TRV
Translation
King James Version
Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
KJV (with Strong's)
Ask H7592 of me, and I shall give H5414 thee the heathen H1471 for thine inheritance H5159, and the uttermost parts H657 of the earth H776 for thy possession H272.
Complete Jewish Bible
Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance; the whole wide world will be your possession.
Berean Standard Bible
Ask Me, and I will make the nations Your inheritance, the ends of the earth Your possession.
American Standard Version
Ask of me, and I will givetheethe nations for thine inheritance, And the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
World English Bible Messianic
Ask of me, and I will give the nations for your inheritance, the uttermost parts of the earth for your possession.
Geneva Bible (1599)
Aske of me, and I shall giue thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the endes of the earth for thy possession.
Young's Literal Translation
Ask of Me and I give nations--thy inheritance, And thy possession--the ends of earth.
In the KJVVerse 13,954 of 31,102
Study This Verse
Commentary on Psalms 2 verses 7–9
7 ¶ I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
8 Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
We have heard what the kings of the earth have to say against Christ's kingdom, and have heard it gainsaid by him that sits in heaven; let us now hear what the Messiah himself has to say for his kingdom, to make good his claims, and it is what all the powers on earth cannot gainsay.
I. The kingdom of the Messiah is founded upon a decree, an eternal decree, of God the Father. It was not a sudden resolve, it was not the trial of an experiment, but the result of the counsels of the divine wisdom and the determinations of the divine will, before all worlds, neither of which can be altered - the precept or statute (so some read it), the covenant or compact (so others), the federal transactions between the Father and the Son concerning man's redemption, represented by the covenant of royalty made with David and his seed, Psa 89:3. This our Lord Jesus often referred to as that which, all along in his undertaking, he governed himself by; This is the will of him that sent me, Joh 6:40. This commandment have I received of my Father, Joh 10:18; Joh 14:31.
II. There is a declaration of that decree as far as is necessary for the satisfaction of all those who are called and commanded to yield themselves subjects to this king, and to leave those inexcusable who will not have him to reign over them. The decree was secret; it was what the Father said to the Son, when he possessed him in the beginning of his way, before his works of old; but it is declared by a faithful witness, who had lain in the bosom of the Father from eternity, and came into the world as the prophet of the church, to declare him, Joh 1:18. The fountain of all being is, without doubt, the fountain of all power; and it is by, from, and under him, that the Messiah claims. He has his right to rule from what Jehovah said to him, by whose word all things were made and are governed. Christ here makes a tow-fold title to his kingdom: - 1. A title by inheritance (Psa 2:7): Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. This scripture the apostle quotes (Heb 1:5) to prove that Christ has a more excellent name than the angels, but that he obtained it by inheritance, Psa 2:4. He is the Son of God, not by adoption, but his begotten Son, the only begotten of the Father, Joh 1:14. And the Father owns him, and will have this declared to the world as the reason why he is constituted King upon the holy hill of Zion; he is therefore unquestionably entitled to, and perfectly qualified for, that great trust. He is the Son of God, and therefore of the same nature with the Father, has in him all the fulness of the godhead, infinite wisdom, power, and holiness. The supreme government of the church is too high an honour and too hard an undertaking for any mere creature; none can be fit for it but he who is one with the Father and was from eternity by him as one brought up with him, thoroughly apprized of all his counsels, Pro 8:30. He is the Son of God, and therefore dear to him, his beloved Son, in whom he is well pleased; and upon this account we are to receive him as a King; for because the Father loveth the Son he hath given all things into his hand, Joh 3:35; Joh 5:20. Being a Son, he is heir of all things, and, the Father having made the worlds by him, it is easy to infer thence that by him also he governs them; for he is the eternal Wisdom and the eternal Word. If God hath said unto him, "Thou art my Son," it becomes each of us to say to him, "Thou art my Lord, my sovereign." Further, to satisfy us that his kingdom is well-grounded upon his sonship, we are here told what his sonship is grounded on: This day have I begotten thee, which refers both to his eternal generation itself, for it is quoted (Heb 1:5) to prove that he is the brightness of his Father's glory and the express image of his person (Psa 2:3), and to the evidence and demonstration