Psalm 2 is a royal psalm about the Lord’s Anointed: “Why have the Gentiles raged… against the Lord and against his Christ?” God answers the rebellion of the nations by enthroning his King, and the King declares: “The Lord hath said to me: Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee.” The Church sings this verse at Midnight Mass on Christmas. Below is the full Catholic text, what the psalm means, how the Church uses it, and a prayer.
Psalm 2 in the Douay-Rheims Bible
Why have the Gentiles raged, and the people devised vain things?
The kings of the earth stood up, and the princes met together, against the Lord and against his Christ.
Let us break their bonds asunder: and let us cast away their yoke from us.
He that dwelleth in heaven shall laugh at them: and the Lord shall deride them.
Then shall he speak to them in his anger, and trouble them in his rage.
But I am appointed king by him over Sion his holy mountain, preaching his commandment.
The Lord hath said to me: Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee.
Ask of me, and I will give thee the Gentiles for thy inheritance, and the utmost parts of the earth for thy possession.
Thou shalt rule them with a rod of iron, and shalt break them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.
And now, O ye kings, understand: receive instruction, you that judge the earth.
Serve ye the Lord with fear: and rejoice unto him with trembling.
Embrace discipline, lest at any time the Lord be angry, and you perish from the just way.
When his wrath shall be kindled in a short time, blessed are all they that trust in him.
Psalm 2: the same number in every Bible
Psalm 2 has the same number in the Douay-Rheims and in modern Bibles: the Greek and Latin numbering used by the Douay only differs from the Hebrew numbering between Psalms 10 and 147. In Latin the psalm begins Quare fremuerunt gentes. See how many psalms are there?
“Thou art my son” in the New Testament
The Apostles preached this psalm as a prophecy of Christ. When they were persecuted, they prayed its first verses (Acts 4:25–27), and the Letter to the Hebrews uses its central verse to show that the Son is greater than the angels:
For to which of the angels hath he said at any time, Thou art my Son, today have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?
St. Paul applied the same verse to the Resurrection (Acts 13:33), and the Father’s voice at Jesus’ baptism and Transfiguration echoes it: “This is my beloved Son.”
What the psalm means
- The nations rebel: kings and rulers plot “against the Lord and against his Christ,” the Anointed One.
- God laughs: human pride cannot overthrow God’s plan.
- The King on Sion: God sets his King on his holy mountain.
- The divine Son: “Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee,” fulfilled in Jesus, eternally begotten of the Father and born in time at Bethlehem.
- An invitation: “Serve ye the Lord with fear… blessed are all they that trust in him.”
How the Church uses Psalm 2
- At Midnight Mass on Christmas, verse 7 is the entrance antiphon: “The Lord hath said to me: Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee.” See Christmas Mass.
- In the Liturgy of the Hours, at the Office of Readings on Sunday of Week I, with Psalms 1 and 3.
- In Holy Week, when the powers of the world “met together” against Christ.
A prayer with Psalm 2
Written for this page:
Lord God, the nations rage, but you have set your King on Sion.
Jesus, eternal Son of the Father, born for us at Bethlehem,
I accept your gentle rule over my life.
Blessed are all who take refuge in you. Amen.
Frequently asked questions
Why is Psalm 2 read at Christmas?
Its verse “Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee” is the entrance antiphon of Midnight Mass, celebrating the Son of God born in time.
Is Psalm 2 a messianic psalm?
Yes. The New Testament applies it to Jesus several times (Acts 4:25–27; 13:33; Hebrews 1:5).
More psalms and prayers
Texts and sources
- Scripture: Psalm 2; Hebrews 1:5, Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
- The prayer was written for this page.