The psalm begins with an oracle, using nĕ’um, a noun that occurs elsewhere in Psalms only at 36:1, itself
a difficult text. It could function as a denominative verb (and is often
translated by a verb of speech), but there is value in rendering it as a noun
even though speech follows, thus marking its status as a particular kind of
speech from Yahweh. If the oracle is reported through a prophet (with Hilber
2005: 76–80), then the prophet would speak of the king as ‘my lord’. As is
common in prophetic oracles, divine and human speech merge, as the king is told
to sit at ‘my right hand’, which in this case is a place of honour with Yahweh
(see Sutton 2016). This place of honour anticipates the defeat of the king’s
enemies, something achieved by Yahweh alone, not the king. This victory
anticipates a moment when the enemies become a footstool for the king’s feet,
pointing to the enemies coming prostrate before the king, acknowledging his
rule (and, through him, Yahweh’s reign). (David G. Firth, Psalms [Apollos
Old Testament Commentary 14; London: Apollos, 2025], 603)
