King James Version
Psalms 2
12 verses with commentary
The Reign of the Lord's Anointed
Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? rage: or, tumultuously assemble imagine: Heb. meditate
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KJV Study Commentary
The opening question introduces the psalm's dramatic interrogation of human rebellion. The Hebrew term <strong>ragash</strong> (rage) depicts violent commotion and tumultuous agitation, suggesting not mere disagreement but active, aggressive opposition. The parallel construction with <strong>hagah</strong> (imagine) portrays deliberate mental plotting—the word elsewhere describes meditation or con...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(1) **Why do the heathen rage?**—Better, *Why did nations band together, *or *muster? *The Hebrew occurs only here as a verb, but derivatives occur in Pss. 4:14, Psalm 64:2: in the first, of a *festive crowd; *in the second, of a *conspiracy allied with some evil intent. *This fixes the meaning here, *band together, *possibly as in Aquila’s translation, with added sense of *tumult. *The LXX. have ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
4. (Job 4:17, 18; 14:4; 15:14).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 2
Chapter Outline
Threatenings against the enemies of Christ's kingdom.(1-6)
Promise to Christ as the Head of this kingdom.(7-9)
Counsel to all, to espouse its interests.(10-12)
**Verses 1-6**
We are here told who would appear as adversaries to Christ. As this world is the kingdom of Satan, unconverted men, of every rank, party, and character, are stirred up by him to...
Read full commentary →The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,
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KJV Study Commentary
Verse 2 specifies the conspirators and their target with legal precision. The 'kings of the earth' and 'rulers' represent the highest echelons of human authority—those who possess worldly power and influence. The verb <strong>yatsab</strong> (set themselves) suggests taking a military position or formal stance, while <strong>yasad</strong> (take counsel) depicts deliberate, organized conspiracy.<b...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **Set themselves**—*i.e., with hostile intent, *as in Jeremiah 46:4, where the same word is used of warriors: “Stand forth with your helmets.”
**Rulers.**—Properly, *grave dignitaries.*
**Take counsel.**—Better, *have taken their pians, *and are now mustering to carry them into effect. Notice the change of tense: in the first clause, the poet *sees, *as it were, the array; in the second, he go...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
5. "Look up even unto the moon" (Job 15:15). "Stars" here answer to "saints" (angels) there; "the moon" here to "the heavens" there. Even the "stars," the most dazzling object to man's eye, and the angels, of which the stars are emblems (Job 4:18; Re 9:1), are imperfect in His sight. Theirs is the light and purity but of creatures; His of the Creator.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 2
Chapter Outline
Threatenings against the enemies of Christ's kingdom.(1-6)
Promise to Christ as the Head of this kingdom.(7-9)
Counsel to all, to espouse its interests.(10-12)
**Verses 1-6**
We are here told who would appear as adversaries to Christ. As this world is the kingdom of Satan, unconverted men, of every rank, party, and character, are stirred up by him to...
Read full commentary →Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
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KJV Study Commentary
This verse captures the rebellious heart of humanity against divine authority. The imagery of breaking 'bands' and casting away 'cords' represents mankind's attempt to throw off God's sovereign rule and moral law. This theme echoes throughout Scripture, from the Fall in Eden to the rejection of Christ. The Hebrew 'moser' (bands) and 'abot' (cords) suggest restraints that are actually protective bo...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **Let us break.**—The whispered purpose now breaks out into loud menace, and we hear their defiance pass along the ranks of the rebels.
**Cords.**—The LXX. and Vulg. have “yoke,” which is in keeping with the metaphor of a restive animal. (Comp. Isaiah 58:6; Isaiah 10:27.)
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
6. (Job 4:19-21; 15:16).
**worm ... worm--**Two distinct Hebrew words. The first, a worm bred in putridity; alluding to man's corruption. The second a crawling worm; implying that man is weak and grovelling.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 2
Chapter Outline
Threatenings against the enemies of Christ's kingdom.(1-6)
Promise to Christ as the Head of this kingdom.(7-9)
Counsel to all, to espouse its interests.(10-12)
**Verses 1-6**
We are here told who would appear as adversaries to Christ. As this world is the kingdom of Satan, unconverted men, of every rank, party, and character, are stirred up by him to...
