Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 110:6
He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill [the places] with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries.
6. He shall judge among the nations] The subject of the sentence must be Jehovah. Cp. Psa 7:8; Psa 9:8; Psa 76:9. The nations are the enemies of Psa 110:2. On them He will execute judgement, vindicating the cause of His king and people.
he shall fill (the battle-field) with corpses] This is on the whole the best rendering of an obscurely brief phrase. The tense is, as before, a prophetic perfect.
he shall shatter the heads over many countries ] i.e. their rulers. But the usage of the phrase in Psa 68:21, Hab 3:13, points rather to the rendering, he shall shatter the head (of his enemies) over (all) the wide earth. The earth is the battle-field whereon He deals deadly blows upon all His enemies. Delitzsch and others think that the last words may also be rendered the land of Rabbah, and may contain at least an allusive reference to David’s conquest of the Ammonite capital (2Sa 12:26 ff.).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
He shall judge among the heathen – Among the nations. That is, he shall set up a kingdom, or shall rule over the nations of the earth. He shall come to execute judgment and justice, and shall apportion to people what is due to them. See the notes at Isa 11:3-5.
He shall fill the places with the dead bodies – He shall make a great slaughter – indicative of conquest, and of the subjugation of the world to himself. It would be as if the bodies of the slain in battle strewed the ground, or filled the valleys of the earth.
He shall wound the heads – The same word is used here that occurs in the previous verse, and that is there rendered shall strike. It is the language of conquest, as if the world was to be subdued to himself by war.
Over many countries – Margin, great. Over vast and extensive regions, carrying his conquests into distant lands. This will be fulfilled only when all the earth shall be subject to the reign of the Messiah. 1Co 15:24-28.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 6. He shall judge among the heathen] David shall greatly extend his dominion, and rule over the Idumeans, Moabites, Philistines, c.
He shall fill-with the dead bodies] He shall fill pits – make heaps of slain there shall be an immense slaughter among his enemies.
He shall wound the heads] He shall so bring down the power of all the neighbouring kings, as to cause them to acknowledge him as their lord, and pay him tribute.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Shall judge; either,
1. Conquer and govern them; or rather,
2. Condemn and punish them, as it is explained in the following clauses, and as this word is used, Gen 15:14; Rom 2:1,2; 1Pe 4:6, and elsewhere.
The places; or, the place of battle, which is necessarily supposed in the fight, and therefore may very well be understood. Dead bodies of his enemies, slain by his hand, and lying in the field in great numbers and heaps, and that unburied, to their greater infamy.
Shall wound the heads, Heb. the head; which may be understood, either,
1. Of some one person and eminent adversary of Christ, and of his kingdom; either the devil, by comparing this with Gen 3:15; Heb 2:14, who was indeed the head or ruler of many countries, and indeed of all nations, except that of Israel; or the Roman empire, which was the great enemy and obstructer of Christs kingdom, and therefore was to be destroyed by him, as is declared, Dan 2:44,45; 7:7, &c.; or the great antichrist, or the beast after which the whole world wondered, Rev 13:3, which Christ will destroy, as we read, 2Th 2:8, and in divers places of St. Johns Revelation. Or,
2. Of all those heads or princes which opposed him; the singular number head being here put collectively for heads, as is very usual in the Hebrew tongue and text; and so the meaning is, that none of Christs enemies, though never so many or great, and their empire be never so large and potent, shall be able to withstand his force, or escape out of his hand; and that he shall not only destroy the common soldiers, but also their greatest commanders and princes, who in such cases do frequently make their escape. But this and the other like passages, both here and in the prophets, are not to be understood grossly and carnally, but spiritually, according to the nature of Christs kingdom, the weapons of Christs warfare, by which he accomplished his great works, being spiritual; and therefore such must be his battles and judgments, as is evident from many other scriptures, although these also are followed many times with temporal plagues.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
6. The person is again changed.The Messiah’s conquests are described, though His work and God’s arethe same. As after a battle, whose field is strewn with corpses, theconqueror ascends the seat of empire, so shall He “judge,”or “rule,” among many nations, and subdue
the heador (as usedcollectively for “many”) “the heads,” overmany lands.
woundliterally,”smite,” or “crush” (compare Ps110:5).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
He shall judge among the Heathen,…. Either rule among the Gentiles, making them through his Gospel obedient by word and deed, and so reigning in their hearts by his Spirit and grace; and, by making many converts among them, enlarge his dominion from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth: or inflict judgments on the Heathen; that is, the Papists, as they are called. These are the Gentiles to whom the outward court is given; the nations that will be angry when the time of his wrath, and to judge the dead, is come; and whom Christ will break in pieces with his iron rod; and are the Heathen that shall perish out of his land, when he is King over all the earth,
Re 11:2.
