“They were Born There”

Abstract

The Psalter references other nations or people groups frequently and in richly diverse ways. This article seeks to understand the role and function of these references in ancient Israelite worship. It conducts this study by outlining the diverse roles the nations play in the Psalter, then utilizing rhetorical criticism, it examines their suasive role in the Psalm 2. It argues that the primary function of the nations in the Psalter, despite the various ways in which the nations are depicted, is to help shape Israel’s identity both between itself and yhwh and between itself and the nations.