Henry Ainsworth on Psalms 110

PSAL. CX.

A Psalme of David.

IEhovah assuredly said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand untill I put thine enemies the footstoole of thy feet. Iehovah will send out of Sion the rod of thy strength; rule thou in the middes of thine enemies. Thy people shall be voluntaries in the day of thy power; in the beauties of holinesse, of the wombe of the early morning; to thee the deaw of thy youth. Iehovah sware, and will not repent, thou art a Priest for ever, according to the order of Malchisedek. The Lord at thy right hand, hee hath wounded Kings in the day of his wrath. He shall judge among the heathens; hee hath filled with corpses, he hath wounded the head over a great land. Of the brooke in the way shall hee drinke, therefore he shall lift up the head.

Annotations. IEhovah] that is, God the Father. assuredly said] see Psal. 36. 2. to my Lord] that is, to Christ, whom David here calleth his Lord, though he was also his sonne according to the flesh, Mat. 22. 42, 45. Rom. 1. 3. Act. 2. 34. So the Chaldee, The Lord said unto his Word, meaning Christ, Ioh. 1. 1. sit at my right hand] sitting noteth reigning with continuance, 1 Cor. 15. 25. Heb. 10. 12, 13. So sitting on his throne, 1 King. 3. 6. is expounded, reigning in his stead, 2 Chron. 1. 8. Gods right hand meaneth his power and majesty in the Heavens, Luk. 22. 69. Mark. 16. 19. Heb. 1. 3. and 8. 1. and this above all Angels, Heb. 1. 13. thine enemies] even all of them, the last whereof is death, 1 Cor. 15. 25, 26. Of this place the Apostle giveth this exposition, Every Priest standeth daily ministring, and oft times offering the same sacrifices, which can never take away sinnes: but this man having offered one sacrifice for sinne, fitteth for ever at Gods right hand, henceforth expecting till his enemies be put the footstoole of his feet, Heb. 10. 11, 12, 13. Vers. 2. the rod] or staffe (scepter) of thy strength; thy strong staffe (O Christ) that is, the powerfull word of thy Kingdome, Isa. 11. 4. Mat. 13. 19. which was to come out of Sion and Ierusalem, Isa. 2. 3. Luk. 24. 49. Acts 1. 4. and 2. 1, 2, &c. For in Sion Christ reigneth, Psal. 2. 6. Rev. 14. 1. rule thou] that is, thou shalt surely rule or have dominion: see the Notes on Psal. 37. 3. Vers. 3. voluntaries] a people of voluntarinesses, or of liberalities (as Psal. 68. 10.) that is, shall most freely, willingly, and liberally present themselves and their oblations to thee, as Iudg. 5. 9. Act. 2. 41. Exod. 25. 2. Rom. 12. 1. Psal. 47. 10. and 119. 108. Song 6. 11. of thy power] or armie (as Psal. 33. 16.) that is, when thou sendest forth thy powerfull Gospell and Preachers of the same to conquer the world, Rom. 1. 16. 2 Cor. 10. 4, 5. Rev. 6. 2. Psal. 45. 4, 5, 6. in the beauties of bolinesse] or in the comely honours of the Sanctuary; meaning either the comely (or honourable) places of holinesse, (or of the Sanctuary) as Psal. 29. 2. that is, the Church; or rather, in the beautifull ornaments of holinesse, that is, holy graces and vertues, wherewith Christ and his people are adorned, as the Priests and Levites of old with Vrim, Thummim, and holy garments, Exod. 28. 2, 40. Isa. 52. 1. So the Warriers in heaven are cloathed with fine linnen, white and pure, the righteousnesse of the Saints, Rev. 19. 14. 8. of the wombe, &c.] This place is difficult, and may diversly bee understood, either of Christ himselfe, or of his people: and againe, if of Christ, either in respect of his Godhead or of his Manhood. Of his Godhead, that the Father saith unto him, of the wombe (that is, of mine owne essence) before the early morning (that is, before the world was) to thee was (or thou hadst) the dew of thy youth; (or birth) so noting the eternall generation of Christ before all worlds, as is shewed, Prov. 8. 22, 23. 24, 25. And this sense the Lxx. Greeke Interpreters seeme to follow, translating, Of the wombe before the morning starre begat I thee. If it be meant of Christs manhood, we may take it thus, of the wombe of the darke morning (or of the obscure wombe of the virgin) thou hadst the deaw of thy birth. If of Christs people before mentioned, it may thus be read; Of the wombe of the morning to thee shall be (or shall come) the deaw of thy youth, that is, thy youth (thy young or newborne people) shall be to thee as the morning deaw, which falleth secretly from heaven, and abundantly covereth the earth: For so the deaw is sometime used, 2 Sam. 17. 