He shall fill the places with the dead bodies: the Targum adds,
“of the ungodly that are slain;”
namely, at the battle of Armageddon; when the fowls of the air shall be called to eat the flesh of kings, captains, and mighty men; of horses and their riders; of all men, bond and free, great and small,
Re 19:17.
He shall wound the heads over many countries; that is, kings over many countries; as the Targum explains it: it is to be read in the singular number, “he shall wound the heads over a large country” c; him who is the head over a large country; meaning either Satan, the god of this world, the wicked one, under whom the world lies; and who has deceived the inhabitants of the earth, and rules them at his pleasure; him Christ has wounded and bruised, even his head; destroyed him and all his power, policy, schemes, and works, agreeably to the first hint concerning him, Ge 3:15 or else antichrist, who is head over a large country, or many countries; the whore that sits on many waters, which are people, nations, and tongues, and reigns over the kings of the earth; who has seven heads and ten horns; one of whose heads has been wounded already, of which it has been curing again; but ere long this beast will receive such a wound from Christ, as that he will never recover of it; when he shall consume him with the breath of his mouth, and the brightness of his coming; see Re 17:2 2Th 2:8. Musculus renders it, “the head of the country of Rabbah”: and refers it to David’s conquest of the king of the Ammonites, whose head city was Rabbah, 1Ch 20:1.
c “caput super terram multam”, Pagninus, Montanus; “vel amplam”, Piscator, Coceius; so Gejerus & Michaelis.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(6) He shall judge.Comp. Psa. 9:8, &c.
He shall fill.The construction is peculiar, and in the Hebrew for heathen and corpses there is a play on words. A slight change in the vowel pointing gives a better construction than is obtained by understanding any word as the Authorised Version does, and critics generally: He judges among the heathen fulness of corpses. At first the poet meant to write, He judges among the heathen fulness of judgment (comp. Job. 36:17), but, for the sake of the play on the sound, changed his words to fulness of corpses.
He shall wound the heads.Literally, crushes a head over a vast land, where head means, as in Jdg. 7:16; Jdg. 7:20, a band or host of men. The picture is of a vast battle-field with heaps of slain. Others understand, the chief or master of a wide land. (Comp. Hab. 3:14, head of his villages.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
6. He shall judge See on Psa 110:5.
Fill the places with the dead bodies This may be considered as a simple carrying out of the figure, to give it symmetry and completeness, not to be applied literally. The gospel, indeed, makes no provision for civil war, or physical resistance, for its own propagation, but disclaims and forbids both. Yet, as physical resistance of the gospel, on the part of human governments, involves the natural rights of conscience and of human liberty, such oppression must originate wars, wherein, in a secondary sense, the issue will lie between the oppressors and the oppressed, but, in a higher sense, between the kingdom and government of Christ and the wicked persecutors of his cause. Such wars are a conflict between right and wrong, truth and error, Christ and the hostile powers of the earth; and they are the last appeal for justice on the part of the oppressed, against “those which destroy the earth.” In such cases Christ is the arbiter, who will cause wars to turn to the interests of humanity and the breaking down of obstacles to his kingdom. See Rev 11:17-18; Rev 19:11-21.
Heads over many countries Same as “kings,” Psa 110:5, where the word rendered strike through, is the same as wound here. The Hebrew for head is singular, and the clause might be rendered “The chief of the great, or wide, earth,” applying it to Satan. But such a rendering, though it formerly found favour, could not be sustained from the Old Testament standpoint. We should take it collectively for kings and heads of governments, or better, perhaps, with Bishop Alexander, for antichrist, “the head of a dark confederacy of evil, which shall not be shattered until the last dread struggle.”
