PSALM 22

Psalm 22:1 

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

My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me:  In Matthew 27:46 the Lord Jesus Christ took these words and used them to express the terrible isolation he experienced when he was “made sin for us” (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1Peter 2:22-24; Hebrews 9:28).  Forsaken azab is to be abandoned to be utterly alone, and ‘God in the flesh’ (Romans 8:3; Galatians 4:4; 1Timothy 3:16; 1John 4:2) was abandoned by my God (the Father) and my God (the Spirit) when he became sin, or the sin bearer.  This is the essence of the Cross where sin was judged and condemned in the body of Jesus of Nazareth.  God can have nothing to do with sin and he (the Father and the Spirit) turned their backs as it were, on the ‘Lamb of God’ and in doing so rejected sin. 

A point to be noted is our Lords deliberate use of these particular words; he knew the scriptures and quoted from the Psalms many times during his ministry; with these words he reveals the very depths of his suffering in that he was bearing the sins of the world and was in reality being condemned and judged for them.  It was at this time that he fulfilled the prophecy so clearly revealed in the death of the Passover lamb (John 1:29, John 1:36 c.f. Genesis 22:8; Exodus 12:3-13; 1Peter 1:19), an innocent victim paying the ‘wages of sin’ for the guilty (Romans 6:23, Romans 5:12; Genesis 2:17; Ezekiel 18:4; Romans 3:23).      

Whilst on the Cross our Lord had told the believing thief “today shalt thou be with me in paradise”; when dying he committed his spirit to the Father (Luke 23:43-46), then his body went into the wilderness (the ‘undiscovered country’) of death and the grave, taking with it the sins of mankind and fulfilling that which was represented by the scapegoat of Leviticus 16:8-22.  On the third day (the day of first fruits) his soul and spirit reunited with his resurrection body, came forth from death leaving those sins in that wilderness to be remembered no more (Psalm 65:3; Jeremiah 50:20; Micah 7:19; Romans 11:27) and entered into the Holiest of holies (the throne room of Heaven) as our great High Priest, thus fulfilling all Old Testament types.

Far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring:  Because Christ had been made sin for us it was not possible for God to help him until the wages of sin had been paid.  To do so would have violated holiness and left sin un-judged.

Roaring sheagah is rumbling or moaning, or a cry of distress and is part of the same feelings of isolation and helplessness.

There is no indication of the time or reason for such a cry of despair from David, yet we know the Lord tests the faith of his people at times by withdrawing the fellowship of his Spirit.  It is at such times believers are most vulnerable, yet God’s word is greater than our despair and he has said “…I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Psalm 37:25, Psalm 37:28; Isaiah 41:10, Isaiah 41:17; Hebrews 13:5).  There is a demonstration later in the psalm that the sufferer believed in God’s promises and even in the depths of despair, he continued to look for the renewal, the restoration of fellowship with his LORD and thereby shows the depth of his trust in God (vss. 3-5, 24-31).

Psalm 22:2 

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

O my God, I cry in the daytime… the night season… am not silent: This would seem to be David’s own experience, for the period of our Lord’s desolation began when he was forsaken of God and ended when he commended his spirit to the Father, a period of less than three hours.  The verbal abuse and persecution Christ Jesus suffered throughout his ministry cannot be associated with these words, for during his ministry he was in constant communion with the Father; nor does it disparage the physical abuse he suffered at his trial and crucifixion, for although that was extreme, we are told in Isaiah 53:7, “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth”.  Under abuse, persecution, and physical torture he was able to remain silent, yet during those three hours, when forsaken of God, his affliction was so great that he cried out.

But, David’s distress was so constant and unrelieved (thou hearest not) that his cry, the roaring sheagah of vs.1, was incessant (both day and night).  The whole expression indicates that this agony of despair had lasted for some time and therefore David felt as if he had been ‘forsaken’ (vs.1).

 Thou hearest not:  The word hearest anah is to take heed, to pay attention with the implication to respond.  God hears every prayer we utter but does not always answer them, and the lack of response would make it seem that God ‘hearest not’.  Such an experience is a good indication that God is treating us as his children and should be an encouragement even in the midst of the emotional turmoil (Hebrews 12:6-8; 1 Peter 5:10).

Psalm 22:3 

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

But thou art holy:  This is an acknowledgment by the psalmist, that because God is holy such suffering must have a just and righteous purpose and therefore, though misery has come upon him, God’s mercy and grace are not compromised.  David is making a clear statement of faith.

Barnes writes: “It expresses a state of mind such as all true believers in God have - Confidence in him, whatever may be their trials; Confidence in him, though the answer to their prayers may be long delayed; Confidence in him, though their prayers should seem to be unanswered”. (C.f.  Job 13:15).

