USB ~ Psalms 110

God Appoints the King both King and Priest

1 A psalm of David. The LORD says to my lord:† “Sit at my right hand, while I make your enemies your footstool.”† a

2 The scepter of your might: the LORD extends your strong scepter from Zion. Have dominion over your enemies!

3 Yours is princely power from the day of your birth. In holy splendor before the daystar, like dew I begot you. b

4 The LORD has sworn and will not waver: “You are a priest forever in the manner of Melchizedek.”† c

5 At your right hand is the Lord, who crushes kings on the day of his wrath, d

6 Who judges nations, heaps up corpses, crushes heads across the wide earth,

7 † Who drinks from the brook by the wayside and thus holds high his head. e * Psalm 110 A royal Psalm in which a court singer recites three oracles in which God assures the king that his enemies are conquered (Ps 110:1-2), makes the king “son” in traditional adoption language (Ps 110:3), gives priestly status to the king and promises to be with him in future military ventures (Ps 110:4-7).

Footnotes

†. 110:1 The LORD says to my lord: a polite form of address of an inferior to a superior, cf. 1 Sm 25:25; 2 Sm 1:10. The court singer refers to the king. Jesus in the synoptic gospels (Mt 22:41-46 and parallels) takes the psalmist to be David and hence “my lord” refers to the messiah, who must be someone greater than David. Your footstool: in ancient times victorious kings put their feet on the prostrate bodies of their enemies.

†. 110:4 Melchizedek: Melchizedek was the ancient king of Salem (Jerusalem) who blessed Abraham (Gn 14:18-20); like other kings of the time he performed priestly functions. Heb 7 sees in Melchizedek a type of Christ.

†. 110:7 Who drinks from the brook by the wayside: the meaning is uncertain. Some see an allusion to a rite of royal consecration at the Gihon spring (cf. 1 Kgs 1:33, 38). Others find here an image of the divine warrior (or king) pursuing enemies so relentlessly that he does not stop long enough to eat and drink.

110:1 Mt 22:44; Acts 2:34-35; 1 Cor 15:25; Heb 1:13; 8:1; 10:12-13; 1 Pt 3:22.
110:3 Ps 2:7; 89:27; Is 49:1.
110:4 Ps 89:35; 132:11; Gn 14:18; Heb 5:6; 7:21.
110:5 Ps 2:9; Rev 2:27; 12:5; 19:15.
110:7 Ps 3:4.