Read full commentary →He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.
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KJV Study Commentary
God's response to human rebellion is not anxiety but divine laughter - not cruel mockery, but the sovereign confidence of one whose plans cannot be thwarted. The Hebrew 'sachaq' (laugh) and 'la'ag' (derision) emphasize God's complete transcendence over earthly schemes. This anthropomorphic language portrays God's absolute sovereignty: He sits enthroned in heaven while nations rage below. This trut...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) **He that sitteth.**—Here the psalm, with a sublimity truly Hebrew, turns from the wild confusion on earth to the spectacle of God looking down with mingled scorn and wrath on the fruitless attempts of the heathen against His chosen people.
**Laugh.**—We speak of the “irony of events “; the Hebrew ascribes irony to God, who controls events.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 2
Chapter Outline
Threatenings against the enemies of Christ's kingdom.(1-6)
Promise to Christ as the Head of this kingdom.(7-9)
Counsel to all, to espouse its interests.(10-12)
**Verses 1-6**
We are here told who would appear as adversaries to Christ. As this world is the kingdom of Satan, unconverted men, of every rank, party, and character, are stirred up by him to...
Read full commentary →Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. vex: or, trouble
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KJV Study Commentary
Divine wrath follows divine laughter - God's patience has limits. The Hebrew 'aph' (wrath) and 'charon' (sore displeasure) are strong covenant terms, indicating not arbitrary anger but righteous judicial response to covenant violation. God's speaking 'in his wrath' reminds us that judgment is not merely punitive but declarative - God pronounces what is already true about rebellious hearts. This ve...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) **Then.**—An emphatic particle, marking the climax; possibly equal to “Lo! behold.” The grand roll of the words in the original is like the roll of the thunder, and is rendered more effective by its contrast with the quiet manner of Psalm 2:4.
**And vex them.**—Literally, *and greatly *(the verb is in the intensive conjugation) *terrify them in his nostrils and in his heat.*
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 2
Chapter Outline
Threatenings against the enemies of Christ's kingdom.(1-6)
Promise to Christ as the Head of this kingdom.(7-9)
Counsel to all, to espouse its interests.(10-12)
**Verses 1-6**
We are here told who would appear as adversaries to Christ. As this world is the kingdom of Satan, unconverted men, of every rank, party, and character, are stirred up by him to...
Read full commentary →Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. set: Heb. anointed upon: Heb. upon Zion, the hill of my holiness
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KJV Study Commentary
This verse marks a dramatic shift—from earthly conspiracy (vv. 1-3) to God's response (vv. 4-6). The emphatic <strong>'Yet'</strong> (<em>wa'ani</em>, 'but I') contrasts human plotting with divine action. Despite all earthly rebellion, God has acted decisively and unilaterally. The perfect tense <strong>nasak</strong> (set, installed, established) indicates completed action—the king's appointment ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **Yet have I.**—The pronoun is very emphatic: “You *dare *to revolt, it is *I* who have given this office to the king.”
**Set.**—Literally, *poured out, *as of melted metal; used of the Divine Spirit (Isaiah 29:10), of a libation (Exodus 30:9), and of pouring melted metal into a mould (Isaiah 40:19); from the latter use, to *establish, *or *set up, *is a natural transition. Gesenius and Ewald ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 26
THIRD SERIES.
Job 26:1-14. Job's Reply.
**2-3. without power ... no strength ... no wisdom--**The negatives are used instead of the positives, powerlessness, &c., designedly (so Is 31:8; De 32:21). Granting I am, as you say (Job 18:17; 15:2), powerlessness itself, &c. "How hast thou helped such a one?"
**savest--**supportest.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 2
Chapter Outline
Threatenings against the enemies of Christ's kingdom.(1-6)
Promise to Christ as the Head of this kingdom.(7-9)
Counsel to all, to espouse its interests.(10-12)
**Verses 1-6**
We are here told who would appear as adversaries to Christ. As this world is the kingdom of Satan, unconverted men, of every rank, party, and character, are stirred up by him to...
