I ntroduction: Although we do not know when David wrote Psalm 110, I prefer to think that he wrote this psalm prior to I Sam. 24, where his men attempt to apply this psalm and do so incorrectly. As we saw in the exegesis of 1Sam. 24, the other possible Scriptures which they may have been quoting are less likely. David experienced a great deal of spiritual growth when on the run from Saul. If anything, this jump-started his spiritual growth. When we study I Sam. 24, David will have Saul in a compromising position and David’s men will try to convince David to kill him. I think that they are quoting this psalm in order to make their point. It is completely misapplied, but it allows us to place this psalm during this time period. One reason we might question this time frame is because David’s other psalms of this time period had more information in the inscription. On he other hand, since we cannot place the other psalms with little introductory information, several other psalms may belong to this time period as well. Now, this is a psalm of great importance, which possibly suggests greater spiritual growth on the part of David. However, David may have realized himself that this was a psalm of greater import, and therefore did not confine it to any particular time frame.

Because I have placed this psalm during a specific time period and because this is not universally recognized, let me offer the various theories as to when David did write this:
When Did David Write this Psalm?
Author	Time Period
Keil and Delitzsch	They seem to suggest that David wrote this on his deathbed, which is similar to the point of view taken by the NIV Study Bible. Their emphasis is, however, not so much on this being about Solomon, but about the Lord Jesus Christ to come. As David neared death, his grasp of eternal things was greater.
Keil and Delitzsch	The first of these connecting links is the bringing of the Ark home to Zion. Girded with the linen ephod of the priest, David had accompanied the Ark up to Zion with signs of rejoicing. There upon Zion Jahve, whose earthly throne is the Ark, now took His place at the side of David; but, spiritually considered, the matter stood properly thus, that Jahve, when He established Himself upon Zion, granted to David to sit henceforth enthroned at His side. The second connecting link is the victorious termination of the Syro-Ammonitish war, and also of the Edomitish war that came in between. The war with the Ammonites and their allies, the greatest, longest, and most glorious of David's wars, ended in the second year, when David himself joined the army, with the conquest of Rabbah. These two contemporary connecting links are to be recognised, but they only furnish the Psalm with the typical ground-colour for its prophetical contents. Keil and Delitzsch are rather dense sometimes; but this quote appears to indicate that they thought David wrote this after successful battles as king and brought the Ark to Jerusalem.
Kukis	Prior to the incidents of 1Sam. 24, as David’s soldiers quote a verse from this psalm back to him (1Sam. 24:4).
NIV Study Bible	David possibly wrote this about his son Solomon, as a coronation.
Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge	Composed around 1042 b.c., after Nathan made a prophetical address to David.
Venema	The time in which this oracle or prophecy was delivered was probably a little after the time when David had brought home the ark, and before he had his wars with the neighboring idolatrous nations. The kingdom was confirmed in his hand; but it was not yet extended over the neighboring nations.
As you see, the theories here are essentially guesses, based upon the thinnest of evidence. I favor my interpretation because of 1Sam. 24:4. The only reason I would be uncertain is, David exhibits a great spiritual understanding in this psalm, during an early period of his life.
Let me offer another possible scenario: some people may work on a song for years. They may have one or two lines; or they may have a semi-finished version, which they continue to polish. This could be the case with David and this psalm. His men were familiar with the first line of the psalm and attempted to misapply it back in 1Sam. 24.

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This is an incredibly fascinating psalm, as portions of it are very difficult translate and to understand, and yet other parts of this psalm are quoted many times in the New Testament. For such a short psalm, and given that it is found many times in the New Testament, one would think that interpretation throughout would be relatively easy. However, that is not the case.

Jesus quotes this psalm when the pharisees ask him questions with the intention of tripping him up. So then, Jesus asked them a question, saying, "What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?" They said to him, "The son of David." He said to them, "How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying, "'The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet'? If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?" (Matt. 22:41b–45). We will cover the interpretation of this later; however, this tells us several things:

What Introductory Information Can We Cull from Jesus’ Quote of this Psalm?

1. David wrote Psalm 110.

2. David is inspired by God the Holy Spirit.

3. The implication is, David speaks prophetically (as this is an event which is not recorded historically in the Old Testament).

4. David is speaking of the Messiah to come.

5. Finally, Jesus asks the most difficult question, “How can David have a son, the Messiah, and yet David call his son Jehovah?”

I am not covering any of the questions raised here in the introduction; however, I am raising them to whet your pallet. Primarily, the first 4 points are an introduction to this psalm.

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Quite obviously, the Jews must give this psalm a different meaning, although this different interpretation came after our Lord’s death, burial and resurrection. For them, this psalm is too close to the person of Christ to allow it to be a prophecy of the Messiah to come (although, that is the true meaning of this psalm and apparently how the Jews applied this psalm prior to and during the incarnation of our Lord). And, also, you should note that the pharisees did not argue with Jesus about the meaning or application of this psalm (and they themselves offered, that Messiah was the Son of David). Jesus did, however, baffle them with His questions (as we will examine later in this psalm).

With regards to the interpretation of this psalm, Barnes writes: The application of the psalm in the New Testament to the Messiah is so clear and unequivocal, that we are bound to defend the opinion that it was “designed” to refer to him; and the manner in which it is quoted shows that it was in no secondary sense, and in no way of “accommodation,” but that it had an original and exclusive applicability to him. Every principle of honesty in interpretation demands this. There may be difficulties in the interpretation itself, but the fact that it refers to the Messiah involves no difficulty, if it be once admitted that there is such a thing as prophecy at all, and that “any” portion of the Old Testament has reference to a Messiah. There is no part of the Old Testament that is more clearly applied to him in the New Testament than this psalm; there is no part that more naturally suggests the Messiah; there is none that is more difficult of explanation if it be maintained that it does not refer to him; there is none that is made more plain by referring it to him. It will be assumed, therefore, in this exposition, that the psalm had an original and exclusive reference to the Messiah, and that the friends of revelation are bound to show that in him who claimed to be the Messiah, and to whom it is applied in the New Testament - the Lord Jesus - there is a “fair” fulfillment of the predictions which are contained in it.

One of the other oft quoted passages from this psalm is, “You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.” (Psalm 110:4b Heb. 5:6 7:17, 21). Again, this raises a number of provocative questions. Priests to Israel come through Aaron. Why do we have a priest here who is associated with Melchizedek, who precedes the nation Israel (but who ministered to Abraham)? Again, these are questions to whet your appetite for the psalm we are about to study.

Organizing this psalm is moderately difficult. Furthermore, Keil and Delitzsch, who are excellent and informative authors, rather obscure the organization of this psalm. As I have mentioned in the past, their writing is rather dense.

Keil and Delitzsch Explain the Organization of Psalm 110

Psalm 110:1-7 consists of three sevens, a tetrastich together with a tristich following three times upon one another. The Rebia magnum in Psalm 110:2 is a security for this stichic division, and in like manner the Olewejored by חילך in Psalm 110:3, and in general the interpunction required by the sense. And Psalm 110:1 and Psalm 110:2 show decisively that it is to be thus divided into 4 + 3 lines; for Psalm 110:1 with its rhyming inflexions makes itself known as a tetrastich, and to take it together with Psalm 110:2 as a heptastich is opposed by the new turn which the Psalm takes in Psalm 110:2. It is also just the same with Psalm 110:4 in relation to Psalm 110:3 : these seven stichs stand in just the same organic relation to the second divine utterance as the preceding seven to the first utterance. And since Psalm 110:1-4 give twice 4 + 3 lines, Psalm 110:5-7 also will be organized accordingly. There are really seven lines, of which the fifth, contrary to the Masoretic division of the verse, forms with Psalm 110:7 the final tristich.

The Psalm therefore bears the threefold impress of the number seven, which is the number of an oath and of a covenant. Its impress, then, is thoroughly prophetic. Two divine utterances are introduced, and that not such as are familiar to us from the history of David and only reproduced here in a poetic form, as with Ps 89 and 132, but utterances of which nothing is known from the history of David, and such as we hear for the first time here. The divine name Jahve occurs three times. God is designedly called Adonaj the fourth time. The Psalm is consequently prophetic; and in order to bring the inviolable and mysterious nature even of its contents into comparison with the contemplation of its outward character, it has been organized as a threefold septiad, which is sealed with the thrice recurring tetragamma.*

First of all, I included this, so you can see the sort of thing which I occasionally plow through. I am hoping that, for the majority of those who read this, your first reaction is, huh? That, in fact, was my initial response.

Okay, now my first understanding of this was, there are three sets of seven lines in this psalm. No, there are not. Vv. 1–3 is seven lines; vv. 5–7 is seven lines; however, that leaves v. 4, which is two (or three) lines. Or, in the alternative, vv. 1–3 is seven lines, vv. 4–6 is seven lines; and now we end with v. 7, which is two lines.

What Keil and Delitzsch do is, divide vv. 1–2 into 7 lines, vv. 3–4 into 7 lines, and then vv. 5–7 into 7 lines. I don’t know if I can buy into that, but I am putting this out there. Sometimes, David’s organization does not reveal itself to me until after the psalm has been exegeted, and then it becomes more clear to me.

* Quoted from Keil and Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament; from e-Sword; Psalm 110.

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This psalm, like Psalms 89 and 132, cannot be matched with any incident in David’s life, and must be taken therefore as prophetic. This may seem like a simply point, particularly when we get into the body of this psalm; however, it is important to begin with the most basic information and build from there.

Matthew Henry and others organize this passage up differently:

Matthew Henry’s Organization of Psalm 110*

I. His prophetical office (Psalm 110:2).

II. His priestly office (Psalm 110:4).

III. His kingly office (Psalm 110:1, Psalm 110:3, Psalm 110:5, Psalm 110:6).

IV. His estates of humiliation and exaltation (Psalm 110:7).

Here’s the problem: where it is clear that our Lord’s priestly office is in view in v. 4, and His kingly office in vv. 1 and 5; the rest are a stretch. This is a problem of the author having a preconceived notion, and then forcing the text into that notion.

Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge Organize Psalm 110**

Psalm 110:1, The kingdom;

Psalm 110:4, the priesthood;

Psalm 110:5, the conquest;

Psalm 110:7, and the passion of Christ.

Apart from v. 7, the other three are evident.

Spurgeon and Alexander Organize Psalm 110†

1. The introduction, Psalm 110:1-3;

2. The central thought, Psalm 110:4;

3. The supplementary verses, Psalm 110:5-7

This appears to be the most reasonable of this group. The problem is, when one introduces what they believe should be the breakdown; and then they artificially force the psalm into fitting into that mold.

Barnes’ Organization of Psalm 110††

I. The appointment of the Messiah - acknowledged by the author of the psalm as his “Lord” - to that high office, to be held until he should subdue all his enemies, Psalm 110:1.

II. His being endowed with “power” needful for the accomplishment of the design for which he was appointed, Psalm 110:2.

III. The assurance that his people would be made “willing” in the day when he should put forth his power, Psalm 110:3.

IV. The special characteristic of his reign, as that of a “priest-king,” after the order of Melchizedek; combining the two functions of king and priest in his own person and office, Psalm 110:4.

V. His conquest and triumph, Psalm 110:5-7.

Barnes’s breakdown is much like Spurgeon’s, and therefore also the most reasonable.

Clarke Organizes Psalm 110‡

1. The Messiah sits in his kingdom at the right hand of God, his enemies being subdued under him, Psalm 110:1–2.

2. The nature and extent of his government, Psalm 110:3.

3. His everlasting priesthood, Psalm 110:4.

4. His execution of justice and judgment, Psalm 110:5–6.

5. The reason on which all this is founded, his passion and exaltation, Psalm 110:7

Scofield Organizes Psalm 110‡‡

1) It affirms the deity of Jesus, thus answering those who deny the full divine meaning of his New Testament Title of "Lord." (Matt. 22:41-45 Mark 12:35-37 Luke 20:41-44 Acts 2:34 2:35 Heb. 1:13 10:12 10:13).

2) This Psalm announces the eternal priesthood of Messiah -- one of the most important statements of Scripture (Psalm 110:4).

3) Historically, the Psalm begins with the ascension of Christ (Psalm 110:1 John 20:17 Acts 7:56 Rev. 3:21).

4) Prophetically, the Psalm looks on

a) to the time when Christ will appear as the Rod of Jehovah's strength, the Deliverer out of Zion. Rom. 11:25-27) and the conversion of Israel; Psalm 110:3 Joel 2:27 Zech. 13:9 Deut. 30:1-9

b) to the judgment upon the Gentile powers which precedes the setting up of the kingdom Psalm 110:5 Psalm 110:6 Joel. 3:9-17 Zech. 14:1-4 Rev. 19:11-21.

