God’s Word Translation
Psalms 2:1
1Why do the nations gather together? Why do their people devise useless plots?
Psalms 2:1 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
- New International Version (NIV)Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?
- English Standard Version (ESV)Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?
- New King James Version (NKJV)Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing?
Context of Psalms 2:1
Why do the nations gather together? Why do their people devise useless plots? 2Kings take their stands. Rulers make plans together against the Lord and against his Messiah by saying, 3“Let’s break apart their chains and shake off their ropes.”
Read all of Psalms 2Psalms 2:1 word by word
לָ֭מָּה רָגְשׁ֣וּ גוֹיִ֑ם וּ֝לְאֻמִּ֗ים יֶהְגּוּ־רִֽיק׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Psalms 2:1
- Psalms 18:42I beat them into a powder as fine as the dust blown by the wind. I threw them out as though they were dirt on the streets.
- Psalms 46:6Nations are in turmoil, and kingdoms topple. The earth melts at the sound of ⌞God’s⌟ voice.
- Psalms 83:4They say, “Let’s wipe out their nation so that the name of Israel will no longer be remembered.”
- Isaiah 8:9Be broken, you people. Be terrified. Listen, all you distant parts of the earth. Prepare for battle, but be terrified. Prepare for battle, but be terrified.
- Luke 18:32He will be handed over to foreigners. They will make fun of him, insult him, spit on him,
- Acts 4:25You said through the Holy Spirit, who spoke through your servant David (our ancestor), ‘Why do the nations act arrogantly? Why do their people devise useless plots?
- Luke 22:1The Festival of Unleavened Bread, called Passover, was near.
- Acts 16:22The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas. Then the officials tore the clothes off Paul and Silas and ordered ⌞the guards⌟ to beat them with sticks.
- Acts 17:5Then the Jews became jealous. They took some low-class characters who hung around the public square, formed a mob, and started a riot in the city. They attacked Jason’s home and searched it for Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd.
- Acts 19:28When Demetrius’ workers and the others heard this, they became furious and began shouting, “Artemis of the Ephesians is great!”
- Matthew 21:38“When the workers saw his son, they said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Let’s kill him and get his inheritance.’
- John 11:49One of them, Caiaphas, who was chief priest that year, told them, “You people don’t know anything.
- Acts 5:33When the men on the council heard this, they became furious and wanted to execute the apostles.
- Revelation 17:14They will go to war against the lamb. The lamb will conquer them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings. Those who are called, chosen, and faithful are with him.”
Commentaries on Psalms 2:1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1Why do the heathen rage - It has been supposed that David composed this Psalm after he had taken Jerusalem from the Jebusites, and made it the head of the kingdom; 2 Samuel 5:7-9. The Philistines, hearing this, encamped in the valley of Rephaim, nigh to Jerusalem, and Josephus, Antiq. lib. 7: c. 4, says that all Syria, Phoenicia, and the other circumjacent warlike people, united their armies to those of the Philistines, in order to destroy David before he…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1Why do the heathen rage - “Why do nations make a noise?” Prof. Alexander. The word “heathen” here - גוים gôyim - means properly “nations,” with out respect, so far as the word is concerned, to the character of the nations. It was applied by the Hebrews to the surrounding nations, or to all other people than their own; and as those nations were in fact pagans, or idolators, the word came to have this signification. Nehemiah 5:8; Jeremiah 31:10; Ezekiel…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1Threatenings 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 oppose the cause of God. But the rulers of the earth generally have been most active. The truths and…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1plot: The Hebrew verb translated as "meditates" in Psalm 1:2 suggests opposing the Lord through speech (Isaiah 59:13) or thought (Psalm 38:12; Proverbs 24:2).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-121. Why do the heathen, &c.--Beholding, in prophetic vision, the peoples and nations, as if in a tumultuous assembly, raging with a fury like the raging of the sea, designing to resist God's government, the writer breaks forth into an exclamation in which are mingled surprise at their folly, and indignation at their rebellion. heathen--nations generally, not as opposed to Jews. the people--or, literally, "peoples," or races of men.Read the comment
Topics related to Psalms 2:1
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Psalms 2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- The Treasury of David
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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