Psalm 110

T. H. Rich

Journal of the Society of Biblical Literature and Exegesis, Vol. 7, No. 2. (Dec., 1887), pp. 43-45.

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Mon Aug 6 23:20:18 2007
 BY PROF. T. H. RICH.

T h e oracle of Jehovah to my lord :

"Sit thou at my right hand,

Till I have laid thine enemies

Beneath thy feet."

The sceptre of thy might,

Jehovah sends from Zion forth ;

And says : "Don~inionhave amid thine enemies."

If thou hast war, thy people-only offerings free !

In holy, beautiful attire -

As dew of early morning born-

Thy youth are thine !

Jehovah sware, and he will not repent :

" Thou shalt be priest forevermore,

In likeness of 11Ielchizedek."

The Lord by thy right hand-

If his anger burns - has dashed in pieces kings.

H e judges now among the nations - dead are everywhere !

H e has dashed in pieces -head over region vast !

Of the brook, still on his way, Messiah drinks ;

For this, lifts high his victor head !

NOTES.
Not only its title, but Christ, ascribes this psalm to David. I t
carries forward the thought of the second psalm.
Verse I . The original of "saith" (as?)
.. is not the Hebrew for
"say," but stands for an oracular utterance of Jehovah.
The psalmist being in the Spirit (Matt. xxii. 1I S ) , hears and
declares this oracle,
44 JOURxAL OF T H E EXEGETICAL SOCIETY.

When the Pharisees answered Jesus, that the Christ should be

David's son, and Jesus then asked them, how the Christ could be
David's son, and also David's Lord -as here stated, their answer
should have been : "Because the Christ will be both huinall and
superhuman." But as they were not prepared to say this, no one
of them was able to answer Jesus a word more (Matt. xxii 41-46).
T h e lid of the Ark of the Covenant, in the Holy of Holies of the
Tabernacle - in David's reign situated in Jerusalein -was accounted
the throne of Jehovah. So David's throne might be thought of as
by the side of Jehovah's throne. But David's greater son - his Lord,
Messiah -should not only have his throne m a r to, but should share
Jehovah's throne -should sit thereon, at his right hand.
I n the New Testament, this verse is often quoted, and alluded to,
in reference to Christ's exaltation.
Verse 2. I n hfessiah's day, Zion, still the seat of the kingdom,
Messiah's sceptre, by Jehovah's aid, shall thence po~verfully sway
surrounding nations - Rlessiah shall donzi~zatethem, even before they
are fully subdued.
Verse 3. T o be established on a throne, is not actually to sit there
always. So Messiah goes forth to quell revolt. O n such a day, he
will not have to nzuster an army, but will find his people fen+ zjolun-
teers. T h e holy decorations in which they hasten to his standard,
show them to be priests. Their zeal for Jehovah - like that of
Phinehas (Numb. xxv. 7, and foll.) -makes them eager to espouse
the cause of his anointed.
As the people of Jehovah are ever renewing their youthful vigor
(Is. xl. 31), so it can here be said, as they flock to hfessiah's banner
-in brightness, and in multitude, like morning dew-drops -" Thy
youth are thine ! "
Verse 4. If his warriors are priests, so is hiessiah himself, their
Captain, a priest - not of the sons of Levi, but one who may b e
likened to hlelchizedek; whose superiority Abraham acknowledged
by paying him tithes. But if hfelchizedek was superior to Abraham,
then was h e superior to the Levites and priests descended from
Abraham. So is hIessiah's priesthood more excellent than that of
the sons of Levi (see Hebrews, chap. 7).
This verse suggests the abrogation of the Levitical priesthood.
Verse 5. As in Rev. vi. 2, biessiah goes forth conquering and to
conquer, so here, when the day of Jehovah's anger has come, and
when in his character of Absolute Disposer of All- 9 ~ (Lord), 4 ~
T -:
-he stands at Messiah's right hand, or, rather, makes use of
 PSALM I I 0. 45
Messiah's right hand -for the Hebrew 5~ is used with the instru-
ment (see @en. xxvii. qo), - hiessiah so helped, even before one
might note it, has dashed in pieces kings.
The changed tense of verse 6 brings the battle in sight- the
juq'yirzg of Jehovah by lLIessiahls hand, that fills every place with the
slain. (Kev. xix. 1 1 says of Messiah, that in righteousness he doth
ju4.e and make war.)
Not merely petty kings and their peoples, but potentates swaying
wide lantls (see Margin of Rev.) are now dashed in pieces. We
may infer that many a head of the subjects of so mighty rulers will
also lie in the dust, and with their bodies be strewn over vast battle-
fields.
With this double meaning we may perhaps lade "head" and
" wide land " (Rev.) of this verse.
Verse 7 . bIessiah, in eager pursuit of the routed enemy -like
Gideon's three hundred (Judges vii. 6) -will not tarry to satisfy his
thirst, but, as he passes on scoops scanty draughts from the brook
that flows beside his course. Such zeal will give him triumph.