Introduction
In this part of the psalm, we continue with the final four verses: the oath concerning priesthood and royalty, the crushing of kings, judgment among the nations, and drinking from the brook. We will examine the explanations of Rashi, Radak, Ibn Ezra, and the Malbim, adding insights from the Midrash and mussar that emerge from them. At the conclusion of the psalm, we will bring the sharp words of Radak against the Christian interpretations of this psalm.
"Hashem Swore and Will Not Relent" - An Oath to Avraham
נִשְׁבַּע יְהֹוָה וְלֹא יִנָּחֵם אַתָּה כֹהֵן לְעוֹלָם עַל דִּבְרָתִי מַלְכִּי צֶדֶק׃ - Hashem has sworn and will not relent: "You are a priest forever, according to My word, Malki-tzedek."
Rashi explains the verse in two ways. In the first explanation, the words refer to Avraham Avinu. Avraham was afraid that he would be punished for all the people he had killed in the War of the Kings, which is why the Holy One, blessed be He, immediately told him: "Fear not, Avram, I am your shield." You fear that because you killed so many people it might be held against you - do not fear, I will not regret the good I intended to bestow upon you on account of this, and you will not be held accountable for it.
"You are a priest forever" - from you the priesthood and royalty will emerge. "Al divrati" is like "al dibrot," meaning by My command and My word: the Holy One, blessed be He, tells him that He Himself spoke this matter; Hashem, who is righteous, is the One who spoke this.
And what is a "kohen"? The word kohen has two meanings: actual priesthood, and also leadership or high office. The well-known example cited by all the commentators is "and David's sons were kohanim" - yet David was from the tribe of Yehudah, so how could his sons be priests? Rather, as Rashi cites in the name of Chazal: kohanim means rulers, people of high station. Even in contemporary Hebrew, one says that a person "mechahen" (serves) in an office, meaning he holds a position of authority. Thus, "You are a kohen forever" also encompasses leadership: you will have royalty and you will have priesthood. And indeed, from Avraham came the tribe of Yehudah, and from Avraham also came the tribe of Levi, who are the kohanim.
The Second Explanation - The Promise of Royalty to David
In his second explanation, Rashi applies the words to David HaMelech: the Holy One, blessed be He, swore to him, "I will place upon your throne" - the monarchy will always remain with David's descendants. We have already seen the Malbim's explanation that royalty is guaranteed to David and his seed after him, but as for the sons - if they walk in this path, they will merit to receive the monarchy, and if not, the kingdom will be divided. And so it was: for the grandchildren there was no unconditional guarantee; the promise was to David and his son. Shlomo, even when he strayed from the path - however one explains it, his wives turned his heart - did not lose the monarchy. Yet already in the days of his son Rechavam, the kingdom was split: two tribes remained with him, and ten tribes went over to Yerovam.
In any event, to our point, Rashi says: "Hashem swore and will not relent" - your monarchy will be eternal, and the royalty will forever remain with the Davidic dynasty, and we await Mashiach ben David. And what kind of "kehunah" (distinction/priesthood) is this? A rank that surpasses the priesthood of Malki-tzedek. As we have already seen, Malki-tzedek king of Shalem was a priest to the Most High God, and ultimately he lost the priesthood, which passed to the lineage of Avraham Avinu. Here Rashi explains that the promise made to David was said regarding royalty - that he would have a kingship more powerful than the priesthood. Chazal state that royalty is greater than priesthood by thirty virtues, enumerating the prerogatives given to the king and what he receives from the nation. Thus, "You are a kohen forever, according to My word, Malki-tzedek" - greater than the priesthood of Malki-tzedek, who was a priest to the Most High God.
And should you ask: Malki-tzedek was also a king, not only a priest, so in what way are you greater than him? To this Rashi replies: Malki-tzedek ruled over gentiles, and that has little significance - it is not a prestigious kingship when compared to ruling over Israel. It is like a person saying: "I rule and govern over a billion ants, and a billion ants do my will." Thank you very much! But one who rules over the Jewish people - this is the nation of Hashem.
