Acts 2:35 is Peter quoting Psalm 110:1 to show that the risen Jesus has been exalted to the place of honor and rule at God’s right hand. The verse says that this reign will continue until every opposing power is brought under his feet. Peter speaks it on the day of Pentecost, in Jerusalem, to a crowd of Jewish listeners who had just heard the Spirit’s arrival explained and who needed to understand who Jesus truly was.
Until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”’
Acts 2:35 (WEB)
What Acts 2:35 Means
The verse begins with the image of a king seated at the right hand of a ruler, a place of shared authority and honor in the ancient world. Peter is claiming that Jesus now occupies that position, which means he is not merely a dead prophet but a living Lord with real authority. The words “your enemies” refer to whatever opposes God’s purposes, and the “footstool” image pictures those enemies being fully placed under the king’s control.
What the verse does not do is give a timetable or describe how the subjugation will look in detail. It states the direction of history: Christ reigns now, and his rule will eventually overcome every rival. It is a statement of confidence about the outcome rather than a promise that all trouble will vanish before the end, so readers should resist turning it into a guarantee of a particular earthly result.
The Context of Acts 2:35
Acts was written by Luke, traditionally identified as the companion of Paul and the author of the third Gospel. He wrote for a readership that wanted a reliable account of how the message about Jesus spread from Jerusalem outward. In this chapter the audience is a crowd of Jews from many nations gathered for Pentecost, so Peter’s use of Psalm 110 would have carried weight with listeners who already revered David’s writings.
The verse sits inside Peter’s sermon. Just before it, Peter argues that Jesus was raised and exalted, and just after it he declares that God has made this crucified Jesus both Lord and Christ. Read in that setting, Acts 2:35 is not a freestanding prophecy but the scriptural foundation for the claim that the crowd’s own rejection of Jesus did not cancel his divine appointment.
Key Phrases in Acts 2:35
Psalm 110:1
The LORD says to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool for your feet.”
(WEB)
This is the original psalm that Peter quotes, and reading it in full shows where the imagery of the seated king and the footstool comes from. It helps you see that the early church understood Jesus’ exaltation as the fulfillment of an ancient promise to David’s descendant.
Ephesians 1:20-22
20 Which he worked in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and made him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come. 22 He put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things for the assembly…
(WEB)
Paul builds on the same picture of Christ seated at God’s right hand and places all things under his feet. Reading it alongside Acts 2:35 shows how the early church developed this theme into a broader vision of Christ’s supremacy over every rule and authority.
A Short Prayer From Acts 2:35
Lord Jesus, I thank you that you are seated in the place of honor and rule, and that nothing in this world stands outside your authority. When I feel pressured by people or circumstances, help me remember that you hold the final word. Steady my heart in the places where I feel unsure, and help me trust that your reign will prevail. Amen.
