Psalm 110:1 – Sit Thou at My Right Hand
“The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.” David records a conversation between two divine persons—the LORD (Yahweh) speaking to David’s Lord (Adonai). This psalm became the most frequently quoted Old Testament text in the New Testament because it unveils the Messiah’s divine nature in a way that silenced Jesus’ critics. If David calls the Messiah his Lord, then the Messiah cannot be merely David’s human descendant. He must be David’s God.
David’s Prophetic Declaration
Psalm 110 is identified in its superscription as “A Psalm of David.” The speaker throughout is David, yet he records speech spoken by the LORD to someone David calls “my Lord.” David stands apart from both speakers, witnessing a heavenly conversation that concerns him yet transcends him.
“The LORD said unto my Lord.” The first “LORD” translates the divine name Yahweh—Israel’s covenant God, the self-existent One, the great I AM. The second “Lord” translates Adonai, a title of supreme authority often applied to God but here applied to someone who receives Yahweh’s address. Yahweh speaks to someone David acknowledges as his sovereign Lord.
The invitation is stunning: “Sit thou at my right hand.” In ancient courts, the position at the king’s right hand indicated highest honor, shared authority, and intimate relationship. To sit at Yahweh’s right hand is to occupy the place of supreme honor in the universe—equal standing with God Himself. No mere human could rightfully accept such invitation; to do so would be blasphemous presumption.
The posture of sitting indicates completed work and established reign. Priests stood continually in the tabernacle and temple, their work never finished. But this figure sits—His work done, His place secured. He reigns while waiting for the consummation: “until I make thine enemies thy footstool.” Present enthronement; future subjugation of all opposition.
The Interpretive Challenge
Jesus posed this psalm as a riddle to the Pharisees: “What think ye of Christ? whose son is he?” They answered correctly: “The son of David.” Then Jesus pressed further: “How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?” (Matthew 22:42-45).
The logic is inescapable. David wrote under the Spirit’s inspiration. He called the Messiah “my Lord”—his superior, not merely his descendant. If Messiah were only David’s human son, David would not call his own descendant “Lord.” Sons do not rank above their fathers in patriarchal society. For David to acknowledge Messiah as Lord means Messiah must be more than human—David’s Lord as well as David’s son.
The Pharisees had no answer. “And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions” (Matthew 22:46). The psalm’s implications about Messiah’s divine nature silenced those who saw Him as merely human. Jesus was claiming what Psalm 110 revealed: He was David’s Lord, not just David’s descendant.
Jewish interpretation wrestled with this psalm. Some applied it to Abraham, some to David himself, some to an eschatological high priest. But the plain reading—David addressing someone as his Lord who is invited to sit at Yahweh’s right hand—strains against purely human application. The psalm anticipates a figure who is both Davidic and divine.
Christ Enthroned
The New Testament consistently applies Psalm 110:1 to Jesus Christ’s resurrection, ascension, and present reign. Peter’s Pentecost sermon reaches its climax with this text: “For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Until I make thy foes thy footstool. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:34-36).
The argument is forceful: David did not ascend to heaven; the psalm cannot refer to David. But Jesus ascended. Jesus sits at the Father’s right hand. Jesus is the Lord whom David acknowledged. Therefore Jesus is the Christ—the Messiah Israel awaited, now enthroned in heaven.
Hebrews develops this enthronement extensively. “But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God” (Hebrews 10:12). The sitting posture indicates finished atonement. Unlike earthly priests who stood repeatedly offering sacrifices, Christ sat because His sacrifice was complete. He remains seated, waiting until His enemies are made His footstool.
Paul confirms Christ’s present location and future victory: “Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet” (1 Corinthians 15:24-25). The psalm’s “until” is being fulfilled. Christ reigns now; enemies fall progressively; final victory approaches.
Priest Forever
Psalm 110 contains another crucial verse: “The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek” (Psalm 110:4). The One invited to sit at Yahweh’s right hand is also installed as eternal priest. Hebrews builds its entire argument for Christ’s superior priesthood on this foundation.
The Melchizedek connection matters because he preceded the Levitical priesthood and received tithes from Abraham. A priest after Melchizedek’s order supersedes Aaron’s descendants. Christ’s priesthood is not inherited through tribal lineage but appointed by divine oath. It is eternal, not temporary; effective, not merely symbolic.
The combination of king and priest in one person was unprecedented. Israel’s kings came from Judah; priests came from Levi. No one could hold both offices. But Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of the Most High God simultaneously. Christ, anticipated in Psalm 110, unites both roles. He is the royal priest and priestly king—ruling with authority and interceding with compassion.
Your Lord, Your Priest
Psalm 110:1 declares who Jesus Christ is: David’s Lord, enthroned at the Father’s right hand, waiting while His enemies become His footstool. This is not abstract theology but present reality. Right now, Christ occupies heaven’s throne. Right now, He rules over all. Right now, His kingdom advances.
The enemies being made His footstool include every power that opposes His reign: sin, death, Satan, hostile human authorities. None of these can ultimately resist the One seated at God’s right hand. Their final defeat is certain; the timing remains in the Father’s hands. “Until” indicates limited duration for opposition, not uncertainty about outcome.
For believers, Christ’s enthronement means everything. Your Lord rules. Your priest intercedes. The One who died for you now reigns for you. “Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us” (Romans 8:34). The enthroned Lord advocates for His people continually.
For unbelievers, Psalm 110:1 carries warning. The enthroned Lord’s enemies will become His footstool. Opposition to Christ has an expiration date. Every knee will bow—voluntarily in worship or involuntarily in subjugation. Better to acknowledge David’s Lord now than to be forced under His footstool later.
The LORD has spoken to the Lord. The Father has exalted the Son. The throne is occupied. The victory is secured. The enemies will fall. And all who call upon this Lord—David’s Lord and ours—will share in His triumph. Bow to Him now in faith, and rise with Him forever in glory.