Radak: A King of Justice and Righteousness
Radak explains that "Hashem has sworn" means that the speech of the Holy One, blessed be He, is in itself His oath. He also explains "kohen" in the sense of a king and ruler. And why "forever"? Since the kingship of Shaul was not everlasting, He comes and tells David: you, by contrast, your kingdom will be eternal. And why was he chosen? This is the reason: "after the manner of Melchizedek" (al divrati Malki-tzedek) - because you are a king of righteousness, as it is stated, "And David executed justice and charity for all his people" (II Shmuel 8:15), ruling over his people with justice and righteousness.
And Chazal explain what "justice and charity" means: when David saw that a certain person did not have the means to pay, he would obligate him in judgment, for he truly was liable, and that is justice. Afterwards, he would also perform charity with him - ensuring that he was assisted with money from the royal treasury, from the palace, so that he would have the means to pay. There is no great wisdom in executing justice alone; rather, one must also perform charity.
Based on this, our Sages explain what King David said: "I have done justice and righteousness; do not leave me to my oppressors" (Tehillim 119:121). What is the connection? David says: I am very afraid that people will scheme against me. Someone might take a poor person to court without any legitimate claim, entirely deceitfully, and sue him for fifty thousand shekels. David would pity the defendant and say to him, "Sir, according to the law you are liable" - and then arrange for him to receive fifty thousand shekels. Then the poor man and the plaintiff would walk happily together to the bank, each with twenty-five thousand, having enriched themselves at my expense. Therefore: "Do not leave me to my oppressors" - Master of the Universe, do not let people exploit me because of my good heart.
The Malbim: "Al Divrati" - Over My Dvir
The Malbim explains: The Holy One, blessed be He, swore to give David the kingship and will not relent. For David stumbled with Batsheva, and his enemies thought: now the Holy One, blessed be He, has abandoned him; after such an act, He will surely forsake him. Regarding this it is said, "and will not relent" - Hashem does not regret it.
And what is the oath? "You are a priest forever, after the manner of Melchizedek [al divrati Malki-tzedek]." Here He defines David as "Malki-tzedek," after the first king of Jerusalem - Melchizedek king of Shalem, and we have already explained that Shalem is Jerusalem. All the early kings of Jerusalem were called Malki-tzedek, just as all the kings of Egypt were called Pharaoh throughout the dynastic era; it was a generic title for all their kings. And Melchizedek was a priest to the Most High God.
And regarding this He says to David: You shall be a priest forever. Here the Malbim offers an innovative explanation of "al divrati": Everyone else interprets it as related to speech (dibbur) - upon My word, I promise. But the Malbim explains it as "al dviri," referring to the Beit HaMikdash: you shall be a priest over My Dvir (the Holy of Holies), over the Temple. And as for mentioning the name "Malki-tzedek" here, it is to tell you that you are righteous in the eyes of Hashem, and Hashem has pardoned your sin. This does not mean that David was literally to be a kohen, for David was certainly not a priest, nor did the royal dynasty turn into a priesthood. Rather, the meaning is that he was granted dominion over the site of the Temple: David is the ruler in Jerusalem and over the entire land, and consequently, you also rule over My Dvir.
"Al Divrati Malki-tzedek" - Let All Your Speech Acknowledge That Hashem Is Just
The work Otzrot HaAggadah explains by way of homiletical hint: "You are a priest forever" - the kohanim were servants of Hashem, and if you wish to be a servant of Hashem forever, then "al divrati Malki-tzedek" - let all your speech affirm that Hashem is just (tzodek). Never bring complaints before the Holy One, blessed be He.
