Psalms 110:1

Psalm 110 ¹ 

A psalm of David.

110:1 Here is the Lord’s proclamation ²  to my lord: ³ 

“Sit down at my right hand ⁴  until I make your enemies your footstool!” ⁵ 

Daniel 7:13-14

7:13 I was watching in the night visions,

“And with ⁶  the clouds of the sky ⁷ 

one like a son of man ⁸  was approaching.

He went up to the Ancient of Days

and was escorted ⁹  before him.

7:14 To him was given ruling authority, honor, and sovereignty.

All peoples, nations, and language groups were serving ¹⁰  him.

His authority is eternal and will not pass away. ¹¹ 

His kingdom will not be destroyed. ¹² 

Matthew 22:44

22:44 ‘The Lord said to my lord, ¹³ 

“Sit at my right hand,

until I put your enemies under your feet”’? ¹⁴ 

Mark 16:19

16:19 After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.

Acts 2:34-36

2:34 For David did not ascend into heaven, but he himself says,

‘The Lord said to my lord,

“Sit ¹⁵  at my right hand

2:35 until I make your enemies a footstool ¹⁶  for your feet.”’ ¹⁷ 

2:36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know beyond a doubt ¹⁸  that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified ¹⁹  both Lord ²⁰  and Christ.” ²¹ 

Acts 7:55-56

7:55 But Stephen, ²²  full ²³  of the Holy Spirit, looked intently ²⁴  toward heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing ²⁵  at the right hand of God. 7:56 “Look!” he said. ²⁶  “I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”

Romans 8:34

8:34 Who is the one who will condemn? Christ ²⁷  is the one who died (and more than that, he was raised), who is at the right hand of God, and who also is interceding for us.

Ephesians 1:20-23

1:20 This power ²⁸  he exercised ²⁹  in Christ when he raised him ³⁰  from the dead and seated him ³¹  at his right hand in the heavenly realms ³²  1:21 far above every rule and authority and power and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 1:22 And God ³³  put ³⁴  all things under Christ’s ³⁵  feet, ³⁶  and he gave him to the church as head over all things. ³⁷  1:23 Now the church is ³⁸  his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. ³⁹ 

Ephesians 4:8-10

4:8 Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he captured ⁴⁰  captives; he gave gifts to men.” ⁴¹  4:9 Now what is the meaning of “he ascended,” except that he also descended ⁴²  to the lower regions, ⁴³  namely, the earth? ⁴⁴  4:10 He, the very one ⁴⁵  who descended, is also the one who ascended above all the heavens, in order to fill all things.

Colossians 3:1

Exhortations to Seek the Things Above

3:1 Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

Hebrews 1:3

1:3 The Son is ⁴⁶  the radiance of his glory and the representation of his essence, and he sustains all things by his powerful word, ⁴⁷  and so when he had accomplished cleansing for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. ⁴⁸ 

Hebrews 8:1

The High Priest of a Better Covenant

8:1 Now the main point of what we are saying is this: ⁴⁹  We have such a high priest, one who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, ⁵⁰ 

Hebrews 12:2

12:2 keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set out for him he endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. ⁵¹ 

Hebrews 12:1

The Lord’s Discipline

12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, ⁵²  we must get rid of every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and run with endurance the race set out for us,

Hebrews 3:1

Jesus and Moses

3:1 Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, ⁵³  partners in a heavenly calling, take note of Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess, ⁵⁴ 

Revelation 3:21

3:21 I will grant the one ⁵⁵  who conquers ⁵⁶  permission ⁵⁷  to sit with me on my throne, just as I too conquered ⁵⁸  and sat down with my Father on his throne.

Revelation 22:1

22:1 Then ⁵⁹  the angel ⁶⁰  showed me the river of the water of life – water as clear as crystal – pouring out ⁶¹  from the throne of God and of the Lamb,

[110:1]  ¹ sn Psalm 110. In this royal psalm the psalmist announces God’s oracle to the Davidic king. The first part of the oracle appears in v. 1, the second in v. 4. In vv. 2-3 the psalmist addresses the king, while in vv. 5-7 he appears to address God.

