Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents

Reduce Font SizeIncrease Font Size
Return to Top

2:7-9 The Davidic King Speaks. The king recalls what God had said at his coronation. Lying behind this is the promise that the line of David will be sure forever before the Lord (2 Sam. 7:16) and that the obedience of the peoples will come to the ruler from the tribe of Judah (Gen. 49:10), together with the very purpose for choosing Abraham and his offspring.

2:7 decree. That is, the divine oracle spoken when the king took his throne. The Lord said. Although many suppose that this psalm is for the crowning of a king, the past tense indicates that the king recalls the oracle at a later time of trouble. You are my Son. In 2 Sam. 7:14, God says that he will take the heir of David as a "son." The people as a whole are called the "son of God" (see Ex. 4:22-23; Ps. 80:15; Hos. 11:1), and the king is called the "son of God" because he represents and embodies the people (see also Ps. 89:27). Hebrews 1:5 brings Ps. 2:7 together with 2 Sam. 7:14: this shows that the argument of that book assumes that Jesus is the messianic heir of David (the Son of God), into whom God has also folded the priestly office. In Acts 13:33 (a speech of Paul) and Rom. 1:4, Paul portrays the resurrection of Jesus as his coronation, his entry into his Davidic rule.

2:8 nations. That is, the Gentiles, including those in revolt (v. 1). The primary messianic picture of the OT is of the heir of David who will lead his people in bringing the light to the nations, by making them his subjects; this is how the nations of the earth will find blessing for themselves in him (see Gen. 22:18; see also Ps. 72:8-11, 17); thus Paul looks forward to the obedience of faith among all the nations (Rom. 1:5).

2:9 break (Hb. tero‘em). As the ESV footnote says, the Septuagint (used in Rev. 2:27; 12:5; 19:15) renders this as "rule"; this comes from using the same Hebrew consonants with different vowels (tir‘em).

Info Language Arrow