Spurgeon, Barnes, Scofield and Clarke are all essentially in agreement here. Furthermore, they do not insert what they would like to see here.

* Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible; courtesy of E-sword, Psalm 110.

** Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge; by Canne, Browne, Blayney, Scott, and others about 1880, with introduction by R. A. Torrey; courtesy of E-sword, Psalm 110.

† Charles Haddon Spurgeon, A Treasury of David; e-Sword, Psalm 110.

†† Albert Barnes, Barnes’ Notes on the Old Testament; from e-Sword, Psalm 110.

‡ Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; from e-Sword, Psalm 110.

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Now, what is perfectly proper, and indisputable, is to see this as the psalm about the Priest-King. Although there were some kings who attempted to hold both of those positions (recall King Saul when he slaughtered a few animals, thinking that Samuel would not arrive in time); only David and Solomon came close to holding and properly executing those two positions (David in his dedication of the Ark of God and Solomon when he dedicated the Temple).

When you look at these various organizations, where some are obviously designed to force this psalm into a preconceived arrangement, you may think, why bother with most of these exegetes? That is a good question, and there are three reasons.

Why Bother with Other Commentaries?

1. You never know when one author may have an insight that the others do not. Obviously, this will be more true of some than of others.

2. Sometimes even the worst exegete can say something which suggests to me a different approach to a passage and this sometimes unlocks a passage for me.

3. There is some information which can be absolutely unique to one exegete. For example, although Rotherham is often very helpful in pointing out alternate readings, he was only partially helpful. Clarke gave very specific alternate readings for this psalm which essentially has unlocked certain verses for me.

4. Some authors, although they are very dense and difficult to plow through, are a source of excellent information and insight (I am thinking particularly of Keil and Delitzsch).

Since I am not on a time line, and since I doubt seriously that I will ever get through the entire Bible (or even the Old Testament); I can focus on whatever it is I am studying, without regard for a time limit. You might say, the enjoyment is in the traveling as opposed to being in the final destination.

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Psalm 110 Inscription

Slavishly literal:

Moderately literal:

For David, a psalm:

Psalm

110 inscription

A Psalm of David:

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Early translations:

The Dead Sea Scrolls .

The Peshitta (none)

The Septuagint A Psalm of David.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV (A psalm by David.)

REB For David: a psalm

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

God’s Word™ A psalm by David.

JPS (Tanakh) Of David. A psalm.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Updated Emphasized Bible David’s. A Melody.

MKJV A Psalm of David.

Young's Updated LT A Psalm of David.

What is the gist of this verse? This is a psalm of David’s.

Psalm 110 inscription
Hebrew/Pronunciation	Common English Meanings	Notes/Morphology	BDB and Strong’s Numbers
lâmed (ל) [pronounced l^e]	to, for, towards, in regards to, with reference to, as to, with regards to, belonging to	preposition	No Strong’s # BDB #510
Dâvid (ד̣וָ); also Dâvîyd (די.וָ) [pronounced daw-VEED]	beloved and is transliterated David	masculine proper noun	Strong’s #1732 BDB #187
miz^emôwr (רמז ̣מ) [pronounced mizê-MOHR]	melody, song, poem, psalm	masculine singular noun	Strong’s #4210 BDB #274

Translation: A Psalm of David: As we have discussed, this was the way that a by line was established for a psalm. David wrote this psalm, and it makes infinitely more sense when so understood. However, the phrasing is important, as this psalm is just as much for David as it is by him. That is, David, in writing this, was blessed, just like we who read it 3000 years later.

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Jesus Christ, from the First Advent to the Second

Slavishly literal:

Moderately literal:

A declaration of Y^ehowah to my Adonai:

“Sit to My right hand until I place Your enemies a stood for Your feet.”

Psalm

110:1

Y^ehowah declares to my Adonai,

“Sit to My right hand until I place Your enemies [as] Your footstool.”

Jehovah declared to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies Your footstool.”

Here is how others have handled this verse:

Early translations:

The Septuagint The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit on My right hand until I make Your enemies Your footstool.”

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at my right side, until I make your enemies into a footstool for you.”

NLT The Lord said to my Lord,

“Sit in honor at my right hand

until I humble your enemies,

making them a footstool under your feet.”

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

God’s Word™ The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit in the highest position in heaven until I make your enemies your footstool.”

JPS (Tanakh) The Lord said to my lord,

“Sit at My right hand

while I make your enemies your footstool.”

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

The Amplified Bible The Lord (God) says to my Lord [the Messiah], Sit You at My right hand, until I make Your adversaries Your footstool.

MKJV Jehovah said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand until I place Your enemies as Your footstool.

Young's Updated LT The affirmation of Jehovah to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand, Till I make your enemies your footstool.”

What is the gist of this verse? God the Father says to God the Son, “Sit, while I subdue your enemies.”

This is an amazing verse of Scripture. It is quoted or alluded to no fewer than 13 times in the New Testament.

Psalm 110:1a
Hebrew/Pronunciation	Common English Meanings	Notes/Morphology	BDB and Strong’s Numbers
n^eûm (םֻאנ) [pronounced n^e-OOM]	declaration, revelation, utterance, saying, oracle	masculine singular construct	Strong's #5001 & 5002 BDB #610
BDB lists this as a masculine noun (Strong’s #5002) and Gesenius lists this as the passive participle construct of Strong’s #5001. According to Gesenius, this means to murmur, to speak in a low voice; especially used of the voice of God. Wigram lists this as the Qal participle and lists both Strong numbers. In either case, we are generally speaking of the voice of God or the Word of God (compare Gen. 22:16 Num. 14:28 Isa. 1:24 3:15 Jer. 1:8 2:19 Ezek. 5:11). There are several hundred passages where this is God speaking; only a few that I found where it was not (II Sam. 23:1 Psalm 36:1 Prov. 30:1).
YHWH (הוהי) [pronunciation is possibly yhoh-WAH]	transliterated variously as Jehovah, Yahweh, Y^ehowah	proper noun	Strong’s #3068 BDB #217
lâmed (ל) [pronounced l^e]	to, for, towards, in regards to	preposition	No Strong’s # BDB #510
âdôwn (ןד ָא) [pronounced aw-DOHN]	lord, master, owner, superior, sovereign; transliterated adonai	masculine singular noun with the 1^st person plural suffix	Strong’s #113 BDB #10
There is at least one Hebrew manuscript which reads הוהיל (to Jehovah) here. Therefore, it would read, Jehovah said to Jehovah. The reason that this is so interesting is, we could see a copyist actually making a change from Y^ehowah to Adonai; making a change the other way would be much less likely (of course, such a change could reasonably be a typo).

Translation: Y^ehowah declares to my Adonai,... Quite briefly, the Trinity means that God is one essence, one in union, but He exists in three persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament, we do not have some doctrines clearly presented as they are in the New. However, even from the very beginning, the Trinity is alluded to in Scripture. In Gen. 1:26a, Elohim said, “Let Us make man in Our image.” This is where, in fact, we studied the doctrine of The Trinity in the Old Testament. In Isa. 43:16, we have God speaking: “Come near to Me, listen to this: ‘From the first I have not spoken in secret. From the time it took place, I was there, and now Adonai Jehovah has sent Me and His Spirit.’ ”

In this first phrase, since God the Father and God the Son are eternal and omniscient, they do not have to speak in order to communicate. This is for out benefit. In fact, the act of speaking here alluded to could probably be considered an anthropopathism. God the Son definitely speaks, as He taught throughout the 3 years of His public ministry; and He spoke to his disciples after He was resurrected from the dead; however, he spoke because that is the way that we are able to understand Him. God the Father definitely speaks, because when Jesus was baptized by John the Baptizer, God said, “This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well-pleased.” (Matt. 3:17). God the Father again said this to the three disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matt. 17:5). These are real instances where God spoke and His voice was heard. However, here, it is less certain that there are audible voices in order to communicate what we have here.

Various theologians, cults, and, of course, Jews, offer different interpretations to this psalm. However, one cannot deny that it is Jehovah God who is speaking; and the person to Whom He speaks is David’s Adonai. David, prior to being made king, might refer to Saul as his adonai or to God as his Adonai or to the Messiah as Adonai (but Messiah would have to be more than simply a royal son of David); other than that, there is no other person that David would address as lord (adonai). After David becomes king, that would eliminate Saul was the list of possibilities. Later in this verse, Jehovah tells David’s Lord to sit at His right hand. Again, it is unlikely that we could be speaking of a revolutionary or kingly hero, a descendant of David. What mere man could sit on the right hand of God? What man in human history could we point to and say, “Oh, yeah, he should sit next to God”? There is no one. There is no mere man who is deserving of this honor. By using simple logic, we are forced to the most logical interpretation that my Adonai is a reference to Jesus Christ, the God-man.

Psalm 110:1 is one of the most quoted verses in the New Testament. We first find this in Matt. 22:44. However, let us integrate into the context. The Herodians, a political party which supported Herod, along with some Pharisee students, try to get Jesus to say something that would mark Him as a traitor or a revolutionary. However, what Jesus says was reasonable to both of these divergent groups (Matt. 22:15–22). Then, the Sadducees attempt to trip Jesus up by asking Him about what happens to a woman who is married several times according to the Law, and whose husband would she be in heaven (Matt. 22:23–28). This is a ridiculous question from anyone; but it is even more ridiculous as emanating from the Sadducees, who did not even believe in the resurrection. Jesus not only answers them (Matt. 22:29–32), but actually shuts them down (Matt. 22:34). This causes the Pharisees to attempt to pose a difficult question to Jesus about the Law, which Jesus answered (Matt. 22:34–40).

None of these groups are eliciting information. They are only interest is in formulating a question which Jesus cannot answer or which makes Jesus look bad. Then Jesus asks them a question. Now, while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, saying, “What do you think about the Messiah [the Christ]—whose Son is He?” They said to Him, “[He is the Son] of David.” He then said to them, “Then how does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, until I put Your enemies beneath Your feet.” ’? If David calls Him ‘Lord’, how is He his son?” (Matt. 22:41–45; see also Mark 12:35–37 Luke 20:41–44). At this point, the Pharisees have no answer for Jesus, and they no longer bother Him with questions. Our understanding of these few words is, this is God the Father speaking to God the Son. Once Jesus has died for our sins and is received into heaven, then He will wait for the completion of history at which time all of His enemies are placed under Him.

The explanation is not difficult for us. Jesus is the Son of David, as His humanity is in David’s line—both the line of David’s stepfather, Joseph (Matt. 1:1–17), and of His mother, Mary (Luke 3:23–38). The first line establishes out Lord’s legal claim to the throne (as it is the royal line of David), and the second establishes His natural blood line back to David. However, Jesus is also Jehovah, the Lord of David, as He is the Son of God, by God the Holy Spirit (Matt. 1:20). The problem is, the pharisees did not have a full understanding of Messiah to come. They expected, essentially, a super-David. They certainly did not fully grasp that Jesus is God; and, in those days, they expected a revolutionary. In any case, their blindness was, in fact, due to not believing in Jesus.

Psalm 110:1b
Hebrew/Pronunciation	Common English Meanings	Notes/Morphology	BDB and Strong’s Numbers
yâshab (ב ַשָי) [pronounced yaw-SHAH^BV]	to remain, to stay, to inhabit, to sit, to dwell	2^nd person masculine singular, Qal imperative	Strong's #3427 BDB #442
lâmed (ל) [pronounced l^e]	to, for, towards, in regards to, with reference to, as to, with regards to, belonging to	preposition	No Strong’s # BDB #510
yâmîyn (ןי ̣מָי) [pronounced yaw-MEEN]	the right hand, the right side, on the right, at the right; the south	feminine singular noun with the 1^st person singular suffix	Strong’s #3225 BDB #411

Translation:...“Sit to My right hand... God the Father asks God the Son to sit at His right hand. This was known in the ancient world as the place of prominence. After Jesus had done His work here on earth—dying for our sins, God resurrected his human body and placed Him in a place of prominence and distinction, at His right hand. He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenlies, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the age to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church (Eph. 1:20b–22). The high priest asked him, "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?" And Jesus said, "I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven." (Mark 14:61b–2; see also Luke 22:69). But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God (Acts 7:55; see also Col. 3:1 Heb 1:3). The writer of Hebrews speaks of Jesus as being the true High Priest, as One Who sits on the right hand of God in the True Tabernacle and Sanctuary of God (Heb. 8:1). In this context, one of the most important points of the writer of Hebrews is that, unlike the priests who offered sacrifice after sacrifice for sins, Jesus died once for all and then sat down on the right hand of God (Heb. 10:10–12). Based upon Psalm 110:1 alone, it is a stretch to give any other interpretation to this passage than God the Father speaking to God the Son. However, add in the New Testament and only the most negative person could attempt to understand this verse in any other way.

