priest, and hence, to consecrate, to inaugurate, etc. SeeJos_13:21; Psa_83:11; Mic_5:5. The idea here is, that he had solemnly inauguratedor constituted the Messiah as king; that is, that he had formed the purpose to do it,and he therefore speaks as if it were already done. The words “my King” refer, ofcourse, to the anointed One, the Messiah, Psa_2:2. It is not simply a king, or theking, but “my king,” meaning that he derived his appointment from God, and thathe was placed there to execute his purposes. This indicates the very near relationwhich the anointed One sustains to him who had appointed him, and prepares us forwhat is said in the subsequent verse, where he is called His Son.

Upon my holy hill of Zion - Zion was the southern hill in the city of Jerusalem. Seethe notes at Isa_1:8. It was the highest of the hills on which the city was built. It wasmade by David the capital of his kingdom, and was hence called the city of David,2Ch_5:2. By the poets and prophets it is often put for Jerusalem itself, Isa_2:3;Isa_8:18; Isa_10:24; Isa_33:14, et al. It did not obtain this distinction until it wastaken by David from the Jebusites, 2Sa_5:5-9; 1Ch_11:4-8. To that place Davidremoved the ark of the covenant, and there he built an altar to the Lord in thethreshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite, 2Sa_24:15-25. Zion became thenceforwardthe metropolis of the king dom, and the name was transferred to the entire city. It isto this that the passage here refers; and the meaning is, that in that metropolis orcapital God had constituted his Messiah king, or had appointed him to reign overhis people. This cannot refer to David himself, for in no proper sense was heconstituted or inaugurated king in Jerusalem; that is, there was no such ceremonyof inauguration as is referred to here. Zion was called the “holy hill,” or “the hill ofmy holiness” (Hebrew), because it was set apart as the seat of the theocracy, or theresidence of God, from the time that David removed the ark there. That became theplace where God reigned, and where his worship was celebrated. This must refer tothe Messiah, and to the fact that God had set him apart to reign over his people, andthence over all the earth. The truth taught in this passage is, that God will carryforward his own purposes in spite of all the opposition which men can make, andthat it is his deliberate design to make his anointed One - the Messiah - King overall.

3. Gill, “Yet have I set my King upon my holy hill of Zion. Or, "behold, I have set",&c. so �oldius by Zion is meant the church of God, especially under the Gospeldispensation; see Heb_12:22; so called, because, as Zion was, it is the object of God'slove and choice, the place of his habitation and residence; where divine worship isobserved, and the word and ordinances of God administered; and where the Lorddistributes his blessings of grace; and which is the perfection of beauty, through

Christ's comeliness put upon her; and will be the joy of the whole earth: it isstrongly fortified by the power and grace of God, and is immovable andimpregnable, being built on Christ, the Rock of ages; and, like Zion, it is an highhill, eminent and visible; and more especially will be so when the mountain of theLord's house is established upon the tops of the mountains: and it is an Holy One,through the presence and worship of God in it, and the sanctification of his Spirit.And over this hill, the church, Christ is King; he is King of saints, and isacknowledged by them; and it is for their great safety and security, their joy,comfort, and happiness, that he is set over them: he is called by his Father "myKing", because he who is King of Zion is his Anointed, as in Psa_2:2; and his Son,his begotten Son, as in Psa_2:7; his firstborn, his fellow and equal; and because he ishis as King; not that he is King over him, for his Father is greater than he, as manand Mediator, or with respect to his office capacity, in which he is to be consideredas King; and therefore he is rather King under him: but he is a King of his settingup, and therefore called his; he has appointed him his kingdom, given him thethrone of his father David; put a crown of pure gold on his head, and crowned himwith glory and honour, and the sceptre of righteousness in his hand, and has givenhim a name above every name. He did not make himself a King, nor was he made soby men; but he was set up, or "anointed" by God the Father, as the word (g) hereused signifies; and may refer either to the inauguration of Christ into his kinglyoffice, and his investiture with it from all eternity, as in Pro_8:23, where the sameword is used as here; and anointing with oil being a ceremony performed at theinstalment of kings into their office, the phrase is used for the thing itself: or rather,since Christ was anointed with the Holy Ghost in the human nature, at hisincarnation and baptism, and especially at the time of his ascension, when he wasmade or declared to be LORD and CHRIST; this may refer to the time when he, asthe ascended Lord and King, gave gifts to men, to his apostles, and qualified them inan extraordinary manner to carry his Gospel into the Gentile world, and spread itthere, as they did with success; whereby his kingdom became more visible andglorious, to the great vexation of the Jews; for, in spite of all their opposition, Christbeing set by his Father King over his church and people, continued so, and hiskingdom was every day more and more enlarged, to their great mortification.”

4. “Psalm 2 and Psalm 110, though widely separated in the book of Psalms, are bothMessianic Psalms of David. The latter says in the superscription “A Psalm ofDavid,” and the context bears out that it was about this famous king, and his morefamous successor Jesus. Acts 4:25 explicitly attributes the former to “thy servantDavid.” Both psalms are applied to Jesus by �ew Testament writers. Both aresimilar in that they speak of Messiah vested with royal authority subduing hisenemies and both are famous psalms well known and well discussed.

Both Psalm 2 and 110 refer to Christ entering his royal honors at his resurrection.“I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this dayhave I begotten thee” (Psalm 2:7). In the Hebrew language, as in the Greek, theword for begotten is used either for begettal or birth, and could be rendered

“generated.” It is rendered “begotten” here in most translations probably becausethe active agent is Jehovah, generally supposed to represent the dominant malegender as opposed to the female (though of course the difference in gender does nottruly apply to spirit beings).

The analogy in this text, however, is not to begettal, as though the subject were anembryo. The subject is a son, and the “generating” is represented as complete.Literally, as applied to David, it signifies David’s authority as a divinely appointedking ruling from Zion, which was David’s seat of authority. “I have set my kingupon my holy hill of Zion” (verse 6).

The Israelites had a favored position before Jehovah: “I have said, Ye are gods; andall of you are children of the most High” (Psalm 82:6). How much more was Davidfavored, as the anointed leader of Israel. “Thou art my father, my God” said David,and God said of David, “I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of theearth” (Psalm 89:26, 27). So David was placed in authority over his neighbors, andruled over them.

As applied to the greater David, Messiah, it pertains to his resurrection when he washighly exalted above all other powers. “God hath … raised up Jesus again; as it isalso written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee …now no more to return to corruption” (Acts 13:33,34).” author unknown

5. Stephen Wood has a valid challenge to those who are still waiting for Jesus to takehis throne and reign from it. He writes, “Many modern prophecy experts claim thatthe second coming will begin the kingdom rule of Jesus Christ. They expect Jesus tobe an earthly king who sits on a physical throne located in Jerusalem, Israel. Thebook of Hebrews sharply contradicts this teaching. We are told in Hebrews 12 thatwe "have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem" (vs. 22). the Mount Zionreferred to in Psalm 2-6 is not the Jerusalem on earth, but the one in heaven.

In Hebrews 1 we are told that the son's throne is in heaven, not on earth. Hebrews1:3 says that Jesus "sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high" after hissacrificial death on the cross. Hebrews 1:8 explains that sitting on the right hand ofGod is equivalent to sitting on the Messianic throne and exercising the authority ofthe kingdom of God: "But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God is for ever andever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. In case anyone has notyet understood from these passages that Christ is currently ruling earth fromheaven, I refer you to two summary verses in the book of Hebrews. "�ow of thethings which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such a high priest, who is seton the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens ... For if he were onearth, he should not be a priest" (Heb. 8:1&4a). Those who expect the Messiah to siton an earthly throne like Old Testament kings have substituted the shadow for thesubstance (Heb. 8:5).”

5B. Calvin, “That the kingdom of Christ is here described by the spirit of prophecy,is sufficiently attested to us by the apostles, who, seeing the ungodly conspiringagainst Christ, arm themselves in prayer with this doctrine, (Acts 4:24.) But to placeour faith beyond the reach of all cavils, it is plainly made manifest from all theprophets, that those things which David testified concerning his own kingdom areproperly applicable to Christ. Let this, therefore, be held as a settled point, that allwho do not submit themselves to the authority of Christ make war against God.Since it seems good to God to rule us by the hand of his own Son, those who refuseto obey Christ himself deny the authority of God, and it is in vain for them toprofess otherwise. For it is a true saying, “He that honoureth not the Son, honourethnot the Father which hath sent him,” (John 5:22.)”

6. Treasury of David, “Verse 6. "Yet have I set my King." �otice—1. The royal officeand character of our glorious Redeemer: he is a King, "This name he hath on hisvesture and on his thigh." Revelation 19:16. 2. The authority by which he reigns; heis "my King," says God the Father, and I have set him up from everlasting: "TheFather judgeth no man; but hath committed all judgment unto the Son." The worlddisowns his authority, but I own it; I have set him, I have "given him to be headover all things to the church." 3. His particular kingdom over which he rules; it isover "my holy hill of Zion" — an eminent type of the gospel church. The temple wasbuilt upon Mount Zion and therefore called a holy hill. Christ's throne is in hischurch, it is his head-quarters, and the place of his peculiar residence. �otice thefirmness of the divine purpose with respect unto this matter. "Yet have I set" him"King;" i.e., whatever be the plots of hell and earth to the contrary, he reigns by hisFather's ordination. Stephen Charnock, 1628-1680. Verse 6. "Yet have I set my KI�G," etc.—Jesus Christ is a threefold King. First, hisenemies' King; secondly, his saints' King; thirdly, his Father's King.

First, Christ is his enemies' King, that is, he is King over his enemies. Christ is aKing above all kings. What are all the mighty men, the great, the honourable men ofthe earth to Jesus Christ? They are but like a little bubble in the water; for if all thenations, in comparison to God, be but as the drop of the bucket, or the dust of thebalance, as the prophet speaks in Isaiah 40:15, how little then must be the kings ofthe earth! �ay, beloved, Christ Jesus is not only higher than kings, but he is higherthan the angels; yea, he is the head of angels, and, therefore, all the angels in heavenare commanded to worship him. Colossians 2:12; Hebrews 1:6. . . . . He is King overall kingdoms, over all nations, over all governments, over all powers, over all people.Daniel 7:14. . . . . The very heathen are given to Christ, and the uttermost parts ofthe earth for his possession. Psalm 2:8.

Secondly. Jesus Christ is his saints' King. He is King of the bad, and of thegood; but as for the wicked, he rules over them by his power and might; but thesaints, he rules in them by his Spirit and graces. Oh! this is Christ's spiritualkingdom, and here he rules in the hearts of his people, here he rules over theirconsciences, over their wills, over their affections, over their judgments andunderstandings, and nobody hath anything to do here but Christ. Christ is not onlythe King of nations, but the King of saints; the one he rules over, the other he rules

in.Thirdly. Jesus Christ is his Father's King too, and so his Father calls him: "I

have set my King upon my holy hill of Zion." Well may he be our King, when he isGod's King. But you may say, how is Christ the Father's King? Because he rules forhis Father. There is a twofold kingdom of God committed to Jesus Christ; first, aspiritual kingdom, by which he rules in the hearts of his people, and so is King ofsaints; and, secondly, a providential kingdom, by which he rules the affairs of thisworld, and so he is King of nations. Condensed from William Dyer's Christ's Famous

Titles, 1665.

Verse 6. "Zion." The name "Zion" signifies a "distant view" (speculam). And thechurch is called "a distant view" (specula), not only because it views God andheavenly things by faith (that is, afar off), being wise unto the things that are above,not unto those that are of the earth; but also, because there are within her trueviewers, or seers, and watchmen in the spirit, whose office is to take charge of thepeople under them, and to watch against the snares of enemies and sins; and suchare called in the Greek bishops (episkopoi), that is, spyers or seers; and you may forthe same reason give them, from the Hebrew, the appellation of Zionists or Zioners.Martin Luther.

7 I will proclaim the decree of the LORD : He said to me, "You are my Son [d] ; today I have become your Father. [e]

1. Jamison, “The king thus constituted declares the fundamental law of Hiskingdom, in the avowal of His Sonship, a relation involving His universal dominion.this day have I begotten thee — as 2Sa_7:14, “he shall be My son,” is a solemnrecognition of this relation. The interpretation of this passage to describe theinauguration of Christ as Mediatorial King, by no means impugns the EternalSonship of His divine nature. In Act_13:33, Paul’s quotation does not imply anapplication of this passage to the resurrection; for “raised up” in Act_13:32 is usedas in Act_2:30; Act_3:22, etc., to denote bringing Him into being as a man; and notthat of resurrection, which it has only when, as in Act_2:34, allusion is made to Hisdeath (Rom_1:4). That passage says He was declared as to His divine nature to bethe Son of God, by the resurrection, and only teaches that that event manifested atruth already existing. A similar recognition of His Sonship is introduced inHeb_5:5, by these ends, and by others in Mat_3:17; Mat_17:5.

1B. McGee,“The reference in the second Psalm is not to the birth of Jesus. He

never was begotten in the sense of having a beginning. Rather, this is in reference toHis resurrection. Christ was begotten out of Joseph’s tomb. Jesus is the eternal Sonof God, and God is the eternal Father. You cannot have an eternal Father withouthaving an eternal Son. They were this throughout eternity. This is their position inthe Trinity. It hasn’t anything to do with someone being born, but it does havesomething to do with someone being begotten from the dead. It has to do withresurrection.”

1C. Scott Hoezee, “It's easy to see why this psalm has come to be so heavilyassociated with Jesus. The connecting of these words with Jesus did not begin withHandel's stirring song from "The Messiah." Instead that is but one example of avery long Christian tradition of linking Psalm 2 with Jesus. That's true mostlybecause this is the only place in the Old Testament where the anointed one is calleda son. Given what a major theme the Father-Son relationship between Jesus andGod will become in the gospels, it was natural that Psalm 2 would gain a messianicsignificance lacking in other psalms.”