given of it by his resurrection from the dead, for to that also it is expressly applied by the apostle, Act 13:33. He hath raised up Jesus again, as it is written, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. It was by the resurrection from the dead, that sign of the prophet Jonas, which was to be the most convincing of all, that he was declared to be the Son of God with power, Rom 1:4. Christ is said to be the first-begotten and first-born from the dead, Rev 1:5; Col 1:18. Immediately after his resurrection he entered upon the administration of his mediatorial kingdom; it was then that he said, All power is given unto me, and to that especially he had an eye when he taught his disciples to pray, Thy kingdom come. 2. A title by agreement, Psa 2:8, Psa 2:9. The agreement is, in short, this: the Son must undertake the office of an intercessor, and, upon that condition, he shall have the honour and power of a universal monarch; see Isa 53:12, Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, because he made intercession for the transgressors. He shall be a priest upon his throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both, Zac 6:13. (1.) The Son must ask. This supposes his putting himself voluntarily into a state of inferiority to the Father, by taking upon him the human nature; for, as God, he was equal in power and glory with the Father and had nothing to ask. It supposes the making of a satisfaction by the virtue of which the intercession must be made, and the paying of a price, on which this large demand was to be grounded; see Joh 17:4, Joh 17:5. The Son, in asking the heathen for his inheritance, aims, not only at his own honour, but at their happiness in him; so that he intercedes for them, ever lives to do so, and is therefore able to save to the uttermost. (2.) The Father will grant more than to the half of the kingdom, even to the kingdom itself. It is here promised him, [1.] That his government shall be universal: he shall have the heathen for his inheritance, not the Jews only, to whose nation the church had been long confined, but the Gentiles also. Those in the uttermost parts of the earth (as this nation of ours) shall be his possession, and he shall have multitudes of willing loyal subjects among them. Baptized Christians are the possession of the Lord Jesus; they are to him for a name and a praise. God the Father gives them to him when by his Spirit and grave he works upon them to submit their necks to the yoke of the Lord Jesus. This is in part fulfilled; a great part of the Gentile world received the gospel when it was first preached, and Christ's throne was set up there where Satan's seat had long been. But it is to be yet further accomplished when the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of the Lord and of his Christ, Rev 11:15. Who shall live when God doeth this? [2.] That it shall be victorious: Thou shalt break them (those of them that oppose thy kingdom) with a rod of iron, Psa 2:9. This was in part fulfilled when the nation of the Jews, those that persisted in unbelief and enmity to Christ's gospel, were destroyed by the Roman power, which was represented (Dan 2:40) by feet of iron, as here by a rod of iron. It had a further accomplishment in the destruction of the Pagan powers, when the Christian religion came to be established; but it will not be completely fulfilled till all opposing rule, principality, and power, shall be finally put down, Co1 15:24; Psa 110:5, Psa 110:6. Observe, How powerful Christ is and how weak the enemies of his kingdom are before him; he has a rod of iron wherewith to crush those that will not submit to his golden sceptre; they are but like a potter's vessel before him, suddenly, easily, and irreparably dashed in pieces by him; see Rev 2:27. "Thou shalt do it, that is, thou shalt have leave to do it." Nations shall be ruined, rather than the gospel church shall not be built and established. I have loved thee, therefore will I give men for thee, Isa 43:4. "Thou shalt have power to do it; none shall be able to stand before thee; and thou shalt do it effectually." Those that will not bow shall break.
In singing this, and praying it over, we must give glory to Christ as the eternal Son of God and our rightful Lord, and must take comfort from this promise, and plead it with God, that the kingdom of Christ shall be enlarged and established and shall triumph over all opposition.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 7–9. Public domain.
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Origen of AlexandriaAD 253
COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 13:5
It may perhaps be a dogma of some kind that no one receives a divine gift who does not request it. The Father, indeed, through the psalm, urges the Savior to ask that it may be given to him, as the Son teaches us when he says, “The Lord said to me, You are my son; ask from me, and I will give you the Gentiles as your inheritance and the ends of the earth as your possession.” And the Savior says, “Ask and it will be given to you … for everyone who asks receives.”
