The kings of the earth took their stand, And the rulers were gathered together Against the Lord and against His Christ.’
Parallel translations
- WEB The kings of the earth take a stand, and the rulers take council together, against the Lord, and against his Christ.’
- KJV The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.
- BSB The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against His Anointed One.’
- NASB ‘The kings of the earth took their stand, And the rulers were gathered together Against the Lord and against His Christ.’
- NLT The kings of the earth prepared for battle; the rulers gathered together against the Lord and against his Messiah.’
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The psalm describes earthly kings and rulers uniting against the Lord and his Christ. The believers apply this directly to the opposition Jesus faced.
Overview
Continuing Psalm 2, the quotation depicts the world's powers arrayed against God's Anointed. The early church sees this fulfilled in the alliance against Jesus, soon to be named explicitly. The verse affirms Jesus as the Lord's Christ, the very Messiah the psalm foretold. It reassures believers that organized human hostility to Christ, however formidable, ultimately serves God's sovereign design.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Ps 2:2The kings of the earth take a stand, and the rulers take counsel together, against Yahweh, and against his Anointed, saying,
- Rev 17:12–14The ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority as kings, with the beast, for one hour.
- Dan 9:24Seventy weeks are decreed on your people and on your holy city, to finish disobedience, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy.
- Ps 83:2–8For, behold, your enemies are stirred up. Those who hate you have lifted up their heads.
- Acts 10:38even Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
- Heb 1:9You have loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows.”
- Rev 17:17For God has put in their hearts to do what he has in mind, and to be of one mind, and to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God should be accomplished.
- Joel 3:9–14Proclaim this among the nations: “Prepare for war! Stir up the mighty men. Let all the warriors draw near. Let them come up.
- Luke 4:18“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the broken hearted, to proclaim release to the captives, recovering of sight to the blind, to deliver those who are crushed,
- Rev 12:10I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, the power, and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ has come; for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them before our God day and night.
- Rev 11:15The seventh angel sounded, and great voices in heaven followed, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the Kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ. He will reign forever and ever!”
- Rev 19:16–21He has on his garment and on his thigh a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Acts is the risen Christ continuing his work by the Spirit through the church, as the apostles preach that there is salvation in no other name under heaven.
How Acts 4:26 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.