Sit at My Right Hand
Psalm 110 summary: what it means
Psalm 110 is built around two sayings of the LORD. The first, in verse 1, is spoken to someone the writer calls my Lord: sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool. The next verses describe this ruler's strength going out from Zion and his people offering themselves willingly. The second saying, in verse 4, is an oath: you are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.
Verses 5 and 6 describe the Lord at the ruler's right hand crushing kings, judging nations and crushing the ruler of the whole earth. The psalm ends with a quieter picture: he drinks from the brook on the way and lifts up his head. The New Testament quotes verse 1 several times, including in a question Jesus asks in Matthew 22.
Psalm 110: Sit at My Right Hand
World English Bible, public domain. allpsalms.com/psalm-110
Psalm 110 commentary: explained verse by verse
The LORD says to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand,until I make your enemies your footstool for your feet.”
The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
The LORD speaks to someone the writer calls my Lord and invites him to sit at his right hand. His enemies will be made a footstool for his feet. In Matthew 22:41 to 45, Jesus quotes this verse and asks how David can call the Christ Lord if the Christ is David's son.
Also read 1 Peter 3:22, Psalm 45:6-7, Hebrews 1:13, 1 Corinthians 15:25
The LORD will send out the rod of your strength out of Zion.Rule among your enemies.
The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.
The LORD will send out the rod of this ruler's strength from Zion. The command is to rule among his enemies. His reign begins in Zion and reaches into hostile ground.
Also read Ezekiel 47:1, Psalm 22:28-29, 1 Corinthians 1:23-24, Jeremiah 48:17
Your people offer themselves willingly in the day of your power, in holy array.Out of the womb of the morning, you have the dew of your youth.
Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.
His people offer themselves willingly in the day of his power, in holy array. The second half speaks of the womb of the morning and the dew of his youth. The images suggest freshness and new strength, though the psalm does not explain them.
Also read 1 Chronicles 16:29, 2 Corinthians 13:4, Acts 4:30-35, Titus 2:14
The LORD has sworn, and will not change his mind:“You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”
The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.
This is the second saying, and it is an oath. The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind: you are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek. The ruler of verse 1 is also named a priest, and Hebrews 5:6 quotes this line.
Also read Hebrews 7:17, Psalm 132:11, Hebrews 6:13-18, Zechariah 6:13
The Lord is at your right hand.He will crush kings in the day of his wrath.
The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath.
The Lord is at the ruler's right hand and will crush kings in the day of his wrath. The words right hand return from verse 1. The position of honour is now shown in action.
Also read Psalm 68:30, Psalm 16:8, Revelation 17:12-14, Revelation 6:15-17
He will judge among the nations.He will heap up dead bodies.He will crush the ruler of the whole earth.
He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries.
The scene is one of judgement on the nations. The dead are heaped up and the ruler of the whole earth is crushed. It is the most violent verse of the psalm.
Also read Joel 3:12-16, Isaiah 42:4, Isaiah 2:4, Ezekiel 39:11-20
He will drink of the brook on the way;therefore he will lift up his head.
He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head.
The psalm ends with a small, human picture. He drinks from the brook on the way, and so he lifts up his head. After the battle scene, he is refreshed and stands tall.
Also read Judges 7:5-6, Jeremiah 52:31, Jeremiah 23:15, Psalm 27:6
A prayer from Psalm 110
LORD, you rule from Zion, and your purposes do not fail. You have sworn, and you will not change your mind. I bring my life to you willingly, as your people offer themselves in the day of your power. When powers in this world seem strong, remind me that you judge among the nations and that the rulers of the earth answer to you. Refresh me like the dew of the morning. Give me what I need on the way, like water from a brook, so that I can lift up my head. Amen.
Psalm 110 Bible study questions
- In verse 1, who speaks, who is spoken to, and what is promised?
- In verse 4, what does the LORD swear, and what does the psalm say about whether he will change his mind?
- Verse 3 describes people who offer themselves willingly. What does willing service look like in your own setting?
- Verse 7 ends with drinking from a brook on the way. Why might a psalm about power end with such a small and ordinary image?
- Psalm 2:6 speaks of a king set on the holy hill of Zion. How do Psalm 2 and Psalm 110 describe the king God appoints?
Questions about Psalm 110
What does Psalm 110 mean?
It is a royal psalm built on two sayings of the LORD to a ruler: sit at my right hand until your enemies are your footstool, and you are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek. It then describes that ruler's victory over the nations.
Who wrote Psalm 110?
The heading attributes it to David. In Matthew 22:43, Jesus also speaks of David calling this figure Lord.
What does Psalm 110:1 mean?
The LORD invites someone the writer calls my Lord to sit at his right hand, the place of honour, until his enemies are made his footstool. The New Testament applies this verse to Jesus in Matthew 22, Acts 2 and Hebrews 1.
What does Psalm 110:3 mean?
It says the ruler's people offer themselves willingly on the day of his power, in holy array, and speaks of the dew of his youth from the womb of the morning. The psalm does not explain the images further.
Where is Psalm 110 quoted in the New Testament?
Verse 1 is quoted in Matthew 22:44, Acts 2:34 to 35 and Hebrews 1:13. Verse 4, about a priest in the order of Melchizedek, is quoted in Hebrews 5:6.
Is there a Psalm 110:10?
No. Psalm 110 has seven verses. It ends with the ruler drinking from the brook on the way and lifting up his head.
