Psalms — Chapter 22

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1My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?

2O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.

3But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

4Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.

5They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.

6But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.

7All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head saying,

8He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.

9But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother’s breasts.

10I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother’s belly.

11Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.

12Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.

13They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.

14I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.

15My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.

16For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.

17I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.

18They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.

19But be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me.

20Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.

21Save me from the lion’s mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.

22I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.

23Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.

24For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.

25My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.

26The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.

27All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.

28For the kingdom is the LORD’S: and he is the governor among the nations.

29All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.

30A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.

31They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.

1My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? [Why art thou so] far from helping me, [and from] the words of my groaning?

2O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou answerest not; And in the night season, and am not silent.

3But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

4Our fathers trusted in thee: They trusted, and thou didst deliver them.

5They cried unto thee, and were delivered: They trusted in thee, and were not put to shame.

6But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised of the people.

7All they that see me laugh me to scorn: They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, [saying],

8Commit [thyself] unto Jehovah; Let him deliver him: Let him rescue him, seeing he delighteth in him.

9But thou art he that took me out of the womb; Thou didst make me trust [when I was] upon my mother`s breasts.

10I was cast upon thee from the womb; Thou art my God since my mother bare me.

11Be not far from me; for trouble is near; For there is none to help.

12Many bulls have compassed me; Strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.

13They gape upon me with their mouth, [As] a ravening and a roaring lion.

14I am poured out like water, And all my bones are out of joint: My heart is like wax; It is melted within me.

15My strength is dried up like a potsherd; And my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; And thou hast brought me into the dust of death.

16For dogs have compassed me: A company of evil-doers have inclosed me; They pierced my hands and my feet.

17I may count all my bones; They look and stare upon me.

18They part my garments among them, And upon my vesture do they cast lots.

19But be not thou far off, O Jehovah: O thou my succor, haste thee to help me.

20Deliver my soul from the sword, My darling from the power of the dog.

21Save me from the lion`s mouth; Yea, from the horns of the wild-oxen thou hast answered me.

22I will declare thy name unto my brethren: In the midst of the assembly will I praise thee.

23Ye that fear Jehovah, praise him; All ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; And stand in awe of him, all ye the seed of Israel.

24For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; Neither hath he hid his face from him; But when he cried unto him, he heard.

25Of thee cometh my praise in the great assembly: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.

26The meek shall eat and be satisfied; They shall praise Jehovah that seek after him: Let your heart live for ever.

27All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn unto Jehovah; And all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.

28For the kingdom is Jehovah`s; And he is the ruler over the nations.

29All the fat ones of the earth shall eat and worship: All they that go down to the dust shall bow before him, Even he that cannot keep his soul alive.

30A seed shall serve him; It shall be told of the Lord unto the [next] generation.

31They shall come and shall declare his righteousness Unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done it. Psalm 23 A Psalm of David.

1For the music director, according to the tune “Morning Doe”; a psalm of David. My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? I groan in prayer, but help seems far away.

2My God, I cry out during the day, but you do not answer, and during the night my prayers do not let up.

3You are holy; you sit as king receiving the praises of Israel.

4In you our ancestors trusted; they trusted in you and you rescued them.

5To you they cried out, and they were saved; in you they trusted and they were not disappointed.

6But I am a worm, not a man; people insult me and despise me.

7All who see me taunt me; they mock me and shake their heads.

8They say, “Commit yourself to the Lord! Let the Lord rescue him! Let the Lord deliver him, for he delights in him.”

9Yes, you are the one who brought me out from the womb and made me feel secure on my mother’s breasts.

10I have been dependent on you since birth; from the time I came out of my mother’s womb you have been my God.

11Do not remain far away from me, for trouble is near and I have no one to help me.

12Many bulls surround me; powerful bulls of Bashan hem me in.

13They open their mouths to devour me like a roaring lion that rips its prey.

14My strength drains away like water; all my bones are dislocated. My heart is like wax; it melts away inside me.

15The roof of my mouth is as dry as a piece of pottery; my tongue sticks to my gums. You set me in the dust of death.

16Yes, wild dogs surround me— a gang of evil men crowd around me; like a lion they pin my hands and feet.

17I can count all my bones; my enemies are gloating over me in triumph.

18They are dividing up my clothes among themselves; they are rolling dice for my garments.

19But you, O Lord, do not remain far away. You are my source of strength. Hurry and help me!

20Deliver me from the sword. Save my life from the claws of the wild dogs.

21Rescue me from the mouth of the lion and from the horns of the wild oxen. You have answered me.

22I will declare your name to my countrymen. In the middle of the assembly I will praise you.

23You loyal followers of the Lord, praise him. All you descendants of Jacob, honor him. All you descendants of Israel, stand in awe of him.

24For he did not despise or detest the suffering of the oppressed. He did not ignore him; when he cried out to him, he responded.

25You are the reason I offer praise in the great assembly; I will fulfill my promises before the Lord’s loyal followers.

26Let the oppressed eat and be filled. Let those who seek his help praise the Lord. May you live forever!

27Let all the people of the earth acknowledge the Lord and turn to him. Let all the nations worship you.

28For the Lord is king and rules over the nations.

29All the thriving people of the earth will join the celebration and worship; all those who are descending into the grave will bow before him, including those who cannot preserve their lives.

30A whole generation will serve him; they will tell the next generation about the Lord.

31They will come and tell about his saving deeds; they will tell a future generation what he has accomplished.

1My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning?

2My God, I cry in the daytime, but you don’t answer; in the night season, and am not silent.

3But you are holy, you who inhabit the praises of Israel.