Didymus the BlindAD 398
FRAGMENTS ON THE PSALMS 2:8
The words, therefore, “Ask of me, and I will give to you,” are spoken for our sake, not for the Son’s. They indicate that something is given not to the Son but to the peoples who belong to him.
Augustine of HippoAD 430
Exposition on Psalm 2
"Ask of Me, and I shall give You the nations for Your inheritance" [Psalm 2:8]. This has at once a temporal sense with reference to the Manhood which He took on Himself, who offered up Himself as a Sacrifice in the stead of all sacrifices, who also makes intercession for us; so that the words, "ask of Me," may be referred to all this temporal dispensation, which has been instituted for mankind, namely, that the "nations" should be joined to the Name of Christ, and so be redeemed from death, and possessed by God. "I shall give You the nations for Your inheritance," which so possess them for their salvation, and to bear unto You spiritual fruit. "And the uttermost parts of the earth for Your possession." The same repeated, "The uttermost parts of the earth," is put for "the nations;" but more clearly, that we might understand all the nations. And "Your possession" stands for "Your inheritance."
Theodoret of CyrusAD 458
COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 2:9-10
Now it is possible to discover an appropriate fulfillment for this prophecy, too: the number of the Jews who came to faith was not only the 12 apostles but was as well the 70 disciples, the 120 whom blessed Peter addressed in assembly, the 500 to whom he appeared on one occasion after the resurrection according to the statement of the divinely inspired Paul, the 3, and the 5, that the chief of the apostles made his catch through addressing them and the many myriads of whom the mighty James exclaimed, “You see, brother, what countless numbers of Jewish believers there are.” These, to be sure, and in addition to them those of the Jews throughout the whole world who have come to faith he declares a holy people, and through them he takes possession of all the nations, thus fulfilling the prophecy in the words “Rejoice, nations, with his people.” In addition to this, however, he fulfills also his own prophecy, which he made in regard to the Jews in the words, “Now, I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. Those, too, I must gather; they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd.” This, too, he says in the present psalm. But it occurs to me to lament the faithlessness of the [unbelieving] Jews, who though hearing the prophecy that made specific mention of the ends of the earth, and realizing that none of their kings had had such sway, but only Christ the Lord, David’s offspring in the flesh, blind the eyes of their mind according to the prophecy that says, “They grope about, as blind people do for the wall, and not as they will do who have the benefit of eyesight.”
Leo the GreatAD 461
SERMON 29:3
Therefore, let us rejoice in the day of our salvation, dearly beloved. We have been taken up through the new covenant into participation with him who was told by the Father through a prophet, “You are my Son; this day I have begotten you. Ask it of me, and I will give you the of the earth for your possession.” Let us glory, therefore, in the mercy of the one adopting us.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Psalms 2:8 unveils a majestic divine decree from God the Father to His Anointed King, the Messiah. Following the proclamation of the Son's unique divine Sonship and enthronement, this verse extends an unparalleled invitation: the Father promises to grant the Son universal dominion, bestowing upon Him the nations of the world as His rightful inheritance and the farthest reaches of the earth as His secure and permanent possession. It powerfully underscores the Father's absolute sovereignty in establishing the Son's global kingdom, a reign that is both spiritual in its present reality and ultimately physical in its future consummation, extending its benevolent authority over all peoples and territories.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Psalms 2:8 is rich in literary artistry that enhances its profound theological message. Parallelism is a dominant feature, particularly synonymous parallelism, where the phrase "the heathen for thine inheritance" is powerfully mirrored and reinforced by "the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession." This repetition emphasizes the comprehensive and boundless nature of the promised dominion, ensuring the reader fully grasps the global scope of the Messiah's reign. The terms "inheritance" and "possession" function as powerful metaphors for sovereign rule and ownership. While typically referring to land or property, here they are applied to peoples and vast territories, elevating the King's claim to a divine, universal proprietorship that is both legal and inherent. The entire verse, in the context of the psalm, also operates as a divine decree or proclamation, underscoring God's absolute sovereignty and the certainty of His plan for His Anointed King. The direct address from Father to Son gives it the weight of an unalterable, authoritative, and eternally binding declaration.