What is the significance of the right hand of God?

By CopticBot.ai (Coptic Space Inc.) · Last reviewed 2026-10-10

In Holy Scripture and the patristic tradition of the Church, the phrase "the right hand of God" carries deep theological, Christological, and spiritual significance.

Because God the Father is incorporeal, spirit, and uncircumscribed, He does not possess a physical body or material limbs. Physical right and left hands belong only to created, circumscribed beings. Therefore, references to God's "right hand" are symbolic and reveal divine realities rather than physical anatomy.

1. Divine Glory, Honor, and Consubstantiality

When Scripture and the Holy Creed confess that our Lord Jesus Christ ascended into the heavens and "sits at the right hand of His Father," it signifies:

• Equal Honor and Power: The "right hand of the Father" refers to the glory and honor of the Godhead. The Son of God has always possessed this glory as God, consubstantial (, homoousios—a Greek theological term) with the Father before all ages.
• The Glorification of Human Nature: Through the Incarnation, the Son took true human flesh. Following His victorious Resurrection and Ascension, He sits at the right hand of the Father corporeally—meaning His real, united human nature is glorified together with His divinity. His deified flesh is worshipped by all creation alongside the Father and the Holy Spirit.
• Fulfillment of Prophecy: This fulfills the Messianic prophecy in Psalm 110:1: "The Lord said to my Lord, 'Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool.'"

2. Divine Power, Victory, and Salvation

Throughout the Old Testament, the right hand denotes the active, omnipotent power of God in defending His people and overthrowing evil:

• Triumph over Enemies: "Your right hand, O Lord, has become glorious in power; Your right hand, O Lord, has dashed the enemy in pieces" (Exodus 15:6).
• Deliverance and Life: "The right hand of the Lord is exalted; the right hand of the Lord does valiantly. I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord" (Psalm 118:15–17).
• Sustenance and Protection: In Song of Songs 2:6, the bride declares, "His left hand is under my head, and His right hand embraces me." This portrays God's tender guardianship and mighty protection over the faithful soul and the Church against spiritual calamity.

3. Righteousness and Final Judgment

The right hand represents righteousness, truth, and the inheritance of the Kingdom of God:

• The Sheep and the Goats: At the Second Coming, Christ will place the sheep on His right hand and the goats on His left (Matthew 25:31–46). The right hand is the position of blessing, reserved for those who lived in true faith and produced the fruits of repentance and charity: "Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." The left hand represents rejection and condemnation for the wicked and unrepentant.
• Weapons of Righteousness: St. Paul speaks of the "armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left" (2 Corinthians 6:7). The Church Fathers interpret the weapons on the right hand as virtuous deeds done according to the truth of Christ and divine grace, which lead to eternal rewards.

4. Sacramental and Liturgical Manifestation

In the liturgical and sacramental life of the Church:

• Blessings and Sacraments: The clergy bless the faithful and administer the Holy Mysteries using their right hand, representing the outpouring of divine grace and favor.
• Laying on of Hands: During ordination (, cheirotonia—a Greek loanword), the bishop lays his hand upon the candidate. The bishop’s hand serves as an instrument representing the very hand of God, conferring the Holy Spirit to open the mind, grant divine wisdom, and commission the servant for sacred duties.