2. Barnes, “I will declare the decree - We have here another change in the speaker.The Anointed One is himself introduced as declaring the great purpose which wasformed in regard to him, and referring to the promise which was made to him, asthe foundation of the purpose of Yahweh Psa_2:6 to set him on the hill of Zion. Thefirst strophe or stanza Psa_2:1-3 is closed with a statement made by the rebels oftheir intention or design; the second Psa_2:4-6 with a statement of the purpose ofYahweh; the third is introduced by this declaration of the Messiah himself. Thechange of the persons speaking gives a dramatic interest to the whole psalm. Therecan be no doubt that the word “I” here refers to the Messiah. The word decree - חקchôq - means properly something decreed, prescribed, appointed. See Job_23:14.Compare Gen_47:26; Exo_12:24. Thus it is equivalent to law, statute, ordinance.Here it refers not to a law which he was to obey, but to an ordinance or statuterespecting his reign: the solemn purpose of Yahweh in regard to the kingdom whichthe Messiah was to set up; the constitution of his kingdom. This, as the explanationshows, implied two things:

(a) that he was to be regarded and acknowledged as his Son, or to have that rankand dignity Psa_2:7; and

(b) that the pagan and the uttermost parts of the earth were to be given him for apossession, or that his reign was to extend over all the world Psa_2:8.

The word “declare” here means that he would give utterance to, or that he wouldnow himself make a statement in explanation of the reason why Yahweh haddetermined to establish him as King on his holy hill of Zion. There is great beauty inthus introducing the Messiah himself as making this declaration, presenting it nowin the form of a solemn covenant or pledge. The determination of Yahweh Psa_2:6to establish him as King on his holy hill is thus seen not to be arbitrary, but to be infulfillment of a solemn promise made long before, and is therefore an illustration ofhis covenant faithfulness and truth. “The Lord hath said unto me.” Yahweh hathsaid. See Psa_2:2, Psa_2:4. He does not intimate when it was that he had said this,but the fair interpretation is, that it was before the purpose was to be carried into

execution to place him as King in Zion; that is, as applicable to the Messiah, beforehe became incarnate or was manifested to execute his purpose on earth. It isimplied, therefore, that it was in some previous state, and that he had come forth invirtue of the pledge that he would be recognized as the Son of God. The passagecannot be understood as referring to Christ without admitting his existence previousto the incarnation, for all that follows is manifestly the result of the exalted rankwhich God purposed to give him as his Son, or as the result of the promise made tohim then.

Thou art my Son - That is, Yahweh had declared him to be his Son; he hadconferred on him the rank and dignity fairly involved in the title The Son of God. Inregard to the general meaning of this, and what is implied in it, see Mat_1:1, note;Heb_1:2, note; Heb_1:5, note; Rom_1:4, note; and Joh_5:18, note. The phrase “sonsof God” is elsewhere used frequently to denote the saints, the children of God, ormen eminent for rank and power (compare Gen_6:2, Gen_6:4; Job_1:6; Hos_1:10;Joh_1:12; Rom_8:14, Rom_8:19; Phi_2:15; 1Jo_3:1); and once to denote angelsJob_38:7; but the appellation “The Son of God” is not appropriated in theScriptures to anyone but the Messiah. It does not occur before this in the OldTestament, and it occurs but once after this, Dan_3:25. See the notes at that passage.This makes its use in the case before us the more remarkable, and justifies thereasoning of the author of the epistle to the Hebrews Heb_1:5 as to its meaning. Thetrue sense, therefore, according to the Hebrew usage, and according to the propermeaning of the term, is, that he sustained a relation to God which could becompared only with that which a son among men sustains to his father; and that theterm, as thus used, fairly implies an equality in nature with God himself. It is such aterm as would not be applied to a mere man; it is such as is not applied to the angelsHeb_1:5; and therefore it must imply a nature superior to either.

This day - On the application of this in the �ew Testament, see the notes atAct_13:33 and the notes at Heb_1:5. The whole passage has been often appealed toin support of the doctrine of the “eternal generation” of Christ, meaning that he was“begotten” from eternity; that is, that his divine nature was in some sense anemanation from the Father, and that this is from eternity. Whatever may be thoughtof that doctrine, however, either as to its intelligibility or its truth, there is nothingin the use of the phrase “this day,” or in the application of the passage in the �ewTestament Act_13:33; Heb_1:5, to sustain it. The language, indeed, in theconnection in which it is found, does, as remarked above, demonstrate that he had apre-existence, since it is addressed to him as the result of a decree or covenant madewith him by Yahweh, and as the foundation of the purpose to set him as King on thehill of Zion. The words “this day” would naturally refer to that time when this“decree” was made, or this covenant formed; and as that was before the creation ofthe world, it must imply that he had an existence then.

The time referred to by the meaning of the word is, that when it was determinedto crown him as the Messiah. This is founded on the relation subsisting between himand Yahweh, and implied when in that relation he is called his “Son;” but itdetermines nothing as to the time when this relation commenced. Yahweh, in thepassage, is regarded as declaring his purpose to make him King in Zion, and thelanguage is that of a solemn consecration to the kingly office. He is speaking of this

as a purpose before he came into the world; it was executed, or carried into effect,by his resurrection from the dead, and by the exaltation consequent on that.Compare Act_13:33 and Eph_1:20-22. Considered, then, as a promise or purpose,this refers to the period before the incarnation; considered as pertaining to theexecution of that purpose, it refers to the time when he was raised from the deadand exalted over all things as King in Zion. In neither case can the words “this day”be construed as meaning the same as eternity, or from eternity; and therefore theycan determine nothing respecting the doctrine of” eternal generation.”

Have I begotten thee - That is, in the matter referred to, so that it would be properto apply to him the phrase “my Son,” and to constitute him “King” in Zion. Themeaning is, that he had so constituted the relationship of Father and Son in the case,that it was proper that the appellation “Son” should be given him, and that heshould be regarded and addressed as such. So Prof. Alexander: “The essentialmeaning of the phrase “I have begotten thee” is simply this, “I am thy Father.” Thisis, of course, to be understood in accordance with the nature of God, and we are notto bring to the interpretation the ideas which enter into that human relationship. Itmeans that in some proper sense - some sense appropriate to the Deity - such arelation was constituted as would justify this reference to the most tender andimportant of all human relationships. In what sense that is, is a fair subject ofinquiry, but it is not proper to assume that it is in anything like a literal sense, orthat there can be no other sense of the passage than that which is implied in theabove-named doctrine, for it cannot be literal, and there are other ideas that may beconveyed by the phrase than that of “eternal generation.” The word rendered“begotten” (ילד yâlad) determines nothing certainly as to the mode in which thisrelationship was formed. It means properly:

(1) to bear, to bring forth as a mother, Gen_4:1;

(2) to beget, as a father, Gen_4:18; and then

(3) as applied to God it is used in the sense of creating - or of so creating orforming as that the result would be that a relation would exist which might becompared with that of a father and a son.

Deu_32:18 : “of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful.” CompareJer_2:27 : “Saying to a block (idol), Thou art my father, thou hast begotten me.” SoPaul says, 1Co_4:15 : “In Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the Gospel.”The full meaning, therefore, of this word would be met if it be supposed thatYahweh had given the Messiah this place and rank in such a sense that it wasproper to speak of himself as the Father and the Anointed One as the Son. And wasthere not enough in designating him to this high office; in sending him into theworld; in raising him from the dead; in placing him at his own right hand -appointing him as King and Lord - to justify this language? Is not this the verything under consideration? Is it proper, then, in connection with this passage, tostart the question about his eternal generation? Compare the notes at Rom_1:4. Onthis passage Calvin says (in loc.), “I know that this passage is explained by many asreferring to the eternal generation of Christ, who maintain that in the adverb todaythere is, as it were, a perpetual act beyond the limits of time, denoted. But theApostle Paul is a more faithful and competent interpreter of this prophecy, who in

Act_13:33 recalls us to that which I have called a glorious demonstration of Christ.He was said to be begotten, therefore, not that he might be the Son of God, by whichhe might begin to be such, but that he might be manifested to the world as such.Finally, this begetting ought to be understood not of the mutual relation of theFather and the Son, but it signifies merely that he who was from the beginninghidden in the bosom of the Father, and who was obscurely shadowed forth underthe law, from the time when he was manifested with clear intimation of his rank,was acknowledged as the Son of God, as it is said in Joh_1:14.” So Prof. Alexander,though supposing that this is founded on an eternal relation between the Father andthe Son, says, “This day have I begotten thee may be considered as referring only tothe coronation of Messiah, which is an ideal one,” vol. i., p. 15. The result of theexposition of this passage may therefore be thus stated:

(a) The term “Son,” as used here, is a special appellation of the Messiah - a termapplicable to him in a sense in which it can be given to no other being.

(b) As used here, and as elsewhere used, it supposes his existence before theincarnation.

(c) Its use here, and the purpose formed, imply that he had an existence beforethis purpose was formed, so that he could be personally addressed, and so that apromise could be made to him.

(d) The term “Son” is not used here in reference to that anterior relation, anddetermines nothing as to the mode of his previous being - whether from eternityessentially in the nature of God; or whether in some mysterious sense begotten; orwhether as an emanation of the Deity; or whether created.

(e) The term, as Calvin suggests, and as maintained by Prof. Alexander, refershere only to his being constituted King - to the act of coronation - whenever thatoccurred.

(f) This, in fact, occurred when he was raised from the dead, and when he wasexalted to the right hand of God in heaven Act_13:33, so that the application of thepassage by Paul in the Acts accords with the result to which we are led by the fairinterpretation of the passage.

(g) The passage, therefore, determines nothing, one way or the other, respectingthe doctrine of eternal generation, and cannot, therefore, be used in proof of thatdoctrine.

3. Clarke, “I will declare the decree - These words are supposed to have been spokenby the Messiah. I will declare to the world the decree, the purpose of God to redeemthem by my blood, and to sanctify them by my Spirit. My death shall prove that therequired atonement has been made; my resurrection shall prove that this atonementhas been accepted.

Thou art my Son - Made man, born of a woman by the creative energy of the HolyGhost, that thou mightest feel and suffer for man, and be the first-born of manybrethren.

This day have I begotten thee - By thy resurrection thou art declared to be theSon of God, εν δυναµει, by miraculous power, being raised from the dead. Thus bythy wondrous and supernatural nativity, most extraordinary death, and miraculous

resurrection, thou art declared to be the Son of God. And as in that Son dwelt all thefullness of the Godhead bodily, all the sufferings and the death of that humannature were stamped with an infinitely meritorious efficacy. We have St. Paul’sauthority for applying to the resurrection of our Lord these words, “Thou art mySon; this day have I begotten thee;” - see Act_13:33; see also Heb_5:6; - and theman must indeed be a bold interpreter of the Scriptures who would give a differentgloss to that of the apostle. It is well known that the words, “Thou art my Son; thisday have I begotten thee,” have been produced by many as a proof of the eternalgeneration of the Son of God. On the subject itself I have already given my opinionin my note on Luk_1:35, from which I recede not one hair’s breadth. Still however itis necessary to spend a few moments on the clause before us. The word היום haiyom,Today, Is in no part of the sacred writings used to express eternity, or any thing inreference to it; nor can it have any such signification. To-day is an absolutedesignation of the present, and equally excludes time past and time future; andnever can, by any figure, or allowable latitude of construction, be applied to expresseternity. But why then does the Divine Spirit use the word begotten in reference tothe declaration of the inauguration of the Messiah to his kingdom, and his beingseated at the right hand of God? Plainly to show both to Jews and Gentiles that thisMan of sorrows, this Outcast from society, this Person who was prosecuted as ablasphemer of God, and crucified as an enemy to the public peace and a traitor tothe government, is no less than that eternal Word, who was in the beginning withGod, who was God, and in whom dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily: thatthis rejected Person was he for whom in the fullness of time a body was prepared,begotten by the exclusive power of the Most High in the womb of an unspottedvirgin, which body he gave unto death as a sin-offering for the redemption of theworld; and having raised it from death, declared it to be that miraculously-begottenSon of God, and now gave farther proof of this by raising the God-man to his righthand.

The word ילדתי yalidti, “I have begotten,” is here taken in the sense ofmanifesting, exhibiting, or declaring; and to this sense of it St. Paul (Rom_1:3,Rom_1:4) evidently alludes when speaking of “Jesus Christ, who was made of theseed of David according to the flesh, του ὁρισθεντος Υἱου Θεου εν δυναµει, καταΠνευµα αγιωσυνης, εξ αναστασεως νεκρων; and declared (exhibited or determined)to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness.” This veryrejected Person, I this day, by raising him from the dead, and placing him at myright hand, giving to him all power in heaven and earth, declare to be my Son, thebeloved one in whom I am well pleased. Therefore hear him, believe on him, andobey him; for there is no redemption but through his blood; no salvation but in hisname; no resurrection unto eternal life but through his resurrection, ascension, andpowerful intercession at my right hand. Thou art my Son; this day have I declaredand manifested thee to be such. It was absolutely necessary to the salvation of men,and the credibility of the Gospel, that the supernatural origin of the humanity ofJesus Christ should be manifested and demonstrated. Hence we find the inspiredwriters taking pains to show that he was born of a woman, and of that woman bythe sovereign power of the everlasting God. This vindicated the character of theblessed virgin, showed the human nature of Christ to be immaculate, and that, even

in respect to this nature, he was every way qualified to be a proper atoning sacrificeand Mediator between God and man. I need not tell the learned reader that theHebrew verb ילד yalad, to beget, is frequently used in reference to inanimate things,to signify their production, or the exhibition of the things produced. In Gen_2:4 :These are the generations, תולדות toledoth, of the heavens and the earth; this is theorder in which God produced and exhibited them. See Hebrews and Eng. Concord.,Venema, etc.

