Texts in Conversation
Psalm 110 appears to draw on imagery from Genesis 3:15, especially the theme of crushing in conflict between opposing figures. The psalm describes the defeat of enemies using similar language, including the verb for “crushing” and the term for “head.”
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Genesis 3:15
Hebrew Bible
14 The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all the cattle and all the living creatures of the field! On your belly you will crawl and dust you will eat all the days of your life. 15 And I will put hostility between you and the woman and between your offspring and her offspring; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.” 16 To the woman he said, “I will greatly increase your labor pains; with pain you will give birth to children. You will want to control your husband, but he will dominate you.”
Date: 5th Century B.C.E. (Final composition) (based on scholarly estimates)
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Psalm 110:6
Hebrew Bible
4 The Lord makes this promise on oath and will not revoke it: “You are an eternal priest after the pattern of Melchizedek.” 5 O Lord, at your right hand he strikes down kings in the day he unleashes his anger. 6 He executes judgment against the nations. He fills the valleys with corpses; he shatters their heads over the vast battlefield. 7 From the stream along the road he drinks; then he lifts up his head.
Date: 6th-3rd Centuries B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... Several images from Genesis 3:15 seem to be brought together in Psalm 110. The statement in 110:6 that is sometimes translated, “he will shatter chiefs” (compare the ESV, NASU, NIV, NKJV, RSV), could just as well be translated, “he will crush (māhas) the head (rō’š) on the broad land” (compare JPS, NAB, NJB, NLT, NRSV). This is a Davidic Psalm (110:1), and the use of the verb māhas (crush, shatter) and the term rō’š in a number of head-crushing contexts in the Old Testament (compare Numbers 24:8, 17; Judges 5:26; 2 Samuel 22:39; Job 26:12; Psalm 68:22, 24; Habakkuk 3:13) would seem to color the use of these terms in Psalm 110. The statement that the enemies will be made a footstool for the feet of the Davidic king (110:1) seems to draw on the connection between the damaged heel and head in Genesis 3:15. The reference to the scepter being sent forth (110:2) calls to mind texts such as Genesis 49:10, Numbers 24:17, and Psalm 2:9 (though a different term is used for “scepter” in those texts). And finally, the Lord will also do some shattering in 110:5 (māhas again) ..."
Hamilton, James
The Skull Crushing Seed of the Woman: Inner-Biblical Interpretation of Genesis 3:15
(pp. 30-54) Southwest Baptist Theological Seminary, 2010
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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