Rabbi Rafael of Bershad was once asked: "To what do you attribute your longevity?" He replied: "Because I never raised a single question against the Holy One, blessed be He, nor did I have any reservation regarding Hashem's conduct of the world." There are people who, if they have questions, are summoned up Above so it can be explained to them - so that a person does not remain with unresolved doubts and fall into heresy, they summon him up to provide him with explanations.
It is told of a rabbi who walked past a sports court and saw a group of men playing tennis. He said to them, "Will you come complete a minyan? We need a minyan." One of them playfully asked him, "Rabbi, tell me, I'm just curious, are there tennis courts up in Heaven?" The rabbi replied, "I will answer you tomorrow." The next day, the rabbi again asked them, "Will you come complete a minyan?" They said, "Wait, Rabbi, you haven't answered us: are there tennis courts up Above?" He told them, "Yes, you are right. I made an inquiry through a dream, and there are two answers. The first answer is that they told me there are indeed tennis courts. And the less pleasant answer is that tomorrow you are scheduled for a match." In any case, it is not advisable to challenge the Master of the Universe with questions, lest they summon you up. Whatever our Father does is entirely good. And this is the meaning: Do you want to be a priest forever, a servant of Hashem blessed with long life? "Al divrati Malki-tzedek" - let your speech always affirm that Hashem is just: "All His ways are justice; a God of faithfulness and without iniquity" (Devarim 32:4). Then, when you have no complaints, they will leave you here in this world and you will merit long life.
"Hashem Is at Your Right Hand" - Divine Presence in Battle
אֲדֹנָי עַל יְמִינְךָ מָחַץ בְּיוֹם אַפּוֹ מְלָכִים׃ - The Lord is at your right hand; He crushes kings on the day of His wrath.
Rashi explains this verse as also referring to Avraham: Hashem was at your right hand in battle, meaning He assisted you; "He crushes kings on the day of His wrath" refers to the four kings, on the day of His wrath, which is the day of His anger. According to his second explanation, where the verses refer to David, this is a promise: Hashem will always be at your right hand to save you, just as throughout history "He crushed kings on the day of His wrath" - Avraham, Yehoshua, and Barak defeated all the kings who rose up against them. Just as it was then, so will Hashem assist you in conquering the kings.
The Malbim explains that this describes the moment when the royal capital was conquered. As explained earlier, this refers to David at the time they besieged Rabbah of the Ammonites. They captured the city of waters, which was the royal city, and sent word to David: Come and complete the conquest yourself, so that the city will be named after you. David himself went forth from Jerusalem and took to the battlefield, no longer seated upon his throne at the right hand of Hashem. At first he was told, "Sit at My right hand," meaning David sat upon his royal throne with Hashem at his side, as it were, sitting at the right hand of the Holy One, Blessed be He. But when you go out to battle, Hashem accompanies you - "the Lord is at your right hand," to aid you in war. "He crushes kings on the day of His wrath" - He subdued the royal city before you and crushed the kings who were in it.
"He will judge among the nations, filled with corpses" - At the Seashore and Concerning Sancheirev
יָדִין בַּגּוֹיִם מָלֵא גְוִיּוֹת מָחַץ רֹאשׁ עַל אֶרֶץ רַבָּה׃ - He will judge among the nations, filled with corpses; He crushes the head over a vast land.
Rashi explains that geviyot means corpses. And where did the Holy One, Blessed be He, execute judgment leaving a place "filled with corpses"? This refers to Egypt at the seashore: "And Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore," and the seashore was strewn with Egyptian corpses. The Midrash relates that every Israelite was able to recognize the specific Egyptian who had enslaved him. "He will judge among the nations" - as it says, "And also that nation whom they shall serve will I judge," and at the Red Sea their corpses lay scattered.