I should also point out that the Lord Jesus sits because His work is completed. He went to the cross on our behalf; so, after His resurrection and ascension, His work (until the Tribulation) has been completed. What now unfolds now is the remainder of the plan of God for the Church Age. This, by the way, explains why we pray to God the Father in the name of God the Son. God the Son is seated; God the Father is the One Who is active.

Matthew Henry makes some good observations at this point: Sitting is a resting posture; after His services and sufferings, He entered into rest from all his labours. It is a ruling posture; He sits to give law, to give judgment. It is a remaining posture; He sits like a king for ever. Sitting at the right hand of God denotes both his dignity and his dominion, the honour put upon Him and the trusts reposed in Him by the Father. All the favours that come from God to man, and all the service that comes from man to God, pass through his hand.

I should mention that, even though Mark 16:19 appears to be a fulfillment of this verse—Jesus is received up into heaven and sits down at the right hand of God—vv. 9–20 were apparently appended to the book of Mark sometime after the first century a.d.

The right hand of God is also seen to be the hand which extracts vengeance upon His enemies. Ex. 15:6: Your right hand, O LORD, glorious in power, your right hand, O LORD, shatters the enemy (see also Deut. 33:2 Psalm 21:8 74:11 98:1 108:6 138:7 139:10 Isa. 41:10). This verse, in context, refers to God taking out pharaoh’s army during the exodus. Obviously, there is no allusion here to the Messiah being an enemy of God. Sitting at God’s right hand is different than being struck by God’s right hand.

God’s right hand is also seen as protection of those whom He loves, as David writes: You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand supported me, and your gentleness made me great (Psalm 18:35; see also Psalm 20:6 44:3 60:5 63:8 73:23).

Now, having said all of that, please recall that, even though God the Son can literally sit, as He possesses a resurrection body, God the Father does not. “God is a Spirit and those who worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). God the Father does not have a literal right hand; He is not sitting; He does not have a bodily form. All of these concepts here, when applied to God the Father, are anthropomorphic. What we have throughout this verse is language of accommodation—words used, a description given, so that we may comprehend on our level what is occurring. With reference to our salvation, God the Son has completed His work by this point in time; He has paid for our sins by taking them on His Own body on the cross. This phase of His work has been completed. God the Father, Who planned our salvation; Who planned human history to the last detail, allowing us free will, now is allowing history to take its course, according to His perfect plan. Because of this, Jesus now sits at God’s right hand.

Tangent: have you ever wondered why we are commanded in Scripture to pray to God the Father and not to God the Son? It is because, God the Father is still active in His plan and God the Son has completed His work (until the Tribulation and His second advent).

Psalm 110:1c
Hebrew/Pronunciation	Common English Meanings	Notes/Morphology	BDB and Strong’s Numbers
׳ad (דַע) [pronounced ģahd]	as far as, even to, up to, until	preposition	Strong’s #5704 BDB #723
shîyth (תי ̣ש) [pronounced sheeth]	to put, to set, place; to appoint; to arrange, to set in order; to found; to station	1^st person singular, Qal imperfect	Strong’s #7896 BDB #1011
âya^bv (בַי ָא) [pronounced aw-YA^BV]	enemy, the one being at enmity with you; enmity, hostility	masculine plural, Qal active participle with the 2^nd person masculine singular suffix	Strong’s #340 BDB #33
hădôm (םֹדֲה) [pronounced huh-DOHM]	stool, footstool	masculine singular noun	Strong’s #1916 BDB #213
lâ8med (ל) [pronounced l^e]	to, for, towards, in regards to	preposition	No Strong’s # BDB #510
regel (ל ∵ג ∵ר) [pronounced REH-gel]	foot, feet	feminine plural noun with the 2^nd person masculine singular suffix	Strong’s #7272 BDB #919
Eight manuscripts leave out the lâmed preposition here; and feet is treated as a genitive (which is in keeping with the Septuagint, Vulgate and Arabic translations). Also, regel (foot, feet) is in the singular in several manuscripts.
You may be thinking, this really does not change the meaning of this verse; why mention it? The idea is, even when variant readings are taken into account, the meaning is often unchanged.

Translation: ...until I place Your enemies [as] Your footstool.” The enemies of Jesus Christ are the enemies of God are our enemies: Satan and his demon corps. Being made a footstool means that they will be put into subjection under Christ. Keil and Delitzsch make an interesting point here: The history of time ends with the triumph of good over evil, —not, however, with the annihilation of evil, but with its subjugation.

When Peter explains that Jesus Christ was resurrected from the dead and received into heaven, he said, “This Jesus, God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. Therefore, having been exalted at that right hand of God and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured fourth this which you both see and hear. For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.” ’ Therefore, let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ [Messiah]—this Jesus Whom you have crucified!” (Acts 2:32–36).

The writer of Hebrews explains how Jesus Christ is superior to the angels by stating, To which of the angels has He ever said, “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.” (Heb. 1:13).

Paul simply alludes to the fact that God would place all things under the feet of Jesus in I Cor. 15:25 Eph. 1:22.

As I will discuss in greater detail when we come to it in the narrative, when David was faced with having Sault his mercy, David’s men suggested that he kill Saul, and apparently misquote and misapply this verse back to him. It is for this reason that I have placed Psalm 110 at the end of I Sam. 23 (although David could have written this psalm anytime prior to I Sam. 24). At that time, I will suggest all alternate psalms which may be in agreement with this.

Since Psalm 110:1 is quoted so often in Scripture, it may be a good idea to arrange this information into a table, to make it easier to follow. Each time we find this passage quoted, the author (or speaker) is making a point, and many times, there is a different emphasis or different doctrine being discussed than we find elsewhere. I must admit to being surprised at the richness of the application of this verse.
New Testament Quotations of Psalm 110:1
Scripture	Full or partial Quotation	The Point Being Made
Matt. 22:41-46 Mark 12:35-37 Luke 20:41-44	Now while the pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, saying, "What do you think about the Christ [or, Messiah] ? Whose Son is He?" They said to him, "The son of David." He said to them, "How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying, "'The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet'? If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?" And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions (Matt. 22:41–46).	The pharisees continued to try to trip Jesus up with theological and Scriptural questions. They had no interest in learning anything; their questions were designed to confuse the issue. Their purpose was to discredit Jesus Christ by asking Him a question that He could not answer. At the time of this incident, we are very close to the cross and the Apostles made preparations for the final Passover (Luke 22). Jesus was in the Temple teaching, and there was a crowd there, enjoying His teaching (Mark 12:35, 37). The pharisees had gathered together, and they no doubt had questions prepared. So now Jesus asks them a question, which is pertinent to their time, as He is so close to the cross. The point Jesus makes is, “Who is this Messiah? If He is merely a son of David, why does David call Him Lord (Adonai)? Why would David call his own descendant Lord?” We know the answer: Jesus Christ is the perfect God-man, descended from David in His humanity, but Lord over all. However, the pharisees did not know this, despite the fact that they had studied theology and the Scriptures. As we see, these final words, which caused the pharisees to back off, provided Jesus with some uninterrupted teaching time, which was important, as His time on this earth was drawing to a close.
Acts 2:34	"Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.' Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified." Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" And Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:29–38)	This is Peter’s famous sermon at Pentecost. Peter culminates with this quotation. When Jesus was speaking to the pharisees in the passage above, His disciples were there as well (Luke 20:45). Peter certainly did not understand what Jesus said at the time, however, God the Holy Spirit brought this to his mind when teaching and presenting the gospel. The power of this one verse in identifying the Messiah could not be underestimated. Most of Peter’s sermon that day consisted of Scriptural quotations, and this particular one tells those listening where Jesus Christ is. David has already quoted Psalm 16:9–11, as proof that the Messiah would rise from the dead; and Peter tells the crowd that David is dead and buried and that this does not apply to him (and in the passage quoted, Peter also makes it clear that David was not speaking of himself there either—Acts 2:34). Then Peter quotes Psalm 110:1 as the culmination of a gospel message, to clearly identify Jesus as the Christ. “God made Jesus Lord and Messiah, the Jesus you crucified!” The people there, many of whom had approved of the crucifixion, were cut to their hearts, and pleaded with the Apostles, “What should we do?” Peter tells them to change their mind about Jesus (repent) and then to take a public stand that they have been forgiven for their sins (baptism). Changing their mind about Jesus Christ is tantamont to believing in Him.
Acts 7:55–56	But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, "Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." (Acts 7:55–56).	This is what Stephen declared when he was about to be martyred. What we have here is a raising of the stakes. Stephen was the first Christian martyr, a man stoned to death for what he said and believed. Satan’s absolute hatred of anything holy is
1Cor. 15:25	If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For "God has put all things in subjection under his feet." But when it says, "all things are put in subjection," it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all (1Cor. 15:19–28).	The Scripture quoted here is actually Psalm 8:6; however, it is the same principle. In Psalm 8:6, God the Father places all things in subjection to God the Son. I should mention that, this is not the original intent of this passage—in Psalm 8:6, the idea is God the Father places all of His creation under the feet of man. However, here, Paul takes that verse and applies it to God the Father destroying the final enemy, which is death; this places death under the feet of Jesus Christ. In Psalm 110:1, we have a very similar phrasing, which is properly applied, as Paul does here, to God the Father and God the Son. Paul is making a point about death. He believes in a living Jesus, not a dead one. And since Jesus arose from the dead, we will arise from the dead. What we are waiting for is for God the Father to put all things in subjection to God the Son; that final thing being death. Hopefully, you see the necessity of referencing both passages in the psalms. In Psalm 8:6, all things are subjected to Him. Since Adam sinned, he abrogated his kingdom. He would have to work just to subjugate the ground itself. In Psalm 110:1, we know that this refers to God the Son. However, in the latter passage, it is only His enemies. In fact, this is not only Christ’s enemies which will be under his feet, but all things.
Eph. 1:20, 22	I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which He has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of His great might that He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things under His feet and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all (Eph. 1:17–23).	This is a prayer of Paul’s, given in thanks for the church in Ephesus. In the main of this prayer, Paul also teaches a little. He asks that God the Father give the Ephesians a spirit of wisdom and knowledge, that they may understand the immeasurable greatness of His power—that same power which raised Christ from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenlies. Paul’s emphasis here was upon knowing God’s great power, and raising Jesus from the dead and seating Him at God’s right hand is but one manifestation of that power. Paul’s second point is the authority of Jesus Christ, a God has placed all things under His feet, establishing Him above all rule and authority.
Heb. 1:3	Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs (Heb. 1:1–4).	The writer of Hebrews quotes over 25 passages from the Old Testament (many of them extended passages). The first three chapters is approximately half quotations from the Old Testament. Although we do not know who wrote this book, we do know that Paul would have loved to have been the one to write this book, as a Hebrew to his fellow countrymen. In this passage, the emphasis is, Jesus is much higher than any of the angels (which, by the way, throws a monkey wrench into the theology of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, who teach that Jesus is but an angel). The portion of Psalm 110 alluded to here, is the fact that after His death and resurrection, Jesus sat down at the right hand of God (in accordance with Old Testament Scripture), making Him superior to all angels.
Heb. 1:13	And to which of the angels has he ever said, "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet"? Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation? (Heb. 1:13–14).	The writer of Hebrews concludes His point by quoting Psalm 110:1, again emphasizing that God at not time told an angel to sit at His right hand while He subdues that angel’s enemies. It is interesting that the writer leaves out the first part of this verse, which is a clincher (Jehovah said to my Adonai...). I believe the writer’s thinking was, let the skeptical reader look this up; he will be even more convicted in his soul.
Heb. 10:13	And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified (Heb. 10:10–14).	At this point, the writer of Hebrews uses Psalm 110:1 to emphasize the finality of our Lord’s offering for our sins. The High Priest day after day offers sacrifices, and these sacrifices can never take away the sins which were committed. However, Jesus Christ offered up Himself one time for sins, and so sanctified us. The proof of this was, He sat down at the right hand of God while God the Father made His enemies a footstool for Him.
Heb. 12:2	Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood (Heb 12:1–4).	The context of this verse is staying in fellowship, as we are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses (the angelic conflict ). We are to look to Jesus, Whose pain, suffering and shame was far greater than anything we could imagine; let alone, endure. We look to Him, for inspiration, as He is now on the right hand of the throne of God (the implication is, there is great consequence in our actions, as well as great, eternal rewards).
1Peter 3:22	God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him (1Peter 3:20b–22).	Peter’s train of thought is a little more difficult to follow in this passage. The overall topic of this chapter is doing right instead of wrong, even if you suffer for doing that which is right (see 1Peter 3:17). Peter concludes with the example of Jesus, Who died for sins, once for all, the just for the unjust, in order to bring us to God (1Peter 3:18b). Jesus died for our sins and was raised from the dead, after which he preached to the spirits in prison (v. 19), those from the days of Noah who were disobedient (half-angel, half-man). God saved Noah and his family through water, the same water which is used to baptize us. Baptism, which saves us, represents the resurrection of Christ. Peter makes the point that, it is not the water that saves us, but the resurrection of our Lord which saves us, as Christ is now at the right hand of God, with all angels and authorities being subjected to Him. What we may have here is a certain amount of free association (which in no way invalidates what Peter is saying).
These twelve passages illustrate just how rich in meaning Psalm 110:1 is.

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Let us complete this verse by summarizing points on Psalm 110:1.

A Summary of Psalm 110:1

1. The first Lord is God the Father.

2. My Lord (which is said by David, the writer of this psalm), is Jesus Christ, David’s greater Son, David’s Son Who will rule forever.

3. The first phrase tells us that we are not speaking of David or any of the historic kings of Judah.

4. David would not refer to one of his sons as my Adonai.

5. Therefore, as said, this is God the Father speaking to God the Son.

6. The right hand of a king or potentate is always seen as a place of honor, where as sitting at the left hand is seen as a place of dishonor (this is the Old Testament; this is not how things operate today).

7. This undoubtedly explains, “Charlie Brown, you’re my right-hand man.”

8. God the Father bades God the Son to sit in a place of great honor.

9. God the Son is not tired; however, His work (up until this point in time) is finished.

10. God the Son went to the cross and paid the penalty for our sins. God the Father and God the Holy Spirit recognized this as an efficacious sacrifice and raised Him from the dead.

11. After preaching to the saints in heaven, God the Son goes to be with God the Father.

12. God the Father planned all that would happen in eternity past. He decreed what would happen in eternity past. God the Father knew every action, everything thought, every sin, every mistake, ever decision and all natural physical progressions of the earth and space and He designed a plan, taking all of those things into account.

13. The most important phase of this plan, from our standpoint, is that Jesus Christ came to this earth in bodily form, the God-man, and He died for our sins.

14. Jesus Christ, with His death on the cross, broke the back of Satan.

15. Jesus Christ, with His death on the cross, made it possible for man to have fellowship with God.

16. All of the things which stood between us and God have been removed.

a. We are born with Adam’s imputed sin; Adam, as the father of the human race, made a decision for all of us: he sinned. That sin is imputed to all of us since eternity past. It is just like a president declaring war; it does not matter what we think, what we think we should do, or what we think we would have done if we were in his shoes—we are at war. It is the same when Adam, as the federal head of the human race, made the choice to sin against God. He plunged the entire human race into war against God.

b. Because Adam fell, there was a physical change of sorts in him and in the world. One of the manifestations of that change was that he passed along his new sin nature to his sons and daughters. Every one of us, by virtue of birth, comes equipped now with an old sin nature. It is this old sin nature which leads us to sin. It is our volition, make no mistake about it, which makes the decision to sin. However, inside of us, we have a tempter. God cannot have fellowship with us as we have the innate desire to sin. We all carry within us the normal desire to do that which is against God. Just because we have a personal desire which is declared normal by society and just because other people have that same desire to commit that same sin, does not make it any less a sin.

c. Because we choose to sin, we also have personal sins which stand between us and God. These three things stand between us and God.

d. When God the Son went to the cross, he took upon Himself all of our personal sins, from Adam to the last person in history, and He took upon Himself the penalty for those sins. In the final six hours of the cross, Jesus Christ bore the sins of the world. The penalty, which appears to be more than anyone could bear, is concentrated into six hours of time and endured by Jesus Christ. He cried aloud on the cross, over and over, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?” By taking upon Himself the sins of the world, Jesus Christ removed those three barriers which block us from having fellowship with God.

e. When the final sin had been paid for, the culmination of suffering an eternity of hells from each and every person, Jesus Christ declared, “It is finished.” and he exhaled His final breath and died. His work had been completed (apart from the victorious proclamation to the saints).

17. However, the plan of God continues. Even though our Lord’s death on our behalf effected salvation for us, we have to make a free-will choice to believe in Him. Therefore, God’s plan must go up to a point where, of all the people on the earth, the last person on positive volition makes a choice to believe in Jesus Christ.

18. Therefore, God the Father, after the Son’s completed work, continues to work. God the Father continues to see His plan through to the end.

19. Part of that plan is to put the enemies of Jesus Christ under his feet; that is, bring them into submission.

20. This would be the devil and his angels. Once they have been subdued, as per God the Father’s plan, then this verse will have been completed.

21. God the Father will subdue all of our Lord’s enemies while our Lord sits at His right hand.

22. Our Lord’s enemies were obviously not completely subdued at the time of writing, as Jesus is to sit down “...until I make all Your enemies Your footstool.” Furthermore, this was not completed immediately after the cross, as the writer of Hebrews observes: You have made him a little lower than the angels. You crowned him with glory and honor and set him over the works of Your hands. You subjected all things under his feet." For in subjecting all things to Him, He did not leave anything not subjected to Him. But now we do not see all things having been subjected to him. (Heb. 2:7–8).

It is amazing that one verse, so simple to translate, is so rich in meaning.

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A staff of strength sends forth Y^ehowah from Zion

Tread down in a midst of Your enemies.

Psalm

110:2

Y^ehowah sends forth a mighty scepter [or, tribe] out of Zion

Subdue [or, rule among] Your enemies.

Jehovah sends forth His mighty scepter out of Zion [or, Jehovah sends out a mighty tribe from Zion];

Rule in the midst of Your enemies!

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Early translations:

The Peshitta The Lord will send forth the scepter of His power out of Zion, and He will rule over Your enemies.

The Septuagint The Lord will send out a rod of power for You out of Sion; rule in the midst of Your enemies.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV The LORD will let your power reach out from Zion, and you will rule over your enemies.

NAB The scepter of yo8ur sovereign might

the Lord will extend from Zion.

NJB Yahweh will stretch out the sceptre of your power;

from Zion you will rule your foes all around you.

NLT The Lord will extend your powerful dominion from Jerusalem;

you will rule over your enemies.

REB The Lord extends the sway of your powerful sceptre, saying,

‘From Zion reign over your enemies.’

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

God’s Word™ The LORD will extend your powerful scepter from Zion. Rule your enemies who surround you.

JPS (Tanakh) The Lord will stretch forth from Zion your mighty scepter,

hold sway over your enemies!

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

The Amplified Bible The Lord will send forth from Zion the scepter of Your strength; rule, then, in the midst of Your foes.

Updated Emphasized Bible Yahweh will extend out of Zion <Your scepter of strength>,

You tread down, in the midst of Your foes.

MKJV Jehovah shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion; rule in the midst of Your enemies.

Young's Updated LT The rod of your strength does Jehovah send from Zion,

Rule in the midst of your enemies.

What is the gist of this verse? The Lord’s rulership will extend beyond Jerusalem, even though Zion (which is in the midst of Jerusalem) is surrounded by enemies.

Psalm 110:2a
Hebrew/Pronunciation	Common English Meanings	Notes/Morphology	BDB and Strong’s Numbers
maţţeh (ה∵ַמ) [pronounced maht-TEH]	staff, branch, scepter, rod; branch; tribe	masculine singular construct	Strong’s #4294 BDB #641
׳ôz (זֹע) [pronounced ģohz]	strength, might; firmness, defense, refuge, protection; splendor, majesty, glory praise	masculine singular noun with the 2^nd person masculine singular suffix	Strong’s #5797 BDB #738
shâlach (ח ַל ָש) [pronounced shaw-LAKH]	to send, to send for, to send forth, to send away, to dismiss, to deploy, to put forth	3^rd person masculine singular, Qal imperfect	Strong’s #7971 BDB #1018
YHWH (הוהי) [pronunciation is possibly yhoh-WAH]	transliterated variously as Jehovah, Yahweh, Y^ehowah	proper noun	Strong’s #3068 BDB #217
min (ן ̣מ) [pronounced min]	from, off, out from, out of, away from, on account of, since, than, more than, greater than	preposition of separation	Strong's #4480 BDB #577
Tsîyyôwn (ן̣צ) [pronounced tzee-YOHN]	dry, parched ground; and is transliterated Zion	proper noun location	Strong’s #6726 BDB #851

Translation: Y^ehowah sends forth a mighty scepter [or, tribe] out of Zion... Scepter (or staff) refers to rulership or dominion, something which Jacob spoke of on his deathbed 2000 years previously: “The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples” (Gen. 49:10). So, even on his deathbed, Jacob could look down the corridors of future history and identify Judah as the ruling tribe of Israel. Tribute was not really taxes, but a reference to tribute brought to him from other countries. So, Jacob recognizes that a Son of Jacob would rule over more than just Israel (which David will foretell in the second half of this verse).

To be technical, there is no scepter; this is an anthropomorphism. Furthermore, not only is there no actual scepter, but a scepter is a metonymy—it stands in for—or represents—power and authority.

Part of understanding this verse will require us to have some sort of idea of what Zion is. This is actually one of the first mentions of Zion in Scripture (depending upon where we place this psalm in time). Therefore, we need to examine the Doctrine of Zion at this time.

Zion is an actual place, as we have seen in the doctrine, which is equivalent to the City of David. Its location seems to move, and what it designates varies (although, its meaning is generally easily ascertained by the context). In placing this psalm, one is immediately concerned with, which came first, the chicken or the egg. In this case, which came first, the spiritual connotation of Zion (which is what we find in this context) or its physical location? That is another difficult question, as we have a reason to support each side.

The Use of the Term Zion/When Did David Write this Psalm?

Firstly, Zion appears to move from one physical location to another, essentially following the Ark of God, which indicates to us that Zion is a spiritual term more than the name of a particular place. This would mean that David could have written this psalm at any time.

On the other hand, one source said the Zion was the name given to that fortress in Jerusalem 400 years before David conquered it, which seems to give Zion a real physical location which precedes its spiritual designation. Furthermore, this understanding would place this psalm sometime after II Sam. 5:7.

Let me offer you a third view, which may be the most accurate. The name and place of Zion was known to David even from his youth. There appears to be some sort of connection between David and Jerusalem which predates his conquering of Jerusalem. If he saw Zion as this great, impregnable fortress, known to him from his youth, then David might, through the guidance of God the Holy Spirit, use Zion to stand for the fortress of God (which is, of course, language of accommodation, since God is omniscient). This would allow for David to use the term Zion prior to his conquering of same, and to give it a spiritual connotation. What would confirm this position would be to find a psalm which was unquestionably written by David prior to II Sam. 5. However, even though the term Zion occurs 38 times in 31 different psalms in the book of Psalms, not one of those psalms unquestionably comes from this time period.

Here is the problem: although I really like solution #3, I cannot offer it unquestionably as the best solution to place this psalm in this time period, prior to David cutting the edge of Saul’s robe. Had there been even one psalm using the word Zion that came from this period of time, then I would have offered up solution #3 with dogmatism.

Many people write songs and poetry in stages and sometimes, it is only partially done, but they still might use it. When I was young, I attended a Simon and Garfunkle concert, and one song that they sang was unfinished at the time. They still sang it. So, perhaps David worked on this particular psalm for a long time, and, although we have the completed psalm today, what his soldiers may have heard was the incomplete version, which contained v. 1 (which is the only reason why I have placed this psalm where I have). I just saw a television show last night where a line of poetry was given to a musician, and from that, he composed a song. However, he began with that one line and a melody, which he sang prior to writing the entire song. This is possibly what David did.

You may ask, how can one inspired by God the Holy Spirit have any difficulties writing a psalm? Shouldn’t it just all come out? Not necessarily. In all Scripture, there is a decidedly human aspect. Each writer of Scripture maintains his vocabulary, his writing style, his personality. Therefore, that David should struggle to write a psalm, or begin to write it, and complete it at a later date, would not be out of the question. This would allow his soldiers to have heard the first line, even though David did not use the term Zion until much later.