[110:1]  ² tn The word נְאֻם (nÿ’um) is used frequently in the OT of a formal divine announcement through a prophet.

[110:1]  ³ sn My lord. In the psalm’s original context the speaker is an unidentified prophetic voice in the royal court. In the course of time the psalm is applied to each successive king in the dynasty and ultimately to the ideal Davidic king. NT references to the psalm understand David to be speaking about his “lord,” the Messiah. (See Matt 22:43-45; Mark 12:36-37; Luke 20:42-44; Acts 2:34-35).

[110:1]  ⁴ tn To sit at the “right hand” of the king was an honor (see 1 Kgs 2:19). In Ugaritic myth (CTA 4 v. 108-10) the artisan god Kothar-and Khasis is described as sitting at the right hand of the storm god Baal. See G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 61-62.

[110:1]  ⁵ sn When the Lord made his covenant with David, he promised to subdue the king’s enemies (see 2 Sam 7:9-11; Ps 89:22-23).

[7:13]  ⁶ tc The LXX has ἐπί (epi, “upon”) here (cf. Matt 24:30; 26:64). Theodotion has μετά (meta, “with”) here (cf. Mark 14:62; Rev 1:7).

[7:13]  ⁷ tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.

[7:13]  ⁸ sn This text is probably the main OT background for Jesus’ use of the term “son of man.” In both Jewish and Christian circles the reference in the book of Daniel has traditionally been understood to refer to an individual, usually in a messianic sense. Many modern scholars, however, understand the reference to have a corporate identity. In this view, the “son of man” is to be equated with the “holy ones” (vv. 18, 21, 22, 25) or the “people of the holy ones” (v. 27) and understood as a reference to the Jewish people. Others understand Daniel’s reference to be to the angel Michael.

[7:13]  ⁹ tn Aram “they brought him near.”

[7:14]  ¹⁰ tn Some take “serving” here in the sense of “worshiping.”

[7:14]  ¹¹ tn Aram “is an eternal authority which will not pass away.”

[7:14]  ¹² tn Aram “is one which will not be destroyed.”

[22:44]  ¹³ sn The Lord said to my Lord. With David being the speaker, this indicates his respect for his descendant (referred to as my Lord). Jesus was arguing, as the ancient exposition assumed, that the passage is about the Lord’s anointed. The passage looks at an enthronement of this figure and a declaration of honor for him as he takes his place at the side of God. In Jerusalem, the king’s palace was located to the right of the temple to indicate this kind of relationship. Jesus was pressing the language here to get his opponents to reflect on how great Messiah is.

[22:44]  ¹⁴ sn A quotation from Ps 110:1.

[2:34]  ¹⁵ sn Sit at my right hand. The word “sit” alludes back to the promise of “seating one on his throne” in v. 30.

[2:35]  ¹⁶ sn The metaphor make your enemies a footstool portrays the complete subjugation of the enemies.

[2:35]  ¹⁷ sn A quotation from Ps 110:1, one of the most often-cited OT passages in the NT, pointing to the exaltation of Jesus.

[2:36]  ¹⁸ tn Or “know for certain.” This term is in an emphatic position in the clause.

[2:36]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” The clause has been simplified in the translation by replacing the pronoun “him” with the explanatory clause “this Jesus whom you crucified” which comes at the end of the sentence.

[2:36]  ²⁰ sn Lord. This looks back to the quotation of Ps 110:1 and the mention of “calling on the Lord” in 2:21. Peter’s point is that the Lord on whom one calls for salvation is Jesus, because he is the one mediating God’s blessing of the Spirit as a sign of the presence of salvation and the last days.

[2:36]  ²¹ tn Or “and Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[7:55]  ²² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Stephen) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:55]  ²³ tn Grk “being full,” but the participle ὑπάρχων (Juparcwn) has not been translated since it would be redundant in English.

