Psalms 2:2

2:2 The kings of the earth ¹  form a united front; ² 

the rulers collaborate ³ 

against the Lord and his anointed king. ⁴ 

Psalms 83:3-4

83:3 They carefully plot ⁵  against your people,

and make plans to harm ⁶  the ones you cherish. ⁷ 

83:4 They say, “Come on, let’s annihilate them so they are no longer a nation! ⁸ 

Then the name of Israel will be remembered no more.”

Nahum 1:11

1:11 From you, O Nineveh, ⁹  one has marched forth who plots evil against the Lord,

a wicked military strategist. ¹⁰ 

Zechariah 1:15

1:15 But I am greatly displeased with the nations that take my grace for granted. ¹¹  I was a little displeased with them, but they have only made things worse for themselves.

[2:2]  ¹ sn The expression kings of the earth refers somewhat hyperbolically to the kings who had been conquered by and were subject to the Davidic king.

[2:2]  ² tn Or “take their stand.” The Hebrew imperfect verbal form describes their action as underway.

[2:2]  ³ tn Or “conspire together.” The verbal form is a Niphal from יָסַד (yasad). BDB 413-14 s.v. יָסַד defines the verb as “establish, found,” but HALOT 417 s.v. II יסד proposes a homonym meaning “get together, conspire” (an alternate form of סוּד, sud).

[2:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “and against his anointed one.” The Davidic king is the referent (see vv. 6-7).

[83:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “they make crafty a plot.”

[83:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “and consult together against.”

[83:3]  ⁷ tn The passive participle of the Hebrew verb צָפַן (tsafan, “to hide”) is used here in the sense of “treasured; cherished.”

[83:4]  ⁸ tn Heb “we will cause them to disappear from [being] a nation.”

[1:11]  ⁹ tn The words “O Nineveh” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity. The preceding pronoun is feminine singular, indicating the personified city is in view. See 2:1 (2:2 HT).

[1:11]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “a counselor of wickedness”; NASB “a wicked counselor”; NAB “the scoundrel planner.”

[1:15]  ¹¹ tn Or “the nations that are at ease” (so ASV, NRSV). The Hebrew word in question is שַׁאֲנָן (sha’anan) which has the idea of a careless, even arrogant attitude (see BDB 983 s.v. שַׁאֲנָן); cf. NAB “the complacent nations.” Here it suggests that the nations take for granted that God will never punish them just because he hasn't already done so. Thus they presume on the grace and patience of the Lord. The translation attempts to bring out this nuance rather than the more neutral renderings of TEV “nations that enjoy quiet and peace” or NLT “enjoy peace and security.”