Psalms 2:9
Psalms 2:9 in Multiple Translations
You will break them with an iron scepter; You will shatter them like pottery. ”
Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.
Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.
They will be ruled by you with a rod of iron; they will be broken like a potter's vessel.
You will break them with a rod of iron, smashing them like pottery.’”
Thou shalt krush them with a scepter of yron, and breake them in pieces like a potters vessell.
Thou dost rule them with a sceptre of iron, As a vessel of a potter Thou dost crush them.'
You shall break them with a rod of iron. You shall dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”
Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
Thou shalt rule them with a rod of iron, and shalt break them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.
You will defeat them completely [MET]; you will destroy them like people smash a clay pot with an iron rod [SIM].’”
Berean Amplified Bible — Psalms 2:9
BAB
Word Study
Hover over any word to see its amplified meaning. Click a word to explore its full definition and translation comparisons.
Amplified text is generated using scripting to tie together English translations for comparison. Always refer to the core BSB translation and original Hebrew/Greek text for accuracy. Anomalies may occur.
Psalms 2:9 Interlinear (Deep Study)
BIB
HEB
תְּ֭רֹעֵ/ם
בְּ/שֵׁ֣בֶט
בַּרְזֶ֑ל
כִּ/כְלִ֖י
יוֹצֵ֣ר
תְּנַפְּצֵֽ/ם
תְּ֭רֹעֵ/ם
râʻaʻ
H7489
be evil
V-Qal-Imperf-2ms | Suff
בְּ/שֵׁ֣בֶט
shêbeṭ
H7626
tribe
Prep | N-ms
בַּרְזֶ֑ל
barzel
H1270
iron
N-ms
כִּ/כְלִ֖י
kᵉlîy
H3627
article/utensil
Prep | N-ms
יוֹצֵ֣ר
yâtsar
H3335
to form
N-ms
תְּנַפְּצֵֽ/ם
nâphats
H5310
to shatter
V-Piel-Imperf-2ms | Suff
Hebrew Word Study
Select any word above to explore its original meaning, root, and usage across Scripture.
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Hebrew Word Reference — Psalms 2:9
תְּ֭רֹעֵ/ם
râʻaʻ
H7489
"be evil"
V-Qal-Imperf-2ms | Suff
This word means to shatter or break something into pieces, making it useless or bad. It can also mean to afflict or displease someone.
Definition: 1) to be bad, be evil 1a)(Qal) 1a1) to be displeasing 1a2) to be sad 1a3) to be injurious, be evil 1a4) to be wicked, be evil (ethically) 1b) (Hiphil) 1b1) to do an injury or hurt 1b2) to do evil or wickedly 1b3) mischief (participle)
Usage: Occurs in 99 OT verses. KJV: afflict, associate selves (by mistake for H7462 (רָעָה)), break (down, in pieces), [phrase] displease, (be, bring, do) evil (doer, entreat, man), show self friendly (by mistake for H7462 (רָעָה)), do harm, (do) hurt, (behave self, deal) ill, [idiom] indeed, do mischief, punish, still, vex, (do) wicked (doer, -ly), be (deal, do) worse. See also: Genesis 19:7; Psalms 27:2; Psalms 2:9.
בְּ/שֵׁ֣בֶט
shêbeṭ
H7626
"tribe"
Prep | N-ms
This word means a stick or staff, but also a clan or tribe, and can refer to a symbol of authority or a tool for punishing. It is used in the Bible to describe the rods used by shepherds or the scepters of kings.
Definition: : tribe 1) rod, staff, branch, offshoot, club, sceptre, tribe 1a) rod, staff 1b) shaft (of spear, dart) 1c) club (of shepherd's implement) 1d) truncheon, sceptre (mark of authority) 1e) clan, tribe
Usage: Occurs in 178 OT verses. KJV: [idiom] correction, dart, rod, sceptre, staff, tribe. See also: Genesis 49:10; 2 Samuel 24:2; Psalms 2:9.
בַּרְזֶ֑ל
barzel
H1270
"iron"
N-ms
Iron refers to a strong metal used for tools and furniture, symbolizing strength or harshness, as seen in the Bible's descriptions of iron implements.
Definition: 1) iron 1a) iron 1a1) iron ore 1a2) as material of furniture, utensils, implements 2) tool of iron 3) harshness, strength, oppression (fig.) Aramaic equivalent: par.zel (פַּרְזֶל "iron" H6523)
Usage: Occurs in 70 OT verses. KJV: (ax) head, iron. See also: Genesis 4:22; 2 Chronicles 2:6; Psalms 2:9.