[7:55]  ²⁴ tn Grk “looking intently toward heaven, saw.” The participle ἀτενίσας (atenisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[7:55]  ²⁵ sn The picture of Jesus standing (rather than seated) probably indicates his rising to receive his child. By announcing his vision, Stephen thoroughly offended his audience, who believed no one could share God’s place in heaven. The phrase is a variation on Ps 110:1.

[7:56]  ²⁶ tn Grk “And he said, ‘Look!’” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences, καί (kai) has not been translated here; a new sentence is begun instead.

[8:34]  ²⁷ tc ‡ A number of significant and early witnesses, along with several others (Ì^46vid א A C F G L Ψ 6 33 81 104 365 1505 al lat bo), read ᾿Ιησοῦς (Ihsous, “Jesus”) after Χριστός (Cristos, “Christ”) in v. 34. But the shorter reading is not unrepresented (B D 0289 1739 1881 Ï sa). Once ᾿Ιησοῦς got into the text, what scribe would omit it? Although the external evidence is on the side of the longer reading, internally such an expansion seems suspect. The shorter reading is thus preferred. NA²⁷ has the word in brackets, indicating doubt as to its authenticity.

[1:20]  ²⁸ tn Grk “which” (v. 20 is a subordinate clause to v. 19).

[1:20]  ²⁹ tn The verb “exercised” (the aorist of ἐνεργέω, energew) has its nominal cognate in “exercise” in v. 19 (ἐνέργεια, energeia).

[1:20]  ³⁰ tn Or “This power he exercised in Christ by raising him”; Grk “raising him.” The adverbial participle ἐγείρας (egeiras) could be understood as temporal (“when he raised [him]”), which would be contemporaneous to the action of the finite verb “he exercised” earlier in the verse, or as means (“by raising [him]”). The participle has been translated here with the temporal nuance to allow for means to also be a possible interpretation. If the translation focused instead upon means, the temporal nuance would be lost as the time frame for the action of the participle would become indistinct.

[1:20]  ³¹ tc The majority of mss, especially the Western and Byzantine mss (D F G Ψ Ï b r Ambst), have the indicative ἐκάθισεν (ekaqisen, “he seated”) for καθίσας (kaqisa", “when he seated, by seating”). The indicative is thus coordinate with ἐνήργησεν (enhrghsen, “he exercised”) and provides an additional statement to “he exercised his power.” The participle (found in Ì^92vid א A B 0278 33 81 1175 1505 1739 1881 2464 al), on the other hand, is coordinate with ἐγείρας (egeiras) and as such provides evidence of God’s power: He exercised his power by raising Christ from the dead and by seating him at his right hand. As intriguing as the indicative reading is, it is most likely an intentional alteration of the original wording, accomplished by an early “Western” scribe, which made its way in the Byzantine text.

[1:20]  ³² sn Eph 1:19-20. The point made in these verses is that the power required to live a life pleasing to God is the same power that raised Christ from the dead. For a similar thought, cf. John 15:1-11.

[1:22]  ³³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:22]  ³⁴ tn Grk “subjected.”

[1:22]  ³⁵ tn Grk “his”; the referent (Christ) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:22]  ³⁶ sn An allusion to Ps 8:6.

[1:22]  ³⁷ tn Grk “and he gave him as head over all things to the church.”

[1:23]  ³⁸ tn Grk “which is.” The antecedent of “which” is easily lost in English, though in Greek it is quite clear. In the translation “church” is repeated to clarify the referent.

[1:23]  ³⁹ tn Or perhaps, “who is filled entirely.”

[4:8]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “he led captive captivity.”

[4:8]  ⁴¹ sn A quotation which is perhaps ultimately derived from Ps 68:18. However, the wording here differs from that of Ps 68 in both the Hebrew text and the LXX in a few places, the most significant of which is reading “gave gifts to” in place of “received gifts from” as in HT and LXX. It has sometimes been suggested that the author of Ephesians modified the text he was citing in order to better support what he wanted to say here. Such modifications are sometimes found in rabbinic exegesis from this and later periods, but it is also possible that the author was simply citing a variant of Ps 68 known to him but which has not survived outside its quotation here (W. H. Harris, The Descent of Christ [AGJU 32], 104). Another possibility is that the words here, which strongly resemble Ps 68:19 HT and LXX (68:18 ET), are actually part of an early Christian hymn quoted by the author.