Read full commentary →I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. the decree: or, for a decree
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KJV Study Commentary
This pivotal verse records the coronation decree—the king's royal authorization. The phrase <strong>'I will declare the decree'</strong> introduces an official proclamation, using legal terminology (<em>choq</em>, statute/decree). What follows is nothing less than divine adoption: <strong>'Thou art my Son'</strong>—the most exalted language possible in ancient monarchy, signifying unique relations...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **I will declare.**—The anointed king now speaks himself, recalling the covenant made with him by Jehovah at his coronation.
**I will tell.**—Better, *Let me speak concerning the appointment. *The word rendered *decree *in our version is derived from a root meaning to engrave, and so stands for any formal agreement, but it is usually an ordinance clearly announced by a prophet or some other co...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 26
THIRD SERIES.
Job 26:1-14. Job's Reply.
**2-3. without power ... no strength ... no wisdom--**The negatives are used instead of the positives, powerlessness, &c., designedly (so Is 31:8; De 32:21). Granting I am, as you say (Job 18:17; 15:2), powerlessness itself, &c. "How hast thou helped such a one?"
**savest--**supportest.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-9**
The kingdom of the Messiah is founded upon an eternal decree of God the Father. This our Lord Jesus often referred to, as what he governed himself by. God hath said unto him, Thou art my Son, and it becomes each of us to say to him, Thou art my Lord, my Sovereign'. The Son, in asking the heathen for his inheritance, desires their happiness in him; so that he pleads for them, eve...
Read full commentary →Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
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KJV Study Commentary
This verse extends the coronation decree with a divine promise of universal dominion. The imperative <strong>'Ask of me'</strong> invites the Messianic King to request His inheritance—a remarkable invitation suggesting royal prerogative and divine generosity. The promise is staggering in scope: <strong>'the heathen'</strong> (<em>goyim</em>, nations) as <strong>'inheritance'</strong> (<em>nachalah...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
4. For whose instruction were thy words meant? If for me I know the subject (God's omnipotence) better than my instructor; Job 26:5-14 is a sample of Job's knowledge of it.
**whose spirit--**not that of God (Job 32:8); nay, rather, the borrowed sentiment of Eliphaz (Job 4:17-19; 15:14-16).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-9**
The kingdom of the Messiah is founded upon an eternal decree of God the Father. This our Lord Jesus often referred to, as what he governed himself by. God hath said unto him, Thou art my Son, and it becomes each of us to say to him, Thou art my Lord, my Sovereign'. The Son, in asking the heathen for his inheritance, desires their happiness in him; so that he pleads for them, eve...
Read full commentary →Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
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KJV Study Commentary
This messianic prophecy describes Christ's future reign with vivid imagery of absolute authority. The 'rod of iron' signifies unbreakable rule, while the potter's vessel imagery suggests the fragility of human power before divine sovereignty. Revelation 2:27 and 19:15 directly apply this to Christ. The Hebrew 'ro'eh' (break) and 'naphats' (dash in pieces) emphasize complete victory, not negotiated...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(9) **Thou shalt break.**—The LXX. translated, “thou shalt pasture them,” understanding by the rod (Heb., *shevet*)*, *as in Leviticus 27:32, a shepherd’s crook. (Comp. Ezekiel 20:37; Micah 7:14.) Elsewhere the rod is a sceptre (Psalm 125:3); in Proverbs 22:15 it is a rod of correction. The use to be made of it—*to* *dash the nations in pieces, as one breaks a potter’s vessel*—points to the latter...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
5-14. As before in the ninth and twelfth chapters, Job had shown himself not inferior to the friends' inability to describe God's greatness, so now he describes it as manifested in hell (the world of the dead), Job 26:5, 6; on earth, Job 26:7; in the sky, Job 26:8-11; the sea, Job 26:12; the heavens, Job 26:13.
**Dead things are formed--**Rather, "The souls of the dead (Rephaim) tremble." Not on...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-9**
The kingdom of the Messiah is founded upon an eternal decree of God the Father. This our Lord Jesus often referred to, as what he governed himself by. God hath said unto him, Thou art my Son, and it becomes each of us to say to him, Thou art my Lord, my Sovereign'. The Son, in asking the heathen for his inheritance, desires their happiness in him; so that he pleads for them, eve...
