The LORD is at your right hand; He will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.
Yahweh is at your right hand; He will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.
Trinitarian Claim
In verse 1, Yahweh calls the Messiah to sit at His right hand. Since the Messiah is seated to the right of God, Trinitarians then claim that verse 5 indicates that Yahweh is at Yahweh's right hand. Therefore, they conclude, Jesus is Yahweh.
The Claim vs. The Facts
The facts show us that this kind of language refers to God being with someone purposefully in terms of His power and strength.
The Problem with the Claim
1. The Sopherim Alterations
Psalm 110:5 is one of the 134 places where the sopherim admit to changing the text from the divine name "YHWH" to Adonai. This is not to be confused with using Adonai as a substitution for uttering the divine name when it appears in the Hebrew text. This was an actual alteration to the text where "Yahweh" was removed and replaced with Adonai.
2. What it means to be Seated at God's Right Hand
This Trinitarian claim stems from confusion in the minds of Trinitarian imaginations. Instead of asking themselves what this terminology means, they rather obsess over who is positioned next to who. In verse 1, God calls the Messiah to sit at His right hand. To sit at the right hand of God is a reference to the throne of God and God's authority. To sit at the right hand of God, is a statement which means someone has been given the right to execute God's authority, the authority signified by God's throne. Jesus sat down at the right hand of God when he rose from the dead and this is how David's son, Jesus, became David's Lord. See Acts 2:30-36.
This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear. For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says: "The Lord said to my Lord,'Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.'" Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified. Acts 2:32-36
Having made purification for our sins, sat down at the right hand of Majesty on High having become so superior to the angels as he has inherited a better name than them." Hebrews 1:3
To which of the angels did He ever say, "Sit at My right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet." Hebrews 1:13
And the sum concerning the things having been said: we have such a High Priest, who has sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens" (8:1).
"And he, having offered one sacrifice for sin once for all time sat down on the right hand of God" (10:12)
Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (12:2).
He raised him from the dead and seated him at His right hand in the heavenlies, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
Ephesians 1:20-21.
3. What it means in Scripture when God at Your Right Hand
In the Scriptures, sitting at the right hand of God is not the same idea as having God at your right hand. Being seated at God's right hand is a reference to the authority of the throne of God. But when the Bible refers to having God at your right hand, it means God and His power is with you purposefully. Being seated at God's right hand is one thing; having God at your own right hand in your endeavours is quite a different idea.
I have set Yahweh continually before me because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Psalm 16:8
You have taken hold of my right hand. Psalm 73:23.
For He stands at the right hand of the needy, to save him from those who judge his soul.Psalm 109:31.
The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade at your right hand. Psalm 121:5
This is a completely different idea than being seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Analysis of the Evidence
1. The Scriptural Terminology
In the Scriptures, when God is at your right hand it means that God is with you in plan and purpose. God is your strength. God's right hand metaphorically refers to His power. One's right hand refers to a person's power or strength. To have God at your own right hand means that you rely on His power to get you through whatever is before you.
2. The Context
The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind, "You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. The Lord is at Your right hand; He will shatter kings in the day of His wrath. He will judge among the nations, He will fill them with corpses, He will shatter the chief men over a broad country.
It should be clear to anyone that Yahweh is still the speaker in this passage. Yahweh, the LORD, is at the right hand of David's Lord, the Messiah. And because Yahweh is at his right hand, it is Yahweh who will shatter kings in the day of His wrath and judge the nations with destruction.
Conclusion
In verse 1, Yahweh calls the Messiah to SIT at His right hand. This is a reference to giving the Messiah the authority of Yahweh's throne, to be "seated at the right hand of God." Being seated at the right hand of God is one thing but to have God at your right hand in terms of might and strength is another thing. The Scriptures show us that having God at your right hand means God is your strength and He is with you in plan and purpose. In the same respect, God is at the right hand of the Messiah, David's Lord. On the day of Pentecost, Peter quotes Psalm 16 to show how God was at Jesus of Nazareth's right hand and did not abandon Jesus to the death but raised him to life. In this sense, God at your right hand means God is with you in terms of His might and power and we therefore can be confident about what is ahead of us.
For David says of [Jesus], "I saw the Lord always in my presence for He is at my right hand, so that I will not be shaken."
Acts 2:25
Notes
Acts 2:25 occurs in the context of Peter quoting Psalm 16:8-10 in reference to the death of Jesus. Here is the full Psalm:
Preserve me, O God, for I take refuge in You.
2 I said to the LORD, “You are my Lord;
I have no good besides You.”
3 As for the saints who are in the earth,
They are the majestic ones in whom is all my delight.
4 The sorrows of those who have bartered for another god will be multiplied;
I shall not pour out their drink offerings of blood,
Nor will I take their names upon my lips.
5 The LORD is the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
You support my lot.
6 The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me.
7 I will bless the Lord who has counseled me;
Indeed, my mind instructs me in the night.
8 I have set the LORD continually before me;
Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
9 Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will dwell securely.
10 For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol;
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.
11 You will make known to me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.
Psalm 16:1-11 (see Acts 2:22-31).
Related Links: Psalm 110:1
Last Revision/Update: December 22, 2017