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Psa 110:6. He shall judge among the heathen, &c. Capel in his Critica Sacra, p. 367 has out of St. Jerome’s Latin translation helped us to a better reading of this place, says Mr. Mann; He shall judge the nations; he shall fill the vallies; (corresponding perhaps with the sense of Isa 40:4. Every valley shall be exalted, &c.) and smite in sunder the heads over divers countries: “He shall crush the head of the great ones on the earth;” which, in the opinion of Bruccioli, the author of an old Italian translation, may be pointed at Antichrist. Mr. Fenwick reads the second clause very differently:
He will our ruins, laid in dust, repair; And the proud heads of many countries wound:
Hebr. He fills, or will fill the carcases; those ruins of our poor earthly tabernacle. Or, if there be any ellipsis supposed, and supplied by, “He will fill the places, or the world, or the field of battle, with carcases,” it may correspond with those prophesies which point at the gathering all nations to battle, before the universal reign of Christ takes place. And that this is the design and meaning, seems the more probable from the next line, which appears to point at the wicked one, the head of many lands, whom the Lord will destroy by the breath of his mouth, and the brightness of his coming.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Christ is the universal Judge. Probably the wounding the heads refers to the destruction of Satan, whose heart shall be bruised in every place, and in all countries throughout the earth. Jesus will himself do this; and he will do it also for his people; for, as the God of peace, he will bruise Satan under their feet shortly. Rom 16:20 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Psa 110:6 He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill [the places] with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries.
Ver. 6. He shall judge among the heathen ] Do execution upon his enemies, as Psa 110:1 , whether kings or commoners.
He shall fill the places
He shall wound the heads
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
heathen = nations. Compare Joe 3:9-17. Zec 14:1-4.
He shall fill, &c. = “Let Him judge among the peoples [a region] full of corpses.
heads = head (Rev 19:11-21): i.e. the Antichrist.
many countries = a great land.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
judge: 1Sa 2:10, Isa 2:4, Isa 11:3, Isa 42:1, Isa 42:4, Isa 51:5, Joe 3:12-16, Mic 4:3, Joh 5:22, Rev 19:11
fill: Isa 34:2-8, Isa 43:2-4, Isa 66:16, Isa 66:17, Eze 38:21, Eze 38:22, Eze 39:4, Eze 39:11-20, Rev 14:20
wound: Psa 68:21, Gen 3:15, Hab 3:13
many: or, great
Reciprocal: Jos 11:21 – Joshua destroyed 2Sa 22:39 – General 2Sa 22:44 – head 2Ch 20:24 – they were dead Psa 2:5 – sore Psa 2:9 – General Psa 45:4 – right Psa 47:8 – reigneth Psa 72:9 – his enemies Psa 109:20 – Let this Isa 2:14 – General Isa 13:13 – in the wrath Isa 40:10 – his arm Isa 42:13 – as a mighty Isa 61:2 – and Eze 21:10 – General Eze 29:5 – I will leave Eze 30:3 – the time Eze 32:4 – General Eze 38:17 – whom Dan 2:34 – which Oba 1:15 – the day Mic 5:8 – as a lion Zec 14:12 – the plague wherewith Zec 14:17 – that Mat 21:44 – but Luk 20:43 – General Joh 5:27 – hath Rev 6:15 – the kings Rev 6:16 – and from Rev 12:10 – the power Rev 19:18 – ye
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Psa 110:6. He shall judge among the heathen Shall demonstrate himself to all the heathen world to be their lawgiver and judge, and shall condemn and punish those that reject his salvation, and disobey his laws, rendering indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish unto all that refuse to obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, Rom 2:8-9. He shall fill the places with the dead bodies Of his enemies, or of those powers whom he shall strike through in the day of his wrath; and he shall wound the heads The principals, or rulers, over, or of, many countries That is, the Roman emperors themselves, who shall then rule over the greatest part of the world, or all those princes who oppose him. The reader will easily discern that the psalmist here describes the exercise of Christs regal power and supreme dominion; his conquest over sin and sinners, and over all the opposition of the powers of darkness, in metaphorical expressions, taken from earthly conquests; and that this, and the like passages, are not to be understood literally and grossly, but figuratively and spiritually, according to the nature of Christs kingdom.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
110:6 He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill [the places] with the dead bodies; he shall wound the {e} heads over many countries.
(e) No power will be able to resist him.