You may not care for this, but after covering this, I am unable to give you a definitive answer or explanation.

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This verse tells us that the rule of Jehovah originates from Zion; as does Isa. 2:3b: The Law will for forth from Zion and the Word of Jehovah from Jerusalem. Zech. 9:10 tells us how far His rule will extend in the Millennium: I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall speak peace to the nations; his rule shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.

Psalm 110:2b
Hebrew/Pronunciation	Common English Meanings	Notes/Morphology	BDB and Strong’s Numbers
râdâh (הָדָר) [pronounced raw-DAW]	to tread with the feet; to rule, to have dominion over, to subdue; to take possession of	2^nd person masculine singular, Qal imperative	Strong’s #7287 BDB #921
Arabic and Aramaic read You will rule...
b^e (׃) [pronounced b^eh]	in, into, at, by, near, on, with, before, in the presence of, upon, against, by means of, among, within	a preposition of proximity	No Strong’s # BDB #88
qereb (ב ∵ר ∵ק) [pronounced KEH-re^bv]	midst, inward part	masculine singular construct	Strong’s #7130 BDB #899
With the bêyth preposition, it means in the midst of, among, into the midst of (after a verb of motion).
âya^bv (בַי ָא) [pronounced aw-YA^BV]	enemy, the one being at enmity with you; enmity, hostility	masculine plural, Qal active participle with the 2^nd person masculine singular suffix	Strong’s #340 BDB #33

Translation: ...Subdue [or, rule among] Your enemies. David is speaking to God. He tells God to rule over, or tread over or subdue His enemies. This is not a call to proceed to the Millennium, but a call for God to dominate that general geographical area.

Again, let me remind you of the observation of Keil and Delitzsch: For the history of time ends with the triumph of good over evil, - not, however, with the annihilation of evil, but with its subjugation. This is the issue, inasmuch as absolute omnipotence is effectual on behalf of and through the exalted Christ.

Let me remind you of Hannah’s prophecy: The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; against them he will thunder in heaven. The LORD will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and exalt the power of his anointed." (1Sam. 2:10). Let me add to this the prophecy of Balaam: I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth. Edom shall be dispossessed; Seir also, his enemies, shall be dispossessed. Israel is doing valiantly. And one from Jacob shall exercise dominion and destroy the survivors of cities!" (Num. 24:17–19).

Let me offer you one fulfillment of this verse in today’s history: Jesus Christ controls history; He does, in fact, rule in the midst of His enemies. Paul discusses the culmination of history in 1Cor. 15:24–28: Then the end, when He shall hand over the kingdom to God, even [the] Father, when He shall abolish every ruler and every authority and power. For it is necessary [for] Him to be reigning until He shall put all the enemies under His feet. [The] last enemy being abolished [is] death. For 'He put all [things] in subjection under His feet.' But when He says that all [things] have been subjected, [it is] evident that [this is] except for the One subjecting all the [things] to Him. Now when all the [things] are subjected to Him, then the Son also Himself will be subjected to One having subjected all the [things] to Him, so that God shall be the all in all. And the writer of Hebrews: "You put all [things] in subjection under his feet." For in the subjecting to him all [things], He left nothing unsubjected to him. But now we do not yet see all [things] having been subjected to him (Heb. 2:8).

Since this verse is not as well known as the first verse, we should examine...

A Summary of Psalm 110:2

1. As per Psalm 110:1, God the Son must wait for God the Father to place all of His enemies under His feet.

2. By simple observation, and according to Heb. 2:7–8, even still, not all things are subjected to Jesus Christ.

3. The scepter mentioned refers to rulership. His mighty scepter stretching out over the land indicates that Jesus will rule over the land.

4. At some point in time, Jesus will rule from a particular geographical area—we are told here that it is Zion; when He stands on this earth for His second advent, it will be the Mount of Olives (Zech. 14:4). However, He will rule from Zion, which is likely synonymous with the walled city of David.

5. At the time of David’s writing, even until now, Jerusalem is surrounded by enemies of the Jews. There are men who are willing to die, if it means that can kill a handful of Jews as well—that is how deep their hatred runs.

6. At the end of the tribulation, four great armies will converge on Jerusalem, to battle; the point being, hatred for the Jew runs deep. Satan certainly will have a hand in the armies converging here.

7. From Zion, the authority of Jesus Christ will extend over the entire earth.

8. Right now, all of the nation which surround Jerusalem are hostile toward the Jew and they are hostile toward the Christian and they are hostile toward God. For Jesus Christ to rule from Zion, means that he will rule from a place which is in the midst of His enemies.

9. However, at some point in time, in the future, at the beginning of the Millennium, Christ’s rule will be complete and absolute. Those who oppose Him will be cast into the Lake of Fire.

10. This is the point at which, all of Jesus’ enemies will be made a footstool for His feet (Psalm 110:1) and all things will be subject to Him (Heb. 2:8–9).

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Your people [are] willing volunteers [or, freewill offerings]

in a day of Your strength,

in majesties [or, mountains] of holiness

from a womb of morning

to You dew of Your young men.

Psalm

110:3

Your people [are] willing volunteers [or, freewill offerings] in the day of Your army [or, strength],

in majesties [or, ornaments; or, mountains] of holiness

from the womb of the morning,

Your young men [are] a mist to You [or, He sires You].

Your people willingly volunteer in the day You require an army [or, Authority will be with You in the day of your power],

as holy, majestic offerings from the midst of the morning [or, in the joyousness of Your saints (or, angels)]—

Your young men are a mist to You [or, from the womb, before the morning, I have sired You].

You will note below a great deal of variance of the translations below; that means this is a very difficult verse to translate, and therefore to understand. Some of the words of this verse occur rarely in Scripture. Therefore, I approach the interpretation of this verse with great trepidation. It is not me only. Clarke says Psalm 110:3 has been woefully perverted. Barnes tells us that Every clause of the verse is obscure. Therefore, expect to spend a lot of time in this verse, and yet to walk away possibly unsatisfied with the final observations.

The key to understanding this verse may be in the alternative readings of it. I will also exegete this verse from the Greek Septuagint; however, bear in mind that the inspiration of Scripture does not extend to the Septuagint. However, also bear in mind that the Septuagint may represent a more accurate representation of the original text. Unfortunately, we do not find this psalm among the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Early translations:

The Latin Vulgate (Luther) After thy victory shall Your people willingly bring an offering to You, in holy adorning: Your children shall be born to You as the dew of the morning.

The Peshitta Your people will be glorious in the day of Your power, arrayed in the beauty of holiness from the womb, I have begotten you as a child from the ages. .

The Septuagint With You is dominion in the day of Your power, in the splendors of Your saints [or, Holy things]. I have begotten You from the womb before the morning.

The Septuagint (Barnes) With You is the beginning in the day of Your power, in the splendor of Your saints, from the womb, before the light of the morning have I begotten You.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV Your glorious power will be seen on the day you begin to rule. You will wear the sacred robes and shine like the morning sun in all of your strength.

NAB Yours is princely power from the day of your birth.

In holy splendor before the daystar,

Like the dew I begot you.”

NJB Royal dignity has been yours from the day of your birth,

sacred honour from the womb, from the dawn of your youth.

NLT In that day of battle,

your people will serve you willingly.

Arrayed in holy garments,

your vigor will be renewed each day like the morning dew.

REB You gain the homage of your people

on the day of your power.

Arrayed in holy garments, a child of the dawn,

you have the dew of your youth.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

God’s Word™ Your people will volunteer when you call up your army. Your young people will come to you in holy splendor like dew in the early morning.

JPS (Tanakh) Your people come forward willingly on your day o battle.

In majestic holiness, from the womb,

from the dawn, yours was the dew of youth. [meaning of Hebrew uncertain]

NIV In that day of battle,

your people will serve you willingly.

Arrayed in holy garments,

your vigor will be renewed each day like the morning dew.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

The Amplified Bible Your people will offer themselves willingly in the day of Your power, in the beauty of holiness and in holy array out of the womb of the morning; to You will spring forth Your young men who are as the dew.

Professr Alexander Your people (are) free-will offerings in the day of Your power, in holy decorations, from the womb of the dawn, to You (is) the dew of Your youth.

DeWitte (updated) Willingly shall Your people show themselves to You on the day of the assembling of thy host in holy adorning, as from the womb of the morning, Your youth (vigor) shall be as the dew.

Updated Emphasized Bible ║Your people║ will freely offer themselves in the day of Your army,—

To You [will spring forth] the dew of Your youth. [See the Hebrew for additional alternate readings].

MKJV Your people shall be willing in the day of Your power, in holy adornment from the womb of the morning: You have the dew of Your youth.

NRSV You people will offer themselves willingly

on the day you lead your forces

on the holy mountains.

From the womb of the morning,

like dew, your youth will come to you.

Young's Updated LT Your people are free-will gifts in the day of Your strength, in the honours of holiness,

From the womb, from the morning, You have the dew of your youth.

What is the gist of this verse? This is a difficult verse to interpret. Apparently, Jews will turn to Jesus and offer themselves willingly in the final days; offering themselves willingly means that they obey Jesus in the last days. The youth will be as dew every morning—abundant and always there.

Psalm 110:3a
Hebrew/Pronunciation	Common English Meanings	Notes/Morphology	BDB and Strong’s Numbers
׳am (ם ַע) [pronounced ģahm]	people; race, tribe; family, relatives; citizens, common people; companions, servants; entire human race; herd [of animals]	masculine singular collective noun with the 2^nd person masculine singular suffix	Strong’s #5971 BDB #766
n^edâbâh (הָבָדנ) [pronounced n^e-DAW^b-VAW]	freewill, readiness of mind [to give], freely, with a willing mind, willing to volunteer; a spontaneous offering, a freewill sacrifice; largeness, abundance	feminine plural noun	Strong’s #5071 BDB #621
b^e (׃) [pronounced b^eh]	in, into, at, by, near, on, with, before, in the presence of, upon, against, by means of, among, within	a preposition of proximity	No Strong’s # BDB #88
yôwm (םי) [pronounced yohm]	day; today (with a definite article)	masculine singular construct	Strong’s #3117 BDB #398
chayil (ל̣יַח) [pronounced CHAH-yil]	army, strength, valour, power, might; efficiency; and that which is gotten through strength—wealth, substance	masculine singular noun with the 2^nd person masculine singular suffix	Strong’s #2428 BDB #298

Translation: Your people [are] willing volunteers [or, freewill offerings] in the day of Your army [or, strength],... The word here translated willing volunteers is n^edâbâh, which is primarily rendered free offering, freewill offering in Ex. 35:29 36:3 Lev. 7:16 22:18, 21, 23, 38; Num. 15:3 29:39; Deut. 12:6, 17 16:10 23:23 2Chron. 31:14; Ezra 1:4 3:5 8:28 Psalm 119:108 Amos 4:5. It is rendered (in the KJV) “willingly,” in 2Chron. 35:8; “plentiful,” in Psalm 68:9; “voluntary, and voluntarily,” in Ezek. 46:12; and “freely,” in Hosea 14:4. The idea is, whatever is done here is done from one’s freewill, without coercion. Although it is not the same word, it is possible that this is similar to the sentiments expressed by Deborah, when she wrote: That the leaders took the lead in Israel, that the people offered themselves willingly, bless the LORD! (Judges 5:2).

Barnes offers the following: That which was done, or that which is here intended to be described as having been done, is evidently the act of devoting themselves to him who is here designated as their Ruler - the Messiah. The allusion may be either: (a) to their devoting themselves to “him” in conversion, or becoming his; (b) to their devoting themselves to his “service” - as soldiers do in war; or (c) to their devoting their time, wealth, talents, to him in lives consecrated to him.

It is possible that we find the New Testament parallel to this verse in Rom. 12:1: I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship [or, reasonable service]. The believer is to offer himself for whatever God’s service is, as an act of freewill, as is his reasonable service.

God’s people are willing to join Him when He decides to rule over the powers of darkness and evil. When God chooses to destroy His enemies, His people are willing to be sacrifices, if need be, to that end. They willingly volunteer to do whatever God requires of them. Although this is phrased to sound as though Jesus Christ will require volunteers for any army, the idea is, He will require His people to do specific things in the end times. In Matt. 24:4–31, Jesus gives specific instructions as to what His people should do at this or that time, when the end comes. Furthermore, 144,000 Jews will become evangelists in the end times (Rev. 14:1–5)—these also are willing volunteers, freewill sacrifices in some instances, given the unbridled hatred which will be unleashed at that time.

