Psalms 2:2

The kings of the earth set themselves,.... Rose and stood up in great wrath and fury, and presented themselves in an hostile manner, and opposed the Messiah: as Herod the great, king of Judea, who

The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Set themselves - implying their determined attitude in array "against

The kings; either those mentioned 2Sa 5 2 Samuel 8; or rather Herod the Great, and the other Herod, and Pilate, and others with or after them. Of the earth; so called in way of contempt, and to show their madness in opposing the God of heaven. Set themselves: the word notes their firm purpose and professed hostility, and the combination of their counsels and forces. Against the Lord; either directly and professedly; or indirectly and by consequence, because against his anointed, and against his counsel and command. And; or, that is, as that particle is oft used; the latter clause explaining the former, and showing in what sense they fought against that God whom they pretended to own and worship. Against his anointed; against such a king whom God hath chosen and exalted, and wonderfully accomplished and set up for his work and service, who therefore will certainly defend him against all his enemies.

Psalms 2:2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, [saying],Ver. 2. The kings of the earth set themselves] Or, stand up, as if they would do the deed, and bear down all before them. The many had acted their part, Psalms 2:1, and now the mighties show themselves, but go off again with shame enough. The Spanish friar used to say, there were but few princes in hell; and why? because there were but few in all. It was a poor comfort to our Henry VIII to be told upon his death bed that he was now going to the place of kings. Some such there have been as proved nursing fathers to the Church, and propagated the kingdom of Christ in their generations, Isaiah 49:23 but what a vain vaunt was that of those bloody tyrants in the primitive times, who sounded the triumph beforehand, and thus engraved the victory upon pillars of marble, Nomine Christianorum delete qui Remp. evertebant? What was all this but a blaze before their last light went out? or like some bulging wall that was swollen immediately before it fell? Have any ever yet waxed fierce against Christ and prospered? Job 9:4. And the rulers take counsel together] Or, have laid their foundation; for counsel is to action saith Aben Ezra here, the same that the foundation is to a building. The Chaldee hath it they consociate to rebel before the Lord, and to fight against his anointed, Syncretismum ineunt, et quasi se fundant consiliis suis. But with what success, see Isaiah 8:9-10. Immanuel will overly match them.

(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 goes back to its origin. Against the Lord.—Notice the majestic simplicity of this line. The word Messiah is applicable in its first sense to any one anointed for a holy office or with holy oil (Leviticus 4:3; Leviticus 4:5; Leviticus 4:16). Its distinctive reference to an expected prince of the chosen people, who was to redeem them from their enemies, and fulfil completely all the Divine promises for them, probably dates from this psalm, or more distinctly from this psalm than from any one passage. At least, that the traditional Jewish interpretation had fastened upon it as of this importance is shown by the frequent and emphatic quotation of this psalm in the New Testament. (See New Testament use of these verses in Acts 4:25, and Note in New Testament Commentary.)

Verse 2. Against his anointed] על משיחיה al Meshichiah, "Against his Messiah." - Chaldee. But as this signifies the anointed person, it may refer first to David, as it does secondly to Christ.

2. The kings of the earth] In contrast to ‘my king,’ Psalms 2:6. Cp. the use of the phrase in striking contexts, Psalms 76:12; Psalms 89:27; Psalms 102:15; Psalms 138:4; Psalms 148:11; Isaiah 24:21. set themselves] The tenses of the original in Psalms 2:1-2 give a vividness and variety to the picture which can hardly be reproduced in translation. Rage and take counsel are perfects, representing the throng as already gathered, and the chiefs seated in divan together: imagine and set themselves are imperfects (the graphic, pictorial tense of Hebrew poetry), representing their plot in process of development. The rapid lively rhythm moreover well suggests the stir and tumult of the gathering host. against the Lord] They would not deny that in making war upon Israel they were making war upon Israel’s God (2 Kings 18:32 ff.); but they little knew Whom they were defying (2 Kings 19:22 ff.).

The kings of the earth - This verse is designed to give a more specific form to the general statement in Psalms 2:1.

2. Kings of the earth… rulers—The chief powers of the earth are arrayed against Jehovah and his Anointed. Set themselves—Literally, place themselves firmly.