St. Bernard of Clairvaux wrote the following in respect to the risen Christ:

“How beautiful you appear to the angels, Lord Jesus, in the form of God, eternal, begotten before the daystar amid the splendors of heaven, ‘the radiant light of God’s glory and the perfect copy of his nature,’ the unchanging and untarnished brightness of eternal life? How beautiful you are to me, my Lord, even in the very discarding of your beauty!” (On the Song of Songs, II, Sermon 45, trans. Killian Walsh, Cistercian Fathers Series 7 [Kalamazoo: Cistercian Publications, 1976], p. 239)

St. Bernard was echoing specific biblical depictions of our gloriously beautiful Lord Jesus, some of which include:

“Have this mind among yourselves, which was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” Philippians 2:5-7

2.6 in the form of God: The Greek shows that divine attributes, and therefore nature, are implied here. It is not the divine nature he set no store by, but equality of treatment and recognition of his divinity.

2.7 emptied himself of this external recognition, which was his right. Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)

Another inspired text clearly referenced in the aforementioned praise of Christ is this one:

A psalm of David. The Lord says to my Lord:^[b] “Sit at my right hand until I have made your enemies a footstool for you.” The Lord will stretch forth from Zion your scepter of power.^[c] The Lord says: “Rule in the midst of your enemies!^[d] Yours is royal dignity in the day of your birth; in holy splendor, before the daystar, like the dew, I have begotten you.”^[e]

a. Psalm 110:1 These few surprising verses (which comprise essentially two oracles) became the supreme Messianic psalm in both the Jewish and the Christian traditions. It was so much used and adapted down the centuries before becoming part of the Psalter that it is difficult to reconstruct completely the original text. In its oldest version it certainly goes back to the earliest times of the monarchy.

The psalm was subsequently revised, perhaps on various occasions; the song no longer refers to the kings who are passing away but to the Messiah who is to come at the end of the earthly time and restore everything in the name of God. He will be of royal birth (see 2 Sam 7:16) and will be charged with judging the nations and ruling over the entire world. He will not be counted among the princes of the nations, who have their power from human beings, for God himself will invest him as everlasting King and Priest, as is shown by the parallel with the mysterious Melchizedek, priest and king of Salem, whose earthly ancestry no one knows (see Gen 14:18; Heb 7:3).

Jesus, who claims to be the Christ, that is, the Messiah, and Son of God, fulfills the promise given in this psalm, as he hints to the Pharisees (see Mt 22:42-45; 26:64); the apostles are inspired by this passage to proclaim the glory of the risen Christ, Lord of the universe (see Mk 16:19; Acts 2:33-35; Rom 8:34; 1 Cor 15:25-28; Eph 1:20; Col 3:1; Heb 10:12f; 1 Pet 3:22). The author of the Letter to the Hebrews finds in this psalm the proof that Christ is superior to the priests of the Old Testament and that he alone is the Savior of humankind (Heb 7).

b. Psalm 110:1 The first oracle (vv. 1-3) establishes God’s anointed as his regent over all (see Ps 2:7-12). The Lord says to my Lord: a polite form of address from an inferior to a superior (see 1 Sam 25:25; 2 Sam 1:10). By the word “Lord,” the court singer is referring to the king. Jesus, in interpreting this psalm, takes the psalmist to be David, who was acknowledged by all to be referring to the Messiah. Hence, the Messiah must be David’s superior and not merely his son or descendant (see Mt 22:41-46 par). Right hand: the place of honor beside a king (see Ps 45:10; 1 Ki 2:19), in this case making the Messiah second to God himself (see Mt 26:64; Mk 14:62; 16:19; Lk 22:69; Acts 2:33; 5:31; 7:55f; Rom 8:34; Eph 1:20; Col 3:1; Heb 1:3; 8:1; 10:12; 12:2). Footstool for you: there are secular texts and illustrations as well as biblical texts depicting ancient kings placing their feet on those they had conquered (see Jos 10:24; Dan 7:14). The author of 2 Chronicles (2 Chr 9:18) indicates that a footstool was part of the king’s throne. Paul made use of this text to show that God has placed everything under Christ’s feet (Eph 1:22), including his enemies (1 Cor 15:25; Heb 10:12f).

