Psalms 22
Old Testament · King James Version
Psalm 22 moves from agonized abandonment, mockery, bodily collapse, and mortal danger to answered prayer, congregational praise, worldwide worship, and testimony for future generations. Its first horizon is Israelite lament, while the New Testament repeatedly receives specific lines in relation to Jesus’ passion and exaltation. Responsible Christian reading should preserve both horizons and disclose the important textual uncertainty in verse 16.
My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?
O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.
But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.
Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.
They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.
But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.
All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,
He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.
But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother’s breasts.
I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother’s belly.
Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.
Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.
They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.
I 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.
My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.
For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.
I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.
They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.
But be not thou far from me, O Lord: O my strength, haste thee to help me.
Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.
Save me from the lion’s mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.
I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.
Ye that fear the Lord, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.
For 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.
My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.
The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the Lord that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.
All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.
For the kingdom is the Lord’s: and he is the governor among the nations.
All 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.
A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.
They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.
Context
The superscription presents Psalm 22 as a Psalm of David and includes the difficult musical phrase Aijeleth Shahar / Doe of the Dawn, whose exact function is uncertain. No precise historical event is identified. Matthew 27, Mark 15, John 19, and Hebrews 2 receive Psalm 22:1, 8, 18, and 22 in connection with Jesus. Verse 16 requires textual caution because Hebrew witnesses and ancient versions support different readings concerning the phrase about hands and feet.
Themes & application
- Abandonment, remembered trust, and plea for nearness
- Encirclement, bodily collapse, and plea for rescue
- Answered prayer and congregational praise
- Worldwide worship and future generations
- New Testament passion reception
- Textual nuance in verse 16
- God’s care for the afflicted
- The LORD’s kingship over the nations
Read Psalm 22 as one movement from lament to praise. Let the sufferer’s cry remain audible, recognize the New Testament’s christological reception without erasing the original lament, disclose the verse 16 textual issue, and reject uses of the psalm that justify coercion, violence, stigma, or simplistic promises.
Key verses
The speaker cries “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” while still addressing God personally.
Application: The speaker cries “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” while still addressing God personally.
Commonly misread: Feeling abandoned is not proof of unbelief. Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34 place this line on Jesus’ lips, but the whole psalm must be read from lament to praise.
Mockers say that because he trusted the LORD, God should rescue him; faith itself becomes material for taunting.
Application: Mockers say that because he trusted the LORD, God should rescue him; faith itself becomes material for taunting.
Commonly misread: Matthew 27:43 echoes this mockery; do not test God by demanding spectacular rescue as proof of faith.
Dogs and a hostile assembly surround him; the clause about hands and feet has a major textual variant, including “pierced” and a reading associated with “like a lion.”
Application: Dogs and a hostile assembly surround him; the clause about hands and feet has a major textual variant, including “pierced” and a reading associated with “like a lion.”
Commonly misread: The Hebrew textual question is real: “pierced my hands and feet” is not the only textual reading. Christian crucifixion reception may be discussed, but the variant must be disclosed rather than hidden.
They divide his garments and cast lots for his clothing, reducing him even to dispossession.
Application: They divide his garments and cast lots for his clothing, reducing him even to dispossession.
Commonly misread: John 19:24 applies the garment-lot line to Jesus. Acknowledge that canonical reception without erasing the psalm’s own lament setting.
He promises to declare God’s name to his brothers and praise God in the congregation.
Application: He promises to declare God’s name to his brothers and praise God in the congregation.
Commonly misread: Hebrews 2:12 cites this verse christologically; present that reception alongside the psalm’s own congregational praise.
God has not despised the afflicted person’s suffering or hidden his face but has heard the cry.
Application: God has not despised the afflicted person’s suffering or hidden his face but has heard the cry.
Commonly misread: Read the verse within lament poetry; do not use it to silence suffering, justify violence or dehumanization, promise prosperity, or replace prudent medical, psychological, legal, pastoral, or emergency help.
The ends of the earth remember and turn to the LORD, and all families of the nations worship.
Application: The ends of the earth remember and turn to the LORD, and all families of the nations worship.