"He crushes the head over a vast land" - Rashi cites the verse in Chavakuk: "You crushed the head from the house of the wicked." If "filled with corpses" refers to Egypt at the seashore, then the "head" is Pharaoh: You crushed the head of Pharaoh, who was the head and ruler over a vast land, a great empire - Egypt, the most prominent of lands. And as it is written, "The ruler of nations released him" - Pharaoh is called a ruler of nations who released Yosef and freed him from prison, demonstrating that he is defined as a monarch of vast dominion, the head of a vast land, and the Holy One, Blessed be He, crushed him as well.
And if we interpret these words as referring to David, Rashi explains that this is a promise for the future: The Holy One, Blessed be He, tells David that He will yet execute judgment for your descendant - Chizkiyahu - against Sancheirev, who will march out to wage war against him. And what happened in the morning? They arose and saw all of Sancheirev's men lying as dead corpses, one hundred and eighty-five thousand army commanders, all dead corpses. Historians are familiar with this account, though they suggest that a mysterious plague struck Sancheirev's army. We know the true nature of that "plague" and how it came about. "He crushes the head over a vast land" - He crushed Sancheirev, who was the head of Nineveh and Assyria, which was a vast land, an immense empire.
Accordingly, the following verse, "He will drink from the stream along the way," also refers to him: for he boasted that he drank the waters of the Jordan, crossed it and dried it up, saying, "I have dug and drunk water, and with the soles of my feet have I dried up all the rivers," priding himself on drying up rivers with his might and his vast forces. Yet see how the Holy One, Blessed be He, judges among the nations, filling them with corpses, and crushes his head over a vast land - Nineveh and Assyria.
The Malbim: "Malei" as an Expression of Severing
The Malbim explains according to his approach that the psalm refers to Rabbah of the Ammonites: "He will judge among the nations" - He will execute judgment upon the nations of Ammon by putting them under iron harrows, as we find that David put them under iron harrows, meaning he punished them severely. "He crushes the head over a vast land" - the royal city is called "head," as it is the capital of the kingdom, and the king is likewise called "head," as he is the leader of the people. Once He crushed the head of the vast land - the royal city and the king - the head was severed, leaving only headless corpses: the people are, as it were, the body, and the king is the head.
Based on this, the Malbim explains that malei here is an expression of severing or cutting off. A familiar example comes from the recitation of Hallel: ki amilam - "for I will cut them off." Similarly, a mohel performs milah, meaning he cuts. And why is an ant called a nemalah? Because it cuts (malah): it gathers grains of wheat, and the moment it places them in its burrow, it immediately cuts each grain in two. Why? So that the wheat will not take root and sprout into an entire field underground. At the precise point from which growth begins, it severs it, performing milah, so that the grain will sprout no longer, enabling the ant to store and preserve quantities of wheat. Thus, malei geviyot means severing the corpses, cutting off their head: once he removed the king, the rest of the nation without their ruler were like headless corpses. Another explanation takes the words in their literal sense: malei geviyot - the city was filled with corpses, for after cutting off the king, he struck down the people of the city, and it became filled with corpses.
Rav Hirsch: A Nation Whose Wealth Is Built on Corpses
Rav Hirsch applies this concept to Germany. "He will judge among the nations, full of corpses" - this is the hallmark of a nation that Hashem will bring to trial, a nation whose abundance derived from the slain. On what did Germany build its fortune, its billions? On art treasures, on gold, and on the immense quantities they looted, plundered, and seized from all the lands they conquered. The Holy One, blessed be He, will judge among the nations, bringing to justice that nation whose wealth came from the slaughtered, whose riches were built on corpses. But first - "He crushed the head": the first to commit suicide was Hitler, may his name and memory be blotted out. Hashem crushed his head, the one who ruled over a vast, wealthy, and mighty land, and from that point onward, the downfall of the rest of Germany was already sealed.