Psalm 110 KJV: the King James Version
The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.1
The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.2
Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.3
The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.4
The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath.5
He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries.6
He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head.7
Psalm 110 in Hebrew
The Hebrew text from the Westminster Leningrad Codex, public domain. Verse numbers follow the Hebrew Bible, which counts a psalm's heading as verse 1, so they can run one ahead of English Bibles.
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1 לְדָוִ֗ד מִ֫זְמ֥וֹר נְאֻ֤ם יְהוָ֨ה ׀ לַֽאדֹנִ֗י שֵׁ֥ב לִֽימִינִ֑י עַד־אָשִׁ֥ית אֹ֝יְבֶ֗יךָ הֲדֹ֣ם לְרַגְלֶֽיךָ׃
2 מַטֵּֽה־עֻזְּךָ֗ יִשְׁלַ֣ח יְ֭הוָה מִצִּיּ֑וֹן רְ֝דֵ֗ה בְּקֶ֣רֶב אֹיְבֶֽיךָ׃
3 עַמְּךָ֣ נְדָבֹת֮ בְּי֪וֹם חֵ֫ילֶ֥ךָ בְּֽהַדְרֵי־קֹ֭דֶשׁ מֵרֶ֣חֶם מִשְׁחָ֑ר לְ֝ךָ֗ טַ֣ל יַלְדֻתֶֽיךָ׃
4 נִשְׁבַּ֤ע יְהוָ֨ה ׀ וְלֹ֥א יִנָּחֵ֗ם אַתָּֽה־כֹהֵ֥ן לְעוֹלָ֑ם עַל־דִּ֝בְרָתִ֗י מַלְכִּי־צֶֽדֶק׃
5 אֲדֹנָ֥י עַל־יְמִֽינְךָ֑ מָחַ֖ץ בְּיוֹם־אַפּ֣וֹ מְלָכִֽים׃
6 יָדִ֣ין בַּ֭גּוֹיִם מָלֵ֣א גְוִיּ֑וֹת מָ֥חַץ רֹ֝֗אשׁ עַל־אֶ֥רֶץ רַבָּֽה׃
7 מִ֭נַּחַל בַּדֶּ֣רֶךְ יִשְׁתֶּ֑ה עַל־כֵּ֝֗ן יָרִ֥ים רֹֽאשׁ׃
Psalm 110 in the Catholic Douay-Rheims Bible
The Douay-Rheims Bible, 1899 edition, public domain. It follows the Greek and Latin numbering, so this psalm is Psalm 109 there.
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1 The Lord said to my Lord: Sit thou at my right hand: Until I make thy enemies thy footstool.
2 The Lord will send forth the sceptre of thy power out of Sion: rule thou in the midst of thy enemies.
3 With thee is the principality in the day of thy strength: in the brightness of the saints: from the womb before the day star I begot thee.
4 The Lord hath sworn, and he will not repent: Thou art a priest for ever according to the order of Melchisedech.
5 The Lord at thy right hand hath broken kings in the day of his wrath.
6 He shall judge among nations, he shall fill ruins: he shall crush the heads in the land of the many.
7 He shall drink of the torrent in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head.
Psalm 110 in Latin
The Clementine Vulgate, public domain, where this psalm is Psalm 109.
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1 Psalmus David. Dixit Dominus Domino meo: Sede a dextris meis, donec ponam inimicos tuos scabellum pedum tuorum.
2 Virgam virtutis tuæ emittet Dominus ex Sion: dominare in medio inimicorum tuorum.
3 Tecum principium in die virtutis tuæ in splendoribus sanctorum: ex utero, ante luciferum, genui te.
4 Juravit Dominus, et non pœnitebit eum: Tu es sacerdos in æternum secundum ordinem Melchisedech.
5 Dominus a dextris tuis; confregit in die iræ suæ reges.
6 Judicabit in nationibus, implebit ruinas; conquassabit capita in terra multorum.
7 De torrente in via bibet; propterea exaltabit caput.
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Psalm 110 at a glance
| Verses | 7 |
| Heading in the text | A Psalm by David. |
| Attributed to | The heading attributes it to David. |
| Type | Royal |
| Number in Greek and Latin Bibles | Psalm 109 |
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Psalm 110 in other translations
This page prints the World English Bible and the King James Version because both are public domain. The NIV, ESV, NKJV, NLT and NASB are under copyright, so they cannot be printed in full here. You can read Psalm 110 in those translations at Bible Gateway.
Where Psalm 110 belongs
Psalms of DavidBook 5 of the Psalms
How this page was made
The psalm text comes from public domain translations and is not edited. The summary, the verse notes and the answers are written for this page from the text of the psalm itself. Where a claim goes beyond the text, it is sourced below.
Sources
- Text: World English Bible and King James Version, both public domain, from ebible.org source
- Matthew 22: World English Bible, Matthew 22:41 to 45, where Jesus quotes Psalm 110:1 source
- Acts 2: World English Bible, Acts 2:34 to 35, quoting Psalm 110:1 source
- Hebrews 1: World English Bible, Hebrews 1:13, quoting Psalm 110:1 source
- Hebrews 5: World English Bible, Hebrews 5:6, quoting Psalm 110:4 source
- Hebrew text: Westminster Leningrad Codex, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Douay-Rheims: Douay-Rheims Bible, 1899 edition, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Latin text: Clementine Vulgate, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Numbering: Greek and Latin psalm numbering, Wikipedia, Psalms source