4. Gill, “I will declare the decree,.... These are the words of Jehovah's Anointed andKing, exercising his kingly office, according to the decree and commandment of theFather: for these words refer not to the following, concerning the generation of theSon, which does not depend on the decree and arbitrary will of God, but is from hisnature; but these words relate to what go before. The Septuagint, Vulgate Latin,and Oriental versions, place this clause at the end of Psa_2:6; some render it,"declaring his commandment", or "the commandment of the Lord"; the laws thathe would have observed, both by him and by the subjects of his kingdom. TheSyriac and Arabic versions, "that he might declare the commandment of the Lord";as if this was the end of his being appointed King. The word חק is differentlyrendered; by many, "the decree", the purpose of God concerning Christ asMediator, and the salvation of his people by him; and who so fit to declare this as hewho lay in the bosom of the Father, and was privy to all his secret thoughts anddesigns, and in when the eternal purpose was purposed. Joh_1:18. The Chaldeeparaphrase renders it by קימא, "the covenant", the everlasting covenant of grace;and who so proper to declare this as he with whom the covenant was made, and whois the covenant itself, in whom all the blessings and promises of it are, and themessenger of it. Mal_3:1. It may not be unfitly applied to the Gospel, which is thesum and substance of both the decree and covenant of God; it is what was ordainedbefore the world for our glory. This Christ was appointed to preach, and did declareit in the great congregation; the same with the counsel of God, Act_20:27. Thewords will bear to be rendered, "I will declare" אל חפ "to the command" (h); oraccording to the order and rule prescribed by Jehovah, without adding to it ortaking from it: agreeably to which he executed his office as King, and Prophet also.The doctrine was not his own, but his Father's he preached; he spake not of himself,but as he taught and enjoined him; the Father gave him commandment what heshould say and speak, Joh_12:49; and he kept close to it, as he here says he would:and he ruled in his name, and by his authority, according to the law of his office;and which might be depended upon from the dignity of his person, which qualifiedhim both for his kingly and prophetic offices, expressed in the following words:

the Lord hath said unto me, thou art my Son; not by creation, as angels and men;nor by adoption, as saints; nor by office, as civil magistrates; nor on account of hisincarnation or resurrection; nor because of the great love of God unto him; but insuch a way of filiation as cannot be said of any creature nor of any other, Heb_1:5;He is the true, proper, natural, and eternal Son of God, and as such declared,owned, and acknowledged by Jehovah the Father, as in these words; the foundationof which relation lies in what follows:

this day have I begotten thee; which act of begetting refers not to the nature, nor tothe office, but the person of Christ; not to his nature, not to his divine nature, whichis common with the Father and Spirit; wherefore if his was begotten, theirs must bealso: much less to his human nature, in which he is never said to be begotten, butalways to be made, and with respect to which he is without father: nor to his officeas Mediator, in which he is not a Son, but a servant; besides, he was a Son previousto his being Prophet, Priest, and King; and his office is not the foundation of hissonship, but his sonship is the foundation of his office; or by which that issupported, and which fits him for the performance of it: but it has respect to hisperson; for, as in human generation, person begets person, and like begets like, so indivine generation; but care must be taken to remove all imperfection from it, suchas divisibility and multiplication of essence, priority and posteriority, dependence,and the like: nor can the "modus" or manner of it be conceived or explained by us.The date of it, "today", designs eternity, as in Isa_43:13, which is one continued day,an everlasting now. And this may be applied to any time and case in which Christ isdeclared to be the Son of God; as at his incarnation, his baptism, andtransfiguration upon the mount, and his resurrection from the dead, as it is inAct_13:33; because then he was declared to be the Son of God with power,Rom_1:4; and to his ascension into heaven, where he was made Lord and Christ,and his divine sonship more manifestly appeared; which seems to be the time andcase more especially referred to here, if it be compared with Heb_1:3.

5. Henry, “We have heard what the kings of the earth have to say against Christ'skingdom, and have heard it gainsaid by him that sits in heaven; let us now hearwhat the Messiah himself has to say for his kingdom, to make good his claims, and itis what all the powers on earth cannot gainsay.

I. The kingdom of the Messiah is founded upon a decree, an eternal decree, ofGod the Father. It was not a sudden resolve, it was not the trial of an experiment,but the result of the counsels of the divine wisdom and the determinations of thedivine will, before all worlds, neither of which can be altered - the precept or statute

(so some read it), the covenant or compact (so others), the federal transactionsbetween the Father and the Son concerning man's redemption, represented by thecovenant of royalty made with David and his seed, Psa_89:3. This our Lord Jesusoften referred to as that which, all along in his undertaking, he governed himself by;This is the will of him that sent me, Joh_6:40. This commandment have I received of

my Father, Joh_10:18; Joh_14:31.

II. There is a declaration of that decree as far as is necessary for the satisfaction ofall those who are called and commanded to yield themselves subjects to this king,and to leave those inexcusable who will not have him to reign over them. The decreewas secret; it was what the Father said to the Son, when he possessed him in thebeginning of his way, before his works of old; but it is declared by a faithful witness,who had lain in the bosom of the Father from eternity, and came into the world asthe prophet of the church, to declare him, Joh_1:18. The fountain of all being is,without doubt, the fountain of all power; and it is by, from, and under him, that theMessiah claims. He has his right to rule from what Jehovah said to him, by whose

word all things were made and are governed. Christ here makes a tow-fold title tohis kingdom: - 1. A title by inheritance (Psa_2:7): Thou art my Son, this day have Ibegotten thee. This scripture the apostle quotes (Heb_1:5) to prove that Christ has amore excellent name than the angels, but that he obtained it by inheritance, Psa_2:4.He is the Son of God, not by adoption, but his begotten Son, the only begotten of theFather, Joh_1:14. And the Father owns him, and will have this declared to the worldas the reason why he is constituted King upon the holy hill of Zion; he is thereforeunquestionably entitled to, and perfectly qualified for, that great trust. He is the Sonof God, and therefore of the same nature with the Father, has in him all the fulnessof the godhead, infinite wisdom, power, and holiness. The supreme government ofthe church is too high an honour and too hard an undertaking for any merecreature; none can be fit for it but he who is one with the Father and was frometernity by him as one brought up with him, thoroughly apprized of all his counsels,Pro_8:30. He is the Son of God, and therefore dear to him, his beloved Son, in whomhe is well pleased; and upon this account we are to receive him as a King; forbecause the Father loveth the Son he hath given all things into his hand, Joh_3:35;Joh_5:20. Being a Son, he is heir of all things, and, the Father having made theworlds by him, it is easy to infer thence that by him also he governs them; for he isthe eternal Wisdom and the eternal Word. If God hath said unto him, “Thou art mySon,” it becomes each of us to say to him, “Thou art my Lord, my sovereign.”Further, to satisfy us that his kingdom is well-grounded upon his sonship, we arehere told what his sonship is grounded on: This day have I begotten thee, whichrefers both to his eternal generation itself, for it is quoted (Heb_1:5) to prove that heis the brightness of his Father's glory and the express image of his person (Psa_2:3),and to the evidence and demonstration given of it by his resurrection from the dead,for to that also it is expressly applied by the apostle, Act_13:33. He hath raised upJesus again, as it is written, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. It wasby the resurrection from the dead, that sign of the prophet Jonas, which was to bethe most convincing of all, that he was declared to be the Son of God with power,Rom_1:4. Christ is said to be the first-begotten and first-born from the dead,Rev_1:5; Col_1:18. Immediately after his resurrection he entered upon theadministration of his mediatorial kingdom; it was then that he said, All power isgiven unto me, and to that especially he had an eye when he taught his disciples topray, Thy kingdom come. 2. A title by agreement, Psa_2:8, Psa_2:9. The agreementis, in short, this: the Son must undertake the office of an intercessor, and, upon thatcondition, he shall have the honour and power of a universal monarch; seeIsa_53:12, Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, because he madeintercession for the transgressors. He shall be a priest upon his throne, and thecounsel of peace shall be between them both, Zec_6:13.}

6. Calvin, “Thou art my Son. David, indeed could with propriety be called the son ofGod on account of his royal dignity, just as we know that princes, because they areelevated above others, are called both gods and the sons of God. But here God, bythe singularly high title with which he honors David, exalts him not only above allmortal men, but even above the angels. This the apostle (Hebrews 1:5) wisely and

diligently considers when he tells us this language was never used with respect toany of the angels. David, individually considered, was inferior to the angels, but inso far as he represented the person of Christ, he is with very good reason preferredfar above them. By the Son of God in this place we are therefore not to understandone son among many, but his only begotten Son, that he alone should have the pre-eminence both in heaven and on earth. When God says, I have begotten thee, itought to be understood as referring to men’s understanding or knowledge of it; forDavid was begotten by God when the choice of him to be king was clearlymanifested. The words this day, therefore, denote the time of this manifestation; foras soon as it became known that he was made king by divine appointment, he cameforth as one who had been lately begotten of God, since so great an honor could notbelong to a private person. The same explanation is to be given of the words asapplied to Christ. He is not said to be begotten in any other sense than as the Fatherbore testimony to him as being his own Son. This passage, I am aware, has beenexplained by many as referring to the eternal generation of Christ; and from thewords this day, they have reasoned ingeniously as if they denoted an eternal actwithout any relation to time. But Paul, who is a more faithful and a better qualifiedinterpreter of this prophecy, in Acts 13:33, calls our attention to the manifestation ofthe heavenly glory of Christ of which I have spoken. This expression, to be begotten,does not therefore imply that he then began to be the Son of God, but that his beingso was then made manifest to the world. Finally, this begetting ought not to beunderstood of the mutual love which exists between the Father and the Son; it onlysignifies that He who had been hidden from the beginning in the sacred bosom ofthe Father, and who afterward had been obscurely shadowed forth under the law,was known to be the Son of God from the time when he came forth with authenticand evident marks of Sonship, according to what is said in John 1:14, “we have seenhis glory, as of the only begotten of the Father.” We must, at the same time,however, bear in mind what Paul teaches, (Romans 1:4) that he was declared to bethe Son of God with power when he rose again from the dead, and therefore what ishere said has a principal allusion to the day of his resurrection.”

7. Spurgeon, “This Psalm wears something of a dramatic form, for now anotherperson is introduced as speaking. We have looked into the council-chamber of thewicked, and to the throne of God, and now we behold the Anointed declaring hisrights of sovereignty, and warning the traitors of their doom. God has laughed atthe counsel and ravings of the wicked, and now Christ the Anointed himself comesforward, as the Risen Redeemer, "declared to be the Son of God with power,according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead." Romans 1:4.Looking into the angry faces of the rebellious kings, the Anointed One seems to say,"If this sufficeth not to make you silent, 'I will declare the decree'." �ow this decreeis directly in conflict with the device of man, for its tenour is the establishment of thevery dominion against which the nations are raving. "Thou art my Son." Here is anoble proof of the glorious Divinity of our Immanuel. "For unto which of the angelssaid he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee?" What a mercyto have a Divine Redeemer in whom to rest our confidence! "This day have I

begotten thee." If this refers to the Godhead of our Lord, let us not attempt tofathom it, for it is a great truth, a truth reverently to be received, but notirreverently to be scanned. It may be added, that if this relates to the Begotten Onein his human nature, we must here also rejoice in the mystery, but not attempt toviolate its sanctity by intrusive prying into the secrets of the Eternal God. The thingswhich are revealed are enough, without venturing into vain speculations. Inattempting to define the Trinity, or unveil the essence of Divinity, many men havelost themselves: here great ships have foundered. What have we to do in such a seawith our frail skiffs?”

7B. Spurgeon, “The dispute concerning the eternal filiation of our Lord betraysmore of presumptuous curiosity than of reverent faith. It is an attempt to explainwhere it is far better to adore. We could give rival expositions of this verse, but weforbear. The controversy is one of the most unprofitable which ever engaged thepens of theologians.”

8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.

1. David was so richly favored by God, for he could ask anything it seems and Godwould have given it to him. He was a man after God's own heart, and from his youthhe had the favor of God resting on him. Stuart Robertson wrote, “It is quiteamazing to look at the hand of God putting together the pieces of a puzzle, with alittle boy born in the tiny village of Bethlehem, rising to a position his parents couldnot have imagined possible. His parents hoped the last of their eight sons would be agood shepherd. David’s highest role would be to care for bigger flocks, they surelythought. Little did they know how big the flock would be that he would tend. They could not have dreamed that their little village would be called "the city ofDavid," an irony in that it was so small, smallest of all the villages in Judah--and nota city at all, and that David was the last of their sons in a day when the pride ofplace went to the first son. It was beyond them to imagine that an Heir of their sonwould be the Savior of the world--who would die on the cross, crucified by enemiesof their people, and then rise from death alive as no one had before, but many wouldafterward.”

1B. “The relation between Jehovah and the Messiah is such that any request of theSon would be granted. The utter futility of any attempt of the rebels to overthrowthe government of the Anointed One is emphasized. As heir, the Son inherits all

things, and is thus able to share them with us as heirs together with Him.” authorunknown

1C. The decree above was that Jesus was God's Son, and now the Son is offered theentire world as his inheritance. The world belongs to God, and now he is offering itto his Son. Stephen Wood wrote, "I will give thee the heathen (God's elect amongthe Gentiles) for Thy kingdom," and Thy kingdom shall be to the uttermost parts ofthe earth (Rev. 5:9-10). The stubborn and rebellious, who will not have Christ toreign nor bow to His crown rights, shall He crush and destroy.“The Sonship impliesworld dominion. These words find their full truth only when the Davidic family isviewed as centering in Christ. The Lord's Anointed comes forward with the divinepower and glory, with which the messiah appears in the prophets. The OldTestament knows no other kingship to which is promised the dominion of worldpower. Revelation 19:15 describes Christ when He returns. Only with the words ofRevelation 11:15-18 does it find resolution. "The kingdom of the world has becomethe kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ (Messiah); and He will reign forever andever."

The proof of that declaration is the resurrection of Christ from the dead (Hebrews1:5; cf. Acts 13:33-37; Romans 1:3-4). Psalm two is cited more frequently in the �ewTestament than any other. The Apostles saw it as fulfilled in Jesus Christ and in noother person. Jesus appears exactly as this Psalm presents Him. Revelation 19:15describes Christ when He returns. And from His mouth comes a sharp sword, sothat with it He may smite the nations; and He will rule them with a rod of iron; andHe treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robeand on His thigh He has a name written, "KI�G OF KI�GS, A�D LORD OFLORDS.

God the Father promises his Son that he will extend the Messianic kingdom to theends of the earth (vs. 8). This promise of the Father stands as the foundation for theGreat Commission (Matt. 28:19-20). It was only after Jesus declared that he hadreceived "all authority in heaven and on earth" that he commanded his disciples tocarry the Gospel of the Kingdom to all nations. The Great Commission is the King'sCommission! The time for the Son to receive the nations as his inheritance beganafter his resurrection.”

1D. Calvin, “David, as we know, after having obtained signal victories reigned overa large extent of territory, so that many nations became tributaries to him; but whatis here said was not fulfilled in him. If we compare his kingdom with othermonarchies it was confined within very narrow boundaries. Unless, therefore, wesuppose this prophecy concerning the vast extent of kingdom to have been uttered invain and falsely, we must apply it to Christ, who alone has subdued the whole worldto himself and embraced all lands and nations under his dominion. Accordingly,here, as in many other places, the calling of the Gentiles is foretold, to prevent allfrom imagining that the Redeemer who was to be sent of God was king of one nation

only.”

