22:44

Verse 22:44 is a quote from Psalm 110:1.

22:44a

The Lord said to my Lord: In this quotation, the first Lord refers to the Lord God. The second Lord refers to the Christ, the son/descendant of David.

Some English versions try to show the difference by:

• Capitalizing all letters in the first Lord. For example:

The Lord said to my Lord (New Living Translation (2004))

• Using a small letter “l” in the second Lord. For example:

The Lord said to my lord (NET Bible)

Here is another way to translate this phrase:

The Lord ⌊God⌋ said to my Lord

22:44b

Sit at my right hand: The Greek phrase that the English Standard Version translates as at your right hand means “on my right side.” It refers to the most important position next to the king.

Here are some another ways to translate this phrase:

Sit at my right side (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Sit in the place of honor at my right hand (NLT04)

This is the same concept as in 20:23b. However, here it is a command. Translate it in a similar way.

22:44c

until I put your enemies under your feet: There is a textual issue here:

Some Greek manuscripts have the phrase under your feet. For example:

until I put your enemies under your feet (New International Version)

(New International Version, English Standard Version, NET Bible, Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, God’s Word, New Living Translation (2004), New Century Version, Revised English Bible, New American Standard Bible)

Other Greek manuscripts have the phrase footstool of/for your feet. For example:

until I make your enemies into a footstool for you (Contemporary English Version)

(Contemporary English Version, New Jerusalem Bible, King James Version)

It is recommended that you follow option #1. The UBS Handbook Greek New Testament does not even list option #2.

until I put your enemies under your feet: This is figurative language. When an enemy was defeated but not killed, he was brought to the conqueror. The defeated enemy was then forced to bow down, and the victor placed his foot on the enemy’s neck. This showed that the enemy was now subject to the victor (see Joshua 10:24). Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

until I put your enemies under your control (New Century Version)

-or-

until I humble your enemies beneath your feet (New Living Translation (2004))

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