Psalms 110:6

110:1-7 Christ's kingdom. - Glorious things are here spoken of Christ. Not only he should be superior to all the kings of the earth, but he then existed in glory as the eternal Son of God. Sitting is a resting posture: after services and sufferings, to give law, to give judgment. It is a remaining posture: he sits like a king for ever. All his enemies are now in a chain, but not yet made his footstool. And his kingdom, being set up, shall be kept up in the world, in despite of all the powers of darkness. Christ's people are a willing people. The power of the Spirit, going with the power of the world, to the people of Christs, is effectual to make them willing. They shall attend him in the beautiful attire of holiness; which becomes his house for ever. And he shall have many devoted to him. The dew of our youth, even in the morning of our days, ought to be consecrated to our Lord Jesus. Christ shall not only be a King, but a Priest. He is God's Minister to us, and our Advocate with the Father, and so is the Mediator between God and man. He is a Priest of the order of Melchizedek, which was before that of Aaron, and on many accounts superior to it, and a more lively representation of Christ's priesthood. Christ's sitting at the right hand of God, speaks as much terror to his enemies as happiness to his people. The effect of this victory shall be the utter ruin of his enemies. We have here the Redeemer saving his friends, and comforting them.

He shall be humbled; he shall drink of the brook in the way. The wrath of God, running in the curse of the law, may be considered as the brook in the way of his undertaking. Christ drank of the waters of affliction in his way to the throne of glory. But he shall be exalted. What then are we? Has the gospel of Christ been to us the power of God unto salvation? Has his kingdom been set up in our hearts? Are we his willing subjects? Once we knew not our need of his salvation, and we were not willing that he should reign over us. Are we willing to give up every sin, to turn from a wicked, insnaring world, and rely only on his merits and mercy, to have him for our Prophet, Priest, and King? and do we desire to be holy? To those who are thus changed, the Saviour's sacrifice, intercession, and blessing belong.

He shall judge among the Heathen,.... Either rule among the Gentiles, making them through his Gospel obedient by word and deed, and so reigning in their hearts by his Spirit and grace; and, by making many converts among them, enlarge his dominion from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth: or inflict judgments on the Heathen; that is, the Papists, as they are called. These are the Gentiles to whom the outward court is given; the nations that will be angry when the time of his wrath, and to judge the dead, is come; and whom Christ will break in pieces with his iron rod; and are the Heathen that shall perish out of his land, when he is King over all the earth, Revelation 11:2 . He shall fill the places with the dead bodies: the Targum adds, "of the ungodly that are slain;'' namely, at the battle of Armageddon; when the fowls of the air shall be called to eat the flesh of kings, captains, and mighty men; of horses and their riders; of all men, bond and free, great and small, Revelation 19:17.

Psalm 110:6 . He shall judge among the heathen — Shall demonstrate himself to all the heathen world to be their lawgiver and judge, and shall condemn and punish those that reject his salvation, and disobey his laws, rendering indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish unto all that refuse to obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, Romans 2:8-9 . He shall fill the places with the dead bodies — Of his enemies, or of those powers whom he shall strike through in the day of his wrath; and he shall wound the heads — The principals, or rulers, over, or of, many countries — That is, the Roman emperors themselves, who shall then rule over the greatest part of the world, or all those princes who oppose him. The reader will easily discern that the psalmist here describes the exercise of Christ’s regal power and supreme dominion; his conquest over sin and sinners, and over all the opposition of the powers of darkness, in metaphorical expressions, taken from earthly conquests; and that this, and the like passages, are not to be understood literally and grossly, but figuratively and spiritually, according to the nature of Christ’s kingdom.

(6) He shall judge. —Comp. Psalm 9:8 , &c. He shall fill.—The construction is peculiar, and in the Hebrew for heathen and corpses there is a play on words. A slight change in the vowel pointing gives a better construction than is obtained by understanding any word as the Authorised Version does, and critics generally: He judges among the heathen fulness of corpses. At first the poet meant to write, “He judges among the heathen fulness of judgment” (comp. Job 36:17), but, for the sake of the play on the sound, changed his words to “fulness of corpses.” He shall wound the heads.—Literally, crushes a head over a vast land, where “head” means, as in Judges 7:16; Judges 7:20, a band or host of men. The picture is of a vast battle-field with heaps of slain. Others understand, “the chief or master of a wide land.” (Comp. Habakkuk 3:14, “head of his villages.”)

