Psalms 110:5

5 The Lord is at your right hand; he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.

Psalms 110:5 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 110:5

The Lord at thy right hand
These words are either directed to Christ, at whose right hand the Lord was to help and assist him, ( Psalms 16:8 ) or to the church, consisting of the Lord's willing people, at whose right hand he is to save them; is ready to help them, and is a present help to them in time of need, ( Psalms 109:31 ) or rather to Jehovah the Father, at whose right hand the "Adonai", or Lord, even David's Lord, and every believer's Lord, is, as in ( Psalms 110:1 ) , and who is spoken of in all the following clauses; and to whom the things mentioned are ascribed, and so what immediately follows:

shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath;
not only strike at them, and strike them; but strike them through, utterly destroy them. This is to be understood of the kings and princes that stood up and set themselves against him, ( Psalms 2:2 ) , which is interpreted of Herod and Pontius Pilate, ( Acts 4:26 Acts 4:27 ) , who both died shameful deaths; as did another Herod, that set himself against the apostles and church of Christ, ( Acts 12:1 Acts 12:2 Acts 12:23 ) , and also of Heathens, kings and emperors, who persecuted the Christians; as Diocletian, Maximilian, and others; who are represented as fleeing to rocks and mountains, to hide them from the Lamb, the great day of his wrath being come, ( Revelation 6:15-17 ) , and also of the antichristian kings, that shall be gathered together to the battle of the Lord God Almighty, and shall be overcome and slain by Christ, ( Revelation 16:14 Revelation 16:16 ) ( 17:14 ) ( Revelation 19:20 Revelation 19:21 ) which will be a time of wrath, when the vials of God's wrath shall be poured out upon the antichristian kings and states; see ( Revelation 16:1 Revelation 16:19 ) ( 11:18 ) . And may also reach the last and general judgment; when kings, as well as others, shall stand before him, and receive their awful doom from him; and shall perish when his wrath is kindled against them, ( Psalms 2:11 Psalms 2:12 ) .

Psalms 110:5 In-Context

3 Your people will offer themselves freely on the day you lead your host upon the holy mountains. From the womb of the morning like dew your youth will come to you.
4 The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, "You are a priest for ever after the order of Melchiz'edek."
5 The Lord is at your right hand; he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.
6 He will execute judgment among the nations, filling them with corpses; he will shatter chiefs over the wide earth.
7 He will drink from the brook by the way; therefore he will lift up his head.
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.