Sit at My Right Hand

A Psalm of David.

110 (A)The Lord says to my Lord:
    (B)“Sit at my right hand,
(C)until I make your enemies your (D)footstool.”

The Lord sends forth (E)from Zion
    (F)your mighty scepter.
    (G)Rule in the midst of your enemies!
(H)Your people will (I)offer themselves freely
    on the day of your (J)power,[a]
    in (K)holy garments;[b]
from the womb of the morning,
    the dew of your youth will be yours.[c]
(L)The Lord has (M)sworn
    and will (N)not change his mind,
(O)“You are (P)a priest (Q)forever
    after the order of (R)Melchizedek.”

The Lord is at your (S)right hand;
    he will (T)shatter kings on (U)the day of his wrath.
He will (V)execute judgment among the nations,
    (W)filling them with corpses;
he will (X)shatter chiefs[d]
    over the wide earth.
He will (Y)drink from the brook by the way;
    therefore he will lift up his head.

Great Are the Lord's Works

111 [e] (Z)Praise the Lord!
I (AA)will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart,
    in the company of (AB)the upright, in the congregation.
Great are the (AC)works of the Lord,
    (AD)studied by all who delight in them.
(AE)Full of splendor and majesty is his work,
    and his (AF)righteousness endures forever.
He has (AG)caused his wondrous works to be remembered;
    the Lord is gracious and merciful.
He provides food for those who fear him;
    he (AH)remembers his covenant forever.
He has shown his people the power of his works,
    in giving them the inheritance of the nations.
The works of his hands are faithful and just;
    all his precepts are (AI)trustworthy;
they are (AJ)established forever and ever,
    to be performed with (AK)faithfulness and uprightness.
He sent (AL)redemption to his people;
    he has (AM)commanded his covenant forever.
    (AN)Holy and awesome is his name!
10 (AO)The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
    all those who practice it have (AP)a good understanding.
    His (AQ)praise endures forever!

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 110:3 Or on the day you lead your forces
  2. Psalm 110:3 Masoretic Text; some Hebrew manuscripts and Jerome on the holy mountains
  3. Psalm 110:3 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
  4. Psalm 110:6 Or the head
  5. Psalm 111:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each line beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet

Psalm 110

A song of David.

Psalm 110 may have been written to celebrate the coronation of one of David’s sons as king. The Eternal invites the royal son of David to take his rightful place at His right hand, the place of power and authority—not just over Jerusalem but over his enemies as well. But the royal son is to be more than a king, he is to be a priest according the order of that mysterious and enigmatic figure, Melchizedek (Genesis 14:17-24). God promises to give this royal priest-king victory over his enemies as he marches out to war.

This psalm is the psalm most quoted by early Christian writers in the New Testament. As they considered the significance of Jesus, they found that this psalm, more than any, expressed their conviction that the risen Jesus now occupies a unique place at God’s right hand and will be victorious over His enemies.

The Eternal said to my lord,
    “Sit here at My right hand,
    in the place of honor and power,
And I will gather your enemies together,
    lead them in on hands and knees;
    you will rest your feet on their backs.”

The Eternal will extend your reach as you rule
    from your throne on Zion.
    You will be out in enemy lands, ruling.
Your people will come as volunteers that day; they will be a sight to see:
    on that day, you will lead your army, noble in their holiness.
As the new day dawns and dew settles on the grass,
    your young volunteers will make their way to you.
The Eternal has sworn an oath
    and cannot change His mind:
“You are a priest forever—
    in the honored order of Melchizedek.”

The lord is at Your right hand;
    on the day that his fury comes to its peak, he will crush kings.
You will see the dead in heaps at the roadside,
    corpses spread far and wide in valleys and on hillsides.
Rulers and military leaders will lie among them without distinction.
    This will be his judgment on the nations.
There is a brook along the way.
    He will stop there and drink;
And when he is finished,
    he will raise his head.

Psalm 111[a]

Praise the Eternal.
I will thank Him with all my heart
    in the presence of the right-standing and with the assembly.
The works of the Eternal are many and wondrous!
    They are examined by all who delight in them.
His work is marked with beauty and majesty;
    His justice has no end.
His wonders are reminders that
    the Eternal is gracious and compassionate to all.
He provides food to those who revere Him.
    He will always remember His covenant.
He has shown the mighty strength of His works to His people
    by giving the land of foreign nations to them.
All His accomplishments are truth and justice;
    all His instructions are certain.
His precepts will continue year in and year out,
    performed by His people with honesty and truth.
He has redeemed His people,
    guaranteeing His covenant forever.
    His name is holy and awe-inspiring.
10 Reverence for the Eternal is the first step toward wisdom.
    All those who worship Him have a good understanding.
    His praise will echo through eternity!

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 111 A Hebrew acrostic poem