כִּ/כְלִ֖י
kᵉlîy
H3627
"article/utensil"
Prep | N-ms
This Hebrew word refers to any object or tool, like a utensil or a piece of furniture. It is used to describe a wide range of items, from musical instruments to weapons. It emphasizes the object's purpose or function.
Definition: 1) article, vessel, implement, utensil 1a) article, object (general) 1b) utensil, implement, apparatus, vessel 1b1) implement (of hunting or war) 1b2) implement (of music) 1b3) implement, tool (of labour) 1b4) equipment, yoke (of oxen) 1b5) utensils, furniture 1c) vessel, receptacle (general) 1d) vessels (boats) of paper-reed
Usage: Occurs in 276 OT verses. KJV: armour(-bearer), artillery, bag, carriage, [phrase] furnish, furniture, instrument, jewel, that is made of, [idiom] one from another, that which pertaineth, pot, [phrase] psaltery, sack, stuff, thing, tool, vessel, ware, weapon, [phrase] whatsoever. See also: Genesis 24:53; 1 Samuel 14:13; Ezra 8:26.
יוֹצֵ֣ר
yâtsar
H3335
"to form"
N-ms
This Hebrew word means to form or shape something, like a potter molding clay. It appears in Genesis 2:7, describing God's creation of humans, and in Isaiah 64:8, where God is compared to a potter.
Definition: : formed 1) to form, fashion, frame 1a) (Qal) to form, fashion 1a1) of human activity 1a2) of divine activity 1a2a) of creation 1a2a1) of original creation 1a2a2) of individuals at conception 1a2a3) of Israel as a people 1a2b) to frame, pre-ordain, plan (fig. of divine) purpose of a situation) 1b) (Niphal) to be formed, be created 1c) (Pual) to be predetermined, be pre-ordained 1d) (Hophal) to be formed
Usage: Occurs in 56 OT verses. KJV: [idiom] earthen, fashion, form, frame, make(-r), potter, purpose. See also: Genesis 2:7; Isaiah 44:12; Psalms 2:9.
תְּנַפְּצֵֽ/ם
nâphats
H5310
"to shatter"
V-Piel-Imperf-2ms | Suff
This Hebrew word means to scatter or disperse, and it's used when people or things are broken apart. It appears in books like Jeremiah and Ezekiel, where God scatters His people as punishment, but also promises to gather them back.
Definition: 1) to shatter, break, dash, beat in pieces 1a)(Qal) 1a1) to shatter 1a2) shattering (infinitive) 1b) (Piel) to dash to pieces 1c) (Pual) to pulverise
Usage: Occurs in 17 OT verses. KJV: be beaten in sunder, break (in pieces), broken, dash (in pieces), cause to be discharged, dispersed, be overspread, scatter. See also: Genesis 9:19; Isaiah 33:3; Psalms 2:9.
Study Notes — Psalms 2:9
Show Verse Quote Highlights
- Context
- Cross References
- Psalms 2:9 Summary
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Reflection Questions
- Gill's Exposition on Psalms 2:9
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Psalms 2:9
- Matthew Poole's Commentary on Psalms 2:9
- Trapp's Commentary on Psalms 2:9
- Ellicott's Commentary on Psalms 2:9
- Adam Clarke's Commentary on Psalms 2:9
- Cambridge Bible on Psalms 2:9
- Barnes' Notes on Psalms 2:9
- Whedon's Commentary on Psalms 2:9
- Sermons on Psalms 2:9
Context — The Triumphant Messiah
7I will proclaim the decree spoken to Me by the LORD: “You are My Son; today I have become Your Father.
8Ask Me, and I will make the nations Your inheritance, the ends of the earth Your possession.
