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  "description": "There are particular Jewish writings where Psalm 110:1 is either understood to be David as the second lord, or Abraham. In the case of those arguing for it being David, this would mean that the Psalm was written about and/or to David. Or it may mean that David wrote this Psalm to be sung to him, so that it would be those hymning or reciting the Psalm who would be calling David “my Lord.” In either scenario I share some of these references for the benefit of the readers. All emphasis is mine.\n\nAr",
  "path": "/jewish-interpretations-of-psalm-110/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-01T03:06:17.000Z",
  "site": "https://answeringislam.blog",
  "tags": [
    "[5]",
    "Psalms 106-150",
    "Nedarim 32b:7",
    "Sanhedrin 108b:21",
    "Revisiting the implications that",
    "Psalm",
    "110",
    "has on the divine identity of the Messiah Pt. 1"
  ],
  "textContent": "There are particular Jewish writings where Psalm 110:1 is either understood to be David as the second lord, or Abraham. In the case of those arguing for it being David, this would mean that the Psalm was written about and/or to David. Or it may mean that David wrote this Psalm to be sung to him, so that it would be those hymning or reciting the Psalm who would be calling David “my Lord.” In either scenario I share some of these references for the benefit of the readers. All emphasis is mine.\n\n**Aramaic Targum**\n\n1. By David. A _psalm_. __The LORD said THROUGH His Memra_ that he would give me the lordship, because I had sat for the instruction of the Law:1 \"Wait at my right hand, untila I make your enemies a stool for your feet_.\" **Another Translation:**__The Lord said THROUGH his Memra_ he would make me lord over Israel. However, he said to me, \"Returnb andc wait for Saul, who is of the tribe of Benjamin, until he dies; for you are not associated with a kingdom that is near; and afterwards I will make your enemies a stool for your feet_.\"d2... 5. __The Shekinah of_ the LORD is at your right hand_; he strikes the kings on the day of his wrath. (_The Targum of Psalms_ (The Aramaic Bible), translated by David M. Stec [Bloomsbury Academic, 2004], Volume 16, p. 202; emphasis mine)\n\n_d_ B \"**__The LORD said through his Memra__** that he would make me lord over all Israel. However, he said to me, 'return and wait for Saul, who is of the tribe of Benjamin, until he dies; for you are not associated with a kingdom that is near; and afterwards I will make your enemies a stool for your feet.’ **Another Translation:**__The LORD said through his Memra__ that he would give me the kingship because I had sat for the instruction of the Law: ‘Wait at My right hand until I make your enemies a stool for your feet.’”; M p 110 (for the second targum) “ __The LORD said through the Memra__ that he would appoint me ruler over Israel. However, the LORD said to me, ‘Wait for Saul, who is of the tribe of Benjamin, until he is removed from the world; and afterwards you shall possess the kingdom, and I will make your enemies a stool for your feet.’” (Ibid., pp. 202-203; emphasis mine)\n\nThe underlining Aramaic words are _amar Yeyha be’Meimrei_ , and literally reads “the word/command/decree of YHWH by/through His word.” This is confirmed by another English rendering of the same Aramaic paraphrase of this Psalm:\n\n### **Psalm 110**\n\n  1.  _Composed_ by David, a psalm. **_The Lord said _in his decree to make me lord of all Israel, but he said to me__ _, “Wait still for Saul of the tribe of Benjamin to die, for one reign must not encroach on another;_** [5]_and afterwards_ I will make your enemies a prop for your feet.” Another Targum: **_The Lord _spoke by his decree to give me the dominion in exchange for sitting in study of Torah__**. “ _Wait_ at my right hand until I make your enemies a prop for your feet.” Another Targum: **_The Lord _said in his decree to appoint me ruler over Israel__ _, but the Lord said to me, “Wait for Saul of the tribe of Benjamin to pass away from the world; and afterwards you will inherit the kingship, and_** I will make your enemies a prop for your feet.”