Psalm 2:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.

NIV: Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.

NASB: Ask it of Me, and I will certainly give the nations as Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth as Your possession.

CSB: Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance and the ends of the earth your possession.

NLT: Only ask, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, the whole earth as your possession.

KJV: Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.

NKJV: Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession.

Traditionally, a father would provide an inheritance for his son, payable upon the father's death. In the parable of the prodigal son, the prodigal asked his father for the inheritance in advance. In that case, it was a selfish request that sprang from a wrong motive (Luke 15:11–13). God, on the other hand, invites David to ask for his inheritance, including all the nations and all of the earth.

Although David's kingdom was sizeable, the fulfillment of this promise awaits Messiah's kingdom that follows His return to earth (Revelation 19:11; 20:4). Isaiah 9:7 points to the vast kingdom God's eternal Son will possess. This prophecy reads: "Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this."

Zechariah 2:11 anticipates Messiah's possession of the nations by proclaiming: "And many nations shall join themselves to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people. And I will dwell in your midst, and you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you."

Psalm 2:7–9 records the words of God's Son, Israel's future King. They appropriately follow God's promise to establish His Son on the throne of David, and to deal with rebellious nations in His wrath and fury. Faced with King Jesus' victory over His foes, the psalmist's counsel to the rebels follows in verses 10–12. Revelation 19:11–15 describes the King's outpouring of God's wrath and fury on the rebel nations during the end times.

Psalm 2, written by King David (Acts 4:25), begins by questioning the nations' frenzied attempt to overthrow the Lord and His anointed King, Jesus. Godless cultures plot to rid themselves of divine authority. But trying to escape God's will is ridiculous. He will direct His wrath toward them and asserts He has established His King upon Mount Zion. God addresses His Son as His only begotten. This passage predicts the anointed King—the Messiah—will smash the rebellious nations to pieces with an iron rod. The psalmist urges the kings and rulers of the earth to submit to the Son's rule and come to friendly terms with Him. The psalm closes with the declaration that all who take refuge in the Lord's anointed King are blessed.

Psalm 2 is often labelled a royal psalm, because it refers to the King above all kings. This complements several other psalms: Psalms 18, 20, 21, 45, 72, 89, 101, 110, 132, and 144. Acts 13:33 relates Psalm 2:7 to Jesus. Revelation 2:27, spoken by the risen Savior, relates Psalm 2:9 to His victory over the rebellious nations and His reign on earth. Revelation 19:19–21 describes when and how Jesus will defeat the nations that assemble to go to war against God's anointed Son.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.