2. Barnes, “Ask of me - That is, of God. This is a part of the “decree” or purpose, asmentioned in Psa_2:7. That decree embraced not only the design to constitute himas his Son, in the sense that he was to be king in Zion, but also the purpose to givehim a dominion embracing “the heathen” and “the uttermost parts of the earth.”This wide dominion was to be given him on condition that he would “ask” for it,thus keeping up the idea that Yahweh, as such, is the great source of authority andempire, and that the Messiah, as such occupies a rank subordinate to him. Thisrelation of the Father and Son is everywhere recognized in the �ew Testament. Aswe may be sure that the Messiah will ask for this, it follows that the world will yet bebrought under his scepter. It may be added that as this wide dominion is promisedto the Messiah only on condition that he “asks” for it or prays for it, much more is ittrue that we can hope for this and for no favor from God, unless we seek it byearnest prayer.

And I shall give thee - I will give thee. That is, he would ultimately give him thispossession. �o time is specified when it would be done, and the prophecy will befulfilled if it shall be accomplished in any period of the history of the world.

The heathen - The nations (notes, Psa_2:1); that is, the world. In the time of thewriter of the psalm, the world would be spoken of as divided into Hebrews andother nations; the people of God and foreigners. The same division is often referredto in the �ew Testament under the terms Jew and Gentile, as the Greeks divided allthe world into Greeks and barbarians. The word would now embrace all the nationswhich are not under the influence of the true religion.

For thine inheritance - Thy heritage; thy portion as my Son. There is an allusionhere to the fact that he had constituted him as his Son, and hence, it was proper tospeak of him as the heir of all things. See the notes at Heb_1:4.

And the uttermost parts of the earth - The farthest regions of the world. Thispromise would properly embrace all the world as then known, as it is now known, asit shall be hereafter known.

For thy possession - That is, as king. This, on the earth, was be to his possession asthe Son of Yahweh, constituted as king. It may be remarked here,

(a) that this can have its fulfillment only in the Lord Jesus Christ. It was not trueof David nor of any other Hebrew monarch that he had conceded to him, in fact,any such possession. Their dominions extended, at any time, but little beyond thebounds of Palestine, and embraced a very limited part of the earth - but a smallterritory, even as compared with many then existing kingdoms. The phrase usedhere could never have been applied to the limited and narrow country of Palestine.

(b) The promise is to be understood as still in full force. It has never beencancelled or recalled, and though its fulfillment has seemed to be long delayed, yetas no time was specified, its spirit and meaning have not been disregarded. Eventshave shown that it was not intended that it should be speedily accomplished; andevents, when no time is specified, should be allowed to be interpreters of the originalmeaning of the prophecy.

(c) The promise will yet be fulfilled. It is evidently supposed in the promise thatthe Messiah would ask for this; and it is solemnly affirmed that if he did, this wideinheritance would be granted to him. The world, then, is to be regarded as given bycovenant to the Son of God, and in due time he will set up his dominion over theearth, and rule over mankind. The period is coming when the actual scepter swayedover the nations of the earth will be that of the Son of God, and when his right togive laws and to reign will be acknowledged from the rising to the setting sun. Thisis the only thing in the future that is certainly known to us, and this is enough tomake everything in that future bright.

3. Clarke, “Ask of me, and I shall give thee - Here a second branch of Christ’s officeas Savior of the world is referred to; viz., his mediatorial office. Having died as anatoning sacrifice, and risen again from the dead, he was now to make intercessionfor mankind; and in virtue and on account of what he had done and suffered, hewas, at his request, to have the nations for his inheritance, and the uttermost partsof the earth for his possession. He was to become supreme Lord in the mediatorialkingdom; in consequence of which he sent his apostles throughout the habitableglobe to preach the Gospel to every man.

4. Gill, “ Ask of me,.... Jehovah is either here again introduced speaking, or thesewords are a continuation of the Son's account of what his Father said unto him;which do not suppose any superiority in the one, or inferiority in the other; but areonly expressive of the Father's great respect and affection for his Son, as such a wayof speaking among men shows, Est_5:3; and of the great interest the Son had in hisFather, who could ask nothing but he had it; and shows the perfect harmony,agreement, and unity between them: see 1Ki_3:5; Christ, in the council andcovenant of grace and peace, asked many things of his Father, which were granted;he asked for the persons of all the elect to be his bride and spouse, and his heart'sdesire was given him, and the request of his lips was not withheld from him: heasked for all the blessings of grace for them; for spiritual life here, and eternal lifehereafter; and all were given him, and put into his hands for them, Psa_20:2; andhere it is promised him,

and I shall give thee the Heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts ofthe earth for thy possession; by "the Heathen", and "the uttermost parts of theearth", are meant God's elect among the Gentiles, and who live in the distant partsof the world; which are Christ's other sheep, the Father has given to him as hisportion, and whom he has made his care and charge: as if it was not enough that heshould be King of Zion, or have the government over his chosen ones among theJews, he commits into his hands the Gentiles also; see Isa_49:6; and these are givenhim as his inheritance and possession, as his portion, to be enjoyed by him; and whoesteems them as such, and reckons them a goodly heritage, and a peculiar treasure,his jewels, and the apple of his eye. These words respect the calling of the Gentilesunder the Gospel dispensation; and the amplitude of Christ's kingdom in all theearth, which shall be from sea to sea, and from the rivers to the ends of the earth.

5. Henry, “The agreement is, in short, this: the Son must undertake the office of anintercessor, and, upon that condition, he shall have the honour and power of auniversal monarch; see Isa_53:12, Therefore will I divide him a portion with the

great, because he made intercession for the transgressors. He shall be a priest upon his

throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both, Zec_6:13. (1.) The Sonmust ask. This supposes his putting himself voluntarily into a state of inferiority tothe Father, by taking upon him the human nature; for, as God, he was equal inpower and glory with the Father and had nothing to ask. It supposes the making ofa satisfaction by the virtue of which the intercession must be made, and the payingof a price, on which this large demand was to be grounded; see Joh_17:4, Joh_17:5.The Son, in asking the heathen for his inheritance, aims, not only at his own honour,but at their happiness in him; so that he intercedes for them, ever lives to do so, andis therefore able to save to the uttermost. (2.) The Father will grant more than to thehalf of the kingdom, even to the kingdom itself. It is here promised him, [1.] That hisgovernment shall be universal: he shall have the heathen for his inheritance, not theJews only, to whose nation the church had been long confined, but the Gentiles also.Those in the uttermost parts of the earth (as this nation of ours) shall be hispossession, and he shall have multitudes of willing loyal subjects among them.Baptized Christians are the possession of the Lord Jesus; they are to him for a nameand a praise. God the Father gives them to him when by his Spirit and grave heworks upon them to submit their necks to the yoke of the Lord Jesus. This is in partfulfilled; a great part of the Gentile world received the gospel when it was firstpreached, and Christ's throne was set up there where Satan's seat had long been.But it is to be yet further accomplished when the kingdoms of this world shall

become the kingdoms of the Lord and of his Christ, Rev_11:15.”

6. Spurgeon, “"Ask of me." It was a custom among great kings, to give to favouredones whatever they might ask. (See Esther 5:6; Matthew 14:7.) So Jesus hath but toask and have. Here he declares that his very enemies are his inheritance. To theirface he declares this decree, and "Lo! here," cries the Anointed One, as he holdsaloft in that once pierced hand the sceptre of his power, "He hath given me this, notonly the right to be a king, but the power to conquer." Yes! Jehovah hath given tohis Anointed a rod of iron with which he shall break rebellious nations in pieces,and, despite their imperial strength, they shall be but as potters' vessels, easilydashed into shivers, when the rod of iron is in the hand of the omnipotent Son ofGod. Those who will not bend must break. Potters' vessels are not to be restored ifdashed in pieces, and the ruin of sinners will be hopeless if Jesus shall smite them.

"Ye sinners seek his grace,Whose wrath ye cannot bear;Fly to the shelter of his cross,

And find salvation there."

7. Treasury of David, “Verse 8. "Ask of me." The priesthood doth not appear to besettled upon Christ by any other expression than this, "Ask of me." The Psalmspeaks of his investiture in his kingly office; the apostle refers this to his priesthood,

his commission for both took date at the same time; both bestowed, both confirmedby the same authority. The office of asking is grounded upon the same authority asthe honour of king. Ruling belonged to his royal office, asking to his priestly. Afterhis resurrection, the Father gives him a power and command of asking. Stephen

Charnock. Verse 8. As the limner looks on the person whose picture he would take, and drawshis lines to answer him with the nearest similitude that he can, so God looks onChrist as the archtype to which he will conform the saint, in suffering, in grace, inglory; yet so that Christ hath the pre-eminence in all. Every saint must suffer,because Christ suffered: Christ must not have a delicate body under a crucifiedhead; yet never any suffered, or could, what he endured. Christ is holy, andtherefore so shall every saint be, but in an inferior degree; an image cut in claycannot be so exact as that engraved on gold. �ow, our conformity to Christ appears,that as the promises made to him were performed upon his prayers to his Father,his promises made to his saints are given to them in the same way of prayer: "Ask of

me," saith God to his Son, "and I shall give thee." And the apostle tells us, "Ye havenot, because ye ask not." God hath promised support to Christ in all his conflicts.Isaiah 42:1. "Behold my servant, whom I uphold;" yet he prayed "with strong criesand tears," when his feet stood within the shadow of death. A seed is promised tohim, and victory over his enemies, yet for both these he prays. Christ toward us actsas a king, but toward his Father as a priest. All he speaks to God is by prayer andintercession. So the saints, the promise makes them kings over their lusts,conquerors over their enemies; but it makes them priests toward God, by prayerhumbly to sue out these great things given in the promise. William Gurnall, 1617-1679.

Verse 8. It will be observed in our Bible that two words of verse eight are in italics,intimating that they are not translations of the Hebrew, but additions made for thepurpose of elucidating the meaning. �ow if the "thee" and the "for" are left out, theverse will read thus, "Ask of me, and I shall give the heathen, thine inheritance, andthy possession, the uttermost parts of the earth." And this reading is decidedlypreferable to the other. It implies that by some previous arrangement on the part ofGod, he had already assigned an inheritance of the heathen, and the possession ofthe earth, to the person of whom he says, "Thou art my Son." And when God says,"I will give," etc., he reveals to his Anointed, not so much in what the inheritanceconsisted, and what was the extent of possession destined for him, as the promise ofhis readiness to bestow it. The heathen were already "the inheritance," and the endsof the earth "the possession," which God had purposed to give to his Anointed. �owhe says to him, "Ask of me," and he promises to fulfil his purpose. This is the ideainvolved in the words of the text, and the importance of it will become moreapparent, when we consider its application to the spiritual David, to the true Son ofGod, "whom he hath appointed heir of all things."

9 You will rule them with an iron scepter [f] ;

you will dash them to pieces like pottery."

1. Jamison, “His enemies shall be subject to His terrible power (Job_4:9; 2Th_2:8),as His people to His grace (Psa_110:2, Psa_110:3). rod of iron — denotes severity(Rev_2:27). a potter’s vessel — when shivered cannot be mended, which willdescribe utter destruction.”

1B. Calvin, “This is expressly stated to teach us that Christ is furnished with powerby which to reign even over those who are averse to his authority, and refuse to obeyhim. The language of David implies that all will not voluntarily receive his yoke, butthat many will be stiff-necked and rebellious, whom notwithstanding he shallsubdue by force, and compel to submit to him. It is true, the beauty and glory of thekingdom of which David speaks are more illustriously displayed when a willingpeople run to Christ in the day of his power, to show themselves his obedientsubjects; but as the greater part of men rise up against him with a violence whichspurns all restraint, it was necessary to add the truth, that this king would provehimself superior to all such opposition. Of this unconquerable power in war Godexhibited a specimen, primarily in the person of David, who, as we know,vanquished and overthrew many enemies by force of arms. But the prediction ismore fully verified in Christ, who, neither by sword nor spear, but by the breath ofhis mouth, smites the ungodly even to their utter destruction.

It may, however, seem wonderful that, while the prophets in other parts of Scripturecelebrate the meekness, the mercy, and the gentleness of our Lord, he is heredescribed as so rigorous, austere, and full of terror. But this severe and dreadfulsovereignty is set before us for no other purpose than to strike alarm into hisenemies; and it is not at all inconsistent with the kindness with which Christtenderly and sweetly cherishes his own people. He who shows himself a lovingshepherd to his gentle sheep, must treat the wild beasts with a degree of severityeither to convert them from their cruelty, or effectually to restrain it. Accordingly inPsalm 110:5, after a commendation is pronounced upon the obedience of the godlyChrist is immediately armed with power to destroy, in the day of his wrath, kingsand their armies who are hostile to him. And certainly both these characters arewith propriety ascribed to him: for he was sent by the Father to cheer the poor andthe wretched with the tidings of salvation, to set the prisoners free, to heal the sick,to bring the sorrowful and afflicted out of the darkness of death into the light of life,(Isaiah 61:1) and as, on the other hand, many by their ingratitude, provoke hiswrath against them, he assumes, as it were, a new character, to beat down theirobduracy. It may be asked, what is that iron scepter which the Father hath put intothe hand of Christ, wherewith to break in pieces his enemies? I answer, The breathof his mouth supplies to him the place of all other weapons, as I have just nowshown from Isaiah. Although, therefore, Christ move not a finger, yet by hisspeaking he thunders awfully enough against his enemies, and destroys them by the

rod of his mouth alone.............. Christ does not, indeed, literally speak to all men;but as he denounces in his word whatever judgments he executes upon them, he maybe truly said to slay the ungodly man with the breath of his mouth, (2 Thessalonians2:8.)”