Midrash Shocher Tov: The Royal Mantle of the Holy One, Blessed Be He
In Midrash Tehillim (Midrash Shocher Tov), Rabbi Abbahu says in the name of Rabbi Elazar: For every single tzaddik whom the nations of the world kill, the Holy One, blessed be He, inscribes his name on His porphyra - His mantle, His royal robe. The Holy One, blessed be He, inscribes the name of that righteous person whom the gentile murdered, as it is stated, "He will judge among the nations, full of corpses." When the Holy One, blessed be He, sits in judgment over the nations, He wears that mantle upon which are inscribed all the names of those who gave their lives for the sanctification of Hashem's Name, and He says to the nations of the world: Why did you kill My righteous ones, such as Rabbi Chanina ben Teradyon, Rabbi Akiva, and their companions? They deny it and say: We did not kill them. Immediately, the Holy One, blessed be He, brings out His porphyra, that robe upon which all of them are inscribed, judges them, and delivers an apophasis - a final decree. Thus, "He has not forgotten the cry of the humble." Hashem does not forget the cry of the humble, and the blood of those who were slain is, as it were, absorbed into the mantle of the Holy One, blessed be He; it remains constantly before His eyes, and He remembers them always.
The Maharit: Among the Nations, Full of Corpses; Among Israel, a Single Head
The Maharit offers a truly wonderful explanation, one that resonates deeply with reality even in our own times. "He will judge among the nations, full of corpses" - when the Holy One, blessed be He, judges the nations, there are thousands of casualties. A single tsunami - three hundred thousand dead. A single terror attack in Lebanon - three hundred dead. The Twin Towers - three thousand dead. When judgment strikes the nations, thousands die in a single instant. Whereas with the Jewish people - may affliction not rise up a second time - anyone who examines all the tragedies and attacks that have occurred will see that there has never been a situation where tens of thousands perished at once. With us, "He crushed the head" - the Holy One, blessed be He, takes one individual, a single tzaddik, and this protects "over a vast land." One tzaddik is taken, providing protection and salvation for an entire land.
And what is the reason for this? Because the gentiles are divided from one another, and the death of one gentile cannot atone for or benefit another - what connection is there between them? You do not even know your neighbor or who he is. But the people of Israel are like a single body, like one person; consequently, when one suffers, everyone feels the pain, and therefore one can be taken to serve as an atonement for all. Thus, when Hashem executes judgment among the nations, it is "full of corpses," because the nations are many and disparate. But with the Jewish people, "He crushed the head over a land" - we are considered like a single land, a single unified entity, and the Holy One, blessed be He, strikes a single head, and that suffices. This is what Chazal taught regarding the verse, "My Beloved has gone down to His garden, to browse in the gardens and to gather lilies" - Hashem plucks the lilies, who are the righteous, and they bring atonement for the generation.
The Author of Ish Emunim: Why Specifically the Head?
Based on this, the author of Ish Emunim explains the continuation of the psalm: "He will drink from the stream along the way; therefore He will raise the head." For if the passing of the righteous atones because we are all considered a single body, the question arises: Why specifically the head? Why specifically the tzaddik? If we are all one body, a finger could just as well be taken, since pain anywhere in the body affects the entire organism. Why take the head as an atonement rather than the leg or the hand?
However, Chazal in Sotah 45b cite a dispute between Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Akiva: in the case of the eglah arufah (the decapitated calf), the elders must measure the distance to determine which city must bring the calf. What is the halachah if the head of the slain corpse is found in one place and the body in another - from where do we measure? Rabbi Eliezer says: We bring the head to the body, for the body is primary, and we measure from there to see which city is nearest. Rabbi Akiva says the opposite: We bring the body to the head, because the head is primary. And the halachah follows Rabbi Akiva, that we bring the body to the head and then measure which city is nearest to the corpse. And the righteous are called the heads of the nation, the leaders of the congregation.
This is what the verse means: "He crushed the head over a vast land." And if you ask why specifically the head - "He will drink from the stream along the way": learn this from the eglah arufah, which is brought down to a stream (nachal), where the halachah follows Rabbi Akiva that the body follows the head. "Therefore He will raise the head" - that is why the Holy One, blessed be He, takes specifically the head. From the stream you learn that the body is subordinate to the head and the head is primary; therefore, He raises the head, taking it away - meaning, He takes the tzaddik - and through this brings atonement to the entire nation.