...\n\n\n\n  1. **__The presence of_ the Lord is at your right hand_**; he struck down kings on the day of his anger.\n  2. _He was appointed judge over_ the Gentiles;  _the earth is_ full of the bodies  _of the slain wicked_ ; he smote the heads  _of kings_ on the earth,  _very_ many.\n  3. _He will receive instruction from the mouth of the prophet_ on the way; because of this, he will lift up his head. (_Targum Psalms: An English Translation_ , by Edward M. Cook, Book 5 – Psalms 106-150; emphasis mine)\n\n\n\nWhat makes this interpretation rather interesting is that it has the Word revealing YHWH’s utterances to David that God has appointed him to be king in place of Saul. The other interesting point is that it has the _Shekinah_ , or God’s presence, at “your” right hand, which presumable means at David’s right hand.\n\n**Babylonian Talmud**\n\nשֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וַיְבָרְכֵהוּ וַיֹּאמַר בָּרוּךְ אַבְרָם לְאֵל עֶלְיוֹן קֹנֵה שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ וּבָרוּךְ אֵל עֶלְיוֹן״. אָמַר לוֹ אַבְרָהָם: וְכִי מַקְדִּימִין בִּרְכַּת עֶבֶד לְבִרְכַּת קוֹנוֹ? מִיָּד נְתָנָהּ לְאַבְרָהָם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״נְאֻם ה׳ לַאדֹנִי שֵׁב לִימִינִי עַד אָשִׁית אֹיְבֶיךָ הֲדֹם לְרַגְלֶיךָ״, וּבָתְרֵיהּ כְּתִיב: ״נִשְׁבַּע ה׳ וְלֹא יִנָּחֵם אַתָּה כֹהֵן לְעוֹלָם עַל דִּבְרָתִי מַלְכִּי צֶדֶק״. עַל דִּיבּוּרוֹ שֶׁל מַלְכִּי צֶדֶק. ****\n\n**As it is stated: “And he blessed him and said: Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Maker of heaven and earth, and blessed be God the Most High”** (Genesis 14:19–20). **Abraham said to him: And does one place the blessing of the servant before the blessing of his master?** You should have blessed God first. **Immediately** the Holy One, Blessed be He, **gave** the priesthood **to Abraham, as it is stated: “The Lord says to my lord: Sit at My right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool”** (Psalms 110:1), **and afterward it is written: “The Lord has sworn, and will not repent: you shall be a priest forever, because you are a king of righteousness [_al divrati malki tzedek_]”** (Psalms 110:4), which is explained homiletically to mean: **Due to the** improper **words [_divrati_] of Melchizedek,** the offspring of Abraham shall be priests of God forever. (Nedarim 32b:7)\n\nאָמַר רַב חָנָה בַּר לֵוַאי: אֲמַר שֵׁם רַבָּא לֶאֱלִיעֶזֶר, כִּי אֲתוֹ עֲלַיְיכוּ מַלְכֵי מִזְרָח וּמַעֲרָב, אַתּוּן הֵיכִי עֲבְידִיתוּ? אֲמַר לֵיהּ: אַיְיתִי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְאַבְרָהָם וְאוֹתְבֵיהּ מִיַּמִּינֵיהּ, וַהֲוָה שָׁדֵינַן עַפְרָא וְהָווּ חַרְבֵי, גִּילֵי וְהָווּ גִּירֵי, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״מִזְמוֹר לְדָוִד נְאֻם ה׳ לַאדֹנִי שֵׁב לִימִינִי עַד אָשִׁית אֹיְבֶיךָ הֲדֹם לְרַגְלֶיךָ״, וּכְתִיב: ״מִי הֵעִיר מִמִּזְרָח צֶדֶק יִקְרָאֵהוּ לְרַגְלוֹ יִתֵּן לְפָנָיו גּוֹיִם וּמְלָכִים יַרְדְּ יִתֵּן כֶּעָפָר חַרְבּוֹ כְּקַשׁ נִדָּף קַשְׁתּוֹ״.\n\n§ **Rav Ḥana bar Leva’ei says** that **Shem the Great said to Eliezer,** servant of Abraham: **When** the four great **kings of the east and the west came upon you** to wage war with Abraham, **what did you do?** Eliezer **said to him: The Holy One, Blessed be He, brought Abraham and placed him to His right, and we would throw dust and it became swords,** and we threw **straw and it became arrows, as it is stated: “A Psalm of David. The Lord says to my master: Sit to My right, until I make your enemies your footstool”** (Psalms 110:1), **and it is written: “Who has raised up one from the east at whose steps victory attends? He gives nations before him, and makes him rule over kings; his sword makes them as the dust, his bow as driven straw”** (Isaiah 41:2). (Sanhedrin 108b:21)\n\n**Further Reading**\n\nRevisiting the implications that Psalm 110 has on the divine identity of the Messiah Pt. 1",
  "title": "Jewish Interpretations of Psalm 110",
  "updatedAt": "2026-05-01T03:06:18.186Z"
}