Read full commentary →Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.
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KJV Study Commentary
After depicting inevitable judgment, the psalmist issues a gracious warning to rulers: there is still time to repent and submit. The Hebrew 'sakal' (be wise) implies not mere intellectual knowledge but practical application of truth. 'Be instructed' (yasar) carries the sense of receiving discipline or correction. This verse demonstrates God's redemptive heart even toward His enemies - judgment is ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
5-14. As before in the ninth and twelfth chapters, Job had shown himself not inferior to the friends' inability to describe God's greatness, so now he describes it as manifested in hell (the world of the dead), Job 26:5, 6; on earth, Job 26:7; in the sky, Job 26:8-11; the sea, Job 26:12; the heavens, Job 26:13.
**Dead things are formed--**Rather, "The souls of the dead (Rephaim) tremble." Not on...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-12**
Whatever we rejoice in, in this world, it must always be with trembling, because of the uncertainty of all things in it. To welcome Jesus Christ, and to submit to him, is our wisdom and interest. Let him be very dear and precious; love him above all, love him in sincerity, love him much, as she did, to whom much was forgiven, and, in token of it, kissed his feet, Lu 7:38. And ...
Read full commentary →Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
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KJV Study Commentary
This verse captures the paradox of proper worship: fear and joy coexisting. "Serve" (עִבְדוּ/'ivdu) means worship through service, submission, and obedience—not casual friendship but recognition of God's holiness and sovereignty. "Fear" (יִרְאָה/yir'ah) denotes reverential awe, not terror, but profound respect for God's majesty and justice. Yet simultaneously "rejoice" (גִּילוּ/gilu)—exult, be gla...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
5-14. As before in the ninth and twelfth chapters, Job had shown himself not inferior to the friends' inability to describe God's greatness, so now he describes it as manifested in hell (the world of the dead), Job 26:5, 6; on earth, Job 26:7; in the sky, Job 26:8-11; the sea, Job 26:12; the heavens, Job 26:13.
**Dead things are formed--**Rather, "The souls of the dead (Rephaim) tremble." Not on...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-12**
Whatever we rejoice in, in this world, it must always be with trembling, because of the uncertainty of all things in it. To welcome Jesus Christ, and to submit to him, is our wisdom and interest. Let him be very dear and precious; love him above all, love him in sincerity, love him much, as she did, to whom much was forgiven, and, in token of it, kissed his feet, Lu 7:38. And ...
Read full commentary →Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.
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KJV Study Commentary
This climactic verse issues an urgent summons blending tenderness and warning. <strong>'Kiss the Son'</strong> employs the Hebrew <em>bar</em> (son), an Aramaic term rather than the expected Hebrew <em>ben</em>, possibly emphasizing royal sonship or providing poetic variation. The kiss signifies submission, homage, and covenant loyalty—a vassal's acknowledgment of legitimate authority (1 Samuel 10...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(12) **Kiss the Son.**—This familiar translation must be surrendered. It has against it the weight of all the ancient versions except the Syriac. Thus the Chaldaic has, “receive instruction “; LXX., followed by Vulg., “lay hold of discipline.” Symmachus and Jerome render “pay pure adoration.”Aquila has “kiss with discernment.” *Bar, *in the sense of “son,” is common in Chaldee, and is familiar to ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
5-14. As before in the ninth and twelfth chapters, Job had shown himself not inferior to the friends' inability to describe God's greatness, so now he describes it as manifested in hell (the world of the dead), Job 26:5, 6; on earth, Job 26:7; in the sky, Job 26:8-11; the sea, Job 26:12; the heavens, Job 26:13.
**Dead things are formed--**Rather, "The souls of the dead (Rephaim) tremble." Not on...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 10-12**
Whatever we rejoice in, in this world, it must always be with trembling, because of the uncertainty of all things in it. To welcome Jesus Christ, and to submit to him, is our wisdom and interest. Let him be very dear and precious; love him above all, love him in sincerity, love him much, as she did, to whom much was forgiven, and, in token of it, kissed his feet, Lu 7:38. And ...
Read full commentary →