Verse 6. - He shall judge among the heathen ; i . e . execute the royal office not only over Israel, but over the nations of the earth generally (comp. Psalm 7:9 ; Psalm 9:9 ; Psalm 96:10 , etc.). He shall fill the places with the dead bodies ; rather, he shall fill the earth with dead bodies ; i . e . with the corpses of those whom he has slain while executing judgment. He shall wound the heads over many countries . Thus translated, the clause merely repeats ver. 5. Perhaps a better rendering is that of Dr. Kay, "He shall smite him that is head over the wide earth" - either Satan or "the central power of the whole confederacy of evil." Psalm 110:6

Shall judge; either, 1. Conquer and govern them; or rather, 2. Condemn and punish them, as it is explained in the following clauses, and as this word is used, Genesis 15:14 Romans 2:1,2 1 Peter 4:6 , and elsewhere. The places; or, the place of battle, which is necessarily supposed in the fight, and therefore may very well be understood. Dead bodies of his enemies , slain by his hand, and lying in the field in great numbers and heaps, and that unburied, to their greater infamy. Shall wound the heads, Heb. the head ; which may be understood, either, 1. Of some one person and eminent adversary of Christ, and of his kingdom; either the devil, by comparing this with Genesis 3:15 Hebrews 2:14 , who was indeed the head or ruler of many countries, and indeed of all nations, except that of Israel; or the Roman empire, which was the great enemy and obstructer of Christ’s kingdom, and therefore was to be destroyed by him, as is declared, Daniel 2:44,45 7:7 , &c.; or the great antichrist, or the beast after which the whole world wondered, Revelation 13:3 , which Christ will destroy, as we read, 2 Thessalonians 2:8 , and in divers places of St. John’s Revelation. Or, 2.

Of all those heads or princes which opposed him; the singular number head being here put collectively for heads , as is very usual in the Hebrew tongue and text; and so the meaning is, that none of Christ’s enemies, though never so many or great, and their empire be never so large and potent, shall be able to withstand his force, or escape out of his hand; and that he shall not only destroy the common soldiers, but also their greatest commanders and princes, who in such cases do frequently make their escape. But this and the other like passages, both here and in the prophets, are not to be understood grossly and carnally, but spiritually, according to the nature of Christ’s kingdom, the weapons of Christ’s warfare, by which he accomplished his great works, being spiritual; and therefore such must be his battles and judgments, as is evident from many other scriptures, although these also are followed many times with temporal plagues.

6. The person is again changed. The Messiah's conquests are described, though His work and God's are the same. As after a battle, whose field is strewn with corpses, the conqueror ascends the seat of empire, so shall He "judge," or "rule," among many nations, and subdue the head—or (as used collectively for "many") "the heads," over many lands. wound—literally, "smite," or "crush" (compare Ps 110:5).

6 . He shall judge among the nations] The subject of the sentence must be Jehovah. Cp. Psalm 7:8 ; Psalm 9:8 ; Psalm 76:9 . The nations are the enemies of Psalm 110:2 . On them He will execute judgement, vindicating the cause of His king and people. he shall fill (the battle-field) with corpses] This is on the whole the best rendering of an obscurely brief phrase. The tense is, as before, a prophetic perfect. he shall shatter the heads over many countries ] i.e. their rulers. But the usage of the phrase in Psalm 68:21 , Habakkuk 3:13 , points rather to the rendering, he shall shatter the head (of his enemies) over (all) the wide earth. The earth is the battle-field whereon He deals deadly blows upon all His enemies. Delitzsch and others think that the last words may also be rendered the land of Rabbah , and may contain at least an allusive reference to David’s conquest of the Ammonite capital ( 2 Samuel 12:26 ff.).

He shall judge among the heathen - Among the "nations." That is, he shall set up a kingdom, or shall rule over the nations of the earth. He shall come to execute judgment and justice, and shall apportion to people what is due to them. See the notes at Isaiah 11:3-5 . He shall fill the places with the dead bodies - He shall make a great slaughter - indicative of conquest, and of the subjugation of the world to himself. It would be "as if" the bodies of the slain in battle strewed the ground, or filled the valleys of the earth. He shall wound the heads - The same word is used here that occurs in the previous verse, and that is there rendered "shall strike." It is the language of "conquest," as if the world was to be subdued to himself by war. Over many countries - Margin, "great." Over vast and extensive regions, carrying his conquests into distant lands. This will be fulfilled only when all the earth shall be subject to the reign of the Messiah. 1 Corinthians 15:24-28.