The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord taunts them.
Parallel translations
- WEB He who sits in the heavens will laugh. The Lord will have them in derision.
- KJV He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the LORD shall have them in derision.
- NKJV He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision.
- NASB ¶He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them.
- NLT But the one who rules in heaven laughs. The Lord scoffs at them.
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
God in heaven responds to human rebellion not with alarm but with laughter and scorn. No plot against Him can ever succeed.
Overview
The scene shifts to the enthroned Lord, utterly unthreatened by the raging nations. His laughter is not cruelty but the certainty of His sovereign supremacy over all opposition. The same exalted Lord now reigns in Christ, before whom every knee will bow (Philippians 2:10-11).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Ps 37:13but the Lord laughs, seeing that their day is coming.
- Ps 59:8But You, O LORD, laugh at them; You scoff at all the nations.
- Prov 1:26in turn I will mock your calamity; I will sneer when terror strikes you,
- Isa 40:22He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth; its dwellers are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.
- Ps 11:4The LORD is in His holy temple; the LORD is on His heavenly throne. His eyes are watching closely; they examine the sons of men.
- Isa 57:15For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in a high and holy place, and with the oppressed and humble in spirit, to restore the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of the contrite.
- Ps 115:3Our God is in heaven; He does as He pleases.
- Ps 53:5There they are, overwhelmed with dread, where there was nothing to fear. For God has scattered the bones of those who besieged you. You put them to shame, for God has despised them.
- Ps 68:33to Him who rides upon the highest heavens of old; behold, His mighty voice resounds.
- Isa 66:1This is what the LORD says: “Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. What kind of house will you build for Me? Or where will My place of repose be?
- 2 Kgs 19:21This is the word that the LORD has spoken against him: ‘The Virgin Daughter of Zion despises you and mocks you; the Daughter of Jerusalem shakes her head behind you.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Commentaries & study tools
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Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 2:4 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 Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.