Now, even though the exact meaning and application of this portion of v. 3 may be difficult to ascertain, what is key is, the devotion here is a matter of free will. Christianity is nothing apart from freewill. Even though there are Muslims who desire to take over various portions of this earth so that they can impose their values and distorted religion on those within their power, true Christianity must take a different tact. You cannot legislate Christianity. You cannot force a people to become Christian (despite the distortions of various Christian groups—present and historic). In our nation, people can legislate morality, to some extent; and try to bring legislation more in line with Biblical principles; but, no matter what laws govern a society, becoming a Christian and then serving God afterward is a matter of free will. You can be forced to attend church as a child; you cannot be forced to believe in Christ. You can be coerced into attending church with your wife, husband, boyfriend or girlfriend, but no one can change your heart to believe in Jesus Christ.

Barnes writes: No man is forced to go to heaven against his will; no man is saved from hell against his will; no man makes a sacrifice in religion against his will; no man is compelled to serve the Redeemer in any way against his will.

Application: When you present the gospel, bear in mind, it is their decision. You cannot argue someone into becoming a Christian. You cannot browbeat someone into becoming a believer. You can present the gospel and then let them make a choice. You cannot force your children to become believers; you cannot force your friends, your wife, husband, boyfriend or girlfriend into becoming believers. Now, you may exercise considerable influence over those people (and possibly much less than you realize), but, when all is said and done, once you present the gospel, you must step back and allow them to make the decision. Furthermore, it is not even any of your business what their decision is. If they choose to believe in Jesus Christ, they do not even have to tell you that they have.

Tangent: It is important that you grasp just how much of a conscious choice a person makes to spend eternity in hell. They are given all of their life, and often many times they hear the gospel. However, they must choose consistently, every second of the day, to not believe in Jesus Christ; they must choose every day of their lives to not desire fellowship with the True God. If a person for 50 or 70 or 100 years chooses to have nothing to do with God as He is, both a God of justice and a God of love, then what makes you think that person will want to spend eternity with God? Heaven is eternity with God; if a person does not choose to spend even one second with God here on earth, that person certainly does not want to spend eternity with God once his mortal life is over.

Tangent: On television and the movies, the greatest fear, the worst thing that can happen to a person is death. In life, we feel the same way; the greatest fear that we have is death. For the unbeliever, such a fear is right and reasonable. If you are sitting at the deathbed of an unbeliever, and they confess to you that they are afraid, don’t say, “There there, it will be alright.” It won’t be alright. They have a reason to be afraid. It is innate in man to be afraid of death. At some point, we must own up for all that we did. Now, as a believer, Jesus Christ took upon Himself the penalty for all the wrong that we have done—we stand in Him and have no reason to fear death. However, for the unbeliever, who has not believed in Jesus Christ, he has good reason to be afraid—he faces eternity without God, eternity in the Lake of Fire, eternity under divine judgment. God the Son gave everything for that person, and all that person had to do was believe in Jesus Christ, even if only for a second. It takes absolutely nothing by way of effort to insure that one spends eternity with God; to insure that one goes to heaven; however, it takes a lifetime of negative volition for a person to choose hell. Every second of every day, he must choose against fellowship with God. The obvious result is, after choosing not to have fellowship with God during life; he also is choosing not to have fellowship with God after life.

However, we are not certain that we are actually dealing with the correct translation. The Septuagint is quite different at this point; therefore, we should examine....
The Greek Translation of Psalm 110:3a
Greek/Pronunciation	Common English Meanings	Notes/Morphology	Strong’s Number
meta (μετά) [pronounced meht-AH]	with, among, in the company of, in the midst of	preposition with the genitive	Strong’s #3326
su (συ) [pronounced sue]	[of] you	2^nd person personal pronoun; genitive case (σο)	Strong’s #4771
hê (ἡ) [pronounced hey]	the	1^st person feminine singular definite article (nominative and vocative forms)	no Strong’s #
archê (ἀρΧή) [pronounced ar-KHAY]	beginning; elementary, basic; origin, first cause; ruler, authority; rule, domain, sphere of influence	feminine singular; nominative or accusative case	Strong’s #746
en (ἐν) [pronounced en]	in, by means of, with	preposition	Strong’s #1722
hêmera (ἡμάρα) [pronounced hay-MEH-raw]	day, daytime; 24-hour day; period of time	masculine noun; locative, dative and instrumental case	Strong’s #2250
tês (τς) [pronounced tayc]	the	1^st person feminine singular definite article (genitive and ablative forms)	no Strong’s #
dúnamis (δύναμις) [pronounced DOO-nahm-iss]	power, ability, able, capable; mighty deeds, miracles; meaning or significance [of voice, language]	feminine noun, genitive and ablative case	Strong’s #1411
su (συ) [pronounced sue]	[of] you	2^nd person personal pronoun; genitive and ablative case (σο)	Strong’s #4771

With You [is] authority [or, dominion; or, (the) beginning] in [the] day of Your power. Even though the words in the Greek are quite common and easy to define, archê has a number of different meanings. Clarke saw it as referring to elementary principles. However, given the way which I have rendered this, the understanding is relatively simple: there will come a time when Jesus Christ will rule over this earth—here it is called the day of Your power. This is in keeping with the first verse: after God the Father has made the enemies of Jesus His footstool, then Jesus Christ will exercise authority over the earth, during the Millennium, also called the day of Your power.

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Psalm 110:3b
Hebrew/Pronunciation	Common English Meanings	Notes/Morphology	BDB and Strong’s Numbers
b^e (׃) [pronounced b^eh]	in, into, at, by, near, on, with, before, in the presence of, upon, against, by means of, among, within	a preposition of proximity	No Strong’s # BDB #88
hâdâr (רָדָה) [pronounced haw-DAWR]	majesty, splendor; ornament, adorning, decoration; honor	masculine plural construct	Strong’s #1926 BDB #214
Some manuscripts read in the mountains of holiness (as below): 30 of our Kennicott’s MSS., and 53 of those of De Rossi, and also of several printed editions.
b^e (׃) [pronounced b^eh]	in, into, at, by, near, on, with, before, in the presence of, upon, against, by means of, among, within	a preposition of proximity	No Strong’s # BDB #88
har (ר ַה) [pronounced har]	hill, mountain, hill-country	masculine plural construct	Strong’s #2042 (and #2022) BDB #249
qôdesh (ש∵דֹק) [pronounced koh-DESH]	holiness, sacredness, apartness, that which is holy, holy things	masculine singular noun	Strong's #6944 BDB #871

Translation: ...in majesties [or, ornaments; or, mountains] of holiness... There is some confusion here as to the meaning of this portion of this verse. God’s people are willing to act as sacrifices of holiness or they willingly present themselves in service to God in the end times. This appears to parallel Rev. 14:1, where we have the 144,000 Jews standing on Mount Zion with the Lamb (Jesus Christ): And I looked, and behold, the Lamb is standing on Mount Zion and with Him are 144,000, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads. This would be in stark contrast to those who received the mark of the beast, the ones who are deceived in 2Thess. 2:8–12: Then that lawless one will be revealed—whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming—the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be delivered. And for this reason, God will send to them a deluding influence, so that they might believe the lie, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.

As was mentioned, the word here may be mountains of holiness, which does not quite jive in number with Mount Zion (as per Rev. 14:1); however, we do have a warning for the Jews to flee to the mountains when the abomination of desolation is set up in the holy place (Matt. 24:15–16). The holy mountains would therefore be to where these people flee; and they are holy, because they are set apart to God and the people are safe there. Those who flee, when they are told to, are acting in obedience to God’s orders for the last days—so they in essence, willingly offer themselves in the day of His strength.

Because the Septuagint is still quite different at this point; therefore, we should examine....
The Greek Translation of Psalm 110:3b
Greek/Pronunciation	Common English Meanings	Notes/Morphology	Strong’s Number
en (ἐν) [pronounced en]	in, by means of, with	preposition	Strong’s #1722
tais (τας) [pronounced taiç]	the	feminine plural definite article; dative, locative and instrumental cases	no Strong’s #
lamprotês (λαμπρότης) [pronounced lahm-PROH-tayç]	brilliance, splendor; joyousness, greatness [of the soul]	feminine singular noun; dative, locative and instrumental cases?	Strong’s #2987
Although I am positive about the word and its meaning; I am confused about its ending (although, given the definite article and the preposition, the case must be correct).
tôn (τν) [pronounced tohn]	the	plural definite article; genitive and ablative cases	no Strong’s #
hagios (ἅγιος) [pronounced HA-gee-oss]	angels, saints	masculine plural, genitive and ablative cases; adjective used as a substantive	Strong’s #40
su (συ) [pronounced sue]	[of] you	2^nd person personal pronoun; genitive and ablative case (σο)	Strong’s #4771

...in the brilliance [or, joyousness; or, greatness] of Your saints [or, angels],... Believers in Jesus Christ, because they are in Christ, will be glorified and they will be joyous. So, we may understand this as: In the day of the power of Messiah [Christ], and in the joyousness of the saints, Jesus Christ has complete authority over planet earth and dominion over the heavens.

We may also interpret this as the angels celebrating the time known as the day of power. When Jesus Christ takes His rightful place as ruler over planet earth, and the devil and his angels have been banished, the angels will also rejoice in this.

It should be obvious that translating from the Greek is much easier than translating from the Hebrew; the words found here are very common Greek words (apart from lamprotês). Furthermore, the meaning is much easier to ascertain. Therefore, the question is: why don’t I dispense with the Hebrew and simply teach from the Greek? The Greek is a translation made from the Hebrew, and it is an uneven translations. There are times when the translators attempted to be very accurate and literal, and other times when they took more liberties with the text, given it more of a thought for thought rendering. It is very reasonable that, when they came across difficulties, that some of the translators would rework the translation to a point where it means something (our NIV and NLT both frequently do that). When the general meaning is ascertained correctly, this is a great help. However, when the general meaning is skipped over for an easier to grasp translation, then we have a problem...we are no longer reading God’s Word, but the best understanding of God’s Word that a translator could muster at the time. So, in studying this Greek, bear in mind that, at times we are outside of what God’s Word might actually say here.

On the other hand, the Apostles used the Greek translation and several of them—Paul in particular—often quoted freely from Holy Writ, developing his own translation of a particular passage at times.

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Psalm 110:3c
Hebrew/Pronunciation	Common English Meanings	Notes/Morphology	BDB and Strong’s Numbers
min (ן ̣מ) [pronounced min]	from, off, out from, out of, away from, on account of, since, than, more than, greater than	preposition of separation	Strong's #4480 BDB #577
rechem (ם∵ח∵ר) [pronounced REH-khem]	womb; inner parts	masculine singular noun	Strong’s #7358 (and #7356) BDB #933
mish^echâr (רָחש̣מ) [pronounced mish^e-KHAWR]	dawn, morning	masculine singular noun	Strong’s #4891 BDB #1007
Mish^echâr is possibly a misspelling and probably equivalent to Strong’s #7837 BDB #1007 (which lacks the mem and is below). Or, it is the correct word, a form of the word below, and found only here.
shachar (ר -ח-ש) [pronounced SHAH-khahr]	dawn, morning; felicity [a dawning after misery]	masculine singular noun	Strong’s #7837 BDB #1007

Translation: ...from the womb of the morning... They are willing to give themselves beginning in the midst of the morning.

Psalm 110:3d
Hebrew/Pronunciation	Common English Meanings	Notes/Morphology	BDB and Strong’s Numbers
lâmed (ל) [pronounced l^e]	to, for, towards, in regards to	preposition with the 2^nd person masculine singular suffix	No Strong’s # BDB #510
ţal (ל-ט) [pronounced tahl]	night mist, mist, dew	masculine singular noun	Strong’s #2919 BDB #378
2yal^edûwth (דל-י) [pronounced yahl^e-DOOTH]	childhood, youth, young men	feminine plural noun with the 2^nd person masculine singular suffix	Strong’s #3208 BDB #409
The alternate reading is, I have begotten You (as per 62 of Kennicott’s manuscripts and 23 De Rossi’s manuscripts; also the Seputagint, Arabic and Anglo-Saxon translations). The alternate reading is below.
yâlad (דַלָי) [pronounced yaw-LAHD]	sired, fathered, became the father of, became the ancestor of; to became the founder of	3^rd person masculine singular, Hiphil imperfect (specifically with a masculine subject); with the 2^nd person masculine singular suffix	Strong’s #3205 BDB #408
Although Clarke translates this as I have begotten You; it should be He sires You (as per the consonants that he lists).