4Our fathers trusted in you. They trusted, and you delivered them.

5They cried to you, and were delivered. They trusted in you, and were not disappointed.

6But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised by the people.

7All those who see me mock me. They insult me with their lips. They shake their heads, saying,

8“He trusts in Yahweh. Let him deliver him. Let him rescue him, since he delights in him.”

9But you brought me out of the womb. You made me trust while at my mother’s breasts.

10I was thrown on you from my mother’s womb. You are my God since my mother bore me.

11Don’t be far from me, for trouble is near. For there is no one to help.

12Many bulls have surrounded me. Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me.

13They open their mouths wide against me, lions tearing prey and roaring.

14I am poured out like water. All my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax; it is melted within me.

15My strength is dried up like a potsherd. My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You have brought me into the dust of death.

16For dogs have surrounded me. A company of evildoers have enclosed me. They have pierced my hands and feet.

17I can count all of my bones. They look and stare at me.

18They divide my garments among them. They cast lots for my clothing.

19But don’t be far off, Yahweh. You are my help: hurry to help me.

20Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog.

21Save me from the lion’s mouth! Yes, from the horns of the wild oxen, you have answered me.

22I will declare your name to my brothers. Among the assembly, I will praise you.

23You who fear Yahweh, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, glorify him! Stand in awe of him, all you descendants of Israel!

24For he has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, Neither has he hidden his face from him; but when he cried to him, he heard.

25Of you comes my praise in the great assembly. I will pay my vows before those who fear him.

26The humble shall eat and be satisfied. They shall praise Yahweh who seek after him. Let your hearts live forever.

27All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to Yahweh. All the relatives of the nations shall worship before you.

28For the kingdom is Yahweh’s. He is the ruler over the nations.

29All the rich ones of the earth shall eat and worship. All those who go down to the dust shall bow before him, even he who can’t keep his soul alive.

30Posterity shall serve him. Future generations shall be told about the Lord.

31They shall come and shall declare his righteousness to a people that shall be born, for he has done it.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
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Reflection

Summary

A Messianic lament — 'My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?' describes suffering in extraordinary detail (pierced hands and feet, casting lots for garments), yet turns to worldwide praise as all nations worship the LORD.

Authorship & Background

Author: Multiple authors — primarily David (73 psalms attributed), plus Asaph (12), Sons of Korah (11), Solomon (2), Moses (1), Heman (1), Ethan (1), and anonymous. The Psalter was compiled over approximately 1000 years and served as Israel's hymnal and prayer book. The book is divided into five 'books' (1-41, 42-72, 73-89, 90-106, 107-150), paralleling the five books of Moses. Key themes: worship, lament, praise, trust, kingship, creation, wisdom, Messianic prophecy, and the full range of human emotion brought before God.
Classification: Individual Lament / Messianic Psalm (supreme) Attributed Author: David — "To the chief Musician upon Aijeleth Shahar, A Psalm of David" ("Aijeleth Shahar" = "The Doe of the Dawn") Key Themes: Divine abandonment, extreme suffering, mockery, physical torment describing crucifixion, pierced hands and feet, garments divided, the pivot from lament to worldwide praise, universal kingdom
Historical Context: Psalm 22 is the supreme Messianic psalm — quoted by Jesus on the cross ("My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" — Matt 27:46) and fulfilled in detail by His crucifixion. Written approximately 1000 years before Christ and centuries before crucifixion was invented as an execution method, it describes: pierced hands and feet (v.16), bones out of joint (v.14), garments divided and lots cast (v.18), surrounded by mockers using the exact words of Matthew 27:43 (v.8), thirst (v.15), and visible bones (v.17). The psalm's structure moves from deepest desolation (vv.1-21) to highest praise (vv.22-31), paralleling Christ's journey from cross to resurrection. The final phrase "he hath done this" (v.31) parallels Jesus' "It is finished" (John 19:30).
Structure:
  • The Cry of Forsakenness (vv.1-2)
  • God's Past Faithfulness (vv.3-5)
  • The Sufferer's Degradation (vv.6-8)
  • Trust From Birth (vv.9-11)
  • Enemies Surround (vv.12-13)
  • Physical Suffering Described (vv.14-18)
  • Final Plea for Deliverance (vv.19-21)
  • The Pivot — Praise Declared (vv.22-26)
  • Universal Worship Proclaimed (vv.27-31)

Map & Geography

Reflection

  • 1. Jesus entered the depths of forsakenness for you (v.1). The sinless Son experienced what no human has — full divine abandonment — so that you never would. His "Why?" was answered on Easter morning. If you feel forsaken, know that Christ endured this so that you would never be truly abandoned.
  • 2. Past faithfulness anchors present suffering (vv.3-5). Even in agony, the sufferer recalls: "Our fathers trusted... thou didst deliver them." When you cannot feel God's presence, remember His track record. He has been faithful before; He will be again.
  • 3. Suffering does not negate God's holiness (v.3). "BUT thou art holy." In the middle of feeling forsaken, the sufferer acknowledges: God is still holy. Suffering does not mean God has failed or is unjust. Hold both truths: I feel abandoned AND God is holy.
  • 4. The psalm MOVES from suffering to worship (vv.21→22). The pivot is the key. Suffering is real — 21 verses of it. But it is not final. Praise erupts from the very one who suffered most. The cross leads to the empty tomb. Friday leads to Sunday.
  • 5. "He has done it" (v.31). The final word is accomplishment, not suffering. What God intended through the Messiah's agony is COMPLETE. Salvation is not in progress — it is done. Rest in the finished work.