Psalms 80:17

17. Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand That is, upon the man thou hast chosen for the first place of honour and confidence. The allusion is to the ancient custom of placing the first in honour at the right hand. 1 Kings 2:19; Psalms 45:9. As to the supposed doubtfulness whether the Hebrew phrase “thy hand be upon the man,” etc., is to be taken in a good or in an evil sense, the connexion clearly shows the former, which is not unusual, as in such passages as Ezra 7:9; Ezra 8:22; Nehemiah 2:8; Nehemiah 2:18; Isaiah 1:25. Some have taken אישׁ ימינךְ , the man of thy right hand, to refer to Christ.

Upon the son of man The same as the man of thy right hand. The words “right hand” and “son,” in these two members of the verse, put together, make the Hebrew name Benjamin, ( son of the right hand,) which some suppose was intentional, “on account of the connexion of that tribe with both the rival kingdoms, its central position, its possession of the sanctuary, [Moriah was within its tribal limits,] and its historical relation to the infant monarchy under Saul the Benjamite.” Viewed in this light it is a delicate compliment to the tribe of Benjamin. But the descriptive titles may apply to any person whom God might choose to act in his name as the restorer and saviour of his people, or, as in the preceding figure of the vine, as personifications of the Hebrew nation itself, which ranked as a prince at the right hand of God. The imagery is explained in the next verse.