Psalm 2:4
ESV
He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.
NIV
The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.
NASB
He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them.
CSB
The one enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord ridicules them.
NLT
But the one who rules in heaven laughs. The Lord scoffs at them.
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.
What does Psalm 2:4 mean?
Those who resist God's rule, His will, and His truth do so in rage, frenzy, plotting, and scheming (Psalm 2:1–3). Scripture reveals the sovereign Lord's response to the unbelieving world's desire to overthrow Him. "The nations" (Psalm 2:1) and "the kings…and the rulers" (Psalm 2:2) think of themselves as the ultimate authority. They plan together to rebel against God's will and His Word.Even so, God "sits" in the heavens, a reference to His throne (Isaiah 6:1), from which He rules heaven and earth. From that lofty, secure vantage point, He sees the frantic, rebellious nations, and He laughs. The nations' plot is ridiculous—it is laughable. God is not intimidated by tantrums from human beings. All the power of all the nations is no match for God. Isaiah 40:15 declares: "Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales; behold, he takes up the coastlands like fine dust." And Isaiah 40:17 says, "All the nations are as nothing before him, they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness."
When proud mankind wanted to make a name for themselves by building a tower at Babel that reached high into the sky, Scripture says God came down to see it (Genesis 11:5). He then divided their common language into many languages and scattered the builders far from the construction site (Genesis 11:1–9). Similarly, according to the following verse, God will terrify the rebellious nations.
