Psalm 2:2

Psalm 2:2

The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,

a. NLT: The kings of the earth prepare for battle; the rulers plot together against the LORD and against his anointed one.

b. NIV: The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the LORD and against his anointed, saying,

c. Amplified Bible: The kings of the earth take their places; the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and His Anointed One (the Messiah, the Christ). They say,

d. Septuagint: The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers gathered themselves together, against the Lord, and against his Christ; 

e. Stone Edition Torah/Writings/Prophets:  The kings of the earth take their stand and the princes conspire secretly, against HASHEM and against His anointed:

1. “The kings of the earth set themselves…”

a. [The] kings [Strong: 4428 melek meh'-lek from 4427; a king:--king, royal.]

b. [of the] earth [Strong: 776 'erets eh'-rets; from an unused root probably meaning to be firm; the earth (at large, or partitively a land):--X common, country, earth, field, ground, land, X natins, way, + wilderness, world.]

c. set [themselves] [Strong: 3320 yâtsab, yaw-tsab'; a primitive root; : To place anything so as to stay, to station, steadfast.]

1). The kings position themselves steadfastly. They position themselves.

2). Tehillim: Page 66. “The kings of the earth take their stand…is a more forceful term than ‘they stand’…[it] implies a firm erect stance in a challenging uncompromising position. The man so entrenched will not allow himself to be budged.”

2. “…and the rulers take counsel together…”

a. [and the] rulers [Strong: 7336 razan raw-zan';  a primitive root; probably to be heavy, i.e. (figuratively) honorable:--prince, ruler.]

b. take counsel [Strong: 3245 yacad yaw-sad';  a primitive root; to set (literally or figuratively); intensively, to found; reflexively, to sit down together, i.e. settle, consult:--appoint, take counsel, establish, (lay the, lay for a) found(-ation), instruct, lay, ordain, set, X sure.]

c. together [Strong: 3162 yachad yakh'-ad; from 3161; properly, a unit, i.e. (adverb) unitedly:--alike, at all (once), both, likewise, only, (al-)together, withal.]

1). The rulers do the same, i.e., position themselves.Then they sit down together and take counsel together and consult one another to lay a foundation or get a plan of action against the LORD and His Christ.

a). Psalm 33:10 The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect.

3. “…against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,

a. against [Strong: 5921 `al al properly, the same as 5920 used as a preposition (in the singular or plural often with prefix, or as conjunction with a particle following); above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications (as follow):--above, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, X as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, X both and, by (reason of), X had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of, (from) (off), (up-)on, over, than, through(-out), to, touching, X with.]

b. [the] LORD [Strong: 3068 Yehovah yeh-ho-vaw' ; from 1961; (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God:--Jehovah, the Lord.]

c. [and] against [Strong: 5921 `al al properly, the same as 5920 used as a preposition (in the singular or plural often with prefix, or as conjunction with a particle following); above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications (as follow):--above, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, X as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, X both and, by (reason of), X had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of, (from) (off), (up-)on, over, than, through(-out), to, touching, X with.]

d. [his] anointed [Strong: 4899 * mashiyach] [Strong’s: usually a consecrated person as a king, a priest, specifically the Messiah: anointed Messiah.]

1). Though we don’t know exactly who said it, Psalm 2:1 & 2 is quoted in Acts 4:25 & 26. No doubt it shows all of the believers present were in agreement, but the important part for this lesson is that it puts the context for the fulfillment for this Psalm in the Church age. This is the first of three Scriptural witnesses that verify it, the other two will be shown later in the Psalm. So it is prophetic in two ways, first, it was written by David about 1000 years before the first advent of Christ Jesus and over 3000 years before the second advent of Christ Jesus.   

a). Acts 4:24-31 And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is:

4:25 Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?

4:26 The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.

4:27 For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together,

4:28 For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.

4:29 And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,

4:30 By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus.

4:31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.

2). There is no doubt the “his anointed’ in verse 2 is referring to Christ Jesus. The above quote in Acts 4:26 clearly says it and not only that, the almost exact wording is found two other times in the New Testament and they all of course refer to Jesus.

a). Revelation 11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

b). Revelation 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

3). The universal reign of the Messiah is clearly revealed in Scripture.

a). Zechariah 9:9-10 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

9:10 And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth.

4). Because the context for the Psalm is in the Church age, the warning is to the Gentile leaders during the Church age. The warning is this, The Almighty’s anointed King has been chosen and He is Christ Jesus His Son! You need to serve Him or be held accountable for your actions of rebellion in not serving Him. This includes the United States and all of her laws passed rejecting His sovereignty over her, including your “separation of church and state”, your laws outlawing prayer in public schools, outlawing Bible reading in public schools, outlawing posting Scripture in public schools, legalizing child sacrifice. The list goes on and on, and these decisions challenge the sovereignty of God over America as it is written in Psalm 2.