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 3:1

Psalm 3 ⁵ 

A psalm of David, written when he fled from his son Absalom. ⁶ 

3:1 Lord, how ⁷  numerous are my enemies!

Many attack me. ⁸ 

Luke 23:18-23

23:18 But they all shouted out together, ⁹  “Take this man ¹⁰  away! Release Barabbas for us!” 23:19 (This ¹¹  was a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection ¹²  started in the city, and for murder.) ¹³  23:20 Pilate addressed them once again because he wanted ¹⁴  to release Jesus. 23:21 But they kept on shouting, ¹⁵  “Crucify, crucify ¹⁶  him!” 23:22 A third time he said to them, “Why? What wrong has he done? I have found him guilty ¹⁷  of no crime deserving death. ¹⁸  I will therefore flog ¹⁹  him and release him.” 23:23 But they were insistent, ²⁰  demanding with loud shouts that he be crucified. And their shouts prevailed.

[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).

[3:1]  ⁵ sn Psalm 3. The psalmist acknowledges that he is confronted by many enemies (vv. 1-2). But, alluding to a divine oracle he has received (vv. 4-5), he affirms his confidence in God’s ability to protect him (vv. 3, 6) and requests that God make his promise a reality (vv. 7-8).

[3:1]  ⁶ sn According to Jewish tradition, David offered this prayer when he was forced to flee from Jerusalem during his son Absalom’s attempted coup (see 2 Sam 15:13-17).

[3:1]  ⁷ tn The Hebrew term מָה (mah, “how”) is used here as an adverbial exclamation (see BDB 553 s.v.).

[3:1]  ⁸ tn Heb “many rise up against me.”

[23:18]  ⁹ tn Grk “together, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant and has not been translated here.

[23:18]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “this one.” The reference to Jesus as “this man” is pejorative in this context.

[23:19]  ¹¹ tn Grk “who” (a continuation of the previous sentence).

[23:19]  ¹² sn Ironically, what Jesus was alleged to have done, started an insurrection, this man really did.

[23:19]  ¹³ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[23:20]  ¹⁴ sn The account pictures a battle of wills – the people versus Pilate. Pilate is consistently portrayed in Luke’s account as wanting to release Jesus because he believed him to be innocent.

[23:21]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “shouting, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant and has not been translated here.

[23:21]  ¹⁶ tn This double present imperative is emphatic.

[23:22]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “no cause of death I found in him.”

[23:22]  ¹⁸ sn The refrain of innocence comes once again. Pilate tried to bring some sense of justice, believing Jesus had committed no crime deserving death.

[23:22]  ¹⁹ tn Or “scourge” (BDAG 749 s.v. παιδεύω 2.b.γ). See the note on “flogged” in v. 16.

[23:23]  ²⁰ tn Though a different Greek term is used here (BDAG 373 s.v. ἐπίκειμαι), this remark is like 23:5.