Psalm 110:1 begins, "The LORD says to my Lord: Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool." David thus speaks of a figure whom he calls "my Lord," creating an important question about the relationship between the promised Messiah and David himself.

Matthew 22:42-45 records Jesus using this very verse in discussion with the Pharisees. They correctly identify the Messiah as David's son, but Jesus asks how David, speaking by the Spirit, can also call the Messiah "Lord." Jesus does not deny Davidic descent; He shows that the Messiah's identity is greater than mere biological descent from David. Psalm 110 thereby becomes one of Jesus' own key texts for revealing the transcendent dignity of the Davidic Messiah.