Jewish Interpretations of Psalm 110

There are particular Jewish writings where Psalm 110:1 is either understood to be David as the second lord, or Abraham. In the case of those arguing for it being David, this would mean that the Psalm was written about and/or to David. Or it may mean that David wrote this Psalm to be sung to him, so that it would be those hymning or reciting the Psalm who would be calling David “my Lord.” In either scenario I share some of these references for the benefit of the readers. All emphasis is mine.

Aramaic Targum

1. By David. A psalm. The LORD said THROUGH His Memra that he would give me the lordship, because I had sat for the instruction of the Law:¹ "Wait at my right hand, until^a I make your enemies a stool for your feet." Another Translation: The Lord said THROUGH his Memra he would make me lord over Israel. However, he said to me, "Return^b and^c wait for Saul, who is of the tribe of Benjamin, until he dies; for you are not associated with a kingdom that is near; and afterwards I will make your enemies a stool for your feet."^d2... 5. The Shekinah of the LORD is at your right hand; he strikes the kings on the day of his wrath. (The Targum of Psalms (The Aramaic Bible), translated by David M. Stec [Bloomsbury Academic, 2004], Volume 16, p. 202; emphasis mine)

^d B "The LORD said through his Memra that he would make me lord over all Israel. However, he said to me, 'return and wait for Saul, who is of the tribe of Benjamin, until he dies; for you are not associated with a kingdom that is near; and afterwards I will make your enemies a stool for your feet.’ Another Translation: The LORD said through his Memra that he would give me the kingship because I had sat for the instruction of the Law: ‘Wait at My right hand until I make your enemies a stool for your feet.’”; M p 110 (for the second targum) “The LORD said through the Memra that he would appoint me ruler over Israel. However, the LORD said to me, ‘Wait for Saul, who is of the tribe of Benjamin, until he is removed from the world; and afterwards you shall possess the kingdom, and I will make your enemies a stool for your feet.’” (Ibid., pp. 202-203; emphasis mine) 

The underlining Aramaic words are amar Yeyha be’Meimrei, and literally reads “the word/command/decree of YHWH by/through His word.” This is confirmed by another English rendering of the same Aramaic paraphrase of this Psalm:

Psalm 110

1. Composed by David, a psalm. The Lord said in his decree to make me lord of all Israel, but he said to me, “Wait still for Saul of the tribe of Benjamin to die, for one reign must not encroach on another;^[5] and afterwards I will make your enemies a prop for your feet.” Another Targum: The Lord spoke by his decree to give me the dominion in exchange for sitting in study of Torah. “Wait at my right hand until I make your enemies a prop for your feet.” Another Targum: The Lord said in his decree to appoint me ruler over Israel, but the Lord said to me, “Wait for Saul of the tribe of Benjamin to pass away from the world; and afterwards you will inherit the kingship, and I will make your enemies a prop for your feet.”...

5. The presence of the Lord is at your right hand; he struck down kings on the day of his anger.
6. He was appointed judge over the Gentiles; the earth is full of the bodies of the slain wicked; he smote the heads of kings on the earth, very many.
7. He will receive instruction from the mouth of the prophet on the way; because of this, he will lift up his head. (Targum Psalms: An English Translation, by Edward M. Cook, Book 5 – Psalms 106-150; emphasis mine) 

What makes this interpretation rather interesting is that it has the Word revealing YHWH’s utterances to David that God has appointed him to be king in place of Saul. The other interesting point is that it has the Shekinah, or God’s presence, at “your” right hand, which presumable means at David’s right hand.

Babylonian Talmud

שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וַיְבָרְכֵהוּ וַיֹּאמַר בָּרוּךְ אַבְרָם לְאֵל עֶלְיוֹן קֹנֵה שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ וּבָרוּךְ אֵל עֶלְיוֹן״. אָמַר לוֹ אַבְרָהָם: וְכִי מַקְדִּימִין בִּרְכַּת עֶבֶד לְבִרְכַּת קוֹנוֹ? מִיָּד נְתָנָהּ לְאַבְרָהָם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״נְאֻם ה׳ לַאדֹנִי שֵׁב לִימִינִי עַד אָשִׁית אֹיְבֶיךָ הֲדֹם לְרַגְלֶיךָ״, וּבָתְרֵיהּ כְּתִיב: ״נִשְׁבַּע ה׳ וְלֹא יִנָּחֵם אַתָּה כֹהֵן לְעוֹלָם עַל דִּבְרָתִי מַלְכִּי צֶדֶק״. עַל דִּיבּוּרוֹ שֶׁל מַלְכִּי צֶדֶק.  

As it is stated: “And he blessed him and said: Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Maker of heaven and earth, and blessed be God the Most High” (Genesis 14:19–20). Abraham said to him: And does one place the blessing of the servant before the blessing of his master? You should have blessed God first. Immediately the Holy One, Blessed be He, gave the priesthood to Abraham, as it is stated: “The Lord says to my lord: Sit at My right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool” (Psalms 110:1), and afterward it is written: “The Lord has sworn, and will not repent: you shall be a priest forever, because you are a king of righteousness [al divrati malki tzedek]” (Psalms 110:4), which is explained homiletically to mean: Due to the improper words [divrati] of Melchizedek, the offspring of Abraham shall be priests of God forever. (Nedarim 32b:7)

אָמַר רַב חָנָה בַּר לֵוַאי: אֲמַר שֵׁם רַבָּא לֶאֱלִיעֶזֶר, כִּי אֲתוֹ עֲלַיְיכוּ מַלְכֵי מִזְרָח וּמַעֲרָב, אַתּוּן הֵיכִי עֲבְידִיתוּ? אֲמַר לֵיהּ: אַיְיתִי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְאַבְרָהָם וְאוֹתְבֵיהּ מִיַּמִּינֵיהּ, וַהֲוָה שָׁדֵינַן עַפְרָא וְהָווּ חַרְבֵי, גִּילֵי וְהָווּ גִּירֵי, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״מִזְמוֹר לְדָוִד נְאֻם ה׳ לַאדֹנִי שֵׁב לִימִינִי עַד אָשִׁית אֹיְבֶיךָ הֲדֹם לְרַגְלֶיךָ״, וּכְתִיב: ״מִי הֵעִיר מִמִּזְרָח צֶדֶק יִקְרָאֵהוּ לְרַגְלוֹ יִתֵּן לְפָנָיו גּוֹיִם וּמְלָכִים יַרְדְּ יִתֵּן כֶּעָפָר חַרְבּוֹ כְּקַשׁ נִדָּף קַשְׁתּוֹ״.  

§ Rav Ḥana bar Leva’ei says that Shem the Great said to Eliezer, servant of Abraham: When the four great kings of the east and the west came upon you to wage war with Abraham, what did you do? Eliezer said to him: The Holy One, Blessed be He, brought Abraham and placed him to His right, and we would throw dust and it became swords, and we threw straw and it became arrows, as it is stated: “A Psalm of David. The Lord says to my master: Sit to My right, until I make your enemies your footstool” (Psalms 110:1), and it is written: “Who has raised up one from the east at whose steps victory attends? He gives nations before him, and makes him rule over kings; his sword makes them as the dust, his bow as driven straw” (Isaiah 41:2). (Sanhedrin 108b:21)

Further Reading

Revisiting the implications that Psalm 110 has on the divine identity of the Messiah Pt. 1