12. and unto raine, deaw, ice, &c. the Scripture applieth the names of wombe and begetting, Iob 38. 28, 29. and the increase of the Church is by this figure described, as, The remnant of Iakob shall be among many people, as, a deaw from the Lord, as showers upon the grasse, that waiteth not for man, &c. Mic. 5. 7. This last sense accordeth best with the beginning of the verse. of the wombe] or from the wombe of the morning. of the early morning,] or, before the dawning: the morning (or day-dawning) in Hebrew Mishchar, is named of the blacknesse or darknesse, which also the Scripture sheweth, Ioh. 20. 1. and the letter M. is either a preposition, signifying from, or before, as Isa. 43. 13. or, but a part of the word, here meaning, of. to thee] understand was, or shall be; that is, thou hast, or shalt have. deaw of thy youth] or, of thy birth, that is, thy youth which is like the deaw. Youth or nativitie, may either be taken properly for young age, as Eccles. 11. 9. or figuratively, for young persons, meaning the regenerate, which are as new borne babes, Ioh. 1. 13. and 3. 3. 1 Pet. 2. 2. Vers. 4. sware] For as much (saith the Apostle) as it is not without an oath, &c. by so much is Iesus made surety of a better Testament, Heb. 7. 20. 22. a Priest] or Sacrificer; see Psal. 99. 6. for ever,] Among the Levites, many were made Priests, because they were not suffered to endure by reason of death: but this man because he endureth ever, hath an ever lasting priesthood. Wherefore hee is able also perfectly to save them that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intereession for them, Heb. 7. 23, 24, 25. to the order] or according to my speech: both these interpretations are good, the one from the Apostles authority, Heb. 7. 17. the other from the Hebrew propriety dibrathi, as Iob 5. 8. meaning the manner and order of Melchisedek, as God speaketh of him in the historie, where he is brought in without father, mother kindred, beginning of daies, or end of life, continuing a Priest for ever, as the Apostle gathereth, Heb. 7. 1, 3. from the narration, Gen. 14. 18, &c. of Melchisedck] the King of Salem, and Priest of the most high God, whose name and office is opened, Heb. 7. 1, 2, &c. from which he inferreth, If perfection had beene by the Priesthood of the Levites, &c. what needed it that another Priest should rise after the order of Melchisedek, and not to be called after the order of Aaron? Heb. 7. 11. Vers. 5. The Lord] Christ, as in vers. 1. which the Chaldee calleth Shecinah] (the divine presence) of the LORD. at thy right hand] this may be spoken to God the Father, at whose right hand Christ sitteth, as vers. 1. or to the people of God, at whose right hand he standeth, as Psal. 109. 31. hath wounded] or shall wound, or embrew in bloud, as Psal. 68. 22, 24. a prophesie spoken as of a thing done. So usually in the Prophets, Isa. 9. 6. and 53. 4, 5, &c. See this fulfilled, Rev. 19. 18. Vers. 6. hath filled] or shall fill, to wit, all places with dead bodies, slaine and unburied, as Ier. 16. 4. So the Chaldee paraphraseth, he hath filled the land with carkasses of the wicked which are slaine. the head] Antichrist the man of sinne, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, 2 Thes. 2. 3, 8. or head for heads, and land for lands; that is, all wicked governours wheresoever. Vers. 7. of the brooke] or streame, to wit, of afflictions (as waters usually signifie, Ps. 18. 5.) Christ was to drinke, that is, to suffer, and so to enter into his glory, Matth. 26. 39 42. Luke 24. 26. 1 Pet. 1. 11. Philip. 2. 8, 9. Or, drinking of the brooke in the way, may meane a short refreshing of himselfe, and then a hot pursuit of his enemies without delay, till he hath got a full conquest of them. Compare herewith the history of Gedeons souldiers, Iudg. 7. 4, 5, 6, &c. As waters sometimes signifie doctrine; so the Chaldee here expoundeth it, From the mouth of the Prophet he shall receive doctrine in the way.