2. Barnes, “Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron - That is, evidently, thineenemies, for it cannot be supposed to be meant that he would sway such a scepterover his own people. The idea is that he would crush and subdue all his foes. Hewould have absolute power, and the grant which had been made to him would beaccompanied with authority sufficient to hold it. That dominion which was to beconceded to him would be not only one of protection to his friends, but also ofpunishment on his enemies; and the statement here is made prominent because theformer part of the psalm had respect to rebels, and the Messiah is here representedas being invested with power sufficient to punish and restrain them. The Vulgaterenders this “thou shalt rule;” the Septuagint, “thou shalt feed - ποιµανεῖςpoimaneis; that is, thou shalt feed them as a shepherd does his flock; thou shaltexercise over them the care and protection of a shepherd. This rendering occurs bya slight change in the pointing of the Hebrew word, though the most approved modeof pointing the word is that which is followed in our common translation. DeWette,Hengstenberg, Alexander, Horsley, adopt the common reading. What is said in thisverse has been urged as an objection to referring it to the Messiah. The remark ofDeWette on this matter has been quoted in the introduction to this psalm, Section 4(3). But it may be observed, while it is everywhere represented that the scepter ofthe Messiah over the earth will be a mild scepter, it is also everywhere stated that hewill ultimately crush and overthrow all his foes.

Thus, in Isa_11:4 : “He shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and withthe breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.” So Psa_110:6 : “He shall judgeamong the heathen; he shall fill the places with the dead bodies.” So, likewise,Rev_19:15 : “And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smitethe nations; and he shall rule them with a rod of iron; and he treadeth the winepressof the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.” So also in Matt. 25, and elsewhere, itis said that he will come to judgment, and will consign all his foes to appropriatepunishment. While it is said that the reign of the Messiah would be a mild reign, andthat his kingdom would not be of this world, and while he is represented as thePrince of peace, it is also said that he would be invested with all the authority of asovereign. While he would have power to protect his friends, he would also havepower to humble and crush his foes. The expression “with a rod of iron” refers tothe scepter which he would bear. A scepter was sometimes made of wood, sometimesof gold, sometimes of ivory, and sometimes of iron. The idea, when the past was thecase, was, that the dominion was absolute, and that there was nothing that couldresist it. Perhaps the idea of justice or severity would be that which would be mostnaturally suggested by this. As applicable to the Messiah, it can only mean that hisenemies would be crushed and subdued before him.

Thou shalt dash them in pieces - The same idea is here expressed in another form,

but indicating more particularly the ease with which it would be done. The wordrendered “dash them in pieces” means to break in pieces as an earthen vessel,Jdg_7:20; Jer_22:28. It is used to denote the crushing of infants on stones,Psa_137:9. The word “shiver” would well express the idea here - “thou shalt shiverthem.”

Like a potter’s vessel - A vessel or instrument made by a potter; a vessel made ofclay. This is easily broken, and especially with a rod of iron, and the idea here is thathe would crush and subdue his enemies as easily as this could be done. �o imagecould more happily express the ease with which he would subdue his foes; and thisaccords with all the representations of the �ew Testament - that with infinite case -with a word - Christ can subdue his enemies, and consign them to ruin. CompareMat_25:41, Mat_25:46; Luk_19:27. The sense here is, simply, that the Messiahwould be absolute; that he would have power to quell all rebellion against God, andto punish all those that rise up against him; and that on those who are incorrigiblyrebellious he would exercise that power, and take effectual means to subdue them.This is merely what is done by all just governments, and is by no means inconsistentwith the idea that such a government would be mild and gentle toward those whoare obedient. The protection of the righteous makes the punishment of the wickednecessary in all governments, and the one cannot be secured without the other. Thisverse is applied to the Messiah in the Book of Revelation, Rev_2:27, note;Rev_19:15, note; compare Rev_12:5, note (see the notes at these passages).

3. Clarke, “Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron - This may refer to the Jewishnation, whose final rejection of the Gospel was foreseen, and in whose place theGentiles or heathen were brought into the Church of Christ. They were dispossessedof their land, their city was razed to its foundations, their temple was burnt withfire, and upwards of a million of themselves were slaughtered by the Romans! Soheavily did the iron rod of God’s judgments fall upon them for their obstinateunbelief.

4. Gill, “ Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron,.... �ot his inheritance andpossession among the Gentiles, the chosen ones given him by the Father; these hedelights in, takes care of, protects, and preserves: but the stubborn and rebelliousones among the Heathen, and in each of the parts of the world, who will not havehim to reign over them; who treat his person with contempt, reject his government,disobey his Gospel, and despise his commands; towards these Christ will useseverity, and will exert his power and break them in pieces. The Vulgate Latin,Septuagint, Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions, render it, "shall feed" or "rulethem"; and so it is cited in Rev_2:27; and applied to Christ, the Word of God, andKing of kings; and must be understood, as it is in those places, of the severity of hisgovernment over them, of the strictness of his justice, without the least display ofmercy; and then the sense is the same with those versions which render it, "shallbreak them:" as the word used is interpreted by the Targum, and the Jewishcommentators on the place; and which is confirmed by what follows:

thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel; which is very easily done with a

bar of iron; and, when it is done, the pieces can never be put together again: so thatby the metaphor is signified the easy and irreparable ruin of the wicked; seeIsa_30:14. The word signifies that they should be so crumbled into dust, that theyshould be scattered about as with the wind; which, so far as it relates to the Jews,was fulfilled in their destruction by the Romans, and will have its accomplishmentin the antichristian nations at the latter day; see Rev_2:26.

5. Henry, “This was in part fulfilled when the nation of the Jews, those thatpersisted in unbelief and enmity to Christ's gospel, were destroyed by the Romanpower, which was represented (Dan_2:40) by feet of iron, as here by a rod of iron. Ithad a further accomplishment in the destruction of the Pagan powers, when theChristian religion came to be established; but it will not be completely fulfilled tillall opposing rule, principality, and power, shall be finally put down, 1Co_15:24;Psa_110:5, Psa_110:6. Observe, How powerful Christ is and how weak the enemiesof his kingdom are before him; he has a rod of iron wherewith to crush those thatwill not submit to his golden sceptre; they are but like a potter's vessel before him,suddenly, easily, and irreparably dashed in pieces by him; see Rev_2:27. “Thoushalt do it, that is, thou shalt have leave to do it.” �ations shall be ruined, ratherthan the gospel church shall not be built and established. I have loved thee, therefore

will I give men for thee, Isa_43:4. “Thou shalt have power to do it; none shall be ableto stand before thee; and thou shalt do it effectually.” Those that will not bow shallbreak.

In singing this, and praying it over, we must give glory to Christ as the eternalSon of God and our rightful Lord, and must take comfort from this promise, andplead it with God, that the kingdom of Christ shall be enlarged and established andshall triumph over all opposition.”

6. Treasury of David, “The "rod" has a variety of meanings in Scripture. It might beof different materials, as it was employed for different purposes. At an early period,a wooden rod came into use as one of the insignia of royalty, under the name ofsceptre. By degrees the sceptre grew in importance, and was regarded ascharacteristic of an empire, or of the reign of some particular king. A golden sceptredenoted wealth and pomp. The right, or straight sceptre, of which we read in Psalm45:6, is expressive of the justice and uprightness, the truth and equity, which shalldistinguish Messiah's reign, after his kingdom on earth has been established. Butwhen it is said in Revelation 19:15, that he, "whose name is called the Word ofGod," will smite the nations, and "rule them with a rod of iron," if the rod signifies"his sceptre," then the "iron" of which it is made must be designed to express theseverity of the judgments which the omnipotent "King of kings" will inflict on allwho resist his authority. But to me it appears doubtful whether the "rod of iron"symbolises the royal sceptre of the Son of God at his second advent. It is mentionedin connection with "a sharp sword," which leads me to prefer the opinion that italso ought to be regarded as a weapon of war; at all events, the "rod of iron"mentioned in the Psalm we are endeavouring to explain. is evidently not the emblemof sovereign power, although represented as in the hands of a king, but aninstrument of correction and punishment. In this sense the word "rod" is often

used. . . . .When the correcting rod, which usually was a wand or cane, isrepresented as in this second Psalm, to be of "iron," it only indicates how weighty,how severe, how effectual the threatened chastisement will be—it will not merelybruise, but it will break. "Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron."

�ow it is just such a complete breaking as would not readily be effectedexcepting by an iron rod, that is more fully expressed in the following clause of theverse, "Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel." The completeness ofthe destruction, however, depends on two things. Even an iron rod, if gently used, orused against a hard and firm substance, might cause little injury; but, in the casebefore us, it is supposed to be applied with great force, "Thou shalt dash them;" andit is applied to what will prove as brittle and frangible as "a potter's vessel" —"Thou shalt dash them in pieces." . . . . Here, as in other respects, we must feel thatthe predictions and promises of this Psalm were but very partially fulfilled in thehistory of the literal David. Their real accomplishment, their awful completion,abides the day when the spiritual David shall come in glory and in majesty as Zion'sKing, with a rod of iron to dash in pieces the great antichristian confederacy ofkings and peoples, and to take possession of his long-promised and dearly-purchased inheritance. And the signs of the times seem to indicate that the comingof the Lord draws nigh. David Pitcairn.

7. Scott Hoezee, “how can we associate the Jesus of the �ew Testament with thisdashing image of the valiant king who squashes the nations? After all, in his timehere on this earth, Jesus did not fit this bill. And don't forget that there were not afew people in his day who wished he had. The people of his day were hungry forsomeone to knock the teeth out of the Caesar's mouth. There were many zealots whowould never have allowed Jesus to be so easily carried away to a cross if they hadthought Jesus had the political and military wherewithal to restore the physicalkingdom to Israel.

But Jesus disappointed such hopes. Indeed, the more spiritual Jesus got, the smallerthe crowds became until finally he stood alone. After all, Jesus encouraged payingtaxes to Caesar, submitting to the governing authorities, and putting away thesword. He spoke of a kingdom not of this world and urged everyone to love theirenemies and pray for the power mongers who persecuted them. There was no ironscepter in Jesus' hands and far from dashing anyone like a potter's vessel, he washimself finally hung out to dry at a place called Skull Hill. It was Jesus who lookedshattered, not any of the foreign powers that occupied the Promised Land in hisday! Far from rebuking Caesar or Herod or Pilate, Jesus rebuked his own disciplefor brandishing a sword in the moments before they arrested Jesus and led himaway.

And let's confess that sometimes we buy into this kind of thinking ourselves.Sometimes we, too, wish the Church had more clout and leverage. We'd like it if wecould do a little less quiet talking about Jesus and do a lot more smashing up of thisworld's wicked crockery. An iron scepter sounds more exciting and effective thanthe sword of God's Word, which is all Jesus left us with. "Talk is cheap" the old

saying goes. "Actions speak louder than words" another cliché claims. And yet itseems that the bulk of that with which Jesus left us by his Holy Spirit is talk andwords through the gospel preached and proclaimed in all lands.

Jesus himself preached a kingdom that looked like a teeny mustard seed, a kingdomthat was of great value but that lay hidden beneath the sod out in a field somewhere,of a kingdom that was penetrating the whole world all right but that was doing so inthe stealthy, invisible manner of yeast in dough. All of that seemed to be Jesus'parabolic way of acknowledging that the surface of history will remain pretty muchthe way it had always appeared. The Wall Streets, Hollywoods, Moscows, andWashingtons of the world will always seem to have more going for them than theChristian Reformed Church or the Vatican or the Russian Orthodox Church.

But by faith we look deeper. We penetrate to a level of reality in which God hasenthroned his Son Jesus as an eternal King. Those who oppose that King are on thewrong side of history--their causes will not endure nor will they have even theslightest of effects on the coming of God's kingdom in Christ. And if they persist intheir opposition to Jesus, they will be banished from the mind of Him who knowsall, banished from the presence of Him who is everywhere, banished to a hell which,in C.S. Lewis's memorable depiction, is finally nothing and nowhere, encapsulatedin no more than a grain of sand on a beach of the �ew Creation.”

10 Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth.

1. Be wise and be warned, for you have a choice to make that determines yourdestiny. You can submit to God chosen king, or you can rebel and go on your ownauthority, but the wrong choice will make you an enemy of God's authority, and thisis the worst choice you can make in life, for those who fight against God can neverbe winners. Any ruler in history who has chosen to reject the King chosen by Godhas ended up as a disaster to himself and his people. This even goes for God's chosenpeople, for many of the kings of Israel came under the wrath of God for theirdefiance of the will of God revealed through his Word. There were many evil kingswho obeyed only their own stubborn will, and refused to bow to the authority ofGod's will. They ruined their own reputation, and brought harm to their peoplebecause they would not acknowledge God's authority.

It is not only rulers, but common people are everyday ruining their lives anddamaging others by their refusal to bow to the authority of God and his Son, whomhe has made King.

1B. Calvin, “When he enjoins them to be wise, he indirectly condemns their falseconfidence in their own wisdom as if he had said, The beginning of true wisdom iswhen a man lays aside his pride, and submits himself to the authority of Christ.Accordingly, however good an opinion the princes of the world may have of theirown shrewdness, we may be sure they are arrant fools till they become humblescholars at the feet of Christ.”

2. Barnes, “Be wise now, therefore, O ye kings - This is to be understood as thelanguage of the psalmist. It is an exhortation addressed to the rulers and princeswhom the psalmist saw engaged in opposition to the purpose of Yahweh Psa_2:1-3 -and hence, to all rulers and princes - to act the part of wisdom, by not attempting toresist the plans of God, but to submit to him, and secure his friendship. The psalmistcautions them to take warning, in view of what must certainly come upon theenemies of the Messiah; to cease their vain attempts to oppose his reign, and, by atimely submission to him, to ensure his friendship, and to escape the doom that mustcome upon his foes. The way of wisdom, then, was not to engage in an attempt inwhich they must certainly be crushed, but to secure at once the friendship of oneappointed by God to reign over the earth.

Be instructed - In your duty to Yahweh and his Anointed One; that is, in the duty ofsubmitting to this arrangement, and lending your influence to promote it. The wordused here, and rendered “be instructed,” means properly to chastise, chasten,correct; and it here means, be admonished, exhorted, or warned. Compare Pro_9:7;Job_4:3; Psa_16:7.

Ye judges of the earth - Ye who administer justice; that is, ye rulers. This wasformerly done by kings themselves, as it is now supposed to be in monarchicalgovernments, where the judges act in the name of the king. In Republics, justice issupposed to be administered by the people through those whom they have appointedto execute it. The word here is equivalent to rulers, and the call is on those whooccupy posts of office and honor not to oppose the purposes of Yahweh, but to bringtheir influence to the promotion of his designs. At the same time, it cannot bedoubted that it is implied that they should seek to be interested personally in hisreign.”