9You will break them with an iron scepter; You will shatter them like pottery. ”
10Therefore be wise, O kings; be admonished, O judges of the earth. 11Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Revelation 2:26–27 | And to the one who overcomes and continues in My work until the end, I will give authority over the nations. He will rule them with an iron scepter and shatter them like pottery —just as I have received authority from My Father. |
| 2 | Revelation 12:5 | And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was caught up to God and to His throne. |
| 3 | Psalms 89:23 | I will crush his foes before him and strike down those who hate him. |
| 4 | Revelation 19:15 | And from His mouth proceeds a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. |
| 5 | Psalms 21:8–9 | Your hand will apprehend all Your enemies; Your right hand will seize those who hate You. You will place them in a fiery furnace at the time of Your appearing. In His wrath the LORD will engulf them, and the fire will consume them. |
| 6 | Isaiah 30:14 | It will break in pieces like a potter’s jar, shattered so that no fragment can be found. Not a shard will be found in the dust large enough to scoop the coals from a hearth or to skim the water from a cistern.” |
| 7 | Psalms 110:5–6 | The Lord is at Your right hand; He will crush kings in the day of His wrath. He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead; He will crush the leaders far and wide. |
| 8 | Daniel 2:44 | In the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will shatter all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, but will itself stand forever. |
| 9 | Jeremiah 19:11 | and you are to proclaim to them that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: I will shatter this nation and this city, like one shatters a potter’s jar that can never again be repaired. They will bury the dead in Topheth until there is no more room to bury them. |
| 10 | Isaiah 60:12 | For the nation or kingdom that will not serve you will perish; it will be utterly destroyed. |
Psalms 2:9 Summary
[This verse, Psalms 2:9, tells us about the power God has given to Jesus to rule over all the nations. Jesus has the authority to break them with an iron scepter and shatter them like pottery, which means He has complete control over everything. This reminds us of what is said in Revelation 19:15, where Jesus is ruling with an iron scepter. It's a powerful reminder of God's sovereignty and our place in His plan, as also seen in Romans 11:36, where everything comes from Him and exists for Him.]
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean to break the nations with an iron scepter?
This phrase, found in Psalms 2:9, symbolizes the absolute authority and power that God has given to His Son, Jesus Christ, to rule over the nations, as also seen in Revelation 19:15, where Jesus is described as ruling with an iron scepter.
Why are the nations compared to pottery in this verse?
The comparison of the nations to pottery in Psalms 2:9 signifies their fragility and vulnerability before the mighty power of God, much like the fragile nature of pottery, as also mentioned in Isaiah 30:14, where it is used to describe the ease with which God can shatter the strength of those who oppose Him.
Is this verse talking about a literal, physical destruction of the nations?
While Psalms 2:9 does speak of breaking and shattering the nations, it's essential to understand this in the context of spiritual authority and the ultimate triumph of God's kingdom, as seen in Psalms 110:5-6, where the Lord is described as shattering kings in His wrath.
How does this verse relate to the Great Commission and spreading the gospel?
The authority given to Jesus Christ, as described in Psalms 2:9, is the basis for the Great Commission, where Jesus commands His disciples to go and make disciples of all nations, as seen in Matthew 28:18-20, emphasizing the spiritual conquest of the nations through the gospel.
Reflection Questions
- What does it mean for me to acknowledge Jesus Christ as the ruler of all nations, and how should this impact my daily life and decisions?
- In what ways can I, as a believer, participate in the spiritual conquest of the nations, as hinted at in Psalms 2:9?
- How does the image of breaking pottery help me understand the fragile nature of human power compared to God's might, and what does this teach me about humility and trust in God?
- What role does faith and obedience play in being part of the kingdom that will not be shattered, as opposed to the nations that are compared to pottery?
Gill's Exposition on Psalms 2:9
Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron,.... Not his inheritance and possession among the Gentiles, the chosen ones given him by the Father; these he delights in, takes care of, protects, and
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Psalms 2:9
Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. Break them with a rod of iron.
Matthew Poole's Commentary on Psalms 2:9
Thou shalt break them, i.e. those people that will not quietly submit to thee, shall be crushed and destroyed by thee. With a rod of iron; with thy mighty power, which they shall never be able to resist.
Trapp's Commentary on Psalms 2:9
Psalms 2:9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’ s vessel.Ver. 9. Thou shalt break them, &c.] sc. Those that will not bend thou shalt thus break. Thou shalt roughly rule them (Ainsworth). Christ’ s gracious government of his obedient people, though not so fully expressed here, yet it is to be necessarily understood; and in the last words of the psalm it is plainly held forth, "Blessed are they that trust in him." Thou shalt dash them in pieces (or, scatter them abroad, being already broken) as a potter’ s vessel] i.e. Without any hope of repair and recovery. It is a fearful thing to fall into the punishing hands of the living God, Hebrews 10:31 He that will not be warned in hearing shall be crushed to pieces in feeling, said that martyr, Aut faciendum aut patiendum. God will be obeyed either actively or passively. Look to it.
