What does Peter mean by invoking Psalm 110 in his sermon in Acts 2?
For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,
“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
until I make your enemies your footstool.”’ (Acts 2:34, ESV)
Who are the two “Lords,” and how does this work in Peter’s argument?
Please note, there is another Q&A focusing on the Psalm in the context in which it was written: What does “The Lord said to my Lord” mean in Psalm 110?
In Hebrew, the first "Lord" is Yahweh (God's name), and the second "Lord" really means Lord. So the text is "Yahweh said to my Lord."
The way Peter uses the words in Acts 2:34 seems to indicate that the second Lord is the Messiah. This is also corroborated by Matthew 22:42-45.
The text from Acts 2:34 is a quotation from Psalm 110:1.
In Hebrew:
מזמור לדוד (A Psalm of David) נאם (The declaration of) יהוה (the LORD) לאדני (to my Lord), שׁב (Sit) לימיני (at my right hand), עד (until) אשׁית (I make) איביך (your enemies) הדם (your footstool). לרגליך (under your feet).
In Greek:
εἶπεν (said) ὁ (the) κύριος (Lord) τῷ (to the) κυρίῳ (Lord) μου (of me), κάθου (Sit) ἐκ (at) δεξιῶν (right hand) μου (of me), ἕως (until) ἂν (I make) θῶ (your) τοὺς (the) ἐχθρούς (enemies) σου (of you) ὑποπόδιον (a footstool) τῶν (of the) ποδῶν (feet) σου (of you).
Jesus provided a key insight into interpreting these verses when he mentioned that David spoke them "in spirit," signifying a trance-like state (Matthew 22:43).
Matthew 22:43
λέγει αὐτοῖς• πῶς οὖν Δαυὶδ ἐν πνεύματι καλεῖ αὐτὸν κύριον λέγων•
He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying
In Psalm 110:5, David is no longer in a "spirit" state, and thus, he sees the Messiah merely as his carnal descendant, one who would come from his loins. This is why the Messiah, in his carnal form, is "at his right hand."
Psalm 110:5 (KJV):
"The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath."
Thus, the entire Psalm is in the third person and sung by the Levites, indicating that the Messiah will not be merely a carnal man but an eternal Elohim King and Priest.
God made a promise to King David that one of his sons/kinsman would always reign on the throne.
2 Samuel 7:16 (NASB) 16 "Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever."'"
But it's even more profound than that as God gives King David even more detail that Christ would be Prophet, Priest and King:
Psalm 110:4 (NASB) 4 The LORD has sworn and will not change His mind, "You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek."
The two Lord's being, the Father and Son. It works perfectly in Peter's argument that the man who was crucified was their King annointed by God.
Psalm 110:1
The "LORD" says to my "Lord"; sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your foot stool.
Capitalizing "LORD" is a way of respecting Jewish custom of not spelling out God's name, translating YHWH to "LORD".
"Lord" presents Jesus Christ as both a king verses 1-3 and high priest verses 4-7.