c. Psalm 110:2 The Lord will expand the Messiah’s reign to the extent that no foe will remain to oppose his rule (see Pss 2:6; 45:7; 72:8).

d. Psalm 110:2 The Messiah is the Lord’s regent over his emerging kingdom.

e. Psalm 110:3 Yours is royal dignity . . . I have begotten you: this is the usual Catholic translation and comes from the revised Latin Vulgate, which is based on the ancient versions. The current Hebrew is obscure and seems to be corrupt. Before the daystar: when the sun had not yet been created, i.e., from all eternity. Like the dew: in a secret, mysterious manner. Hence, the Messiah and Son of God existed before the dawn of creation in eternity.

The Hebrew is translated as follows: “Your people will volunteer freely / on your day of battle. / In holy splendor, from the womb of the dawn / the dew of your youth is yours.” It refers to numerous royal troops at the Messiah’s command. The people come voluntarily on the day of battle, as in the days of Deborah (see Jdg 5:2, 9). They consecrate themselves, are fully prepared, and place themselves at his service. They will be as abundant as the dew at dawn. The image is close to those of Paul about “living sacrifices” (Rom 12:1) or a life poured out like a “libation” (Phil 2:17). It should be noted that, even not considering the linguistic difficulties that argue against this reading and the fact that the Septuagint of pre-Christian times already confirms the text of the Vulgate, the Hebrew reading does not fit the great theme of the psalm as well as the Latin translation does. Every connection with the central thought that speaks of the royal and priestly dignity of Melchizedek is missing.

f. Psalm 110:4 The prophet-psalmist pronounces a second divine oracle, guaranteed by an oath. The Lord makes his king his chief priest for life, according to the order and image of Melchizedek. There are three main points of resemblance between Melchizedek and Christ. Both are kings as well as priests, both offer bread and wine to God, and both have their priesthood directly from God (see Gen 14:18; Heb 7). For a prophetic vision of the glorious union of the Messiah-Priest, see Zec 6:13; for the New Testament application, see Heb 5:6-10; 7:22. Forever: perhaps alluded to in Jn 12:34. New Catholic Bible (NCB)

NCB is based on the Latin translation of the Holy Bible, first produced by St. Jerome, which is typically known as the Vulgate.

The following is another English rendering of the Latin Vulgate:

“With thee is the principality in the day of thy strength: in the brightness of the saints: from the womb before the day star I begot thee.” Psalm 109:3 Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition (DRA)

And here’s how Psalm 110:3 was translated in some of the other languages from very early on, specifically the Greek and Syriac:

“The Lord said to my lord (Eipen ho Kyrios to Kyrio mou), ‘Sit on my right until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.’ A rod of your power the Lord will send out from Sion. And exercise dominion in the midst of your enemies! With you is rule on a day of your power among the splendors of the holy ones. From the womb, before Morning-star, I brought you forth (egennesa se).” Psalm 109:1-3 (A New English Translation of the Septuagint, p. 603)

“Your people are glorious in the day of power; in the glories of holiness from the womb, from the first, I have begotten you, Son.” Psalm 110:3 Peshitta Holy Bible Translation (PHBT https://biblehub.com/hpbt/psalms/110.htm)

Here’s one final text which St. Bernard alluded to:

“And now in these last days, God has spoken to us again through his Son. He made the whole world through his Son. And he has chosen his Son to have all things. The Son shows the glory of God. He is a perfect copy of God’s nature, and he holds everything together by his powerful command. The Son made people clean from their sins. Then he sat down at the right side of God, the Great One in heaven.The Son became much greater than the angels, and God gave him a name that is much greater than any of their names.” Hebrews 1:2-4 Easy-To-Read Version (ERV)

And here’s another English translation of the particular verse, which St. Bernard clearly had in mind:

“He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,” Hebrews 1:3 English Standard Version (ESV)

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