Jesus cites Psalm 110:1 in a discussion with the Pharisees about the identity of the Messiah. This occurs in three Synoptic Gospels: Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Below are the NIV translations of these three occurrences.
41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42 “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?” “The son of David,” they replied. 43 He said to them, “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord’? For he says, 44 “‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.”‘ 45 If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” – Matthew 22:41-45
35 While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, he asked, “Why do the teachers of the law say that the Messiah is the son of David? 36 David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, declared: “‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.”‘ 37 David himself calls him ‘Lord.’ How then can he be his son?” The large crowd listened to him with delight. – Mark 12:35-37
41 Then Jesus said to them, “Why is it said that the Messiah is the son of David? 42 David himself declares in the Book of Psalms: “‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand 43 until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”‘ 44 David calls him ‘Lord.’ How then can he be his son?” – Luke 20:41-44
The Greek for “The Lord siad to my lord” is ” (Εἶπεν Κύριος τῷ Κυρίῳ μου), and in Greek there is no difference in the basic meaning of “lord” in the two forms “Κύριος” (Kyrios) and “Κυρίῳ” (Kyriō). Both forms derive from the same root word “Κύριος,” which means “Lord” or “Master.” The difference between these forms lies in their grammatical case, which affects their function in a sentence rather than their meaning.
Greek Transliteration Translation Εἶπεν Eipen Said Κύριος Kyrios The Lord τῷ tō To Κυρίῳ Kyriō My Lord μου mou My
But this is not the case in the Hebrew found in Psalm 110:1. In the Hebrew that this passage is cited from, it uses the name “Yahweh” ( יְהוָה ) for God and “L’adoni” “( לַאדֹנִי ) for “to my Lord.”
Hebrew:
לְדָוִד מִזְמוֹר נְאֻם יְהוָה לַאדֹנִי שֵׁב לִימִינִי עַד אָשִׂית אֹיְבֶיךָ הֲדֹם לְרַגְלֶיךָ
Transliteration:
L’david mizmor ne’um Yahweh l’adoni shev limini ad asit oyvecha hadom l’raglecha
Translation:
A psalm of David. Yahweh says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”
| Hebrew | Transliteration | Translation |
| לְדָוִד | L’david | Of David |
| מִזְמוֹר | Mizmor | A psalm |
| נְאֻם | Ne’um | The declaration |
| יְהוָה | Yahweh | Yahweh |
| לַאדֹנִי | L’adoni | To my Lord |
We see elsewhere in the Old Testament that the word “L’adoni” is never used towards God. Below is a table of all the occurances found in the Bible.
| Reference | Context | Person Addressed | Text |
| Genesis 23:6 | The Hittites speaking to Abraham | Abraham | “Hear us, my lord; you are a mighty prince among us.” |
| Genesis 24:18 | Rebekah speaking to Abraham’s servant | Abraham’s servant | “Drink, my lord,” she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink. |
| Genesis 44:5 | Joseph’s steward speaking to Joseph’s brothers | Joseph | “Isn’t this the cup my master drinks from and also uses for divination?” |
| Genesis 44:7 | Joseph’s brothers responding to the steward | Joseph | “Why does my lord say such things? Far be it from your servants to do anything like that!” |
| Numbers 11:28 | Joshua speaking to Moses | Moses | “Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses’ aide since youth, spoke up and said, ‘Moses, my lord, stop them!’” |
| 1 Samuel 24:8 | David speaking to Saul | King Saul | “David bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground. He said to Saul, ‘Why do you listen when men say, “David is bent on harming you”?’ |
| 2 Samuel 14:9 | The woman of Tekoa speaking to King David | King David | “But the woman from Tekoa said to him, ‘Let my lord the king pardon me and my family; let the king and his throne be without guilt.’” |
| 2 Samuel 19:27 | Mephibosheth speaking to King David | King David | “And he has slandered your servant to my lord the king. My lord the king is like an angel of God; do whatever pleases you.” |
| Psalm 110:1 | A psalm of David, speaking about the Messiah | The Messiah | “The LORD says to my lord: ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.’” |
Since the Greek of the New Testament does not differentiate between “Lord” when in reference to God and “lord” when in reference to other than God, this word, therefore, cannot be used to designate any divinity to Jesus when it is used in reference to him.
Further Reading:
