What Does Luke 20:42 Mean?
And David himself says in the book of Psalms, The LORD says to my Lord, Sit at my right hand,
Key words are shown with the Hebrew or Greek and what each word meant.
Selah Decoded Version The Selah Decoded Version renders what the Hebrew and Greek words meant to the people who first heard them.
King James wording
King James Version
And David himself saith in the book of Psalms, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,THE KEY
Luke’s Greek uses κύριος (kýrios, lord) for both figures, while the Psalm distinguishes יְהוָה (YHWH, the LORD) from לַאדֹנִי (la’adoni, to my lord), placing the force in their relationship and the right-hand seat.
THE MEANING
The LORD speaks, and David calls the one seated at the LORD’s right hand “my Lord”; the verse presents authority through that relationship and place of honor. As you encounter it now, the repeated title holds a shared claim to lordship alongside a distinction between the speaker and the one addressed.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
It undoes the assumption that David is the highest authority in the saying: David himself names another “my Lord” and hears the LORD seat him at the right hand.
THE ROOT
κύριος
kýrios
GROWS FROM
κυρι-
The Greek stem κυρι- (kyri-) carries the sense of authority or lordship, associated with κῦρος (kýros), authority or standing.
Luke uses κύριος (kýrios, lord) for the speaker and κυρίῳ (kyríōi, to the lord) for the one David calls “my Lord.” The title is shared, while the sentence’s speaker, possessive, and seating place distinguish their roles.
ALSO GROWS
kýrios: Lord, master, one who holds authority.
κύριος
This is the title Luke repeats for both figures.
kyrieúō: To rule or exercise lordship.
κυριεύω
This verb makes explicit the ruling force carried by the title.
לַאדֹנִי
la’adoni
GROWS FROM
אדן
The Hebrew root א־ד־ן (ʾ-d-n) means lord or master: one who holds authority.
In Psalm 110:1, the Hebrew distinguishes יְהוָה (YHWH, the LORD) from לַאדֹנִי (la’adoni, to my lord). Luke’s Greek gives both forms of address the same title, so the relationship between speaker and addressed one carries the distinction.
ALSO GROWS
ʾādôn: Lord or master.
אָדוֹן
This is the Hebrew noun beneath the Psalm’s “my Lord.”
ʾădōnî: My lord.
אֲדֹנִי
This possessive form names the one David addresses in the Psalm.
דָּוִד
Dāwīd
GROWS FROM
דוד
The root דוד (d-w-d; dōd) carries the sense of beloved.
David’s name is linked with דּוֹד (dōd, beloved). The beloved speaker’s own words recognize authority beyond himself.
ALSO GROWS
dōd: Beloved; also a kinship term in some contexts.
דּוֹד
This is the word associated with the meaning carried in David’s name.
dōdî: My beloved.
דּוֹדִי
This form makes the root’s language of beloved relationship personal.
THE PATTERN
The right-hand seat makes authority visible as a place granted by the one who speaks.
A Psalm of David. The LORD says to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I set your enemies as a footstool for your feet.For David did not go up into the heavens, but he himself says, The LORD said to my Lord, Settle at my right hand. Until I set your enemies under your feet.But to which of the messengers has he ever said, Sit at my right hand until I set your enemies as a footstool for your feet?THE THREAD
A Psalm of David. The LORD says to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I set your enemies as a footstool for your feet.The Greek form of the Psalm uses κύριος (kýrios, Lord) for both figures, matching Luke’s repeated title. Its Hebrew distinguishes יְהוָה (YHWH, the LORD) from לַאדֹנִי (la’adoni, to my lord), revealing the two expressions beneath that shared Greek word.
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