3. Gill, “Be wise now therefore, O ye kings,.... This address is made not so much tothe kings of the earth in David's time, as to those who would be under the Gospeldispensation, and times of the Messiah; and particularly who would rise up, and setthemselves against the Lord and his Anointed, Psa_2:2; and with these are to beunderstood their subjects: for if they are to serve the Lord, and be subject to Christ,then much more those that are under them; and they are rather spoken toparticularly, because their examples have great influence on those over whom theyrule, whether for good or evil these are exhorted to be wise, or to act the wise part;for great men are not always wise; wisdom, riches, and honor, do not always go

together; men may be in high places, and yet be of low understandings; however,they do not always act wisely, and particularly those kings did not, when they roseup and set themselves against the Lord and his Messiah; since such opposition mustbe fruitless, nor is there any counsel against the Lord. And we learn, from theconnection of these words with the following, that the truest wisdom in kings andpeople is to fear God, be subject to Christ, and trust in him. The words are aninference from what goes before; "therefore", since Christ is set as King over Zion,and he is no other than the Son of God, and who has a power over all flesh; one partof the world is his inheritance and possession, and the other part he will in a littletime break and dash to pieces; wherefore "now", under the Gospel dispensation,while it is today, and now is the accepted time and day of salvation, before the blowis given; act the wise part and leave off opposing, and become subject to so greatand powerful a King;

be instructed, ye judges of the earth; who are under kings, being appointed by themto hear causes and minister justice; they answer to the sanhedrim of the Jews; to therulers in Psa_2:2. These are exhorted to receive instructions, not in things politicaland civil they may be well acquainted with; but in things religious and evangelical,in the worship of God, in the Gospel of Christ, and in his ordinances; for persons insuch posts should not be above instruction in these things. The word may berendered, "be ye chastised" or "corrected" (i); that is, suffer reproof, correction,and chastisement at the hand of God, whether by words or deeds; submit to itpatiently, and receive instruction from it: for God sometimes reproves kings andprinces of the earth, on account of their sins, and for the sake of his people, whenthey should learn righteousness; see Psa_105:14.”

4. Henry, “We have here the practical application of this gospel doctrine concerningthe kingdom of the Messiah, by way of exhortation to the kings and judges of theearth. They hear that it is in vain to oppose Christ's government; let them thereforebe so wise for themselves as to submit to it. He that has power to destroy them showsthat he has no pleasure in their destruction, for he puts them into a way to makethemselves happy, Psa_2:10. Those that would be wise must be instructed; and thoseare truly wise that receive instruction from the word of God. Kings and judgesstand upon a level with common persons before God; and it is as necessary for themto be religious as for any others. Those that give law and judgment to others mustreceive law from Christ, and it will be their wisdom to do so. What is said to them issaid to all, and is required of every one of us, only it is directed to kings and judgesbecause of the influence which their example will have upon their inferiors, andbecause they were men of rank and power that opposed the setting up of Christ'skingdom, Psa_2:2.”

5. Spurgeon, “The scene again changes, and counsel is given to those who have takencounsel to rebel. They are exhorted to obey, and give the kiss of homage andaffection to him whom they have hated. “Be wise."—It is always wise to be willing tobe instructed, especially when such instruction tends to the salvation of the soul. "Bewise now, therefore;" delay no longer, but let good reason weigh with you. Your

warfare cannot succeed, therefore desist and yield cheerfully to him who will makeyou bow if you refuse his yoke. O how wise, how infinitely wise is obedience to Jesus,and how dreadful is the folly of those who continue to be his enemies! "Serve the

Lord with fear;" let reverence and humility be mingled with your service. He is agreat God, and ye are but puny creatures; bend ye, therefore, in lowly worship, andlet a filial fear mingle with all your obedience to the great Father of the Ages."Rejoice with trembling,"—There must ever be a holy fear mixed with theChristian's joy. This is a sacred compound, yielding a sweet smell, and we must seeto it that we burn no other upon the altar. Fear, without joy, is torment; and joy,without holy fear, would be presumption. Mark the solemn argument forreconciliation and obedience. It is an awful thing to perish in the midst of sin, in thevery way of rebellion; and yet how easily could his wrath destroy us suddenly. Itneeds not that his anger should be heated seven times hotter; let the fuel kindle but a

little, and we are consumed. O sinner! Take heed of the terrors of the Lord; for "ourGod is a consuming fire."

5B. Spurgeon, “"Be wise now, therefore, O ye kings," etc. As Jesus is King of kingsand Judge of judges, so the gospel is the teacher of the greatest and wisest. If any areso great as to spurn its admonitions, God will make little of them; and if they are sowise as to despise its teachings, their fancied wisdom shall make fools of them. Thegospel takes a high tone before the rulers of the earth, and they who preach itshould, like Knox and Melvill, magnify their office by bold rebukes and manlyutterances even in the royal presence. A clerical sycophant is only fit to be a scullionin the devil's kitchen.”

11 Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling.

1. It seems paradoxical to link the joy of serving our Lord with fear and trembling.How can we be in a spirit of rejoicing when at the same time we are trembling dueto the reality of the risks involved in any signs of rebellion in our hearts. We arehere in a state of ambivalence where the positive and negative feelings are being feltat the same time. We serve with reverence and respect, but we also rejoice with aweat the power of the king we serve, for it is dangerous to defy this power, and this hasto be in our minds lest we be fools and depart from our commitment and submissionto his authority. We are dealing here with the feelings like we have when we arespeeding down the highway and all of a sudden you see a patrol car up ahead. Youare instantly grasped with a fear lest you are at risk of being pulled over forspeeding. You quickly check your speedometer and hit the break. You respect theauthority of that patrolman to hurt you with a ticket. This is the kind of feeling weneed to have in relation to God, and Jesus as our King, for being in any state of

rebellion against his authority puts us at risk of judgment. So we love, serve, andrejoice, but also with this trembling lest we let the world seduce us to depart fromour loyalty to Him.

1B. Barnes, “Serve the Lord with fear - With reverence, and with deepapprehensions of the consequences of not serving and obeying him. That is, servehim in not opposing, but in promoting his purpose of establishing a kingdom underthe Messiah, with the deep apprehension that if you do not do it, he will arise andcrush you in his wrath.

And rejoice - Prof. Alexander renders this “shout,” and supposes that it refers to thecustomary recognition of a present sovereign. The word used - גיל gı̂yl - meansproperly to move in a circle, to revolve; and then to dance in a circle, to exult, torejoice. Then, according to Gesenius, it means to tremble, to fear, from the leapingor palpitation of the heart Job_37:1; Hos_10:5; Psa_29:6. Gesenius renders it here“fear with trembling.” The common translation, however, better expresses thesense. It means that they should welcome the purposes of Yahweh, and exult in hisreign, but that it should be done with a suitable apprehension of his majesty andpower, and with the reverence which becomes the public acknowledgment of God.

With trembling - With reverence and awe, feeling that he has almighty power, andthat the consequences of being found opposed to him must be overwhelming andawful. The duty here enjoined on kings and rulers is that of welcoming the purposesof God, and of bringing their influence - derived from the station which they occupy- to bear in promoting the reign of truth upon the earth - a duty binding on kingsand princes as well as on other men. The feelings with which this is to be done arethose which belong to transactions in which the honor and the reign of God areconcerned. They are mingled feelings, derived from the mercy of God on the onehand, and from his wrath on the other; from the hope which his promise andpurpose inspires, and from the apprehension derived from his warnings andthreatenings.”

2. Clarke, “Serve the Lord with fear - A general direction to all men. Fear God withthat reverence which is due to his supreme majesty. Serve him as subjects shouldtheir sovereign, and as servants should their master. Rejoice with trembling - If yeserve God aright, ye cannot but be happy; but let a continual filial fear moderate allyour joys. Ye must all stand at last before the judgment-seat of God; watch, pray,believe, work, and keep humble.

2B. Calvin, “There is a great difference between the pleasant and cheerful state of apeaceful conscience, which the faithful enjoy in having the favor of God, whom theyfear, and the unbridled insolence to which the wicked are carried, by contempt andforgetfulness of God. The language of the prophet, therefore, implies, that so long asthe proud profligately rejoice in the gratification of the lusts of the flesh, they sport

with their own destruction, while, on the contrary, the only true and salutary joy isthat which arises from resting in the fear and reverence of God.”

3. Gill, “ Serve the Lord with fear,.... �ot the creature, neither more, nor besides,nor with the Creator; God and mammon cannot both be served; nor any fictitiousand nominal deities, the idols of the Gentiles, who are not gods by nature; but thetrue Jehovah, the one and only Lord God, he only is to be worshiped and served,even Father, Son, and Spirit. Here it may be understood either of the Lord Christ,the Son of God, who is to be served by the kings and judges of the earth, he beingKing of kings, and Lord of lords; or rather of Jehovah the Father, since the Sonseems to be distinguished from him in Psa_2:12, and the service these persons arecalled unto lies not in the discharge of any office in the church, as in preaching theword, which is serving God in the Gospel of his Son; and hence the ministers of theword are eminently called the servants of the most high God; for kings and judgesare not required hereby to lay aside their crowns and sceptres, and leave their seatsof justice, and become preachers of the Gospel; but in acting according to the will ofGod revealed in his word, and in the whole worship of him, both internal andexternal: and this is to be done "with fear", not with fear of man, nor with servilefear of God, but with a godly and filial fear, with a reverential affection for him, andin a way agreeable to his mind and will; with reverence and awe of him, withoutlevity, carelessness, and negligence;

and rejoice with trembling; some reference may be had to the joy in public worship,as at sacrifices and festivals, and the music in divine service under the law; and thesinging of psalms and hymns and spiritual songs under the Gospel; and especially tothe Gospel dispensation itself, which is a time of joy and rejoicing; the Gospel isgood tidings of great joy; the kingdom of God is not in things external, but in joy inthe Holy Ghost; and, above all, respect is had to a rejoicing in Christ Jesus, in hisperson, righteousness, and salvation: and which is consistent with "trembling"; notwith a fearful looking for of judgment, but with modesty and humility; in whichsense this word, when joined with "fear" as here, is used Phi_2:12, and standsopposed to pride, haughtiness, and arrogance; men should so rejoice in Christ as tohave no confidence in the flesh, or assume any degree of glory to themselves, or haveany rejoicing in themselves, but wholly in Christ, giving all the glory of what theyhave to him.

4. Henry, “To reverence God and to stand in awe of him, Psa_2:11. This is the greatduty of natural religion. God is great, and infinitely above us, just and holy, andprovoked against us, and therefore we ought to fear him and tremble before him;yet he is our Lord and Master, and we are bound to serve him, our friend andbenefactor, and we have reason to rejoice in him; and these are very well consistentwith each other, for, 1. We must serve God in all ordinances of worship, and allinstances of a godly conversation, but with a holy fear, a jealousy over ourselves,and a reverence of him. Even kings themselves, whom others serve and fear, mustserve and fear God; there is the same indefinite distance between them and God thatthere is between the meanest of their subjects and him. 2. We must rejoice in God,

and, in subordination to him, we may rejoice in other things, but still with a holytrembling, as those that know what a glorious and jealous God he is, whose eye isalways upon us. Our salvation must be wrought out with fear and trembling,

Phi_2:12. We ought to rejoice in the setting up of the kingdom of Christ, but torejoice with trembling, with a holy awe of him, a holy fear for ourselves, lest we comeshort, and a tender concern for the many precious souls to whom his gospel andkingdom are a savor of death unto death. Whatever we rejoice in, in this world, itmust always be with trembling, lest we grow vain in our joy and be puffed up withthe things we rejoice in, and because of the uncertainty of them and the damp whichby a thousand accidents may soon be cast upon our joy. To rejoice with trembling is

to rejoice as though we rejoiced not, 1Co_7:30.”

5. Treasury of David, “Verse 11. "Serve the Lord with fear." This fear of Godqualifies our joy. If you abstract fear from joy, joy will become light and wanton;and if you abstract joy from fear, fear then will become slavish. William Bates, D.D.,

1625-1699. Verse 11. "Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling." There are two kindsof serving and rejoicing in God. First, a serving in security, and a rejoicing in theLord without fear; these are peculiar to hypocrites, who are secure, who pleasethemselves, and who appear to themselves to be not unuseful servants, and to havegreat merit on their side, concerning whom it is said (Psalm 10:5), "Thy judgmentsare far above out of his sight;" and also afterwards (Psalm 36:1), "There is no fearof God before his eyes." These do righteousness without judgment at all times; andpermit not Christ to be the Judge to be feared by all, in whose sight no man living isjustified. Secondly, a serving with fear and a rejoicing with trembling; these arepeculiar to the righteous who do righteousnesses at all times, and always rightlyattemper both; never being without judgments, on the one hand, by which they areterrified and brought to despair of themselves and of all their own works; norwithout that righteousness on the other, on which they rest, and in which theyrejoice in the mercy of God. It is the work of the whole lives of these characters toaccuse themselves in all things, and in all things to justify and praise God. And thusthey fulfil that word of Proverbs 28:14, "Blessed is the man that feareth alway;"and also that of Philippians 4:4, "Rejoice in the Lord alway." Thus, between theupper and nether millstone (Deuteronomy 24:6), they are broken in pieces andhumbled, and the husks being thus bruised off, they come forth the all-pure wheatof Christ. Martin Luther.

Verse 11. The fear of God promotes spiritual joy; it is the morning star which ushersin the sunlight of comfort. "Walking in the fear of God, and in the comfort of theHoly Ghost." God mingles joy with fear, that fear may not be slavish. Thomas

Watson, 1660.

12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way,

for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

1. Kissing was a sign of friendship and cooperation. To kiss the Son was toacknowledge his authority and your willingness to submit to that authority. Judaskissed the Son, but it was an act of betrayal. Here men are warned to kiss him andsubmit in humility rather than spit upon him in rebellion, or they face the very highrisk of being burned by his wrath. David was the chosen son of God, and the chosenone to be king of his people. To rebel against this choice of God, and to refuse to givehim the kiss of submission to his authority was a serious offense, and could lead toquick disaster. In other words, it was sheer folly to refuse to submit to God's choiceof who is in charge. The Jews refused to kiss the Son when he came proclaiming thathe was the Messiah, and in 70 A. D. they were wiped off the map, and their city andtemple were destroyed in wrath. Kissing the Son would have brought them peace,but they chose to rebel, and they payed the price. But blessed were those who tookrefuge in him, for they survived and went on to be a people who went on to cover theworld with the good news of the kingship of the Lord Jesus Christ. �ow people allover the world kiss the Son in allegiance to his lordship, and in him they find aneternal refuge. Jer.23:5 " Behold the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise untoDavid a righteous Branch, and a king shall reign and prosper, and He shall executejudgment and justice on the earth."

