The Priest-King at the Right Hand of Yahweh (Psalm 110:1)
Note: In the podcast I read HaShem (“the Name”) when reading the tetragrammaton YHVH. For audio click here.
Psalm 110:1 ^yl,g>r:l. ~doh] ^yb,y>ao tyvia'-d[; ynIymiyli bve ynIdoal; hw"hy> ~aun> rAmz>mi dwId"l.
A Psalm of David. The LORD says to my
Lord: "Sit at My right hand, Until I make your enemies a footstool for your
feet."
I will
follow the New Testament understanding that David is the author of the Psalm,
and mention other possibilities later. I agree with the NET translators note on
the verse: “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).”
But
other deity of Christ proponents think that somehow Jesus was claiming to be
God when Jesus asked religious authorities in Jerusalem (Matt 22:41-45), “Whose
son is the Messiah?” They answered, “the Son of David”. Jesus replied, “If
David then calls him Lord, how is he his Son?".
However,
there is nothing in Jesus’ answer that proves, implies or hints at “the deity”
of the one at Yahweh’s right hand. Rather, Jesus’ was showing that the Messiah
who is pre-determined to sit at Yahweh’s right hand is greater than David, even
though he is David’s descendant. If anything, it is not the “deity” of Christ
that Jesus is implying, but rather the resurrection and exaltation of Christ,
which he was soon to experience.
This interpretation, of the superiority of Jesus to David (by resurrection and
exaltation) and not Jesus’ “deity” is confirmed by the Apostle Peter in his
first public declaration about Jesus at the Pentecost following Jesus’ resurrection
from the dead. Peter quoted Psalm 16 as
evidence of the resurrection (again, not the “diety” of Messiah), and then
continued:
Acts
2:29-36:
"Brethren, I say to you confidently of the patriarch David that he both
died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Being therefore a
prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set
one of his descendants upon his throne, 31 he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection
of the Christ (again, not the “deity”), that he was not abandoned to Hades,
nor did his flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we
all are witnesses. 33 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 which you see and hear. 34 For David did not ascend into the
heavens; but he himself says, `The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right
hand, 35 till I make thy enemies a stool for thy feet.'
36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know
assuredly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom
you crucified."
Now let’s take a closer look at Psalm 110, examining the Hebrew.
In verse
1 there is a clear distinction between David’s God (YHVH) and the David’s Lord
(adon ynIdoa). There are
two very different Hebrew words in this verse that are both unfortunately translated
into English with the same word, “Lord”, although most English translations try
to show the difference by putting the first LORD, the personal, covenant
keeping name of God, in all capital letters.
The second Lord is an entirely different Hebrew word, אדון, which also has a
possessive pronoun suffix “my”, ynIdoa adoni. The word “lord אדון“ with the singular suffix occurs often in
the Hebrew Bible and only for human superiors, never for God. One would never say “my YHVH” which would
imply that other YHVHs exist. To add more confusion, another form of this word is
used for God in Hebrew, Adonai, as we will see in verse 5.
Some Trinitarians just change the Hebrew vowel pointing, claiming the pointing is only a later, Masoretic 9th century interpretation. But changing the vowel doesn’t help their cause, but contradicts Jesus and only creates more problems. Among other reasons:
1)
If we look at Jesus’s quote
of Psalm 110:1 in Matthew 22:44, we see that Jesus confirms the Masoretic vowel
pointing and Greek LXX understanding, that is, that God YHVH spoke to David’s
human Lord, and not to a second figure who was also “God”. Matthew 22:43-44: “He (Jesus) said to them,
"How is it then that David by 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’?”
Jesus quoted Psalm 110:1 as YHVH speaking to “my Lord” κυρίῳ μου. The overwhelming majority of
occurrences of this title with the possessive suffix “my” in the Greek LXX
refer to a human superior. Although in a few instances in the LXX κύριός μου
(my lord) translates the Hebrew אֲדֹנָי in direct
address to God as “my Lord” (LXX Psa. 15:2, 35:23, 109:21) in those few times
it always refers to the same one-self God who is also called YHVH, and never to
a second self who is also YHVH. For example, Psalm 16:2 (LXX 15:2), “I say to
YHVH, you are my Lord…” “My Lord” here
translates Adonai and refers to the singular self God who is YHVH. There is no LXX precedent that YHWH is one
self and אֲדֹנָי as κύριός μου is a second divine self. Out of the over
400 times that אֲדֹנָי
occurs in the Hebrew scriptures it is very, very rarely translated with the possessive
pronoun “my” (cf. vs. 5 in this Psalm to see the normal translation, "Lord", with no possessive pronoun "my").
The title with the possessive pronoun “my Lord” κυρίῳ μου (Matt. 22:44) virtually eliminates the possibility that this means another self or person who is also YHVH distinct from the YHVH making the declaration.
2) Changing the vowel pointing creates a strange situation where God tells Himself or someone else who is also God to sit at His (God’s) own right hand. That creates a situation where one member of a co-equal deity tells a second co-equal deity member to sit at the 1st co-equal deity’s right hand until the 1st member subdues human rulers for the 2nd co-equal deity. We should also wonder where the 3rd member of the co-equal deity is.
3) Changing the vowel pointing contradicts a multitude of other clear Scriptures, including and especially other New Testament Scriptures, that declare that a human being, the Christ, has been exalted to God’s – not just one person who is God – but all of God, right hand. A real human person, a real human being, exalted to the right hand OF God. A few examples of the 10s of Scriptures:
Acts 2:22, 33-36, “Jesus of Nazareth, a man…This Jesus God raised up, and we are all witnesses of it. 33 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 which you see and hear. 34 For David did not ascend into the heavens; but he himself says, `The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, 35 till I make thy enemies a stool for thy feet.' 36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified."