"He Will Drink from the Stream Along the Way" - The Simple Meaning of the Verse
מִנַּחַל בַּדֶּרֶךְ יִשְׁתֶּה עַל כֵּן יָרִים רֹאשׁ׃ - He will drink from the brook along the way; therefore he will hold his head high.
Rashi explains that the verse refers back to Pharaoh: from the Nile, along its course, his land would drink, having no need for rainwater. "Therefore he will hold his head high" - this was the very reason he held his head high and grew arrogant, to the point that he proclaimed, "My river is my own, and I have made it for myself," making himself into a god. Because he drinks from the brook along the way, therefore he holds his head high - boasting and glorying in his own greatness.
Ibn Ezra applies these words to King David: the enemies were terrified of David, for when David and his army marched along the roads, they would drink from the enemies' streams and no one had the power to stop them. "Therefore he will hold his head high" - this was the reason he could hold his head high, since they could not hinder him. Some say that because of the vast size of David's army, he always had to travel by way of a riverbed, since springs could not provide enough water for them; therefore, "He will drink from the brook along the way" - whenever he went out to battle, he would march through places that had streams, so that there would be sufficient water for his forces. Ibn Ezra offers yet another explanation: that they would bring him water on the road fearlessly, as was said regarding David, "Who will give me a drink of water from the well of Beit Lechem?" where there was danger in reaching it and fetching water, yet he drank without fear, and this too demonstrated his valor. And do not be puzzled by the verbs yishteh ("he will drink") and yarim ("he will raise"), which appear to be in the future tense - Ibn Ezra notes that these verbs actually denote the present tense.
Radak explains: he felled so many corpses that a river of blood flowed. In that case, the stream here is not a brook of drinking water, but a river formed from blood. But what is the meaning of "he will drink," given that one does not drink blood? Radak explains that this is metaphorical, just like the verse, "and drinks the blood of the slain." Just as someone might say of an adversary that he "eats him alive" - does he actually consume him? Rather, it means he finishes him off completely. So too here: he would destroy the enemies and drink them like the waters of a brook, meaning their blood was poured out like running water. "Therefore he will hold his head high" - having prevailed in all the wars against his enemies, he lifted his head above all of them, as it is written, "And David made a name for himself when he returned from striking Aram in the Valley of Salt." "Therefore he will hold his head high" - David's head was exalted as king, and his greatness towered over all the nations.
The Malbim: The City of Waters Is the "Head"
The Malbim explains that this clarifies who the "head" is: it refers to the "City of Waters," the major metropolis that served as the capital of Rabbah. In Rabbah of the Ammonites, the central citadel was the City of Waters, and this head "drinks from the brook along the way," as it had a river that irrigated the city. "Therefore he will hold his head high" - for this reason this part was considered the capital of the kingdom; because this city possessed a flowing brook, it was regarded as the primary and foremost city.
We have discussed previously that ancient settlement was centered primarily around water sources. For that reason, cities located near water sources that were destroyed were continually rebuilt: living beside water sources was the easiest and most sustainable way to exist, providing water for bathing, laundering, drinking, and irrigation. In those days, everything depended on the direct availability of water, unlike today when pipelines allow water from the north to irrigate the south; back then, people had to settle right by water sources. Therefore, that city "held its head high" and was deemed prominent, because it drank from the brook along the way. And when David crushed this "head" - the city that drinks from the brook - only corpses remained: "He will judge among the nations, filled with corpses." Only the corpses of the nations remained, after King David shattered the head of Rabbah, its most prominent and central city, thereby elevating his stature and enabling him to conquer the entire land.