Translation: ...Your young men [are] a mist to You [or, to You a mist, He sires You]. The picture is possibly of so many men dead, that they are like the morning mist. Their blood covers the ground.

The Septuagint reads Out of the womb before the morning-star, I sired you. My version reads: I have begotten You from the womb before the morning. The reference could be to these people being chosen by God before the foundation of the world; and, therefore, prior to their acts of allegiance (even though they will make the choice in time soon after heir own change of mind). Therefore, we should examine....
The Greek Translation of Psalm 110:3c-d
Greek/Pronunciation	Common English Meanings	Notes/Morphology	Strong’s Number
ek (ἐκ) [pronounced ehk]	out of, out from, from, of	preposition	Strong’s #1537
gastêr (γαστήρ; –τρός, ἡ) [pronounced gas-TAIR]	belly, inward parts of body [not subject to human observation]; womb	feminine singular noun; genitive and ablative cases	Strong’s #1064
pro (πρό) [pronounced proh]	before, in front of; before [in time]; of precedence, rank, or advantage	preposition, used with the genitive	Strong’s #4253
heôphorou (ἑωφόρου) [pronounced hyoh-FOH-roo]	morning?	Masculine/neuter singular noun; genitive case	??
Like many of the Greek words in the Septuagint, this is one which I cannot find. However, I have defined it based upon the English translation of Brenton.
gennaô (γεννάω) [pronounced gen-NAW-oh]	to beget, to sire [used of a male]; to give birth to, to bear [used of a female]; to bring forth, to produce, to cause	1^st person masculine singular, aorist active indicative	Strong’s #1080
se (σέ) [pronounced seh]	you	2^nd person singular pronoun; accusative case	Strong’s #4771

...out of the womb before the morning I sired You. This is completely in keeping with what has gone before. God the Father has sired God the Son from the womb. This would make little sense to some scribes. They had to accept the divine nature of this psalm, although they certain would be confused by it.

On the other hand, the Greek translators could have been perplexed by what was in the Hebrew and simply gave it their best shot, taking v. 1 into consideration. Because of this, it is difficult to come to a firm conclusion as to the translation of this. In any case, it should be apparent that the Septuagint is much easier to understand, and this explains where some of the English translations came from.

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Because the LXX is so different, allow me to give...

An Explanation of Psalm 110:3 According to the Septuagint

1. The first thing we need, of course, is a translation from the Septuagint. This comes from Barnes:* “With You is authority in the day of Your power, in the brilliance [or, joyousness] of Your saints, from the womb, before the morning have I begotten You.” Recall, Barnes’ rendering from the Greek: With You is the beginning in the day of Your power, in the splendor of Your saints, from the womb, before the light of the morning have I begotten You.

2. This would be in keeping with the first verse, where God the Father says to God the Son, “Sit at My right hand until I make You enemies a footstool for Your feet.”

3. Again, in v. 3, God the Father speaks to God the Son.

4. He says that the power of Jesus Christ was decreed to be with Him from the beginning. What is used here is poetical language to indicate this: from the womb, before the light of the morning.

5. This is a reference to the divine decrees, which were in existence in eternity past. In relation to man, Jesus came at a specific point in time; He gave Himself for our sins at a particular point in time; but all of this was decreed outside of time, before time was invented.

6. At the same time, this refers to the literal birth of Jesus. God the Son is eternal; however, Jesus Christ, as a man, entered into history at a specific point in time.

7. Not only was the cross a part of the divine decrees, but Jesus’ resurrection, ascension and session are a part of the decrees (not in view here).

8. Furthermore, His return to earth, to subjugate all things to Himself, is a part of what has been decreed.

a. In fact, since the Old Testament does not clearly distinguish between the first and second advents of our Lord, Jews have been confused by them, expecting their Messiah to return as a political conqueror.

b. However, that confusion is a matter of unbelief; it is a matter of choosing not to believe in Jesus Christ.

9. In any case, the day of our Lord’s power (or, the Day of the Lord) and the glorification of His saints (here, called, the joyousness of Your saints) was all known in eternity past.

10. The day of the Lord and the glorification of His saints (because they glorify Him) is known from the womb, before the light of the morning.

a. This has a two-fold meaning. This is a reference to the Christ child being born from the womb, and...

b. ...His birth being foreknown in eternity past, even before the light of the morning.

11. All of this was known when God the Father sired God the Son. This act of siring also requires some explanation:

a. God the Father and God the Son are co-equal and co-eternal.

b. God the Father did not suddenly have a Son in time, and that was the beginning of God the Son.

c. However, in human history, when God became man, when the God-man was conceived in the womb of Mary, that was the day Jesus Christ was conceived as the God-man.

d. Jesus Christ existed in eternity past, with God the Father.

e. Neither God the Son nor God the Father were created.

f. However, Jesus, the God-man, did happen in time. He was begotten at a particular point in human history (a time from which we compute our modern calendar). This is the time spoken of here, even though it was decreed in eternity past.

* Albert Barnes, Barnes’ Notes on the Old Testament; from e-Sword, Psalm 110:3.

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Barnes provides a good summary of this verse.

Barnes Summarizes Psalm 110:3

Every clause of the verse is obscure, though the “general” idea is not difficult to perceive; that, in the day of Messiah’s power, his people would willingly offer themselves to him, in holy robes or adorning, like the glittering dew of the morning; or, in numbers that might be compared with the drops of the morning dew. The essential ideas are:

(1) that He would have a “people;”

(2) that their subjection to him would be a “willing” subjection;

(3) that this would be accomplished by his “power;”

(4) that they would appear before Him in great beauty - in robes of holy adorning;

(5) that they would in some way resemble the dew of the morning; and

(6) that to Him in thus subduing them there would be the vigor of youth, the ardor of youthful hope.

This was quoted almost directly from Barnes, updating only the thee’s and thou’s.

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These last two parts of v. 3 are frustrating; mostly because there is not a clearly accurate original. How does one explain what one is not at all sure of in the first place? The various ancient translations and their take on this verse further indicate that they were confused by the Hebrew as well (or, what they read was slightly different than what we read).

I realize that you may not feel as though you have received a decent explanation of this verse; it is frustrating for me, because I know I did not deliver one. But this should indicate an important principle: without a good and correct translation, an explanation is impossible.

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The Royal Priesthood of Jesus Christ

Has sworn Y^ehowah and He is not sorry:

You a priest for long duration upon a manner of Melchizedek.

Psalm

110:4

Y^ehowah has sworn [a solemn oath] (and He will not change His mind):

“You [are] a priest forever according to the manner of Melchizedek.”

Jehovah has taken a solemn oath (and He will not change His mind):

“You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Early translations:

The Peshitta The Lord has sworn and will not lie, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”

The Septuagint The Lord swears and will not repent [change His mind], You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchisedec.”

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV The LORD has made a promise that will never be broken: “You will be a priest forever, just like Melchizedek.”

NAB The Lord has sworn and will not waver:

“Like Melchizedek you are a priest forever.”

NLT The Lord has taken an oath and will not break his vow:

“You are a priest forever in the line of Melchizedek.”

REB The Lord has sworn an oath and will not change his mind:

‘You are a priest for ever,

a Melchizedek in my service.’

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

God’s Word™ The LORD has taken an oath and will not change his mind: “You are a priest forever, in the way Melchizedek was a priest.”

JPS (Tanakh) The Lord has sworn and will not relent,

“You are a priest forever, a rightful king by My decree.” [Or, “after the manner of Melchizedek.”]

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Updated Emphasized Bible Yahweh │has sworn│ —and will not repent [change His mind]:

║You║ [will be] a priest unto times age-abiding [for eternity],

After the manner of Melchizedek.

MKJV Jehovah has sworn, and will not repent, You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

Young's Updated LT Jehovah has sworn, and does not repent, ‘You are a priest to the age, According to the order of Melchizedek.’

What is the gist of this verse? God the Father makes an unretractable oath to God the Son: “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”

Psalm 110:4a
Hebrew/Pronunciation	Common English Meanings	Notes/Morphology	BDB and Strong’s Numbers
shâbva׳ (עַבָש) [pronounced shaw^b-VAHĢ]	to swear, to imprecate, to curse, to swear an oath, to take a solemn oath, to swear allegiance	3^rd person masculine singular, Niphal perfect	Strong's #7650 BDB #989
YHWH (הוהי) [pronunciation is possibly yhoh-WAH]	transliterated variously as Jehovah, Yahweh, Y^ehowah	proper noun	Strong’s #3068 BDB #217
w^e (or v^e) (ו) [pronounced weh]	and	simple wâw conjunction	No Strong’s # BDB #251
lô (אֹל or אל) [pronounced low]	not, no	negates the word or action that follows; the absolute negation	Strong’s #3808 BDB #518
nâcham (ם ַח ָנ) [pronounced naw-KHAHM]	to be sorry, to be moved to pity, to lament, to grieve to have compassion, to pity, to suffer grief, to rue	3^rd person singular, Niphal imperfect	Strong’s #5162 BDB #636
When applied to God, the word is used phenomenally, according to O.T. custom. God seems to change His mind. The phenomena are such as, in the case of a man, would indicate a change of mind.

Translation: Y^ehowah has sworn [a solemn oath] (and He will not change His mind):... We begin here with a very strong and solemn statement. First of all, Jehovah is taking an oath, and most of us would think, that’s good enough. After all what could be stronger than God taking a solemn oath? However, we have added to this the fact that God would not change His mind. He will not retract this oath. God is immutable—His character does not change. The oath here is absolutely emphatic—it could not be any stronger.

Psalm 110:4b
Hebrew/Pronunciation	Common English Meanings	Notes/Morphology	BDB and Strong’s Numbers
attâh (הָ-א) [pronounced aht-TAW]	you (often, the verb to be is implied)	2^nd person masculine singular, personal pronoun	Strong’s #859 BDB #61
kôhên (ן ֵהֹ) [pronounced koh-HANE]	priest	masculine singular noun	Strong's #3548 BDB #463
lâmed (ל) (pronounced l^e)	to, for, towards, in regards to, with reference to, as to, with regards to, belonging to	preposition	No Strong’s # BDB #510
׳ôwlâm (םָלע) [pronounced ģo-LAWM]	long duration, forever, perpetuity, antiquity, futurity	masculine singular noun	Strong’s #5769 BDB #761
׳ôwlâm together with the lâmed preposition mean forever

Translation: “You [are] a priest forever... First of all, we need to determine to Whom is Jehovah speaking here? Our context is determined by v. 1 where it reads Jehovah said to my Lord; therefore, again, Jehovah God is speaking to Adonai. We may interpret this as God the Father says to God the Son. Here, God the Father tells Jesus Christ, “You are a Priest forever.” This is not simply a priest who passes on his post to his son and to his son’s sons; but Jesus Christ is a Priest forever.

Psalm 110:4c
Hebrew/Pronunciation	Common English Meanings	Notes/Morphology	BDB and Strong’s Numbers
׳al (ל ַע) [pronounced ģahl]	upon, beyond, on, against, above, over, by, beside	preposition of proximity	Strong’s #5921 BDB #752
dib^erâh (הָר׃ב̣) [pronounced di^bv^e-RAW]	manner, mode; cause, reason	feminine singular noun:	Strong’s #1700 (and #1701) BDB #184
Together, ׳al dib^erâh mean to the intent that, in order that, so that; for the sake of; concerning the matter of, concerning the condition of; according to the manner of, according to the order of.
According to 12 manuscripts, this could read his order rather than after the order of.
Mal^ekîy Tsedeq (ק∵ד∵צֿי.ל-מ) [pronounced mahl^e-KEE TZEH-dek]	my king is Tsedek, king of Tsedek and is transliterated Melchizedek	masculine proper noun	Strong’s #4442 BDB #575
The first word is king with the 1^st person singular suffix (Strong’s #4428 BDB #572). The latter word is possibly derived from an Arabic verb which means to speak the truth. It could also come from an Arabic noun that means hard, even, straight, perfect. Various authors give this the meaning innocent; loyalty; authorized; just, righteousness. This is the Hebrew word for righteousness, rightness. (Strong’s #6664 BDB #841). This gives us more of a title than a name: My King [is] Righteous. However, there are others (e.g., Gesenius), who render this King of Righteousness or King of Salem (Jerusalem).

