Nearly 90% of the human population is right-handed. In scripture, the sacred writers ascribed right-handedness to God as well. God’s right hand is a symbol of strength and power. In a time without many sources of data, the writers must have been keen observers of this frequency in people around them.
God’s right hand is a source of comfort:
- 16:8 Because God is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
- 18:35 Your right hand has supported me, your help has made me great.
God’s right hand is a source of abundant gifts and graces:
- 16:11 In your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
- 80:15 Have regard for this vine [Israel], the stock that your right hand planted.
- Prov 3:16 Long life is in her [Wisdom’s] right hand.
To be seated at the right hand of one’s host is to be honored above others. The one who sits on the left is in the second highest position. (See Mark 10:35-45). Jesus says to the sons of Zebedee who are seeking this honor, “You don’t know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I drink?…Sitting at the right or left is for those for whom it has been prepared.”
In several psalms it is God who takes the place at the right hand of us mortals:
- 73:23 I am continually with you; you hold my right hand.
- 109:31 God stands at the right hand of the needy, to save them…
- 121:5 The Lord is your shade at your right hand.
So what about the 10%?
Commentaries assure us that no slur is intended in scripture for left-handed mortals. Those with left-hand dominance are not to be perceived as weak, or lesser beings. There is a curious line in Judges 20:16 about a large group of warriors:
Of all this force, there were seven hundred picked men who were left-handed; every one could sling a stone at a hair, and not miss.
A bit of hyperbole, but perhaps some overdue recognition for the left-handed.
From The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo