Psalm 110: like Psalm 2,
this was probably used as a coronation psalm for the king. Verse 1 appears to
be an oracle of Yahweh spoken to the king.' The joint sovereignty of Yahweh and
the king is demonstrated, in that Yahweh himself must be enthroned for the king
to sit at his right hand. The king has great authority (‘your mighty sceptre’,
verse 2), but this is dependent on Yahweh’s authority — he sends forth the
sceptre from Zion. Yahweh promises to make the king’s enemies his footstool
(verse 1), and he is given authority to rule in the midst of his foes (verse
2). Verses 5, 6 show the king’s further dependence on Yahweh, as Yahweh defeats
the nations, with the king presumably acting as his agent in this work.
Verse 3 is obscure, but may refer
to the king’s vitality (cf. Psalm 72:6). The LXX has εκ γαστρος προ ‘Εωσφορου εγεννησα σε, ‘I have begotten you from the
womb before the morning’, and it is quite possible that the verse refers to the
king as Yahweh’s adopted son. Verse 4 also shows the special close relationship
between the king and Yahweh, dealing with Yahweh’s oath that the king will have
an eternal priesthood ‘after the order of Melchizedek’: thus a different kind
of priesthood (to that of the Levites) is allied to the royal office.!" (Robert
D. Rowe, God’s Kingdom and God’s Son: The Background to Mark’s Christology
from Concepts of Kingship in the Psalms [Leiden: Brill, 2002], 45-46)