Radak Against Christian Interpretations of the Psalm
At the conclusion of his commentary, Radak writes: "And the Christians interpret this psalm regarding Jesus." As noted more than once, when the Malbim touches upon this topic, he speaks in hints and concealed ways, because he lived in Europe and had bitter opponents who scrutinized his every word to stir up trouble between him and the authorities, persecuting him relentlessly. Radak, by contrast, lived in the lands of the East, so he had no difficulty speaking with complete freedom.
Radak explains: The Christians claim that the opening verse describes the "Father" and the "Son," because they do not read "ladoni" (to my master) with a chirik under the nun, but rather "ladonai" (to the Lord), with a kamatz under the nun. And they argue: How could Hashem say to Hashem Himself, "The word of Hashem to Hashem"? Inevitably, they claim, there must be two here - the Father and the Son; one is the Father addressing the second who is the Son, and the spirit is the third, the "holy spirit," their defiled trinity. They make yet another error in the psalm: instead of "amcha nedavot" ("your people offer freewill gifts"), they read a different text entirely, claiming that "behadrei kodesh meirechem mishchar" ("in the splendors of holiness from the womb of the dawn") speaks of a holy one born of a womb.
And how do we dispel this corruption? Radak says: Point out their reading error to them, for their translator, Jerome, erred. The text is not vocalized with a kamatz, but with a chirik - "ladoni" ("to my master") - and it is spoken regarding David. How can they uphold the error of one man against the many? In all the scrolls and in all the manuscripts it is written with a chirik, yet you distort the text based on one flawed copyist! Likewise, in all texts it reads with a chirik and not a kamatz, and similarly "amcha nedavot" appears in all authentic scrolls according to our text, not theirs. Moreover, they themselves claim that our Torah serves as a witness for them - that the "Old Testament" forms the foundation and bedrock for their own beliefs. They continually argue that our Torah is the testimony of Divine revelation, only claiming that at some stage the Holy One, Blessed be He, substituted them for us, as though He grew tired of us and chose them instead. If so, if our Torah is indeed a witness for you, then believe the witness: behold, you see that the witness itself writes the word with a chirik, and writes "amcha" according to our textual tradition.
On the Flaw in the Belief Itself
And regarding the error of their faith, you can say to them: If the father and the son are both deities, neither should need the other. This argument was already presented by Rabbeinu Bachya in Shaar HaYichud of Chovot HaLevavot - we have learned Chovot HaLevavot, though we skipped Shaar HaYichud as is customary - and one of the arguments there is that a plurality of deities is impossible. For if there is an omnipotent God, He has no need for another. Why would He need a partner? Would He create competitors for Himself? 'For He cannot be called God if He requires another' - a god that requires assistance is not God, since 'Elohim' means the All-Powerful, Master of all abilities and all forces. And how could the father say to the son, 'Sit at My right hand until I make your enemies your footstool'? For that implies the father needs the son at his right hand to help him, and if so, there is weakness in him, and God is neither weak nor lacking in ability.
Furthermore: How could He say to him, 'You are a priest forever'? Is the son a temporary deity, a newly created god? Had he not been a priest and a ruler until now? And if they wish to argue that the intention is that from now on he would have the status of a priest in a different sense, that they would not offer flesh and blood - for Christianity came and spoke of bread and wine, having the holy bread and wine rather than animal sacrifices, just as it was with Malkitzedek king of Shalem who brought out bread and wine and was a priest of God the Most High - ask them: To whom did He say 'You are a priest'? If to the son, as implied by the beginning of the psalm, a priest is one who stands and offers sacrifices, whereas God does not offer sacrifices; rather, sacrifices are brought before Him. What kind of god is he who himself offers sacrifices? And if He says this to some human being in the world and not to the son - to whom was it said? After all, they have no family priesthood, anyone who comes to dedicate himself is appointed, and anyone among them can become a bishop or an archbishop. If so, of whom was it said, 'Hashem has sworn and will not relent: You are a priest forever'? They do not possess a priestly dynasty as we do, by contrast, where anyone from the priestly tribe serves in the House of Hashem; with them, anyone can serve in the church or anywhere else.
