The nations against Yahweh and his anointed (Ps 2:1-2:3)

“Why do the nations conspire?

Why do the peoples plot in vain?

The kings of the earth set themselves.

The rulers take counsel together.

They are against Yahweh

And his anointed.

Saying,

‘Let us burst their bonds asunder.

Let us cast their cords from us.’”

Psalm 2 is about the universal kingdom of Yahweh and his anointed one who will rule the world until the end of the kingdom. Once again, there is no introduction. Christians have picked up on the anointed one as the messianic king of Israel, which of course they see as Jesus the anointed one, the Christ. This psalm was even cited as a psalm of David in the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 4, although there is no notation as such on this psalm. This work about Yahweh and his anointed king is considered a royal psalm. If written during the time of the captivity in the 6^th century BCE, it would be about an ideal anointed king to come, not a current king. The various nations and people of the earth, the non-Israelites, took counsel, conspired, and plotted in vain against Yahweh and his anointed king. They were trying to figure out how to burst their bonds apart. They wanted to be rid of the yoke of the great King Yahweh.