Commonly misread: Worldwide worship does not authorize forced conversion, religious conquest, nationalism, colonialism, or coercion.
Kingship belongs to the LORD, who rules over the nations.
Application: Kingship belongs to the LORD, who rules over the nations.
Commonly misread: Read the verse within lament poetry; do not use it to silence suffering, justify violence or dehumanization, promise prosperity, or replace prudent medical, psychological, legal, pastoral, or emergency help.
They will proclaim God’s righteousness to people yet unborn, declaring that he has done it.
Application: They will proclaim God’s righteousness to people yet unborn, declaring that he has done it.
Commonly misread: Read the verse within lament poetry; do not use it to silence suffering, justify violence or dehumanization, promise prosperity, or replace prudent medical, psychological, legal, pastoral, or emergency help.
Common misreadings of Psalms 22
Misreading: Feeling abandoned is not proof of unbelief. Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34 place this line on Jesus’ lips, but the whole psalm must be read from lament to praise.
In context: The speaker cries “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” while still addressing God personally.
Misreading: Read the verse within lament poetry; do not use it to silence suffering, justify violence or dehumanization, promise prosperity, or replace prudent medical, psychological, legal, pastoral, or emergency help.
In context: Calling himself a worm and not a man expresses public humiliation, not a doctrine of human worthlessness.
Misreading: The Hebrew textual question is real: “pierced my hands and feet” is not the only textual reading. Christian crucifixion reception may be discussed, but the variant must be disclosed rather than hidden.
In context: Dogs and a hostile assembly surround him; the clause about hands and feet has a major textual variant, including “pierced” and a reading associated with “like a lion.”
Misreading: John 19:24 applies the garment-lot line to Jesus. Acknowledge that canonical reception without erasing the psalm’s own lament setting.
In context: They divide his garments and cast lots for his clothing, reducing him even to dispossession.
Misreading: Worldwide worship does not authorize forced conversion, religious conquest, nationalism, colonialism, or coercion.
In context: The ends of the earth remember and turn to the LORD, and all families of the nations worship.
Cross-references
- Psalm 20:7 — Abandonment, remembered trust, and plea for nearness
- Psalm 21:13 — Answered prayer and congregational praise
- Psalm 18:49 — Worldwide praise and testimony among the nations
Frequently asked questions about Psalms 22
Psalm 22:1
Psalm 22:16
Psalm 22:18
Psalm 22:22–31
Sources & editorial notes
- Translation
- Commentary anchored to the site’s public-domain Psalm 22 text.
- Authorship
- The superscription presents Psalm 22 as a Psalm of David and includes the difficult musical phrase Aijeleth Shahar / Doe of the Dawn, whose exact function is uncertain. No precise historical event is identified. Matthew 27, Mark 15, John 19, and Hebrews 2 receive Psalm 22:1, 8, 18, and 22 in connection with Jesus. Verse 16 requires textual caution because Hebrew witnesses and ancient versions support different readings concerning the phrase about hands and feet.
- Editorial process
- Psalm 22 moves from agonized abandonment, mockery, bodily collapse, and mortal danger to answered prayer, congregational praise, worldwide worship, and testimony for future generations. Its first horizon is Israelite lament, while the New Testament repeatedly receives specific lines in relation to Jesus’ passion and exaltation. Responsible Christian reading should preserve both horizons and disclose the important textual uncertainty in verse 16.
References
- Commentary anchored to the site’s public-domain Psalm 22 text. — Biblical text
- The superscription presents Psalm 22 as a Psalm of David and includes the difficult musical phrase Aijeleth Shahar / Doe of the Dawn, whose exact function is uncertain. No precise historical event is identified. Matthew 27, Mark 15, John 19, and Hebrews 2 receive Psalm 22:1, 8, 18, and 22 in connection with Jesus. Verse 16 requires textual caution because Hebrew witnesses and ancient versions support different readings concerning the phrase about hands and feet. — Abandonment, remembered trust, and plea for nearness
- Canonical reception: Matthew 27; Mark 15; John 19; Hebrews 2. — New Testament passion reception
Author: The Lord Will Editorial Team · Reviewed by: Ugo Candido · Updated: 2026-08-10