Today I read Psalm 110 from the King James Version and compared this prophetic psalm of King David with its counterpart, Psalm 109 from the Septuagint (LXX Brenton):
1 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
2 The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.
3 Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.
4 The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.
5 The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath.
6 He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries.
7 He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head.
Psalm 110:1 - 7 King James Version
1 A Psalm of David.
The Lord said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
2 The Lord shall send out a rod of power for thee out of Sion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.
3 With thee is dominion in the day of thy power, in the splendours of thy saints (or holiness): I have begotten thee from the womb before the morning.
4 The Lord sware, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever, after the order of Melchisedec.
5 The Lord at thy right hand has dashed in pieces kings in the day of his wrath.
6 He shall judge among the nations, he shall fill up the number of corpses, he shall crush the heads of many on the earth.
7 He shall drink of the brook in the way; therefore shall he lift up the head.
Psalm 109:1 - 7 LXX Brenton
While the two versions appear mostly similar in general, verse 3 in the LXX differs significantly from verse 3 in KJV, particularly in the second half of the verse.
The KJV renders v3b rather vaguely as,
"in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth."
In contrast, the LXX puts David's prophecy more clearly as
"in the splendours of thy saints (or holiness): I have begotten thee from the womb before the morning . . ."
Eight years ago in February 2014, I wrote my observations in two consecutive posts on this prophecy about the everlasting reign of the Seed of David, links below:
