PSALM 2 IM ALTEN TESTAMENT UND IM FRÜHEN JUDENTUM
PSALM 2 IN THE OLD TESTAMENT AND IN EARLY JUDAISM

Summary/Abstract: New Testament citations of Psalm 2 show that it was regarded as a messianic text in the Early Church. Although the Christian messianic understanding is usually connected to V 7, of the 12 references to Psalm 2 in the NT, only 3 are to this verse. This also makes the messianic character of Ps 2 a matter of different possible understandings for ancient and modern readers. The article explores the image of ‘the anointed’ in the primary context of the psalm and the aspects that influenced the reception of the text in Early Judaism. Analysis of motifs reveals that Psalm 2 makes use of royal ideology, prophetical traditions and themes of Wisdom in a way that indicates its genesis in Post-Exilic times. It was addressed to a Jewish community marked by rather negative experiences with other nations. The psalm was messianic from its beginning, but it regarded ‘the anointed’ as a king of the near future, when the Kingdom of YHWH will have become obvious for all nations. ‘Messiah’ is a matter of hope for the author of Psalm 2 and his community. The reception of the psalm in Early Judaism oscillated between sapiential interpretations, where emphasis is on serving the Lord and observing His commandments, and messianic interpretations, where the scenario of the Psalm is situated in the time of the eschatological confrontation.

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