Peter quoted Psalm 110:1 to explain that the “my Lord” whom God spoke to, foretold about the man Jesus of Nazareth, not a god or god-man Jesus but the man Jesus who was exalted by virtue of his being resurrected from the dead by His God, unlike David who had not yet experienced resurrection and was not the one at God’s right hand in heaven. Peter’s interpretation shows he believed “my Lord” in Psalm 110:1 referred to a human being. It is impossible to read Acts 2 and believe Peter thought Psalm 110:1 referred to another God to whom YHVH spoke.
Romans 8:34, “Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is he who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.”
Heb. 10:12, ““But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.”
1 Peter 3:22, “Jesus Christ…who went into heaven and is at the right hand of God with angels and authorities and powers subject to him.
So, it makes perfectly good sense, actually the only sense, to leave the vowel as it is in the Hebrew of Psalm 110:1 and understand that YHVH God spoke to David’s Lord, to David’s human superior.
In many places in Scripture other people are called “Lord”אדון and/or אדוני “my Lord”. Abraham’s servant, and Sarah
called Abraham “my Lord” (Gen. 24:14, 18:12, 1 Pet. 3:6). Abigail called David
“Lord” or “my Lord” 13 times in one chapter (1 Sam. 25:30, etc),
differentiating between her Lord, David the anointed king, and the LORD God
YHVH. Likewise, Bathsheba called David “Lord” (1 Kings 1:17). David called Saul
“Lord” or “my Lord” many times. Of the 185 or so times that “my Lord” (ynIdoa) occurs in the Hebrew Bible, it never refers to the LORD
YHVH God Almighty, but to a human lord or master.[1]
The point in Psalm 110:1 is: David acknowledges that one of
his descendants, not himself, is exalted to the position of honor and authority
at the right hand of YHVH.
The word translated “said” ~aun is a noun meaning
an “utterance, speech, declaration, revelation”. It has the idea of being a
prophetical oracle, in this case from YHVH himself. It is stronger than the
English “said”, having within it the idea of promise or declaration. The most
logical reference in the speaker’s mind would be the promise YHVH made to establish the eternal Davidic
dynasty through David’s sons, and eventually the ideal son (2 Sam. 7).
The
certainty of the human Lord’s victory described in Psalm 110 does not come from
himself, but from YHVH who tells the king/lord to sit at YHVH’s right hand. And
then YHVH declares to the king/lord that YHVH will subdue the king’s enemies
for him. This matches the historical experience of David and following him,
Solomon, and in the New Testament promise, of Yeshua the Son of David, e.g.,
Luke 1:32-33, “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High;
and the Lord God will give him the throne of His father David…”
“Sit at
my right hand” is the place of honor and delegation of representational
authority. “Sit at my right hand” is also likely literally illustrated by the
fact that the human Davidic king’s palace, the dwelling or sitting location of
David, and then his son Solomon and the Davidic kings following him, was
literally at the right hand of YHVH’s dwelling; first with the Ark of the
Covenant inside a special tent north of David’s palace. One historical backdrop
of the Psalm could be David’s conquest of Jerusalem and the bringing of the Ark
of the Covenant into the city (2 Sam. 6). David is the first Israelite king to
live in Jerusalem, the domain of the former king-priest of God Most High,
Melchizedek, who is mentioned in vs. 4 of the Psalm.
And then
following David, the same position “at my right hand” is literally played out
by Solomon and the sons of David since they sat/dwelt at the right hand of God
on the Temple Mount. The temple faced east, and the Davidic dynasty palace was
immediately on its right side (south). YHVH in His temple, and Solomon at the right hand of YHVH.
Psalm
110 is even a justification for why Solomon built his own palace to the
immediate right (south) side of the house of YHVH – because YHVH said to do so –
“YHVH said to my Lord, sit/dwell at my right hand”. 1 Chron. 11:19, 2 Chron.
7:11 suggest that David received directions for how and what to build on the
Temple Mount. Compare Exo. 25:40 and Heb. 8:5 which describe the Tabernacle as
patterned after the heavenly. Like the Tabernacle, the Temple Mount likewise became
an object lesson for something heavenly – an exalted Son of David, a human
being, seated at the right hand of YHVH.
So, in Psalm 110:1 David acknowledges, parallel to his own experience, that YHVH designated a king greater than David himself, one to whom even David calls “my Lord”, even though David’s Lord is David’s son (descendant). David’s own son would sit at the right hand of YHVH. David, a forgiven adulterer and murderer, acknowledges that his son is greater than him. David knew that YHVH’s promises to him ultimately found fulfillment in his yet-coming greater son. It would be interesting to know how much David understood that his son’s literal resurrection and exaltation to heaven at God’s right hand would be evidence, even proof of his son's superiority.
Again, the New Testament presents Jesus as the greater son
of David who fulfills God’s promise to David. Jesus said, “a greater than
Solomon is here” (Matt. 12:42). In the New Testament the human person Jesus is
consistently declared to be the Son of David who has been exalted by God to
heaven to the right hand of God. David, and Solomon, are in the grave, but David’s
greater son has been raised from the dead to immortality, being made Lord and
Messiah by God (Acts 2:29-36). A consistent title for Jesus in the New
Testament is the Lord Jesus Christ (Messiah), which distinguishes Jesus
from the LORD YHVH God Almighty. The human Jesus, designated by God as Messiah,
is David’s Lord.
Three-point summary:
1. The Hebrew and Greek texts of Psalm 110:1 distinguish, differentiate between YHVH and adoni:
YHWH (יהוה) – the one true God, in other places in both the Tanach and NT called the Father.
adoni (אדֹנִי) — never used for
God, but for human superiors.
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