The Two Jehovahs of Psalm 110

Psalm 110 gives us undeniable Scriptural evidence that there were two divine Beings Who were both known as Jehovah in Old Testament times.  In the first verse of Psalm 110, David was inspired to prophesy that a divine Being called Adon would be invited to sit at the right hand of a divine Being called Jehovah.  In the original Hebrew text, the same divine Being Who is called Adon in Verse 1 is called Jehovah in Verse 5.  Psalm 110 is actually describing one Jehovah sitting beside another Jehovah! The word Jehovah in Verse 5, however, was altered by the Levitical Massorites to read Adonay.  The Levites were hiding the truth that the Adon of Verse 1 was a  second Jehovah!

In the original Hebrew text, Psalm 110 clearly reveals two Jehovahs sitting beside each other, one speaking to the other and foretelling future events.  This psalm contains an explicit prophecy of a Jehovah/Adon who would become both the Messiah and the High Priest of a new priesthood after the order of Melchizedek.  Notice carefully these prophetic verses in Psalm 110.  Sections in bold are those passages which have been quoted in the New Testament.

“The LORD [Hebrew Jehovah] said unto my Lord [Hebrew Adon, the Messiah], Sit Thou [the Messiah] at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool [quoted in Matthew 22:44, Mark 12:36, Luke 20:42-43, Acts 2:34-35, Hebrews 1:13].  The LORD [Hebrew Jehovah] shall send the rod of Thy strength out of Zion: rule Thou [the Messiah] in the midst of Thine enemies.  Thy people shall be willing in the day of Thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: Thou [the Messiah] hast the dew of Thy youth.  The LORD [Hebrew Jehovah] hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou [the Messiah] art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek [quoted in Hebrews 5:6 and 7:17] “  (Psa. 110:1-4).

The following verses continue the prophetic description of this Adon Who would become the Messiah.  Notice especially Verse 5.   In this verse, the Hebrew name Yhvh, or Jehovah, in the original Hebrew text was changed by the Massorites to read Adonay.

“The Lord [Hebrew Adonay, originally Jehovah, referring to the Messiah] at Thy [the first Jehovah’s] right hand shall strike through kings in the day of His wrath.  He [Jehovah, the Messiah] shall judge among the heathen, He shall fill the places with the dead bodies; He shall wound the heads over many countries.  He shall drink of the brook in the way:  therefore shall He lift up the head” (Psa. 110:5-7).

Verse 5 in the original Hebrew text clearly shows two Jehovahs!  This key verse in Psalm 110 identifies the Adon in Verse 1 as a second Jehovah.   The context reveals that this Jehovah/Adon sitting at the right hand of the first Jehovah is the Messiah.  The recorded words of Jesus Christ Himself attest to this very fact.

How Christ Interpreted Psalm 110

No interpretation of Psalm 110 is more authoritative than the Scriptural record of the words spoken by Jesus Christ.  He was the promised Messiah about Whom the psalm was written.  What did Psalm 110 mean to Christ?  How did He interpret the words,  “The Lord said unto my Lord”?

Let us examine the exact words of Jesus Christ as Matthew was inspired to record them, and then look at the accounts in the Gospels of Mark and Luke.

Matthew’s Gospel, written in Greek for Greek-speaking Christians at Jerusalem ca. 50 A.D., quotes Christ as stating that the psalmist David wrote under the inspiration of the Spirit of God.  Thus Psalm 110 carries the full authority of inspired Scripture!   This psalm is not the mere musing of an uneducated shepherd boy who had become king of Israel.  Psalm 110 expresses the very thoughts and words of God Himself.

In Christ’s quotation of Psalm 110 in the Gospel of Matthew, we find  the Greek word Kurios, or Lord, used in place of the Old Testament name Jehovah.  The Greek word Kurios, the equivalent of Jehovah, is also used in place of the name Adon.  Here is New Testament confirmation that the name Jehovah applies equally to the Adon in Verse 1 of Psalm 110!

This use of Kurios in the Gospel of Matthew verifies the accuracy of Psalm 110 as written by David in the original Hebrew text.  It was no slip of the pen when David described the divine Being in Verse 5 of Psalm 110 as “The Jehovah at Thy right hand.”  Matthew’s record of Christ’s words shows that David correctly named the divine Being sitting to the right of Jehovah as  another Jehovah.  Jesus’ own words reveal that this Jehovah Who sits at the right hand of the first Jehovah is the Son of Jehovah.  Here are the words of Christ Himself as recorded by Matthew:

“While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,  Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose Son is He? They say unto Him, The son of David.  He saith unto them, How then doth David in Spirit call Him Lord [Greek Kurios, equivalent to Hebrew Jehovah], saying, The Lord [Greek Kurios, or Jehovah the Father] said unto my Lord [Greek Kurios, or Jehovah the Son], Sit Thou [the Son] on My right hand, till I [the Father] make Thine enemies Thy footstool?  If David then call Him Lord [Greek Kurios, or Jehovah], how is He [the Messiah] his Son?  And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions” (Mat. 22:41-46).

