“I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You.’” (Psalm 2:7)

Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, for His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him! (Psalm 2:12)

To Christian ears, these verses out of our Old Testament (which Jews also hold to be the Word of God) bring to mind the Trinity, or at least the second person, the Son of God. Certainly, the New Testament quotes Psalm 2:7 at least four times, applying it to Jesus Christ. Some English versions (NASB, ESV, NKJV) capitalize “Son,” while others do not (NIV, NLT); but since the original Hebrew in which this was written did not use capitals, such renderings are the translators’ theological interpolations. What would these verses mean to the Jewish ear, in the Old Testament context?

The Jewish king is in view here, using an ancient Near East idiom of adoption language. The king was viewed as being adopted by God. We see this in the God’s message to David about his son Solomon:

“I [God] will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men, but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him…” (2 Sam 7:14–15)

This makes perfectly good sense in the context of Psalm 2. Verse 7 then would refer to the coronation of the king. Verse 12 indicates that other nations must decide whether to honor (“do homage”) the Jewish king or not, whether to join ranks with and come under the protection of Israel or suffer the animosity of the people of Yahweh. This fits well with the promise to Abraham, “I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed” (Gen 12:3).

The NT applies verse 7 Messianically, that is, to the ultimate Davidic King, the Lord Jesus Christ. This was made clear at Jesus’ baptism when God’s voice was heard: “This is My beloved Son” (Matt 3:16). The apostle Paul, from the get-go, applied Psalm 2:7 to Jesus’ resurrection and proclaimed that His sonship was the fulfillment of “the promise made to the fathers” (Acts 13:30-33). The writer to the Hebrews uses Psalm 2:7 to proclaim the supremacy of Jesus over the angels and the Jewish priesthood (Heb 1:5, 5:5). Truly, the whole world hangs in the balance—depending on how they respond to the Son.

Lord Jesus, You are the Son-King who is coming to reign. Even so, reign now!