The most quoted or alluded to passage of the Hebrew Scriptures in the writings of the Apostles is Psalm 110:1, which reads:
“The LORD says to my Lord: ‘sit at My right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet’” (Psalm 110:1, NASB)
Here, David prophetically recorded a statement from the LORD to his [David’s] Lord.
The fact that our English translations use “lord” to refer to both God and David’s Lord can be confusing, but the Hebrew of this verse makes a distinction between two.
The first “LORD” in the Hebrew is actually the Tetragrammaton — the four-letter Hebrew name of God (“YHVH“).
The second “Lord” in this verse is actually the Hebrew word “adoni,” which literally means “my lord.” The word “adoni“ is usually used in the Bible to refer to human superiors, such as kings.
The interesting thing about this Psalm is that the writer himself was the king of Israel: David. This verse is telling us that David foresaw a time when he himself would have a superior, placed above him by God.
Jesus, the son of David, is actually David’s superior! David’s superior, the Messiah, however, is not the LORD God because it was the LORD who placed Jesus in that exalted position.
Jesus has been highly exalted but his exalted position was granted to him by God and it is for God’s glory. Paul said in Philippians:
“…God highly exalted him, and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus the Messiah is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11, NASB)
Why did God exalt Jesus to this glorified position? Because of his obedience; because he obeyed God throughout his life and obeyed Him to the very end, giving his life up for us on the cross.
As a result of Jesus’ obedience and humility, and as a result of Jesus dying for us, God raised him to His own position. Jesus is so highly exalted that God accepts worship of Jesus as king as worship to Himself!
This helps to explain why the Apostles always include the name of Jesus when offering praise to God. Jesus is our lord and our king, the one who died for us.
So, as we worship him, all praise and glory goes to our Father in Heaven, who is indeed the only true God! [John 17:3]
Tag: Psalm110.1
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A STORY ABOUT TWO LORDS
In the famous prophecy of David in Psalm 110:1 we read:
“The LORD [i.e., YHWH] says to my lord [adoni].”
The Hebrew word translated “my lord” is not Adonai (i.e., YHWH) but adoni, a word that is never used for God in all 195 occurrences. This means David’s “my lord” is not the LORD-Yahweh God addressing another who is also LORD-Yahweh God!
Anyone can easily verify this fact by looking in the article for the word “Lord” in the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (Vol. 3, p. 157):
“The form adoni (‘my lord’), a royal title (1 Sam. 29:8), is to be carefully distinguished from the divine title Adonai.”
The Word Biblical Commentary on Matthew (called the state of the art in theology) adds:
“Underlying the two uses of kyrios [in Mat 22.44] are two different Hebrew words: The first is the tetragrammaton (the personal name ‘Yahweh,’ which was not spoken by the Jews, who substituted the word adonay). The second is adoni, ‘my lord.’
David calls his son not Yahweh but adoni, ‘my lord’:
‘Yahweh [the Lord] said to my lord.'”
That the Psalm is about two different Lords is also shown by the fact that the “my lord” is exalted by YHWH at His right hand. And to “sit at the right hand” connotes conferred authority in a royal setting, i.e., a person who has been told to sit in a place of honor. As a result, the one person taking orders is subordinate to the other person who has ordered him to sit at their right hand!
This simple common sense is spelled out to us by Study Bible commentaries like The NET Bible:
“To sit at the ‘right hand’ of the king was an honor (see 1 Kgs 2:19). The Lord’s invitation to the Davidic king to sit down at his right hand reflects the king’s position as the Lord’s vice-regent.”
The noted Bishop N.T. Wright, in his Preface to How God Became King: Getting to the heart of the Gospels, 2012.
“Jesus, through his Ascension, was seated at the right hand of the Father. In ancient Jewish thought, with echoes of Daniel 7, this could only mean that, from that moment, Jesus was the Father’s right-hand man….The Father’s accredited and appointed agent.”
Similarly, when the Apostles ask Jesus “Let one of us sit at your right” in Mark 10.37 no one at the time would have confused the Apostles with Jesus! The same when Peter preached:
“God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah” (Acts 2.36). And “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power” (Acts 10.38), the Apostles were not talking about one and the same person!
The Apostolic message of Pentecost: Acts chapter 2
On the day of Pentecost, Holy Ghost fell upon those who were gathered together in the upper room of a house in Jerusalem, and they began to speak in tongues as the Holy Ghost gave them utterance. After many devout men, from many different nations, heard them speaking in their native languages the wonderful works God, some began to mock them claiming they were simply drunk off of new wine.
But Peter, who had denied being associated with Jesus just 50 days prior to this, stood up with the other Apostles and began to preach the very first “Apostolic” message saying, “these [people] are not drunk, as ye suppose, But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel…..” quoting Joel 2:28-32.
Then he went on to say…..
“Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, 
a man approved of God
among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. For David speaketh concerning him…”
quoting Psalm 16:8-11.
He continues…..
“Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; (1Chron 17:11-14; Ps 89:3-4, 29, 36; Ps 132:11) He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
He yet continues……
“This Jesus hath God raised up,whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. 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.” (Psalm 110:1)
He concludes with a powerful statement….
“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
Brothers and Sisters, this is the message that pricked the hearts of 3000+ and caused them to ask, “What shall we do?”
“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.”
If you have obeyed Acts 2:38, then why not believe Acts 2:22-36?
Did Peter preach what is preached today? Did he make mention of anything that we make mention of today? Did he leave something out? Did he lack revelation and understanding of the truth?
……or do we? Think about it.
2 John 1:3
Grace be with you, mercy, [and] peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.
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Adonai, adoni, Psalm 110:1
Psalm 110:1 the most quoted OT verse in the NT defines what is meant when Jesus is called ‘lord’ in Scripture
e.g. Acts 2:32-36, Philippians 2:9-11
Jesus is the Messiah lord (Luke 2:11) & in Luke 2:26 Jesus is YHVH’s Messiah.
Luke never wants us to confuse the two.
Ps 110:1, which Jesus quoted to settle all issues in Mark 12:35ff., defines the exact relationship of the One God of Israel to Jesus the Messiah, Son of God. The relationship is: GOD for Jesus is a superelevated MAN.
Never, ever, GOD and GOD!
The Shema remains in tact always.
Ps 110:1 is the massively important text which defines YHVH as addressing “my lord” = A’DONI, which is never in all 195 occs. a ref to Deity.
Peter makes our point exactly with the same Ps. 110:1 in Acts 2:34-36.
Paul makes exactly the same point by first affirming the Shema, “there is one God, the Father” (1Cor 8.4-6) & Jesus says “no other God but HE”, Mark 12:29-32. Then Paul puts alongside the One God, the Messiah lord, who is not a 2nd GOD, which would shatter the first & great commandment..
Paul and Jesus give us GOD and exalted Man. Thus, exactly 1Tim 2.5: “One God and one Man Messiah.”
Jesus in his own Aramaic is “our lord” as in “our lord, come” –Maranatha—our lord, can never mean “our YHVH,” which is a linguistic impossibility.
This is not difficult.
Hence Jesus is the lord messiah Colossians 3:24
Age To Come 