Psalm 2:7Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The Savior's Humiliation reflects the moment when He took on human form, yet in essence, He remained the Sovereign of all creation. This is affirmed by John’s declaration that He came to His own (Jn 1:11), referring to the world that is rightfully His. Called into His kingdom, which rightfully belongs to Him, He proclaimed, ‘I am made King by Him,’ meaning by God the Father. He accomplished this by becoming the Son in His humanity, although He was already the Son by His divine nature. He provided a pathway for human nature to share in the gift of sonship, drawing to Himself those burdened by the bondage of sin.

Eternal Birth In the realm of eternity, there is no past that feels concluded, nor a future that appears non-existent; only the present prevails, for what exists eternally is perpetually present. The Son embraces divinity in line with the declaration: I have begotten thee now, which the truest and universally accepted faith reveals as the eternal generation of God's Power and Wisdom, embodied in His only-begotten Son.

Born of the eternal Father, born from eternity, born within eternity, He exists without beginning or end and is not confined to any physical space, for He is Who He is, the essence of being itself.

The Lord declared to me, "You are my Son," which affirms that the nature of the Father demonstrates my identity as the Son. This is not a mere directive; rather, it is the very essence that reveals I embody the image of the Father's hypostasis (Heb. 1:3). The addition of "you" is significant as it indicates the timeless birth; the Son has eternally existed. However, the phrase "Today have I begotten Thee" points to the incarnation, as the term "today" denotes a moment in time, signifying a temporal birth. Thus, the subsequent words refer to the earthly birth: "I will give birth to You." Observe how the Father attributes to Himself the earthly birth of His only begotten Son.

When the apostles addressed the Jews, they proclaimed that Jesus was the Messiah foretold by the prophets. Initially, they did not assert His identity as the Son of God, instead referring to Him as the Witness, the Just One, and the One raised from the dead, as recorded in Acts 2:32-36; 3:15; 14; and 13:23-30. The prophets declared: You are My Son; today I have begotten You. Likewise, confirm through the authority of Scripture that which may seem incredible; demonstrate that His arrival was prophesied, and that His resurrection was foretold long before, not in reference to the general resurrection, thereby affirming that the assertion of His bodily resurrection serves as proof of His everlasting divinity.

He who declares the mandate of the Lord reigns not merely over Mount Zion but encompasses both the seen and unseen realms and all of creation. On Mount Zion and in Judea, He imparted His sacred teachings to those who approached Him. Those who embraced these teachings, adhering to His divine precepts, disseminated them throughout the cosmos. For it is proclaimed: “Come, teach all nations” (Matthew 28:19). The statement “I am made King by Him” reflects His humanity; for as God, He possesses the kingdom by His very nature, while as man, He is anointed for kingship. That He wields an eternal power as God is affirmed by the same Prophet, who states, “Thy throne, O God, is the throne of the ages, the scepter of righteousness, the scepter of Thy kingdom” (Psalm 44:7).

Let us cast aside any earthly thoughts. The Divine Nature is free from passion, dear friends. The Father, who transcends emotion, eternally generates the same Son in His divine essence, and similarly, He unalterably begets the same Son for the purpose of humanity's salvation, as the Mother of God asserts when she declares, ‘The Lord said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.’ The term ‘this day’ cannot pertain to the pre-eternal birth, as that exists beyond the confines of time.

He refers to the commandments collectively as ‘the commandment’ of the Lord, indicating the harmony of His will with that of the Father. “I cannot do anything of Myself,” He proclaimed while conveying the message of the Gospel on earth; “as I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous; for I seek not My will, but the will of the Father who sent Me. I do not speak on My own authority; rather, the Father who sent Me has given Me a commandment regarding what I should speak and how I should say it. I and the Father are one” (John 5:30, John 12:49, John 10:30). These statements are interpreted as the timeless generation of God - the Son from God - the Father, as well as the divine blueprint for His incarnation in our time.

The phrase I have now begotten you signifies that I intended for Him, who has eternal existence in heaven, to also enter the earthly realm. This indicates that He, who existed before all creation, should be made known to us. Indeed, for those who have yet to recognize the diverse wisdom of God, Christ remains unborn—that is, He remains unknown and unrevealed. However, for those who do perceive the wondrous grace of God, upon their turning and believing, Christ is born in them through knowledge and insight.

The Eternal Birth, "I have begotten thee," highlights the divine generation referenced by Isaiah, who asks, "His generation, who shall explain it?" (Is 53:8). He is the Light from Light, the Sovereign from the Sovereign, the genuine God from the genuine God; all things exist through Him, in Him, and for Him.

God extended His love to the new humanity and made known His intention to descend to them, taking on human form and offering Himself as a sacrifice to atone for the sin of Adam through His suffering. Prophecies concerning God's incarnation emerged, predating David: ‘The Lord said to me, “You are my son; today I have begotten you.”’

Announcing. In Hebrew, it translates to I will proclaim. A new speaker emerges here, the King referred to by the heavenly Father. Such shifts in speakers are common in poetic compositions. The significance of the term (safar) can be understood by examining the comparisons in various scripture passages: Ps. 47:13; Judg. 7:13; Gen. 40:8; Gen. 41:12; 2 Sam. 8:4-5; Ex. 18:8; Ps. 9:2, 15; Ps. 21:23; Ps. 43:2; Ps. 72:28; Ps. 25:7; Ps. 65:16; Ps. 74:2; Ps. 77:3-4; Ps. 95:3; Ps. 101:22; Ps. 117:17; Ps. 144:6; Ex. 9:16; 1 Chron. 16:24.

Upon this foundation is granted to Me all authority in heaven and on earth, for I am the true and eternal Son of God, begotten of the Father before the world was established. It follows that the prophet speaks of the preordained birth of the Son of God from the Father, a point to which the Apostle Paul also attests in his epistle to the Hebrews, stating, “How much better He was than the angels, how much more glorious is His name than theirs. To whom do the angels say, ‘My son you are, today I have begotten you’” (Hebrews 1:4, 5). This scriptural passage cannot be interpreted as referring to the Son of God being born in the flesh or a temporary birth. For in a temporal birth, the angels are likewise considered sons of God, as is clear from Job 1, 2, and 3.

This day signifies the eternal generation of the Son of God from the Father, an event timeless in nature, as there exists no distinction of yesterday or today within the Divine Essence, only the endless reality of eternity that has no beginning or end. It is also the occasion when Christ manifested in human form at the Jordan and on Tabor, during which the Father declared, ‘This is My beloved Son’ (Matt. 3:17; 17:5).