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Psalms 2:8 stands as a pivotal declaration of God's ultimate sovereignty and His redemptive plan for humanity through His Son. It connects directly to the broader biblical narrative of God's universal reign, establishing that the Messiah's kingdom is not merely a regional power but a global, all-encompassing dominion. This promise resonates profoundly with God's covenant promises to Abraham, that through his offspring, "all the families of the earth shall be blessed" (Genesis 12:3), and to David, promising an eternal throne and kingdom (2 Samuel 7:12-16). The verse asserts that the nations, which often stood in opposition to God's people, are destined to become the Messiah's rightful heritage, transforming them from adversaries into subjects of His benevolent and righteous rule. This theological truth provides the foundational assurance for understanding the global mission of the church and the ultimate triumph of Christ's kingdom over all earthly powers and spiritual opposition.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Psalms 2:8 offers immense hope, profound security, and vital implications for believers today. It assures us with unwavering certainty that our Lord Jesus Christ holds ultimate, unchallenged authority over all nations and the entire earth. In a world often marked by profound chaos, political instability, and spiritual darkness, this verse reminds us that God's sovereign plan is unfolding precisely as decreed, and His Anointed King will ultimately prevail over every opposing force. This truth should instill in us a profound confidence in God's unshakeable sovereignty, knowing that no earthly power, spiritual opposition, or human rebellion can thwart His divine decree. It empowers us to live courageously, to stand firm in our faith, and to pursue righteousness, knowing that we serve the King who owns all things and whose victory is assured. Furthermore, this promise of universal dominion directly fuels the Great Commission, urging us to participate actively and passionately in spreading the Gospel to "the uttermost parts of the earth," because these nations are destined to be His inheritance. Our mission is not merely to save individuals but to see entire peoples and cultures brought under the loving, transforming reign of Christ, anticipating the glorious day when every knee will bow and every tongue confess His Lordship.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Is this verse primarily about King David or a future Messiah?
Answer: While Psalms 2 has elements that could be loosely applied to a reigning Davidic king, the language of universal dominion ("the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession") far exceeds the historical reach of any Israelite monarch. The New Testament writers consistently apply Psalm 2, particularly the declaration of Sonship in Psalms 2:7, directly and unequivocally to Jesus Christ. For example, Acts 13:33 and Hebrews 1:5 explicitly refer to Jesus as the fulfillment of the "You are my Son; today I have begotten you" prophecy. Therefore, the subsequent promise in verse 8 of universal dominion is also understood to be fully and ultimately fulfilled in Christ, who alone has been given "all authority in heaven and on earth" (Matthew 28:18).
How does the phrase "Ask of me" relate to Christ's divine nature and sovereignty?
Answer: The phrase "Ask of me" does not imply that the Son is inferior or lacking in power, or that He must beg for something uncertain. Instead, it profoundly highlights the unique, intimate relationship within the Trinity and the pre-ordained divine plan. The Father, as the ultimate sovereign and source of all authority, invites the Son to formally receive and appropriate what has already been decreed and established in eternal divine counsel. It signifies the Son's willing and active participation in the Father's plan and His rightful appropriation of the universal dominion that is His by divine right as the begotten Son. It is an invitation to claim His inheritance, not a plea for it. This interaction underscores the perfect unity of purpose, will, and authority between the Father and the Son, even as the Father grants the Son this unparalleled, cosmic authority.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Psalms 2:8 finds its ultimate, glorious, and complete fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ, the true Messiah and eternal Son of God. His incarnation, perfectly obedient life, atoning death on the cross, and triumphant resurrection from the dead established His indisputable claim to universal dominion. When the resurrected Jesus declared, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me" (Matthew 28:18), He was directly echoing and claiming the very promise of Psalms 2:8. His ascension to the right hand of the Father (Ephesians 1:20-23) signifies His enthronement as the King over all creation, with all things having been put under His feet. The "heathen" (nations) are indeed becoming His inheritance as the Gospel is powerfully proclaimed to "the uttermost parts of the earth" through the Great Commission (Acts 1:8), drawing people from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation into His kingdom. While His spiritual reign is presently active through the church and the spread of the Gospel, the full and physical realization of His possession of the "uttermost parts of the earth" awaits His glorious second coming, when He will return to establish His righteous and visible rule over all nations, fulfilling every detail of this magnificent prophecy (Revelation 19:11-16).