The Meaning of Psalms 110:2 Explained

Psalms 110:2

KJV: The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.

YLT: The rod of thy strength doth Jehovah send from Zion, Rule in the midst of thine enemies.

Darby: Jehovah shall send the sceptre of thy might out of Zion: rule in the midst of thine enemies.

ASV: Jehovah will send forth the rod of thy strength out of Zion: Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

The LORD  shall send  the rod  of thy strength  out of Zion:  rule  thou in the midst  of thine enemies. 

What does Psalms 110:2 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalms 110:1-7 - Our Priest-King At God's Right Hand
Luther describes this psalm as "the true, high, main psalm of our beloved Lord Jesus Christ." Our Lord attributed it to David, in the power of the Holy Spirit; and there is no portion of the Old Testament more frequently quoted in the New. See Matthew 22:44; 1 Corinthians 15:25; Hebrews 1:3; Hebrews 1:13; Hebrews 5:6; Hebrews 5:10; Hebrews 7:17; Hebrews 7:21. David speaks of the Messiah as my Lord. The inference as to the deity of our Lord is incontestable. His mighty scepter, the symbol of his rule, reaches from Son to the utmost limits of space and time. He waits till all his enemies are His footstool. Their character is evident in their attire-the beauties of holiness. They are as numerous and refreshing as dewdrops on parched meadows. There is an infinite attractiveness between our Savior and young life-thy youth.
The offices of priest and king were jealously kept apart in the old Hebrew monarchy, so the psalmist has to travel into the childhood of the world to find the type of a priesthood. Jesus is King and Priest after a more ancient and abiding order, which, it is testified, is based on a timeless life. Our Lord shall come to the throne from the battlefield. He shall bruise the serpent's head, but He needs the refreshment of our love and faith. That is the wayside brook. [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 110

1  The kingdom
4  The priesthood
5  The conquest
7  And the passion of Christ

What do the individual words in Psalms 110:2 mean?

The rod of Your strength shall send Yahweh out of Zion Rule in the midst of Your enemies
מַטֵּֽה־ עֻזְּךָ֗ יִשְׁלַ֣ח יְ֭הוָה מִצִּיּ֑וֹן רְ֝דֵ֗ה בְּקֶ֣רֶב אֹיְבֶֽיךָ

מַטֵּֽה־  The  rod 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מַטֶּה  
Sense: staff, branch, tribe.
עֻזְּךָ֗  of  Your  strength 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: עֹז  
Sense: might, strength.
יִשְׁלַ֣ח  shall  send 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁלַח  
Sense: to send, send away, let go, stretch out.
יְ֭הוָה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
מִצִּיּ֑וֹן  out  of  Zion 
Parse: Preposition-m, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: צִיּׄון  
Sense: another name for Jerusalem especially in the prophetic books.
רְ֝דֵ֗ה  Rule 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: רָדָה 
Sense: to rule, have dominion, dominate, tread down.
בְּקֶ֣רֶב  in  the  midst 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: קֶרֶב  
Sense: midst, among, inner part, middle.
אֹיְבֶֽיךָ  of  Your  enemies 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: אֹיֵב  
Sense: (Qal) enemy.