King James Version

Psalms 2:1

Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?

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Hebrew

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לָ֭מָּהlamahto howמָהpreposition, particle, interrogative — “to how”H4100properly, interrogative what? (including how? why? when?); but also exclamation, what! (including how!), or indefinitely what (including whatever, and even relatively, that which); often used with prefixes in various adverbial or conjunctive senseshow (long, oft, (-soever)), (no-) thing, what (end, good, purpose, thing), whereby(-fore, -in, -to, -with), (for) why.רָגְשׁ֣וּrageshvrageרָגַשׁverb, qal, perfect, 3rd person, common, plural — “rage”, a completed actionH7283to be tumultuousrage.גוֹיִ֑םgoyimGentileגּוֹיnoun, common, masculine, plural, absolute — “Gentile”, the ordinary formH1471a foreign nation; hence, a Gentile; also (figuratively) a troop of animals, or a flight of locustsGentile, heathen, nation, people.וּ֝לְאֻמִּ֗יםuleumimand nationלְאֹםconjunction, noun, common, masculine, plural, absolute — “and nation”, the ordinary formH3816a communitynation, people.יֶהְגּוּyehgvimagineהָגָהverb, qal, imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, plural — “imagine”, an unfinished actionH1897to murmur (in pleasure or anger); by implication, to ponderimagine, meditate, mourn, mutter, roar, [idiom] sore, speak, study, talk, utter.רִֽיקriqvainרִיקnoun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “vain”, the ordinary formH7385emptiness; figuratively, a worthless thing; adverbially, in vainempty, to no purpose, (in) vain (thing), vanity.

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

Why are the nations in an uproar? And why do the peoples mutter in vain?

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

Why do the nations rage, And the peoples meditate a vain thing?

Young’s Literal Translation

Why have nations tumultuously assembled? And do peoples meditate vanity?

World English Bible

Why do the nations rage, and the peoples plot a vain thing?

Darby Translation

Why are the nations in tumultuous agitation, and [why] do the peoples meditate a vain thing?

Douay-Rheims

Why have the Gentiles raged, and the people devised vain things?

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

Why are the nations in an uproar? And why do the peoples mutter in vain?

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

Wherefore did the heathen rage, and the nations imagine vain things?

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Ἱνατί ἐφρύαξαν ἔθνη, καὶ λαοὶ ἐμελέτησαν κενά;

Quoted in

Acts 4:25 Acts 4:25 · King James VersionWho by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?Acts 4:25 · King James VersionOpen the Source
by the mouth of thy servant David
Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?

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The King James Version (1769) is in the public domain in the United States.