[4:9]  ⁴² tc The majority of mss (א² B C³ Ψ Ï) read πρῶτον (prwton, “first”) here in conjunction with this verb: “he first descended.” The shorter reading, which lacks πρῶτον, should be considered original on the basis of both external and internal evidence: It has strong external support from the Alexandrian and Western texttypes (Ì⁴⁶ א* A C* D F G I^vid 082 6 33 81 1739 1881 pc); internally, the inclusion of πρῶτον is most likely an addition to clarify the sense of the passage.

[4:9]  ⁴³ tc The Western texttype (D* F G it) lacks the plural noun μέρη (merh, “regions”); the shorter reading cannot be dismissed out of hand since it is also supported by Ì⁴⁶ (which often has strong affinities, however, with the Western text). The inclusion of the word has strong external support from important, early mss as well as the majority of Byzantine cursives (א A B C D² I Ψ 33 1739 1881 Ï). Certain scribes may have deleted the word, thinking it superfluous; in addition, if the shorter reading were original one would expect to see at least a little variation in clarifying additions to the text. For these reasons the inclusion of μέρη should be regarded as original.

[4:9]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “to the lower parts of the earth.” This phrase has been variously interpreted: (1) The traditional view understands it as a reference to the underworld (hell), where Jesus is thought to have descended in the three days between his death and resurrection. In this case, “of the earth” would be a partitive genitive. (2) A second option is to translate the phrase “of the earth” as a genitive of apposition: “to the lower parts, namely, the earth” (as in the present translation). Many recent scholars hold this view and argue that it is a reference to the incarnation. (3) A third option, which also sees the phrase “of the earth” as a genitive of apposition, is that the descent in the passage occurs after the ascent rather than before it, and refers to the descent of the Spirit at Pentecost (cf. Acts 4:11-16). Support for this latter view is found in the intertestamental and rabbinic use of Ps 68:18 (quoted in v. 8), which is consistently and solely interpreted as a reference to Moses’ ascent of Mt. Sinai to “capture” the words of the law. The probability, therefore, is that the comments here in v. 9 reflect a polemic against the interpretation of Ps 68:18 in certain circles as a reference to Moses. See W. H. Harris, The Descent of Christ (AGJU 32), 46-54; 171-204.

[4:10]  ⁴⁵ tn The Greek text lays specific emphasis on “He” through the use of the intensive pronoun, αὐτός (autos). This is reflected in the English translation through the use of “the very one.”

[1:3]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “who being…and sustaining.” Heb 1:1-4 form one skillfully composed sentence in Greek, but it must be broken into shorter segments to correspond to contemporary English usage, which does not allow for sentences of this length and complexity.

[1:3]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “by the word of his power.”

[1:3]  ⁴⁸ sn An allusion to Ps 110:1, quoted often in Hebrews.

[8:1]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “the main point of the things being said.”

[8:1]  ⁵⁰ sn An allusion to Ps 110:1; see Heb 1:3, 13.

[12:2]  ⁵¹ sn An allusion to Ps 110:1.

[12:1]  ⁵² tn Grk “having such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us.”

[3:1]  ⁵³ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 2:11.

[3:1]  ⁵⁴ tn Grk “of our confession.”

[3:21]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “The one who conquers, to him I will grant.”

[3:21]  ⁵⁶ tn Or “who is victorious”; traditionally, “who overcomes.”

[3:21]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “I will give [grant] to him.”

[3:21]  ⁵⁸ tn Or “have been victorious”; traditionally, “have overcome.”

[22:1]  ⁵⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[22:1]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the angel mentioned in 21:9, 15) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:1]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “proceeding.” Water is more naturally thought to pour out or flow out in English idiom.