Ellicott's Commentary on Psalms 2:9
(9) Thou shalt break.—The LXX. translated, “thou shalt pasture them,” understanding by the rod (Heb., shevet), as in Leviticus 27:32, a shepherd’s crook. (Comp. Ezekiel 20:37; Micah 7:14.) Elsewhere the rod is a sceptre (Psalms 125:3); in Proverbs 22:15 it is a rod of correction. The use to be made of it—to dash the nations in pieces, as one breaks a potter’s vessel—points to the latter of these significations here. “Then shalt thou bring full low With iron sceptre bruised, and them disperse Like to a potter’s vessel shivered so.” (Milton’s trans.) Psalms 2:10 begins the fourth section of the poem. Subject princes are warned to be wise in time, and, as a religious duty as well as a political necessity, to submit to Jehovah. Rejoice with trembling.—Literally, quake, referring to the motion of the body produced by strong emotion, and therefore used both of joy and terror. Our version follows the LXX.; most of the old versions paraphrase the word: Chaldean, “pray”; Syriac,” cleave to him”; Arabic, “praise him.” It is historically interesting to remember that the words of this verse—et nunc reges intelligite—formed the legend of the medal struck in England after the execution of Charles I.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on Psalms 2:9
Verse 9. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron] This may refer to the Jewish nation, whose final rejection of the Gospel was foreseen, and in whose place the Gentiles or heathen were brought into the Church of Christ. They were dispossessed of their land, their city was razed to its foundations, their temple was burnt with fire, and upwards of a million of themselves were slaughtered by the Romans! So heavily did the iron rod of God's judgments fall upon them for their obstinate unbelief.
Cambridge Bible on Psalms 2:9
9. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron] A figure for the severity of the chastisement that awaits rebels. Or perhaps, ‘an iron sceptre’ (Psalms 45:6), symbol of a stern and irresistible rule. But the word rendered break them, if read with different vowels, may mean rule (lit. shepherd) them. so the LXX (and after it Revelation 2:27; Revelation 12:5; Revelation 19:15), Syriac, and Jerome. In this case rod will mean a shepherd’s staff (Micah 7:14), and the phrase will be an oxymoron. a potter’s vessel] An emblem of easy, complete, irreparable destruction. The confederacy is shattered into fragments which cannot be reunited. Cp. Jeremiah 19:11; Isaiah 30:14; Proverbs 6:15.
Barnes' Notes on Psalms 2:9
Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron - That is, evidently, thine enemies, for it cannot be supposed to be meant that he would sway such a scepter over his own people. The idea is that he would crush and subdue all his foes.
Whedon's Commentary on Psalms 2:9
9. Rod of iron—The sceptre, which is the emblem of authority, shall be an iron rod, the symbol of severity, called “the rod of thy [Messiah’s] strength,” (Psalms 110:2,) which Jehovah would “send out
Sermons on Psalms 2:9
| Sermon | Description | |
|---|---|---|
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Be an Overcomer (Part 4) by Jim Cymbala | In this sermon, the pastor emphasizes the importance of continuous growth in the Christian faith. He highlights the tendency of some Christians to reach a certain point in their sp |
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The Sickness, Death and Resurrection of Lazarus 1 of 4 (Reading) by Robert Murray M'Cheyne | In this sermon, the preacher discusses the story of Jesus and his disciples on the Sea of Galilee. He emphasizes the importance of faith and how it is tested in times of trials. Th |
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Message From Pslam 2 by Rolfe Barnard | In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes that God's actions are sovereign and cannot be changed by human advice. He highlights the grand fact that God has set his king on the holy h |
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A Rod of Iron by David Wilkerson | David Wilkerson emphasizes the triumphant ascension of Christ, illustrating how He has defeated the powers of darkness and now rules with a 'rod of iron.' He explains that Satan an |
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Looking at God by A.W. Tozer | The preacher delves into the concept of 'lofty things' as described in the Bible, referring to proud obstacles or arrogant thoughts that exalt themselves against the knowledge of G |
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The Candlestick - Tyatira by Carter Conlon | In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of seeking God's approval in every aspect of our lives. He warns against false teachings and false promises of freedom, stati |
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Revelation 5 by F.J. Huegel | In this sermon, the preacher focuses on the book of Revelation and its mysteries. He starts by describing the book as written within and sealed with seven seals. He emphasizes that |