Why read Psalm 109?
Read Psalm 109 to reflect on Christ's kingship and priesthood. The image of sitting at God's right hand and the priesthood in the order of Melchizedek have a messianic significance in Christian interpretation.
You can read this psalm when its themes speak to your circumstances, or as part of your regular reading of the Psalter. This explanation draws on the text itself; the psalm is not reserved for one particular need.
In the 16th Kathisma of the Psalter, Psalm 109 awaits its reader with 7 verses of prayer arising from a real experience. It begins with “The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at...” — and from there onwards, everything is a dialogue between the human being and God.
The text of Psalm 109
1. The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”
2. The Lord will send You the sceptre of Your power from Zion, saying: “Rule in the midst of Your enemies.
3. Your people are with You on the day of Your power, in the splendour of Your saints. From the womb, before the morning star, I have begotten You.”
4. The Lord has sworn and will not regret it: “You are a priest for ever, according to the order of Melchizedek.”
5. The Lord is at Your right hand; on the day of His wrath He shattered kings.
6. He will judge among the nations; He will fill everything with ruins; He will crush the heads of many on earth.
7. He will drink from the brook along the way; therefore He will lift up His head.
When Psalm 109 is read
- The messianic psalm — «The Lord said to my Lord».
- At the end of each psalm, tradition adds: «Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.».
Adjacent psalms
The numbering follows the Orthodox Psalter (Septuagint). The same psalm may have a different number in other Bible editions.
