Unless otherwise stated, all citations are taken from the New International Version (NIV).
This is a royal psalm[1] that predicts the future Messiah. It is no wonder that it is the most cited chapter in the New Testament (Mt. 22:44; 26:64; Mk. 12:36; 14:62; 16:19; Lk. 20:42-44; 22:69; Acts 2:34-35; Rom. 8:34; 1 Cor. 15:25; Eph. 1:20; Col. 3:1; Heb. 1:3, 13; 5:6; 7:17, 21; 8:1; 10:12-13; 12:2). For a further treatment of this being a messianic prophecy of Jesus, see (Mt. 22:41-46) Is Psalm 110 a prophecy of Jesus?
This is a “psalm of David.” This is crucial to interpreting the psalm messianically. Kidner writes, “Nowhere in the Psalter does so much hang on the familiar title A Psalm of David as it does here; nor is the authorship of any other psalm quite so emphatically endorsed in other parts of Scripture. To amputate this opening phrase, or to allow it no reference to the authorship of the psalm, is to be at odds with the New Testament, which finds King David’s acknowledgment of his ‘Lord’ highly significant.”[2] Indeed, Jesus claimed that David wrote this psalm “in the Holy Spirit” (Mk. 12:36; cf. Mt. 22:41-45; Lk. 20:41-44; Acts 2:33-35), and the religious leaders didn’t challenge this claim. Therefore, they must’ve held to the Davidic authorship of this psalm as well. Psalm 110 was “considered messianic in the first century AD rather than exclusively about a historical king of ancient Israel.”[3]
The King
(110:1) The LORD says to my lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”
“Yahweh says to my Adonai.” Yet, this raises a difficulty: If David is the king of Israel, who could be “Lord” (ʾădōnî) over David?
“Says” (nĕʾūm) is a term that is “almost always used for prophetic oracles.”[4] It can be understood as a “divine announcement.”[5]
“Sit at my right hand.” This figure is greater than any human king (i.e. David) or any angel. The author of Hebrews asks, “To which of the angels did God ever say, ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet’”? (Heb. 1:13)
Why is he seated? Jesus is seated because his priestly intercession and sacrificial substitution on the Cross have been completed (Heb. 10:11-12).
“Enemies a footstool for your feet.” This refers to complete domination. VanGemeren writes, “To make the enemies a ‘footstool’ is an ancient Near Eastern metaphor for absolute control. Originally the victorious king placed his feet on the necks of his vanquished foe (cf. Josh 10:24; 1 Kings 5:3; Isa 51:23). From this practice arose the idiom to make one’s enemy one’s footstool.”[6] Jesus will put his enemies under his feet: “He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet” (1 Cor. 15:25; cf. Eph. 1:22; Heb. 10:13).
(110:2) The LORD will extend your mighty scepter from Zion, saying, “Rule in the midst of your enemies!”
The “scepter” refers to the power and authority of the king. This righteous, messianic king will rule in the presence of his enemies.
(110:3) Your troops will be willing on your day of battle. Arrayed in holy splendor, your young men will come to you like dew from the morning’s womb.
“Your troops will be willing on your day of battle.” There won’t be a conscription or draft to fight for Christ in this day. The troops will be “willing” to fight. Christ is the sort of leader that people are willing to fight for. Unlike his First Coming when he was abandoned by his followers, Jesus will return with an innumerable army of people who stand by his side (Rev. 19:14).
The Priest
(110:4) The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind: “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”
How could this figure be a king and a priest? The kingship and the priesthood were separated in the nation of Israel—sort of how the “church and state” are separate entities in the United States. David performed some priestly duties (2 Sam. 6:14-18) and so did Solomon (1 Kin. 8:63). But these were very limited, and probably foreshadowed the fact that their descendant would be a full priest-king.
“You are a priest forever.” Unlike the Levitical priests who died, this Priest will live and intercede “forever” (ʿôlām).
“In the order of Melchizedek.” Jesus came from the line of Judah—not Levi. So, he couldn’t be a priest. This is why Psalm 110 is so crucial: Jesus received his right to be a priest from another line entirely—the greater priesthood of Melchizedek (see comments on Genesis 14:17-20).
There has never been a king-priest that ruled and reigned in Israel. This means that this is undoubtedly a messianic prediction.
The Judge
(110:5) The Lord is at your right hand; he will crush kings on the day of his wrath.
This messianic king-priest will one day judge the Earth at the right hand of Yahweh.
(110:6) He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead and crushing the rulers of the whole earth.
“Heaping up the dead and crushing the rulers.” This is graphic imagery of judgment—clearly picturing a military battle. Estes writes, “The return of the King will not be pretty, but it will be effective in bringing justice to earth.”[7]
(110:7) He will drink from a brook along the way, and so he will lift his head high.
“He will drink from a brook along the way.” Estes comments, “The Lord who is empowered by Yahweh is pictured as a victorious warrior refreshing himself during or after the strenuous battle by drinking water and then lifting his head joyfully in triumph.”[8]
“He will lift his head high.” The word “head” (rōʾš) is a play on words with the destruction of the “rulers” (rōʾš) who are mentioned earlier. Christ will lift his head up high, but the leaders will be brought low.
[1] Daniel J. Estes, Psalms 73–150, ed. E. Ray. Clendenen, vol. 13, New American Commentary (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2019), 340.
[2] Derek Kidner, Psalms 73–150: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 16, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1975), 426.
[3] Daniel J. Estes, Psalms 73–150, ed. E. Ray. Clendenen, vol. 13, New American Commentary (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2019), 341.
[4] Daniel J. Estes, Psalms 73–150, ed. E. Ray. Clendenen, vol. 13, New American Commentary (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2019), 342.
[5] Nancy deClaissé-Walford, “Book Five of the Psalter: Psalms 107–150,” in The Book of Psalms, ed. E. J. Young, R. K. Harrison, and Robert L. Hubbard Jr., The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2014), 835.
[6] Willem A. VanGemeren, “Psalms,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 5 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1991), 697.
[7] Daniel J. Estes, Psalms 73–150, ed. E. Ray. Clendenen, vol. 13, New American Commentary (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2019), 344.
[8] Daniel J. Estes, Psalms 73–150, ed. E. Ray. Clendenen, vol. 13, New American Commentary (Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2019), 344.