Furthermore, he asks: What occurred to cause the Holy One, blessed be He, to change His will? You say that now the offerings are bread and wine, but until now it was stated: 'My offering, My bread for My fire offerings, a pleasing fragrance to Me, you shall observe to sacrifice to Me in its appointed time,' and 'The one lamb you shall offer in the morning.' Will you say that Hashem relented and regretted, and from now on does not desire meat sacrifices, but only bread and wine? Yet it is explicitly written here, 'and will not relent,' and God does not relent. Of whom can it be said that he relented and had regrets? Of flesh and blood, who thought one way, then regretted it, and now thinks differently. But with the Holy One, blessed be He - 'For I, Hashem, do not change.' There is no change in Him, and for One in Whom there is no change, there is neither regret nor a change of mind, for He knows everything in advance.
Furthermore: The Torah was not given for a limited time. Malachi, the seal of the prophets, said, 'Remember the Torah of Moshe My servant, which I commanded him at Chorev with statutes and ordinances.' Was the matter of animal sacrifices commanded only temporarily and not for the future? Yet immediately afterward it is written, 'Behold, I will send you Eliyah the prophet,' and Eliyahu has not yet arrived, and will not come until the days of the Mashiach. If so, how can you contradict things written explicitly in the Prophets? The prophet says to remember the Torah of Moshe and fulfill it just as Moshe commanded, not as that man commanded, for that man distorted the Torah completely - what remained of the Torah of Moshe for him? And you yourselves accept the words of the Prophets and do not contradict them; if so, how is it possible that that man produced a new testament? From this you can see that the Torah will never change, but just as it was given to Moshe Rabbeinu, so shall it be forever.
Furthermore, he asks from the very text of the psalm: 'He crushes kings on the day of His wrath' - about whom is this said? According to your approach, about the son. But what war did he wage? What kings did he crush? He fought no war and defeated no king. And how can you explain 'He will judge among the nations, filled with corpses'? According to their conception, he came only to judge souls and redeem them; he did not judge any nations, nor did he fill places with corpses. 'Corpses' means dead bodies - whom did he kill? And what corpses? And 'therefore he will raise his head' - to this day he has not raised his head; perhaps they severed his head, but where did you see that he raised his head, and in what way was his head elevated? After all, he died an unnatural death. And Radak concludes with the prayerful hope that the blind will open their eyes and say: 'Surely our fathers inherited falsehood, vanity in which there is no profit.'
In summary:
In these verses, the Holy One, blessed be He, swore to the eternity of the promise - to Avraham, that he would not be punished and that from him would emerge the priesthood and the kingship; and to David, that his kingship is eternal, and that even after his fall Hashem will not relent of anything. 'Kohen' also denotes rulership, and kingship is greater than priesthood by thirty levels; and according to the Malbim, 'al divrati' refers to the Devir, the Temple over which David rules. Hashem is at David's right hand in battle, just as He crushed kings throughout all generations: Pharaoh at the Sea, Sancheirev in the days of Chizkiyahu, and the leader of Rabbah of the Ammonites in the days of David. And we have learned a profound moral lesson: never to raise questions challenging the Holy One, blessed be He, but rather that all our words should reflect 'Malki-tzedek' - that Hashem is just; that the Holy One, blessed be He, remembers the blood of the righteous, inscribes it upon His royal purple cloak, and judges the nations for it; and that the Jewish people, being a single unified body, is visited through a single head who atones for the collective, whereas among the divided nations the judgment is 'filled with corpses.' Finally, Radak showed us how all the verses of the psalm themselves refute the Christian interpretations, and from this you can see that the Torah will never change, but just as it was given to Moshe Rabbeinu, so shall it remain forever.