The Royal Priest (Psalm 110:1-7)

Psalm 110, which was traditionally thought to be by King David, is a song that speaks of a priestly king who shares God’s throne. Following the interpretation of the New Testament, Christians believe that this is a mysterious prophecy of the coming of the Messiah.

The psalm describes a powerful Jewish king who will defeat all of his enemies. The song’s opening line says: “The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I have made your enemies a footstool for you.” The first Lord is God, so who is the second ‘Lord’, the king to whom God is speaking?

According to the gospels, this was actually a prophetic reference to Christ. Jesus observed: “How can the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David? David himself, inspired by the Holy Spirit, declared: ‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.” ’ David himself calls him ‘Lord’; so how can he be his son?” (Mark 12:35-27; cf Matthew 22:41-45; Luke 20:41-44)

Preaching on Psalm 110, Pope Benedict XVI explained that “the Church’s Tradition has held this Psalm in high esteem as one of the most important messianic texts. And the Fathers continued eminently to refer to it in a Christological key. The king of whom the Psalmist sang is definitively Christ, the Messiah who establishes the Kingdom of God and overcomes the powers of evil.”

Referring to the Messiah, the psalm goes on to say: “The Lord has sworn, and he will not retract his oath: “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” (110:4) This reference to ‘Melchizedek’ comes from a story in the book of Genesis. Melchizedek was a royal priest who presented holy bread and wine to Abraham (Genesis 14:1-24).

Elsewhere, the New Testament explains that the prophesied royal priest in this psalm is Jesus Christ (Hebrews 7:1-28). Like Melchizedek, he is both a king and a priest. This is significant because Jewish kings were never also priests. By referring to the Messiah this way, this psalm was prophesying that he would not just be a king, but also offer a sacrifice to God as a priest.

This stained glass window featuring King David singing the opening line of this psalm is found within the Lady Chapel of Downside Abbey, in Somerset. Produced by Sir Ninian Comper in the early 20th century, a young-looking David is pictured with his customary harp. He is surrounded by a banner containing the words of Psalm 110:1 in Latin: ‘The Lord said to my Lord: sit at my right hand.’

The window pairs David with the Prophet Isaiah, who in complementary colours shares his own prophecy of the coming of Christ (the Virgin Birth). The Abbey contains many windows by Comper, characterised by his frequent use of blue, red, and gold together, as well as intricately painted faces.

See the full image:

Detail of King David:

Where to find this work of art
Downside Abbey, Somerset

Read the relevant passage
Psalm 110:1-7

On a similar theme

• From the Old Testament: The psalm compares the priesthood of the Messiah with that of Melchizedek, the king of Salem.
• From the New Testament: At the Ascension, Christ took his seat at God’s right hand in heaven.