This episode addresses the common Jewish interpretation of Psalm 2, in which "son" refers to Israel, not the unique Son of God. Jews commonly appeal to other passages in Scripture that identify Israel as God's "son," like Exodus 4:22, "Israel is My son, My firstborn." Coupled with 2 Samuel 7:14, where every new Jewish king becomes a "son," Jewish interpreters have some Scriptural basis to pose that "the son" of Psalm 2 refers to Israel or the personification of Israel in a new monarch. The qualifying comments of psalm 2 shatter this interpretation. The new king is God's Messiah, his "anointed one," (v.2) and his inheritance are the all the nations, "the very ends of the earth," a ridiculous claim, even at the height of Israel's power under Solomon. The Messiah of Psalm 2 must refer to a unique Son, for His installation as king in Zion will result in worldwide "shattering" of the nations (v.9) Jesus would later correct Pharisees' interpretations that made the Messiah a mere son of David, According to Psalm 110:1, the Messiah, a distant biological son of David, was also the Lord of David, "the Lord says to my Lord, sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet." Christ dismissed the Pharisees' claim that the primary identity of the Messiah was that of a son, "If David then calls Him 'Lord", how is He his son." (Matthew 22:45) The best explanation of THE SON in Psalm 2 and Psalm 110 is that it refers to the unique Son of God, the Messiah King Who is now seated at God the Father's right hand, waiting till till all His enemies are subdued.
