“But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?”
The full verse · Hebrews 1:13 · KJV
of the said at any , right , I ?
Asked by
Author of Hebrews: the unnamed writer, showing from the Old Testament that the Son is "so much better than the angels" (Hebrews 1:4)
Asked to
Hebrews: the first hearers of Hebrews and every reader since, to whom God "hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son" (Hebrews 1:2)
The Scene
The writer is finishing a chain of Old Testament quotations about the Son (Hebrews 1:5-12) and now cites one more, from Psalm 110:1.
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionThis question closes the writer's argument that the Son is greater than the angels, and it echoes the question he opened with in Hebrews 1:5. He asks whether God ever invited an angel to sit at His right hand and promised to defeat its enemies. Gill answers: God "never said to any of them" such a thing, "Yet this he said to his Son." The question reminds the readers of what they had already heard: the Son "sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high" (Hebrews 1:3).
The Response
What Scripture recordsThe expected answer is again: to none of them. The writer immediately says what angels are instead: "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?" (Hebrews 1:14). The Son sits; the angels are sent. Later the writer returns to this psalm: Christ "sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool" (Hebrews 10:12-13).
Historical Context
The world behind the wordsThe quotation is from Psalm 110:1: "The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool." Barnes notes this is "a Psalm that is repeatedly quoted in this Epistle as referring to the Messiah" (see Hebrews 1:3; Hebrews 8:1; Hebrews 10:12-13). A footstool is what is placed under the feet when someone sits, and Barnes explains that the phrase "means that an enemy is entirely subdued." Jesus Himself asked the Pharisees about this same psalm (Matthew 22:43-45).
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyThe right hand is the place of honor and rule. By quoting Psalm 110, the writer shows that the Son shares God's throne, while the angels stand ready to serve. The question reveals God's own purpose: He is the one who says, "until I make thine enemies thy footstool." The victory is God's work for His Son.
Matthew Henry adds a note of grace: "The Saviour has done much to make all men his friends, yet he has enemies. But they shall be made his footstool, by humble submission, or by utter destruction." The Son reigns now and waits for the full victory His Father has promised (Hebrews 10:13). That is good news for His people and a call to every enemy to come in peace.
Look Closer
What is the difference between the Son and the angels in Hebrews 1:13-14?
Carry the question into prayer and conversation.
Father, You have seated Your Son at Your right hand and promised Him the victory; what fear in me needs to be set beside that promise?
A prayer to carry into the day.
- How does knowing that Jesus is already seated in honor change the way you face what still opposes Him?
- Tell about a time when remembering that God is in control steadied you while you waited.
For you, a small group, a friend, or the dinner table.
Jesus is not waiting to find out how things will end. He is seated at God's right hand, and God has promised to make His enemies His footstool. When evil seems strong, you can rest your hope on that promise.
This does not mean every struggle ends now. The Son is "expecting" the full victory (Hebrews 10:13), so believers wait too. Waiting with Him is not losing; it is trusting that God keeps His word. And since Henry notes that enemies may come "by humble submission," you can pray for those who oppose Christ, not only against them.
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Keep questioning
“For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?”
“Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?”
“How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation”
“What is man, that thou art mindful of him? Or the son of man, that thou visitest him?”