Journal: Bibliotheca Sacra
Volume: BSAC 169:676 (Oct 2012)
Article: Psalm 2 And The Reign Of The Messiah
Author: George A. Gunn

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BSac 169:676 (October-December 2012) p. 427

Psalm 2 And The Reign Of The Messiah

George A. Gunn

George A. Gunn is Professor of Bible and Theology, Shasta Bible College and Graduate School, Redding, California.

Few passages of Scripture could be considered more significant for the study of the Messiah’s reign than Psalm 2. Based on New Testament quotations, allusions, and verbal parallels, Psalm 2 is one of the most frequently referred to of all the psalms. It is quoted either directly or indirectly seven times in the New Testament (Matt. 3:17 [= Mark 1:11; Luke 3:22]; 17:5 [= Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35]; Acts 4:24-26; 13:33; Heb. 1:5; 5:5; Rev. 2:27) and is alluded to at least another five times (John 1:49; Heb. 1:2; Rev. 12:5; 19:15, 19).1 Since the psalm refers to the kingly rule of the Messiah (Ps. 2:6), these New Testament references have led amillennial scholars to conclude that Messiah’s kingly rule began at His first coming. Dispensationalists, on the other hand, maintain that the Davidic rule of Messiah awaits His second coming. This article seeks to demonstrate that Psalm 2 does not depict a coronation at Jesus’ first coming, but rather predicts the coronation of the Messiah at a later date.

Verse-By-Verse Comments On Psalm 2

Though the psalm is anonymous, it is accorded Davidic authorship in Acts 4:25. The speakers mentioned in that verse were members of the early Hebrew-Christian congregation in Jerusalem. Whether the psalm is of Davidic authorship has little bearing on the interpretation of the psalm. Nevertheless VanGemeren has noted that

BSac 169:676 (October-December 2012) p. 428

“the language, style, and theology fit an early monarchic date.”2

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