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Psalm 110[a]

God Appoints the King both King and Priest

A psalm of David.

The Lord says to my lord:[b]
    “Sit at my right hand,
    while I make your enemies your footstool.”(A)
The scepter of your might:
    the Lord extends your strong scepter from Zion.
    Have dominion over your enemies!

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Footnotes

  1. 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).
  2. 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.