Matthew 22:44 - Exposition

The Lord said unto my Lord ( Psalms 110:1 ). The quotation is from the Septuagint. But neither this nor our English Version is an adequate rendering of the original, where the word translated "Lord" is not the same in both parts of the clause, More accurately, the solemn beginning of the psalm is thus given: "Utterance [or, 'oracle'] of Jehovah to my Lord ( Adonai ) . " The psalmist acknowledges the recipient of the utterance as his sovereign Lord; this could be no earthly potentate, for on earth he had no such superior; Jewish tradition always applied the term unto the Messiah, or the Word. The prediction repeats the promise made by Nathan to David ( 2 Samuel 7:12 ), which had no fulfilment in his natural progeny, and could be regarded as looking forward only to the Messiah. Sit thou on my right hand. Thus Messiah is exalted to the highest dignity in heaven. Sitting at God's right hand does not necessarily imply complete Divine majesty (as Hengstenberg remarks), for the sons of Zebedee had asked for such a position in Messiah's earthly kingdom ( Matthew 20:21 ); but it denotes supreme honour, association in government, authority second only to that of Monarch. This is said of Christ in his human nature. He is "equal to the Father, as touching his Godhead; inferior to the Father, as touching his manhood." In his Divine nature he could receive nothing; in his human nature all "power was given unto him in heaven and earth" ( Matthew 28:18 ). Till I make ( ἑ ì ως ἀ Ì ν θῷ ) thine enemies thy footstool; ὑποπο ì διον τῶν ποδῶν σου . This is the Septuagint reading. Many manuscripts here give ὑποκα ì τω τῶν ποδῶν σου Till I put thine enemies underneath thy feet. Some few have both ὑποπο ì διον and ὑποκα ì τω . Vulgate, Donec ponam inimicos tuos scabellum pedum tuorum. The complete subjection of all adversaries is denoted; and they are subjected not merely for punishment and destruction, but, it may be, for salvation and glory. The relative particle "till" must not be pressed, as if Christ's session was to cease when his victory was completed. We have before had occasion to observe that the phrase, ἑ ì ως οὗ , or ἑ ì ως ἀ Ì ν , asserts nothing of the future beyond the event specified. As St. Jerome says of such negative phrases, "Ita negant praeteritum ut non ponant futurum" (comp. Matthew 1:25 ; Matthew 5:26 ; Matthew 18:34 ). Of Christ's kingdom there is no end.