The Jews of Jesus’ day could not answer Jesus’ question because they were blinded to the truth that is revealed in Psalm 110.  They had been misled by their religious leaders into believing that Jehovah was the name of a single divine Being.  They were convinced that there was only one Jehovah in the entire Old Testament.  After all, that was the teaching of the scribes and Pharisees.  These religious leaders claimed that there could never be more than one divine Being.  They viewed the prophesied Messiah strictly as a national deliverer and a physical descendant of King David.

When we read Jesus’ statements concerning Psalm 110 in the Gospel of Mark, we find an accompanying warning from Jesus to be on guard against the doctrine of the scribes.  Why?  Because they denied the revealed truth of Scripture!  They had blinded their eyes to the two Jehovahs of Psalm 110 and other Old Testament passages.  While they professed to worship the God of Scripture, the scribes had long ago turned to a religion of “strict monotheism.”  It was the rigid monotheistic tradition of Judaism that led them to reject the truth that the prophesied Messiah (the very Jesus standing before them) was known as Jehovah in the Old Testament.  They could not answer Jesus’ question concerning the second Kurios in Psalm 110 because they did not want to admit that the Scriptures revealed two Jehovahs.   Notice Jesus’ words and warning:

“And Jesus answered and said, while He taught in the temple, How say the scribes that Christ is the son of David?  For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The LORD [Greek Kurios, Jehovah the Father] said to my Lord [Greek Kurios, Jehovah the Son] Sit Thou [the Son] on My right hand, till I [the Father] make Thine enemies Thy footstool.  David therefore himself calleth Him Lord [Greek Kurios, or Jehovah]; and whence is He then his Son? And the common people heard him gladly.  And He said unto them in His doctrine, Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts:  which devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation [heavier judgment]” (Mark 12:35-40).

These scribes made a great show of outward devotion to God.  They pretended to know God, while all the time refusing to believe what God had revealed in His Word.  They rejected the truth that there were two Jehovahs in the Old Testament, and that one of those Jehovahs would become the Messiah before Whom they would some day stand in judgment!  Because they denied the reality of the righteous judgment of God through His Son, they had no fear of God to restrain them from oppressing the poor and the helpless in the land.

Luke also records Jesus’ quotation of Psalm 110 and repeats Jesus’ warning to His followers not to fall into the error of the scribes. Notice Luke’s testimony:

“And He said unto them,How say they that Christ is David’s son? And David himself saith in the book of Psalms, The Lord [Greek Kurios, Jehovah the Father] said unto my [David’s] Lord [Greek Kurios, Jehovah the Son], Sit Thou [the Son] on My right hand, till I [the Father] make Thine enemies Thy footstool.  David therefore calleth Him Lord [Greek Kurios, or Jehovah], how is He then his Son?   Then in the audience of all the people He said unto His disciples,  Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts;  which devour widows’ houses, and for a show make long prayers: the same shall receive greater damnation [heavier judgment]” (Luke 20:41-47).

Jesus did not hesitate to condemn the scribes for their hypocrisy.  They, of all Jews of that time, should have acknowledged the truth of Scripture and have been walking in the fear of God.   They were well acquainted with the Scriptures because their days were spent making copies of the sacred text.  Yet the hardness of their hearts led them to deny the wonderful truth of the Jehovah/Messiah of Psalm 110 Who had come to earth in their day!

The fulfillment of this wonderful Old Testament prophecy is fully documented in the New Testament for all who are willing to believe.  We find this Scriptural evidence not only in the Gospels, but also in the testimony of the apostles Peter and Paul.

How Peter Interpreted Psalm 110

When the apostle Peter quoted Psalm 110 in his Pentecost sermon in 30 A.D., he clearly identified both the Jehovah Who is speaking in the prophecy and the Jehovah Who sits at His right hand.  Peter’s inspired interpretation of Psalm 110 makes it plain that David was not referring to himself when he wrote this psalm.   Peter quotes Psalm 110 to prove that the Being sitting at the right of Jehovah is not David but the exalted Jesus Christ!  Peter affirms that Jesus Christ was with Jehovah and was Jehovah before He became flesh.

In Peter’s inspired sermon, recorded in Acts 2, he testifies that the Jehovah on the left in Psalm 110:1 is both Theos (verse 32) and  Kurios (verse 34), and that the Jehovah on the right is both Kurios (verses 34-35) and Christos (verse 35).  Peter boldly declares that it is Theos, the Father, Who has exalted Jesus and made Him Christos.  Here is Peter’s inspired testimony:

“This Jesus hath God [Greek Theos, the Father] raised up [resurrected], whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God [Greek Theos, the Father] exalted, and having received of the Father [Greek Pater, referring to Theos] the promise of the Holy Ghost [the Spirit of Theos,  the Father], He [the resurrected Jesus] hath shed forth this [the Holy Spirit of the Father], which ye now see and hear [the outward manifestations of the Holy Spirit].  For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he [David] saith himself, The Lord [Greek Kurios, theFather] said unto my [David’s] Lord [Greek Kurios, the Son], Sit Thou [theSon] on My right hand, until I [the Father] make Thy foes Thy footstool.  Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God [Greek Theos, the Father] hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord [Greek Kurios] and Christ [Greek Christos]” (Acts 2:32-36).

Peter’s words clearly show that the Jehovah/Adon of Psalm 110Who is sitting at the right hand of Jehovah is not King David!  Peter emphatically states that David is still in his grave, and that it is Jesus, Jehovah of the Old Testament and Kurios/Christos of the New, Who has been raised from the dead by the power of the Father.  It is the risen Christ Who has been exalted to sit at the right hand of God.

How Paul Interpreted Psalm 110

The apostle Paul also testifies that the Jehovah/Adon of Psalm 110 is Jesus Christ, the Son of Jehovah.  In the first chapter of his epistle to the Hebrews, Paul identifies the Jehovah on the left hand in Psalm 110 as Theos the Father, and the Jehovah on the right hand as Theos the Son.  Paul’s use of the Greek word Theos in this passage to name both the Father and the Son makes it clear that the Son is God in the full sense of the word.  He is Theos by the same definition that the Father is Theos.  Paul emphasizes this truth by quoting several Old Testament passages to prove that the Son (Greek Huios) is not a glorified angel or a superhuman being, but that He eternally pre-existed as God.  Here is Paul’s testimony:

“God [Greek Theos, the Father], Who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son [Greek Huios], Whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by Whom also He [the Father] made the worlds [thus Jesus is called the Arche or Beginner of the creation]; Who [the Son] being the brightness of His [the Father’s] glory, and the express image of His [the Father’s] person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He [Jesus Christ] had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; being made so much better than the angels [Greek aggelos], as He [the Son] hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.  For unto which of the angels [Greek aggelos] said He [the Father] at any time, Thou art My Son [Greek Huios], this day have I begotten Thee [quoted from Psalm 2:7]?   And again, I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to Me a Son [Greek Huios] [quoted from II Samuel 7:14]?  And again, when He bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, He [the Father] saith, And let all the angels of God worship Him [quoted from the Septuagint, Deuteronomy 32:43].  And of the angels He saith, Who maketh His angels spirits, and His ministers a flame of fire [quoted from the Septuagint, Psalm 104:4].   But unto the Son [Greek Huios] He [the Father] saith, Thy throne, O God [Greek Theos, the Son], is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of Thy kingdom.  Thou [the Son] hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God [Greek Theos, the Father], even Thy God [Greek Theos, the Father], hath anointed Thee [the Son] with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows [quoted from Psalm 45:6-7].   And, Thou, Lord [Greek Kurios, the Jehovah of the Old Testament Who became the Son], in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of Thine hands:  they shall perish; but Thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; and as a vesture shalt Thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but Thou [the Son] art the same, and Thy years shall not fail [quoted from Psalm 102:25-27].  But to which of the angels [Greek aggelos] said He [the Father] at any time, Sit on My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool?” (Heb. 1:1-13.)

Paul’s inspired testimony makes it undeniably clear that Jesus Christ was never an angel.  Paul quotes Psalm 110 and specifically points out that no angel at any time was invited to sit at the right hand of the Father.  Paul also quotes Psalm 2 to show that no angel at any time was begotten of the Father.  Paul shows that it is totally unscriptural to claim that Christ was ever an angel—or anything less than God.

In this passage, Paul offers irrefutable proof from the Old Testament to convince all who question the eternal existence of Jesus Christ as God.  To remove every doubt, Paul quotes the testimony of the Father Himself in Psalm 45 as evidence that Jesus Christ is God and will reign as God for all eternity.  As proof of the pre-existence of Jesus Christ as Jehovah of the Old Testament, Paul quotes Psalm 102 to demonstrate that Christ shared full power and authority with the Father in the creation of the heavens and the earth.

Paul’s purpose in quoting these Old Testament scriptures was to shut the mouths of those who deny that Jesus Christ is God and that He has existed from the beginning as God—a fully divine Being.  In an earlier epistle, Paul specifically named Christ as the Rock of the Old Testament, the God Who covenanted with Israel (I Cor. 10:4).  In view of all the New Testament evidence, it is utter nonsense to deny the eternal pre-existence of Jesus Christ as Creator and Lord, or Jehovah, of the Old Testament.