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Psalms 2

Berean Standard Bible · Compare translations · 1010 BC – 970 BC · United kingdom · Tap a verse to copy, share or highlight ·

12 verses · 177 words · ~1 min read · ~1 min listen

The Triumphant Messiah

Acts 4:23–31
Footnotes (5)
  1. a v1 Or noisily assemble; see Revelation 11:18.
  2. b v2 Cited in Acts 4:25–26
  3. c v7 Literally today I have begotten You; cited in Acts 13:33,Hebrews 1:5,and Hebrews 5:5
  4. d v9 LXX You will rule them or You will shepherd them
  5. e v9 Cited in Revelation 2:27; see also Revelation 12:5and Revelation 19:15.

Study notes on this chapter · 3

Prophecy & fulfillmentLinked by the New Testament

Why do the nations rage?

After Peter and John are threatened by the council, the believers pray with Psalm 2's opening lines about kings and rulers gathering against the LORD and his anointed. They read Herod, Pilate, the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel as the ones who gathered against Jesus.

When: A royal psalm from the monarchy; the believers' prayer in Jerusalem, c. AD 30–35.

Original passagePsalms 2:1–2
Where the New Testament applies itActs 4:23–28

Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.

Prophecy & fulfillmentLinked by the New Testament

You are my Son

A royal psalm in which God declares the anointed king to be his son. The New Testament applies these words to Jesus in Paul's preaching about the resurrection and in Hebrews (the voice at Jesus' baptism also echoes them).

When: A royal psalm from the era of Israel's monarchy; applied in Acts and Hebrews, c. AD 30–65.

Original passagePsalms 2:7
Where the New Testament applies itActs 13:33Hebrews 1:5Hebrews 5:5

Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.

Prophecy & fulfillmentDebated

The woman and the dragon

John sees a woman clothed with the sun who gives birth to a male child destined to rule the nations, while a red dragon waits to devour him. The child is caught up to God and the woman flees to the wilderness. The passage draws on Genesis 3, Joseph's dream and Psalm 2.

When: Revelation, c. AD 90s.

Original passageRevelation 12:1–6Revelation 12:13–17
Echoed inGenesis 3:15Genesis 37:9–10Psalms 2:9
Ways people read this (4)
  • The woman is Israel (or the faithful remnant), from whom the Messiah came.
  • The woman is the church, persecuted by Satan, and the child represents Christ or the church's faithful.
  • The woman is Mary, the mother of Jesus (a common Catholic and Orthodox reading alongside others), with the larger picture being the church.
  • The woman is a figure for the whole people of God, both Israel and the church, from Eve to the end.

Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.

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