1B. Joseph Addison, “ Kiss the Son, an ancient mode of doing homage or allegiance to a king (1 Sam. x. 1), sometimes applied to the dress, and sometimes to the person,either of the sovereign or the subject himself. Even in modem European courts thekissing of the hand has this significance. In the case before us there may possibly bean allusion to the kiss as a religious act among the heathen (1 Kings xix. 18 ; Hos.xiii. 2 ; Job xxxi. 27). Kiss the Son, the Son of God, the Messiah, so called by theJews in Christ's time.”

2. Barnes, “Kiss the Son - Him whom God hath declared to be his Son Psa_2:7, andwhom, as such, he has resolved to set as King on his holy hill Psa_2:6. The word“kiss” here is used in accordance with Oriental usages, for it was in this way thatrespect was indicated for one of superior rank. This was the ancient mode of doinghomage or allegiance to a king, 1Sa_10:1. It was also the mode of rendering homageto an idol, 1Ki_19:18; Hos_13:2; Job_31:27. The mode of rendering homage to aking by a kiss was sometimes to kiss his hand, or his dress, or his feet, as among thePersians. DeWette. The practice of kissing the hand of a monarch is not uncommonin European courts as a token of allegiance. The meaning here is that they shouldexpress their allegiance to the Son of God, or recognize him as the authorized King,with suitable expressions of submission and allegiance; that they should receive him

as King, and submit to his reign. Applied to others, it means that they shouldembrace him as their Saviour.

Lest he be angry - If you do not acknowledge his claims, and receive him as theMessiah.

And ye perish from the way - The word from in this place is supplied by thetranslators. It is literally, “And ye perish the way.” See the notes at Psa_1:6. Themeaning here seems to be either “lest ye are lost in respect to the way,” that is, theway to happiness and salvation; or “lest ye fail to find the way” to life; or “lest yeperish by the way,” to wit, before you reach your destination, and accomplish theobject you have in view. The design seems to be to represent them as pursuing acertain journey or path - as life is often represented (compare Psa_1:1) - and asbeing cut down before they reached the end of their journey.

When his wrath is kindled - When his wrath burns. Applying to anger or wrath aterm which is common now, as when we speak of one whose anger is heated, or whois hot with wrath.

But a little - Prof. Alexander renders this, “For his wrath will soon burn.” This, itseems to me, is in accordance with the original; the word “little” probably referringto time, and not to the intensity of his anger. This accords better also with theconnection, for the design is not to state that there will be degrees in themanifestation of his anger, but that his anger would not long be delayed. In due timehe would execute judgment on his enemies; and whenever his anger began to burn,his enemies must perish.

Blessed are all they that put their trust in him - Kings, princes, people; - all, ofevery age and every land; the poor, the rich, the bond, the free; white, black,copper-colored, or mixed; all in sickness or health, in prosperity or adversity, in lifeor in death; all, of every condition, and in all conceivable circumstances - are blessedwho put their trust in him. All need him as a Saviour; all will find him to be aSaviour adapted to their wants. All who do this are happy (compare the notes atPsa_1:1); all are safe in time and in eternity. This great truth is stated everywhere inthe Bible; and to induce the children of men - weak, and guilty, and helpless - to puttheir trust in the Son of God, is the great design of all the communications whichGod has made to mankind.

3. Clarke, “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry - It is remarkable that the word son ( ברbar, a Chaldee word) is not found in any of the versions except the Syriac, norindeed any thing equivalent to it.

The Chaldee, Vulgate, Septuagint, Arabic, and Ethiopic, have a term whichsignifies doctrine or discipline: “Embrace discipline, lest the Lord be angry withyou,” etc. This is a remarkable case, and especially that in so pure a piece of Hebrewas this poem is, a Chaldee word should have been found; rb bar, instead of b ben,which adds nothing to the strength of the expression or the elegance of the poetry. Iknow it is supposed that rb bar is also pure Hebrew, as well as Chaldee; but as it istaken in the former language in the sense of purifying, the versions probablyunderstood it so here. Embrace that which is pure; namely, the doctrine of God.

As all judgment is committed to the Son, the Jews and others are exhorted tosubmit to him, to be reconciled to him, that they might be received into his family,and be acknowledged as his adopted children. Kissing was the token of subjectionand friendship.

Is kindled but a little - The slightest stroke of the iron rod of Christ’s justice issufficient to break in pieces a whole rebel world. Every sinner, not yet reconciled toGod through Christ, should receive this as a most solemn warning.

Blessed: are all they - He is only the inexorable Judge to them who harden theirhearts in their iniquity, and still not come unto him that they may have life. But allthey who trust in him - who repose all their trust and confidence in him as theiratonement and as their Lord, shall be blessed with innumerable blessings, For as theword is the same here as in Psa_1:1, אשרי ashrey, it may be translated the same. “Othe blessedness of all them who trust in him!”

This Psalm is remarkable, not only for its subject - the future kingdom of theMessiah, its rise, opposition, and gradual extent, but also for the elegant change ofperson. In the first verse the prophet speaks; in the third, the adversaries; in thefourth and fifth, the prophet answers, in the sixth, Jehovah speaks; in the seventh,the Messiah; in the eighth and ninth, Jehovah answers, and in the tenth to thetwelfth, the prophet exhorts the opponents to submission and obedience - Dr. A.Bayly.

4. Gill, “ Kiss the Son,.... The Son of God, spoken of in Psa_2:7; the word used is sorendered in Pro_31:2; and comes from another which signifies to "choose", and to"purify", or "to be pure"; hence some render it "the elect" or "chosen One", or"the pure One" (k); and both agree with Christ, who is God's elect, chosen to be theRedeemer and Saviour of his people, and who is pure free from sin, original andactual. And whereas a kiss is a token of love among friends and relations, at meetingand parting, Gen_33:11; it may here design the love and affection that is to beexpressed to Christ, who is a most lovely object, and to be loved above all creaturesand things; or, as it sometimes signifies, homage and subjection, 1Sa_10:1, and it isthe custom of the Indians to this day for subjects to kiss their kings: it may here alsodenote the subjection of the kings and judges and others to Christ, who is Lord ofall; or else, as it has been used in token of adoration and worship, Job_31:26; it maydesign the worship which is due to him from all ranks of creatures, angels and men,Heb_1:6; and the honour which is to be given to him, as to the Father, Joh_5:22;which shows the greatness and dignity of his person, and that he is the true God andeternal life: in the Talmud (l) this is interpreted of the law, where it is said,

"there is no בר but the law, according to Psa_2:12;''

which agrees with the Septuagint version;

lest he be angry; though he is a Lamb, he has wrath in him, and when the great dayof his wrath comes in any form on earth, there is no standing before him; and howmuch less when he shall appear as the Lion of the tribe of Judah, and shall be

revealed from heaven in flaming fire; then kings and freemen will call to the rocksto fall upon them, and hide them from him;

and ye perish from the way; the Syriac version renders it "from his way", the Son'sway; and the Septuagint and Vulgate Latin versions "from the righteous way"; andthe Arabic version "from the way of righteousness"; or "as to the way", as others(m), the good way; all to one sense; meaning that way of righteousness, salvationand eternal life by Jesus Christ, which being missed by persons, they are eternallylost and undone: some render it "because of the way" (n); that is, because of theirsinful course of life; for the way of the ungodly shall perish itself, and therefore theythat pursue it shall perish also: others render it "in the way" (o); and then the senseis, lest they perish in the midst of their course of sin, in their own evil way, they havechosen and delighted in, or, to use the words of Christ, "die in their sins", Joh_8:21,and everlastingly perish; for this perishing is to be understood not of corporealdeath, in which sense righteous men perish, but of everlasting destruction: or theword which is rendered "from the way" may be translated "suddenly" (p),"immediately", or "straightway", and our English word "directly" is almost thesame; and so may design the swift and sudden destruction of such persons whoprovoke the Son to wrath and anger; which sense is confirmed by what follows;

when his wrath is kindled but a little; either to a small degree, or but for a littlewhile; for the least degree and duration of it are intolerable, and who then can dwellin everlasting burnings, or abide the devouring flames? or when it is kindled פתאום,"suddenly" (q), in a moment, as Jarchi interprets it; and so sudden wrath bringssudden destruction;

blessed are all they that put their trust in him; not in horses and chariots, in richesand honours, in their own wisdom, strength, and righteousness; but in the Son ofGod, the Lord Jesus Christ, and who is truly and properly God; or otherwise faithand trust would not be required to be put in him: and happy are those who betakethemselves to him as to their strong hold and place of defence; who look to him andbelieve in him for pardon, peace, righteousness, every supply of grace and eternallife; these are safe and secure in him, nor shall they want any good thing needful forthem; and they have much peace, joy, and comfort here, and shall have more graceas they want it, and hereafter eternal glory and happiness.

4B. Calvin, “The concluding sentence of the psalm qualifies what was formerly saidconcerning the severity of Christ; for his iron rod and the fiery wrath of God wouldstrike terror into all men without distinction, unless this comfort had been added.Having, therefore discoursed concerning the terrible judgment which hangs overthe unbelieving, he now encourages God’s faithful and devout servants to entertaingood hope, by setting forth the sweetness of his grace. Paul likewise observes thesame order, (2 Corinthians 10:6) for having declared that vengeance was inreadiness against the disobedient, he immediately adds addressing himself tobelievers “When your obedience is fulfilled.” �ow, we understand the meaning ofthe Psalmist. As believers might have applied to themselves the severity of which he

makes mention, he opens to them a sanctuary of hope, whither they may flee, inorder not to be overwhelmed by the terror of God’s wrath

5. Henry, “The certain ruin we run upon if we refuse and reject Christ: “Kiss the

Son; for it is at your peril if you do not.” [1.] “It will be a great provocation to him.Do it, lest he be angry.” The Father is angry already; the Son is the Mediator thatundertakes to make peace; if we slight him, the Father's wrath abides upon us

(Joh_3:36), and not only so, but there is an addition of the Son's wrath too, to whomnothing is more displeasing than to have the offers of his grace slighted and thedesigns of it frustrated. The Son can be angry, though a Lamb; he is the lion of thetribe of Judah, and the wrath of this king, this King of kings, will be as the roaringof a lion, and will drive even mighty men and chief captains to seek in vain forshelter in rocks and mountains, Rev_6:16. If the Son be angry, who shall intercedefor us? There remains no more sacrifice, no other name by which we can be saved.Unbelief is a sin against the remedy. [2.] It will be utter destruction to yourselves:Lest you perish from the way, or in the way so some, in the way of your sins, andfrom the way of your vain hopes; lest your way perish (as Psa_1:6), lest you prove tohave missed the way to happiness. Christ is the way; take heed lest you be cut offfrom him as your way to God. It intimates that they were, or at least thoughtthemselves, in the way; but, by neglecting Christ, they perished from it, whichaggravates their ruin, that they go to hell from the way to heaven, are not far fromthe kingdom of God and yet never arrive there.

(2.) The happiness we are sure of if we yield ourselves to Christ. When his wrathis kindled, though but a little, the least spark of that fire is enough to make theproudest sinner miserable if it fasten upon his conscience; for it will burn to thelowest hell: one would think it should therefore follow, “When his wrath is kindled,woe be to those that despise him;” but the Psalmist startles at the thought,deprecates that dreadful doom and pronounces those blessed that escape it. Thosethat trust in him, and so kiss him, are truly happy; but they will especially appear tobe so when the wrath of Christ is kindled against others. Blessed will those be in theday of wrath, who, by trusting in Christ, have made him their refuge and patron;when the hearts of others fail them for fear they shall lift up their heads with joy;and then those who now despise Christ and his followers will be forced to say, totheir own greater confusion, “�ow we see that blessed are all those, and those only,that trust in him.”

In singing this, and praying it over, we should have our hearts filled with a holyawe of God, but at the same time borne up with a cheerful confidence in Christ, inwhose mediation we may comfort and encourage ourselves and one another. We are

the circumcision, that rejoice in Christ Jesus.”

6. Spurgeon, “�ote the benediction with which the Psalm closes:—"Blessed are all

they that put their trust in him." Have we a share in this blessedness? Do we trust inhim? Our faith may be slender as a spider's thread; but if it be real, we are in ourmeasure blessed. The more we trust, the more fully shall we know this blessedness.We may therefore close the Psalm with the prayer of the apostles:—"Lord, increase

our faith."The first Psalm was a contrast between the righteous man and the sinner; the

second Psalm is a contrast between the tumultuous disobedience of the ungodlyworld and the sure exaltation of the righteous Son of God. In the first Psalm, we sawthe wicked driven away like chaff; in the second Psalm we see them broken in pieceslike a potter's vessel. In the first Psalm, we beheld the righteous like a tree plantedby the rivers of water; and here, we contemplate Christ the Covenant Head of therighteous, made better than a tree planted by the rivers of water, for he is madeking of all the islands, and all the heathen bow before him and kiss the dust; whilehe himself gives a blessing to all those who put their trust in him. The two Psalmsare worthy of the very deepest attention; they are, in fact, the preface to the entireBook of Psalms, and were by some of the ancients, joined into one. They are,however, two Psalms; for Paul speaks of this as the second Psalm. (Acts 13:33.) Thefirst shows us the character and lot of the righteous; and the next teaches us that thePsalms are Messianic, and speak of Christ the Messiah—the Prince who shall reignfrom the river even unto the ends of the earth. That they have both a far-reachingprophetic outlook we are well assured, but we do not feel competent to open up thatmatter, and must leave it to abler hands.”

