Psalm chapter 110
English Standard Version
1 The Lord says to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool." 2The Lord sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies! 3 Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments; from the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours. 4 The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, "You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek." 5The Lord is at your right hand; he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath. 6He will execute judgment among the nations, filling them with corpses; he will shatter chiefs over the wide earth. 7He will drink from the brook by the way; therefore he will lift up his head.
New International Version
1Of David. A psalm. The Lord says to my lord: "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet." 2The Lord will extend your mighty scepter from Zion, saying, "Rule in the midst of your enemies!"
4The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: "You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek." 5The Lord is at your right hand ; he will crush kings on the day of his wrath. 6He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead and crushing the rulers of the whole earth. 7He will drink from a brook along the way, and so he will lift his head high.
New American Standard Bible
1The Lord says to my Lord: 'Sit at My right hand Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.' 2The Lord will stretch out Your strong scepter from Zion, saying, 'Rule in the midst of Your enemies.' 3Your people will volunteer freely on the day of Your power; In holy splendor, from the womb of the dawn, Your youth are to You as the dew. 4The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind, 'You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.' 5The Lord is at Your right hand; He will shatter kings in the day of His wrath. 6He will judge among the nations, He will fill them with corpses, He will shatter the chief men over a broad country. 7He will drink from the brook by the wayside; Therefore He will lift up His head.
Christian Standard Bible
1A psalm of David. This is the declaration of the Lord to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool." 2The Lord will extend your mighty scepter from Zion. Rule over your surrounding enemies. 3Your people will volunteer on your day of battle. In holy splendor, from the womb of the dawn, the dew of your youth belongs to you.
4The Lord has sworn an oath and will not take it back: "You are a priest forever according to the pattern of Melchizedek." 5The Lord is at your right hand; he will crush kings on the day of his anger. 6He will judge the nations, heaping up corpses; he will crush leaders over the entire world. 7He will drink from the brook by the road; therefore, he will lift up his head.
New Living Translation
King James Version
New King James Version
1{A Psalm of David.} The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” 2The Lord shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion. Rule in the midst of Your enemies! 3 Your people shall be volunteers In the day of Your power; In the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning, You have the dew of Your youth. 4The Lord has sworn And will not relent, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.” 5The Lord is at Your right hand; He shall execute kings in the day of His wrath. 6He shall judge among the nations, He shall fill the places with dead bodies, He shall execute the heads of many countries. 7He shall drink of the brook by the wayside; Therefore He shall lift up the head.
What does Psalm chapter 110 mean?
This important passage helps ground New Testament claims about Jesus and the Trinity. David, the psalmist, uses two Hebrew terms which are sometimes muddled in English. One is YHWH, or Yahweh, which is a name God used for Himself (Exodus 3:15). The other word is Adonai, which can simply mean "lord," but is often used as a reverent term for God. Most translations render YHWH as "Lord," using small caps, and Adonai as "Lord" in normal font.The first verse of this psalm (Psalm 110:1) is quoted numerous times in the New Testament (Matthew 22:44; Mark 12:36; Luke 20:42–43; Acts 2:34–35; Hebrews 1:13). The fourth verse (Psalm 110:4) is repeatedly referenced in the book of Hebrews while explaining that Jesus is God the Son, the promised Messiah (Hebrews 5:6; 6:20; 7:17, 21). As such, this is considered the New Testament's most-often cited psalm.
David writes of something spoken between two "Lords." One is named as YHWH, or Yahweh (Exodus 3:15). The other is referred to as Adonai, but specifically as David's Adonai, or David's "Lord." This second figure is to be sent out from Zion—a reference to Jerusalem, the capital of Israel—to rule the entire world as King (Psalm 110:1–3).
This same Adonai is also identified as a priest. In the old covenant, priests and kings were of two separate tribes. But this Lord is connected to the priesthood of Melchizedek (Genesis 14:18–20). Melchizedek was a mysterious figure who interacted with Abraham when his name was still "Abram." This combined role of king and priest would eventually be fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ (Psalm 110:4).
Beyond priesthood and a throne, this promised "Lord" will overwhelmingly defeat His enemies (Revelation 19:11–15). This will bring divine judgment to the entire world. Yet this figure will remain refreshed and affirmed. This looks to the end times, when Jesus will fulfill these promises and rule the entire world (Revelation 20:4) for a thousand years (Psalm 110:5–7).