Translation: ...according to the manner of Melchizedek.” This is going to require us to take a little time to unravel this last portion of v. 4.

The first order of business is to examine the rare Hebrew word dib^erâh (הָר׃ב̣) [pronounced di^bv^e-RAW]. Except for Job 5:8, dib^erâh is found with the preposition ל-ע, which is included in the translations below.
Dib^erâh (הָר׃ב̣)
	Emphasized Bible	KJV	NASB	NKJV	Young
Job 5:8	(my) cause	(my) cause	(my) cause	(my) cause	(my) word
Psalm 110:4	after the manner of	after the order of	according to the order of	according to the order of	according to the order of
Eccles. 3:18	as concerning	concerning the estate of	concerning	concerning the condition	concerning the matter of
Eccles. 7:14	to the end	to the end that	so that	so that	to the intent that
Eccles. 8:2	out of regard to	in regard of	because of	for the sake of	for the sake of
Daniel 2:30	in order that	for their sakes	for the purpose of	in order that	for the intent that
Daniel 4:17	to the intent that	to the intent that	in order that	in order that	to the intent that
You should notice quite an agreement between various translations, but not within a translation.

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Translations of Dib^erâh in Context
Passage	NKJV	Young’s Updated Translation
Job 5:8	But as for me, I would seek God, And to God I would commit my cause—	Yet I—I inquire for God, And for God I give my word,...
Psalm 110:4	The Lord has sworn And will no relent, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.”	Jehovah has sworn, and does not repent, “You are a priest to the age, According to the order of Melchizedek.”
Eccles. 3:18	I said in my heart, “Concerning the condition of the sons of men, God tests them, that they may see that they themselves are animals.	I said in my heart concerning the matter of the sons of man that God might cleanse them, so as to see that they themselves are beasts.
Eccles. 7:14	In the day of prosperity, be joyful, But in the day of adversity consider: Surely God has appointed the one as well as the other So that man can find out nothing that will come after him.	In a day of prosperity be in gladness, And in a day of evil consider. Also this over-against that has God made, To the intent that man does not find anything after him.
Eccles. 8:2	I say, “Keep the king’s commandment for the sake of your oath to God.	I pray you, the commandment of a king keep, even for the sake of the oath of God.
Daniel 2:30	“But as for me, this secret has not been revealed to me because I have more wisdom than anyone living, but for our sakes who make known the interpretation to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your heart.	As to me—not for any wisdom that is in me above any living has this secret been revealed to me; but for the intent that the interpretation to the king they make known, and the thoughts of your heart you do know.
Daniel 4:17	‘This decision is by the decree of the watchers, And the sentence by the word of the holy ones, In order that the living may know That the most High rules in the kingdom of men, Gives it to whomever He will And sets over it the lowest of men.’	...by the decree of the sifters is the sentence, and by the saying of the holy ones the requirement, to the intent that the living may know that the Most High is ruler in the kingdom of men, and to whom He wills He gives it, and the lowest of men He does raise up over it.

The word dib^erâh (הָר׃ב̣) [pronounced di^bv^e-RAW] is built upon the word dâbâr (רָבָ) [pronounced daw^b-VAWR], which means word, saying, doctrine, thing, matter, command. Strong’s #1697 BDB #182. According to BDB, it means cause, reason, manner, which are all in line with being derived from dâbâr, Gesenius renders this manner, mode; cause, reason; cause [in the forensic sense]. With the ׳al preposition, it therefore means on account of, to the end that.

Barnes writes: The word rendered “order” here means properly a word, a thing, a matter; hence, a way or manner. The meaning here is, that he would be a priest “after the manner” of Melchizedek; or, such a priest as he was.*

Now, for the clincher. You may feel as though this, despite the volume of discussion, has not really been put to rest, and I agree. However, all we need to do is see this verse quoted in the New Testament. The phrase that we are interested in is translated into the Greek as follows: κατὰ τὴν τάξιν (both in the Septuagint and in the book fo Hebrews). Taxis (τάξις) [pronounced TAWX-iss] means an arranging, an arrangement, an order, a fixed succession in a fixed time; an orderly condition, a post, a rank; nature, character, fashion, quality, style. Strong’s #5010. This is preceded by the preposition katá (κατά) [pronounced kaw-TAW], which means down, down from, down upon, according to, after, according to a norm or standard. Strong’s #2596. Therefore, we have according to [the norm or standard] of the order [or post or nature] of Melchizedek. We find the same phrasing in 1Cor. 14:40, but without the definite article.

Conclusion: We have spent a great deal of time here, and the result is: (1) the phrase ׳al diberâh is used differently here than elsewhere in the Old Testament; (2) we must make a reasonable hypothesis at the English translation, as have many scholars before us; and (3) our hypothesis is in agreement with the Greek of both the Septuagint and the New Testament.

* Albert Barnes, Barnes’ Notes on the Old Testament; from e-Sword, Psalm 110:4.

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Calmet properly observes that there were three orders of priesthood.

1.That of royalty. All ancient kings being, in virtue of their office, priests also. This seems to have been considered as the natural right of royalty, as it obtained in almost every nation of the earth, from the beginning of the world down to the end of the Roman empire.

2.That of the first-born. This right appertained naturally to Reuben, as the first-born in the family of Jacob.

3.That of the Levites, instituted by God himself, and taken [away] from Reuben, because of his transgression. The Levitical priesthood ended with the Jewish polity; and that also of the first-born, which had been absorbed in it.

Our next order of business is, what about Melchizedek? Therefore, we must examine the Doctrine of Melchizedek. It is quite amazing what we find here. Melchizedek is mentioned in two verses in the Old Testament, and these brief mentions are the basis for several chapters of sound theological reasoning by the writer of Hebrews (Heb. 5–8). The summary of all of this is, Jesus Christ is patterned more closely after the order of the priesthood of Melchizedek than He is after the pattern of the Aaronic priesthood. The pattern here is actually quite simple to discern: Melchizedek was a king-priest; Jesus Christ is the King-Priest. In Israel, those descended from Aaron (who is descended from Levi) were priests and high priests; the southern kings (with two exceptions) were sons of David, who was from the tribe of Judah. Since these lines were separate, Jesus must be a priest after the order of Melchizedek. This will become even more clear as we examine where this passage is quoted in the book of Hebrews.

Since Psalm 110:4 is quoted so often in the book of Hebrews, it may be a good idea to arrange this information into a table, to make it easier to follow. Each time we find this passage quoted, the author is making a point. Since it is unlikely for the emphasis to be the same every time, it will be enlightening to examine each New Testament occurrence the verse.
New Testament Quotations of Psalm 110:4
Scripture	Full or partial Quotation	The Point Being Made
Heb. 5:6	For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness. Because of this he is obligated to offer sacrifice for his own sins just as he does for those of the people. And no one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was. So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, "You are my Son, today I have begotten you"; as he says also in another place, "You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek." (Heb. 5:1–6).	The High Priest is called by God. Even Aaron, the father of the Levitical priesthood, did not aspire to become a High Priest; God chose him for this office. This passage emphasizes that God called Jesus Christ as a priest.
Heb. 5:10	In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing (Heb. 5:7–11).	The writer of Hebrews speaks of Jesus’ humanity, mentions the priesthood again; but then he cannot explore this topic, as his readers do not have the background that they should.
By the way, chapter 6 explains why the Hebrews are having a difficult time with doctrine (they continue to offer sacrifices for their sins); then it speaks of God’s oaths, and ties the surety of God’s oaths to the promise that God would appoint Jesus a High Priest after the order of Melchizedek forever.
Heb. 7:11	For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace. He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever. See how great this man was to whom Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the spoils! And those descendants of Levi who receive the priestly office have a commandment in the law to take tithes from the people, that is, from their brothers, though these also are descended from Abraham. But this man who does not have his descent from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior. In the one case tithes are received by mortal men, but in the other case, by one of whom it is testified that he lives. One might even say that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him. Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, rather than one named after the order of Aaron? For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well (Heb. 7:1–12).	The writer of Hebrews now goes into more detail about Melchizedek and how he relates to Jesus Christ. The point here is, there are more parallels between Melchizedek and Jesus Christ than there is between the Levitical priesthood and Jesus Christ. There is no genealogy associated with Melchizedek. He certainly had a mother and a father, but he was not a priest due to his genealogy. Furthermore, he had no beginning of days or end of life (which is mentioned). These are parallels to Jesus Christ, Who was appointed high Priest, but not as a part of the Aaronic priesthood. That is, he did not inherit His priesthood because of his genetic line (Jesus was descended from Judah, not Levi). Jesus Christ is also eternal in His priesthood, as He is eternal. In a way, even the Levitical priests paid tribute to Melchizedek, through Abraham; making him superior to all of the priests. Psalm 110:4 promised a Priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek. If the priesthood of Levi was sufficient, then there would be no reason for another priest to come on the scene outside of the family of Levi. Finally, if the Levitical priesthood and their sacrifices were efficacious, then there would have been no reason for Jesus Christ to offer Himself for our sins.
Heb 7:15	For the one of whom these things are spoken belonged to another tribe, from which no one has ever served at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life. For it is witnessed of him, "You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek." (Heb. 7:13–17).	The point being made is, Jesus Christ is descended maternally from the tribe of Judah; and his step-father, so to speak, is from the tribe of Judah. However, there is no connection between the tribe of Judah and the priesthood. For the priest to Israel, he must be from the tribe of Israel. However, Jesus lays claim to the priesthood through His eternal life, as a priest after the order of Melchizedek.
Heb 7:21	On the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness (for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God. And it was not without an oath. For those who formerly became priests were made such without an oath, but this one was made a priest with an oath by the one who said to him: "The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, 'You are a priest forever.'" This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant. The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever (Heb. 7:18–28).	That Jesus is not a priest after the Law is not a negative, as the Law makes nothing perfect. More importantly, Jesus was made a priest as per an oath from God; an oath which cannot be applied to the Aaronic priests. This oath makes all the difference. Furthermore, Jesus is eternal, whereas the other priests died. The fact that Jesus is eternal and that He received this as per an oath from God makes His priesthood not only better but permanent. Furthermore, Jesus’ sinlessness makes His priesthood before God more meaningful and powerful. He does not have to offer sacrifices daily, but just one time for all.

Unlike v. 1, which is quoted in many places in Scripture to make several different points, v. 4 is quoted only in the book of Hebrews (several times in Heb. 5–7) as the author explains the Levitical priesthood and why it was superceded by Jesus Christ, our High Priest.

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The Parallels Between Jesus Christ and Melchizedek
Melchizedek	Jesus Christ
Melchizedek was not from the tribe of Levi (Heb. 7:3, 6).	Jesus Christ was from the tribe of Judah; not from the tribe of Levi (Luke 3:23–38).
Melchizedek predated the various tribes of Israel and therefore predates Israel (Heb. 7:9–10).	Our Lord, in His deity, predates Israel (John 1:1–3, 14).
Although Melchizedek was probably born and probably died—that is, we do not believe that he is a theophany—this viewpoint is never presented to us.	Our Lord, although His humanity had a beginning, He has said, “Before Abraham was, I existed eternally.” (John 8:58). His Deity had no beginning (John 1:1–3, 14).
Abraham, the father of the Jewish race, paid tithes to Melchizedek, meaning that, he was inferior to Melchizedek (Heb. 7:4–7).	Abraham, as well as all Jews, are inferior to Jesus Christ, Who is God (John 1:1, 14 Heb. 26–28).
Melchizedek was a king-priest (Psalm 110:4 Heb. 5:10 7:1–2).	Our Lord is a King-Priest (Psalm 110:1, 4).
Melchizedek was the king of Salem, which was ancient Jerusalem (Heb. 7:1).	Jesus Christ is the King Who will rule from Jerusalem (Psalm 110:2).
Melchizedek was apparently chosen by God to be a priest.	Jesus Christ was chosen by God to be a priest (Heb. 5:6–10).
Melchizedek is the king of righteousness and the king of peace (Heb. 7:2).	Jesus Christ is the King of Righteousness and the King of Peace.
Although the genealogy of the priesthood is fairly well defined in Scripture—see 1Chron. 6, for instance—Melchizedek is presented apart from any genealogy (Heb. 7:3).	Similarly, the Deity of Jesus Christ has no genealogy, no beginning of days, no ending of days (Heb. 7:3).
Although I have covered all of the main points, one may further study the priesthood of Melchizedek and the priesthood of Jesus Christ in Heb. 5–9.