7. Treasury of David, “Verse 12. "Kiss," a sign of love among equals: Genesis 33:4; 1Samuel 20:41; Romans 16:16; 1 Corinthians 16:20. Of subjection in inferiors: 1Samuel 10:1. Of religious adoration in worshippers: 1 Kings 19:18; Job 31:27. John

Richardson, Bishop of Ardagh, 1655. Verse 12. "Kiss the Son, lest he be angry." From the Person, the Son, we shall pass tothe act (Osculamini, kiss the Son); in which we shall see, that since this is an actwhich licentious men have depraved (carnal men do it, and treacherous men do it—Judas betrayed his Master by a kiss), and yet God commands this, and expresseslove in this; everything that hath, or may be abused, must not therefore beabandoned; the turning of a thing out of the way, is not a taking of that thing away,but good things deflected to ill uses by some, may be by others reduced to their firstgoodness. Then let us consider and magnify the goodness of God, that hath broughtus into this distance, that we may kiss the Son, that the expressing of this love lies inour hands, and that, whereas the love of the church, in the Old Testament, even inthe Canticle, went no farther but to the Osculator me (O that he would kiss me with

the kisses of his mouth! Canticles 1:1), now, in the Christian church, and in thevisitation of a Christian soul, he hath invited us, enables us to kiss him, for he ispresentially amongst us. This leads us to give an earnest persuasion and exhortationto kiss the Son, with all those affections, which we shall there find to be expressed inthe Scriptures, in that testimony of true love, a holy kiss. But then, lest thatpersuasion by love should not be effectual and powerful enough to us, we shalldescend from that duty, to the danger, from love, to fear, "lest he be angry;" andtherein see first, that God, who is love, can be angry; and then, that this God who isangry here, is the Son of God, he that hath done so much for us, and therefore injustice may be angry; he that is our Judge, and therefore in reason we are to fear hisanger: and then, in a third branch, we shall see how easily this anger departs—a

kiss removes it.

Verse 12. "Kiss the Son." That is, embrace him, depend upon him all these ways: asthy kinsman, as thy sovereign; at thy going, at thy coming; at thy reconciliation, inthe truth of religion in thyself, in a peaceable unity with the church, in a reverentestimation of those men, and those means, whom he sends. Kiss him, and be notashamed of kissing him; it is that which the spouse desired, "I would kiss thee, and

not be despised." Canticles 7:1. If thou be despised for loving Christ in his Gospel,remember that when David was thought base, for dancing before the ark, his waywas to be more base. If thou be thought frivolous for thrusting in at service, in theforenoon, be more frivolous, and come again in the afternoon: "Tanto major requies,

quanto ab amore Jesu nulla requies;" (Gregory) "The more thou troublest thyself, orart troubled by others for Christ, the more peace thou hast in Christ." . . . . "Lest he

be angry." Anger, as it is a passion that troubles, and disorders, and discomposes aman, so it is not in God; but anger, as it is a sensible discerning of foes from friends,and of things that conduce, or disconduce to his glory, so it is in God. In a word,Hilary hath expressed it well: "Poena patientis, ira decernentis;" "Man's suffering isGod's anger." When God inflicts such punishments as a king justly incensed woulddo, then God is thus angry. �ow here, our case is heavier; it is not this great, andalmighty, and majestical God, that may be angry—that is like enough; but even theSon, whom we must kiss, may be angry; it is not a person whom we consider merelyas God, but as man; may not as man neither, but a a worm, and no man, and he maybe angry, and angry to our ruin. . . . "Kiss the Son," and he will not be angry; if hebe, kiss the rod, and he will be angry no longer—love him lest he be: fear him whenhe is angry: the preservative is easy, and so is the restorative too: the balsamum ofthis kiss is all, to suck spiritual milk out of the left breast, as well as out of the right,to find mercy in his judgments, reparation in his ruins, feasts in his lents, joy in hisanger. From Sermons of John Donne, D.D., Dean of St. Paul's, 1621-1631.

Verse 12. "Kiss the Son." To make peace with the Father, kiss the Son. "Let him kissme," was the church's prayer. Canticles 1:2. Let us kiss him — that be ourendeavour. Indeed, the Son must first kiss us by his mercy, before we can kiss himby our piety. Lord, grant in these mutual kisses and interchangeable embraces now,that we may come to the plenary wedding supper hereafter; when the choir ofheaven, even the voices of angels, shall sing epithalamiums, nupital songs, at thebridal of the spouse of the Lamb. Thomas Adams.

8. Constable, “"Kissing" the son (�IV) is an act of submissive homage to the king(cf. 1Kings 19:20; Hos. 13:2).45 The custom of kissing the pope's ring pictures thesame thing. The human king and the Lord enjoy close association in this wholepsalm. Their wrath and their pleasure are different only in the spheres in whichthey operate, the local and the cosmic. The nations would serve the Lord as theyserved His son, the king of Israel. Only by taking refuge in His anointed, rather thanrebelling against him, could they avoid the wrath of God. "Trust" is thecharacteristic Old Testament word for the �ew Testament words "faith" and"believe." The Hebrew words for taking refuge in (e.g., Ruth 2:12), leaning on (e.g.,Ps. 56:3), rolling on (e.g., Ps. 22:8), and waiting for (e.g., Job 35:14) all refer to

trusting in.46 Psalm 1 opened with a benediction, and Psalm 2 closes with one.”

9. "I have read a fiery Gospel writ in burnished rows of steel ; As ye deal with my contemners so with you my grace shall deal ; Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with his heel. Since God is marching on.

"He has sounded forth a trumpet that shall never call retreat ; He is sifting out the hearts of men before his judgment seat; O be swift, my soul, to answer him! Be jubilant, my feet; Our God is marching on."

APPE�DIX OF POETIC VERSIO�S

1. Sternhold and Hopkins,

1 Why did the Gentiles tumults raise? What rage was in their brain? Why do the people still contrive a thing that is but vain?

2 The kings and rulers of the earth conspire and are all bent Against the Lord, and Christ his Son, whom he among us sent.

3 Shall we be bound to them? Say they, let all their bonds be broke; And of their doctrine and their law let us reject the yoke.

4 But he that in the heav'n doth dwell, their doings will deride; And make them all as mocking-stocks throughout the world do wide.

5 For in his wrath he shall reprove their pride and scornful way,

And in his fury trouble them, and unto them shall say,

6 I have anointed him my King upon my holy hill; I will therefore, Lord, preach thy law according to thy will:

7 The law whereof the Lord himself hath thus said unto me, Thou art my only Son, this day have I begotten thee.

8 The people I will give to thee, as heirs at thy request The ends and coasts of all the earth by thee shall be possessed.

9 Thou shalt them bruise e'en like to those that under foot are trod, And as a potter's vessel break them with an iron rod.

10 �ow ye, O kings and rulers all, be wise therefore and learned, By who the matters of the world are judged and discerned.

11 See that ye serve the Lord above in trembling and in fear; See that with rev'rence ye rejoice when ye to him draw near:

12 See that ye do embrace and kiss his Son without delay; Lest in his wrath ye suddenly Perish from the right way.

13 If once his wrath (but little) shall be kindled in his breast, Then only they that trust in him shall happy be and blest.

2. Brady and Tate,

1 With restless and ungovern'd rage why do the heathen storm? Why in such rash attempts engage, as they can ne'er perform?

2 The great in counsel and in might their various forces bring; Against the Lord they all unite, and his anointed king.

3 "Must we submit to their commands?" presumptuously they say; "�o, let us break their slavish bands, and cast their chains away."

4 But God, who sits enthroned on high, and sees how they combine, Does their conspiring strength defy, and mocks their vain design.

5 Thick clouds of wrath divine shall break on his rebellious foes; And thus will he in thunder speak to all that dare oppose:

6 "Though madly you dispute my will, the king that I ordain, "Whose throne is fixed on Zion's hill, shall there securely reign."

7 Attend, O earth, whilst I declare God's uncontrolled decree; "Thou art my Son, this day my heir have I begotten thee.

8 "Ask and receive thy full demands; thine shall the heathen be; "The utmost limits of the lands shall be possessed by thee.

9 "Thy threat'ning scepter thou shalt shake, and crush them every where; "As massy bars of iron break the potter's brittle ware."

10 Learn then, ye princes, and give ear, ye judges of the earth;11 Worship the Lord with holy fear; rejoice with awful mirth.

12 Appease the Son with due respect, your timely homage pay; Lest he revenge the bold neglect, incensed by your delay.

13 If but in part his anger rise, who can endure the flame? Then blest are they whose hope relies on his most holy name.

3. Isaac Watts

1 Why did the nations join to slay The Lord's anointed Son? Why did they cast His laws away And tread His gospel down?

2 The Lord, that sits above the skies, Derides their rage below; He speaks with vengeance in His eyes And strikes their spirits through.

3 "I call Him My Eternal Son, And raise Him from the dead; I make My holy hill His throne, And wide His Kingdom spread."

4 "Ask me, My Son, and then enjoy The utmost heathen lands: Thy rod of iron shall destroy The rebel that withstands."

5 Be wise, ye rulers of the earth, Obey the anointed Lord, Adore the King of Heav'nly birth, And tremble at His word.

6 With humble love address his throne;

For if He frown, you die: Those are secure, and those alone, Who on His grace rely.

4. The Psalter of the United Presbyterian Church of �orth America, 1887 ed.

1 Why rage the heathen? and vain things Why do the people mind? The kings of earth do set themselves, and princes are combined,

2 To plot against the Lord, and his Anointed, saying thus, Let us asunder break their bands, And cast their cords from us.

3 But he that sits in heav'n shall laugh; The Lord shall scorn them all; Then shall he speak to them in wrath, In rage he vex them shall.

4 Yet I my King anointed have Upon my holy hill; And reign as King on Zion mount For evermore he will.

5 The sure decree I will declare; The Lord hath said to me, Thou art my only Son; this day I have begotten thee.

6 Ask me, and for thy heritage The heathen I'll make thine; And, for possession, I to thee Will give earth's utmost line.

7 Thou shalt as with a weighty rod Of iron break them all; And them, as potter's vessel, thou Shalt dash in pieces small.

8 �ow, therefore, kings, be wise; be taught, Ye judges of the earth; In holy fear Jehovah serve, and tremble in your mirth.

9 And kiss the Son, lest in his ire Ye perish from the way, If once his wrath begin to burn. Blest all that on him stay.

5. 1 Why do heathen nations rage ? Why vain things do people mind? Kings of earth in plots engage, Rulers are in league combined.

2 Thus against the Lord they speak, Thus against his Christ they say, Let us join their bands to break, Let us cast their cords away."

3 He shall laugh who sits above, God most high shall scorn them all; Them in anger fierce reprove; Burning wrath shall on them fall.

4 Yet according to my will, Have I set my King to reign; Him on Zion's holy hill, My Anointed, I'll maintain.

5 Thus hath said the Lord Most High, I will publish the decree: Thee I own my Son, for I Have this day begotten thee.

6 Ask, for heritage I'll make All the heathen nations thine; Thou shalt in possession take Earth to its remotest line.

7 Let thy rod of iron fall; Break them with thy scepter's sway; Dash them into pieces small, Like the potter's brittle clay.

8 Therefore, kings, be wise, give ear; Hearken, judges of the earth; Learn to serve the Lord with fear, Mingle trembling with your mirth.

9 Fear his wrath, and kiss the Son, Lest ye perish from the way, When his wrath is but begun. Blest are all that on him stay.

6. 1 Why do the heathen storm with ire ? The people vanity devise? The rulers craftily conspire, The kings of earth rebellious rise.

2 Against the Lord they lift their hands, Against him and his Christ they say, "Asunder let us break their bands, And from us cast their cords away."

3 He that in heaven sits shall laugh, Jehovah shall deride them all; Then as he speaks in burning wrath~ Dismay and dread shall on them fall.

4 Yet notwithstanding I ordain" Thus shall he speak his sov'reign will "He my anointed King shall reign, On Zion, my own holy hill."

5 Thus spake to me the Holy One, I utter now the Lord's decree, Thou art proclaimed my only Son This day have I begotten thee.

6 "Ask for inheritance of me, And I will make the heathen thine; And for possession, give to thee The earth to its remotest line.

7 "An iron scepter thou shalt sway, And with it break and crush them all Even like the potter's brittle clay, Thou shalt them dash in pieces small."

8 And now, ye kings, be wise and hear; Be warned, ye judges of the earth; See that ye serve the Lord with fear, And mingle trembling with your mirth.

9 Unto the Son your homage pay, Lest, when his wrath begins to flame1 Ye fall and perish from the way. Blest all confiding in his name.

7. O wherefore do the nations rage,And kings and rulers strive in vain,Against the Lord of earth and heav'nTo overthrow Messiah's reign?

Their strength is weakness in the sightOf Him who sits enthroned above;He speaks, and judgments fall on themWho tempt His wrath and scorn His love.

By God's decree His Son receivesThe nations for His heritage;The conqu'ring Christ supreme shall reignAs King of kings, from age to age.

Be wise, ye rulers of the earth,And serve the Lord with godly fear;With rev'rent joy confess the SonWhile yet in mercy He is near.

Delay not, lest His anger rise,And ye should perish in your way;Lo, all that put their trust in HimAre blest indeed, and blest for aye.7.

8. Why do nations rage together; Why in vain do they conspire? Rulers of earth's vast dominions

Light the skies with martyrs' fire. Truth mistaken, God forsaken, Banes of righteousness arise; Yet shall they reap sore displeasure, Sure defeat before God's eyes. To the children of the promise God shall give the throne this day; With a scepter forged of iron, They shall dash their foes as clay. Faith revealing, humbly kneeling, Quench the fire and sheathe the sword; For God's wrath is quickly kindled; Blest are they who serve the LORD.

9. John Milton, August 8, 1654 Terzetti (triples)

WHY do the Gentiles tumult, and the �ations Muse a vain thing, the Kings of th' earth upstand With power, and Princes in their Congregations Lay deep their plots together through each Land, Against the Lord and his Messiah dear. Let us break off, say they, by strength of hand Their bonds, and cast from us, no more to wear, Their twisted cords: he who in Heaven doth dwell Shall laugh, the Lord shall scoff them, then severe Speak to them in his wrath, and in his fell And fierce ire trouble them; but I saith hee Anointed have my King (though ye rebell) On Sion my holi' hill. A firm decree I will declare; the Lord to me hath say'd Thou art my Son I have begotten thee This day; ask of me, and the grant is made; As thy possession I on thee bestow Th' Heathen, and as thy conquest to be sway'd Earths utmost bounds: them shalt thou bring full low With Iron Scepter bruis'd, and them disperse Like to a potters vessel shiver'd so. And now be wise at length ye Kings averse Be taught ye Judges of the earth; with fear Jehovah serve, and let your joy converse With trembling; kiss the Son least he appear In anger and ye perish in the way If once his wrath take fire like fuel sere. Happy all those who have in him their stay.