Ps 2:1 – TIPs

Why do the nations conspire . . .

For “Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and his anointed,” see Acts 4:25 and Acts 4:26.

rising up in numbers

In Gbaya, the notion of rising up in large numbers in the referenced verses is emphasized in with the ideophone gɛrɛm.

Ideophones are a class of sound symbolic words expressing human sensation that are used as literary devices in many African languages. (Source: Philip Noss)

differing language registers for Psalm 2

In the 1852 translation of the Psalms into Javanese by Johann F.C. Gericke, the translator attempted to highlight the different voices and sections of the psalm by using different language styles or sociolects of Javanese. Ngoko , a “top-down” register, was used when senior people communicated to people junior in age or rank, and kromo , a “bottom-up” and more ornate register, was used to address superiors and elders. According to Gericke (quoted in Solleveld, cited below) “If one sought to use one and the same language in the entire Psalm, no Javanese would understand it. The difference between Kromo and Ngoko is often as big as between Dutch and Polish.”

In verse 1 and 2, the psalmist uses kromo
In verse 3, the enemies of the king in Zion and rebels use ngoko
In verse 4 and 5, the pslamist again uses kromo
In verse 6, God himself is quoted in ngoko, but in a style differing from that of the rebels
In the first half of verse 7, the anointed king speaks kromo
From the second half of verse 7 and verses 8 and 9, containing the words of the Lord to his Anointed One, ngoko is used again
In verses 10, 11, and 12, the psalmist uses kromo in his admonition to the rebels.

(Source: Floris Solleveld in A Tale of Two Translators from the Global Bible project)

Source for Javanese language registers and the different sections of Psalm 2.

Psalm 2 in Koti

Following is a translation of Psalm 2 into song in Koti, by Tarikhi Ya Haakhi. The Koti text is translated into English within the video.

Following is another rendition only verses 1 and 2 by the same team in the same language:

℗ 2025 Wycliffe Bible Translators South Africa NPC. Used with permission. Part of the Psalms that Sing project.

gentiles / nations

Click here to view graphically

The Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, and Latin that is often translated as “gentiles” (or “nations”) in English is often translated as a “local equivalent of ‘foreigners,'” such as “the people of other lands” (Guerrero Amuzgo), “people of other towns” (Tzeltal), “people of other languages” (San Miguel El Grande Mixtec), “strange peoples” (Navajo (Dinė) (this and above, see Bratcher / Nida), “outsiders” (Ekari), “people of foreign lands” (Kannada), “non-Jews” (North Alaskan Inupiatun), “people being-in-darkness” (a figurative expression for people lacking cultural or religious insight) (Toraja-Sa’dan) (source for this and three above Reiling / Swellengrebel), “from different places all people” (Martu Wangka) (source: Carl Gross).

Tzeltal translates it as “people in all different towns,” Chicahuaxtla Triqui as “the people who live all over the world,” Highland Totonac as “all the outsider people,” Sayula Popoluca as “(people) in every land” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.), Chichimeca-Jonaz as “foreign people who are not Jews,” Sierra de Juárez Zapotec as “people of other nations” (source of this and one above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.), Highland Totonac as “outsider people” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.), Uma as “people who are not the descendants of Israel” (source: Uma Back Translation), “other ethnic groups” (source: Newari Back Translation), and Yakan as “the other tribes” (source: Yakan Back Translation).

In Chichewa, it is translated with mitundu or “races.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

complete verse (Psalm 2:1)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Psalm 2:1:

Chichewa Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero translation, 2002/2016:
“Why do people of other races want to do a conspiracy?
Why are the people plotting worthless things?” (Source: Chichewa Back Translation)
Newari:
“Why do the nations keep on conspiring?
Why do people go on setting needless traps?” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon:
“Why do nations plan evil?
Why do they plan of no value?” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
Eastern Bru:
“Why do all the people in the countries of the world look for ways to accuse/blame? Why do they discuss ideas/ways that have no meaning/results?” (Source: Bru Back Translation)
Laarim:
“Why do the nations plot bad matters
and people plot bad matters,
that they do not have the power to do it?” (Source: Laarim Back Translation)
Nyakyusa-Ngonde (back-translation into Swahili):
“Kwa nini makabila yanasemezana kumwasi Mungu,
tena nchi zinawaza ya ovyo?” (Source: Nyakyusa Back Translation)
English:
“Why do the leaders of nations rage against God?/ It is foolish for the nations to be angry with God.
Why do people plan to rebel against God even though it is in vain?/ It is useless for people to plan to rebel against God!” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Psalm 2:1

The two lines of this verse are parallel and are in the form of a question, to show how foolish and useless are the rebellion and the plots being planned against Yahweh and his chosen king. The second line repeats the first one, adding the affirmation that the plots will not succeed. The question is not a request for information but is a way of expressing contempt and astonishment at the attempt of Israel’s enemies to defeat Israel’s king. “How dare the nations plan rebellion?” Or, as a statement, “It is completely useless for the nations to plan rebellion.” The French common language version (Bible en français courant) uses a question and a statement: “The nations are in an uproar–but why? The peoples plot, but it is useless!”

It is not necessary to have two different words in translation to represent the nations and the peoples, since the two refer to the same group. In the context of this psalm, these are Gentile nations, who were considered pagans (Biblia Dios Habla Hoy translates “Why are the pagan peoples in turmoil? Why do they…?”).

In some languages there is no term for “nation” as a large, independent political unit. The largest political group may be called a “tribe.” It is sometimes unnatural to say that tribes are planning rebellions, and so one must speak of the leaders of the tribes rebelling. It may also be necessary to indicate against whom the people are conspiring. Hence, “Why do the chiefs of the foreign tribes conspire against God and his people?”

Conspire translates a verb found only here in the Old Testament; it is variously defined: “rage” (An American Translation, New American Bible [New American Bible]), “uproar” (New Jerusalem Bible, Bible en français courant), “assemble,” and Briggs has “consult together.” It would seem that a meaning such as conspire (or Good News Translation “plan rebellion”) more readily fits the context, as a closer parallel to the verb in line b.

The verb translated plot is the same that in 1.2 is translated “meditates”; here it is a whispering, a murmuring, of conspirators. And the phrase in vain means “without success,” “useless” (Good News Translation). New Jerusalem Bible has “impotent muttering.”

In these two parallel lines only the second contains in vain. Although it is true that conspiring in line a is equally useless, the addition of in vain in the second line serves to heighten the element of failure in relation to the verbs of both lines. It is not implied that the nations conspire with some degree of success, and that only the peoples fail in their plotting. If the translation gives this impression, the translator is advised to make clear that what is done in both lines is without success.

It may not be possible in some languages to maintain the parallelism of the two clauses; and in these cases they may have to be reduced to one; for example, “Why do the leaders of the foreign tribes plot against God and his chosen king? Their plotting will fail,” or as a statement, “The chiefs of the pagan tribes conspire against God and his chosen leader, but they will not succeed.”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Reyburn, William D. A Handbook on the Book of Psalms. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1991. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Psalm 2: Layer by Layer

The following are presentations by the Psalms: Layer by Layer project, run by Scriptura . The first is an overview and the second an introduction into the poetry of Psalm 2.