Psalms 110:2
The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.
Study Note
Study Note
The divine summons 'the Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies' is addressed to the royal figure of Psalm 110:1 (to whom the Lord says 'sit at my right hand'), commissioning him to exercise dominion from Jerusalem over hostile powers. The 'rod' (matteh) is a symbol of both royal authority and tribal identity in the Hebrew Bible, here representing the extension of divine kingship through the anointed ruler. The New Testament's extensive use of Psalm 110:1 (the most-cited Old Testament verse in the New Testament) as a resurrection-ascension text (Acts 2:34–35; Hebrews 1:13) implies that verse 2's subjugation of enemies is also understood christologically as an ongoing post-resurrection reign. 1 Corinthians 15:25 ('he must reign until he has put all enemies under his feet') makes this connection explicit.
Other Translations
Jehovah will send forth the rod of thy strength out of Zion: Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.
The rod of thy strength doth Jehovah send from Zion, Rule in the midst of thine enemies.
The Lord will send out the rod of your strength from Zion; be king over your haters.
Cross References
And the Lord spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and stretch out thine hand upon the waters …
And the Lord spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch forth thine hand with thy rod over the streams, over …
Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth …
Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.
For the kingdom is the Lord’s: and he is the governor among the nations.
All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall …
Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king’s enemies; whereby the people fall under thee.
Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre.
He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.
And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, …