Inhabitest the praises of Israel: The name Israel is used here in the sense of ‘true Israel’, a name representing faith and Godliness.  The daily offerings in the Tabernacle/Temple were made on behalf of Israel and as God was believed to ‘dwell between the cherubim’ in the Holy of Holies (2 Samuel 6:2), this phrase is to be understood as God being at one with Israel in their praises. 

Psalm 22:4-5 

“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.”

Our fathers trusted in thee… thou didst deliver them:  This is in accordance with the historic records of the Jewish Scriptures.  David read them; he meditated on them day and night (Psalm 1:2; Psalm 40:8) and knew this to be true, yet in vs.6 there seems to be some doubt in his mind as to whether his trust in God would be so honoured. 

Throughout the ages God’s people have cried out to him for help; it is as true today as it has ever been and yet, like David, we are still overcome by doubts and feelings of being forsaken.  All heroes of faith suffered the testing of doubts and fears yet the Lord was in all things working them together for their good as well. 

We do not like discipline or testing yet this is the only way the lessons of the spiritual life, i.e. patience, humility, gentleness and love, are learned.  Discipline is essential for we must feel the consequences of sin so that we learn not to indulge in the lusts of our old nature.  Testing is crucial because our faith at best is weak and we are all too prone to trust in self and to go our own way, the way of that ‘old nature’ and the way of sin.  Without discipline and testing we would quickly spiral into carnality and suffer the loss of joy and peace in this life and of rewards at the judgment seat of Christ (1 Corinthians 3; 1 Corinthians 6:18; Romans 14:10; 2 Corinthians 5:10; 2 John 1:8).

They trusted in thee, and were not confounded:  Such is the experience of heroes of faith.  After they had learnt the lesson of fully trusting in God it was not possible for them to be confounded.  The Hebrew for confound is bush and means to be put to shame, to be ashamed. 

Shame is an emotion, it is not something that can be inflicted by others and we can only inflict it upon ourselves.  If we have a half-hearted faith, a lukewarm commitment to Jesus Christ, and knowledge of God commensurate with such a commitment, we will suffer shame when confronted by the worldly-wise and cynical unbeliever and also at the judgment seat of Christ (1 John 2:28).  Yet if, like Paul, we know in whom we have believed we too will not be ashamed either at that judgment seat or in confrontation with the world, for we will know the truth and the truth does set you free (2 Timothy 1:12; John 8:32). 

Psalm 22:6 

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

The word for worm tola is translated throughout the O.T. as worm, or scarlet or crimson depending on the context (see note below).  The context of this verse is in reference to lowliness and inadequacy therefore worm is the correct translation.  There are those who stress this association of worm and scarlet to the abasement and glorification of Christ, but though there are clear and unmistakable prophetic utterances in this psalm the correct and immediate understanding of David’s usage here is worm, portraying abasement.

Because this verse is in the direct context of vss.7-8 (and they are undoubtedly prophetic; c.f. Matthew 27:39; Luke 23:35-39) this verse depicts Jesus’ physical and mental state as he hung upon the cross.  Isaiah, in his prophecy of the same event wrote, “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not” (Isaiah 53:3). 

But I am a worm… may therefore properly contain self appraisal of Messiah’s condition during the time he was made sin for us, the time he hung upon the cross:  For as it is written, “Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree” (Galatians 3:13).

If we think of this verse as applicable to David’s life, vss.6-8 would reveal a despondency of faith-shattering proportion, with vs.9 having him recall Bible doctrine in his struggle against despair, a despair not uncommon to those who battle the ‘old nature’.  Feeling himself to be a reproach of men, and despised of the people and forsaken of God (vs.1), David then likens himself to a worm.  His despondency is then used of God to utter what seem to be words of excessive pessimism in regard to his own state, yet words that accurately portray the future agony of Messiah. 

Note:  

In regard to the word ‘worm’ tola the ISBE has the following information: “Tola'ath shani, "scarlet," is the scarlet-worm, Cermes vermilio, a scale-insect which feeds upon the oak, and which is used for producing a red dye.  The female is wingless and adheres to its favourite plant by its long, sucking beak, by which it extracts the sap on which it lives. After once attaching itself it remains motionless, and when dead its body shelters the eggs, which have been deposited beneath it. The dye is made from the dried bodies of the females. Other species yielding red dyes are Porphyrophora polonica and Coccus cacti.”

Psalm 22:7

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

Laugh me to scorn:  The word that covers this expression is laag, which means to mock, deride or ridicule.  The attitude of Shimei is an illustration of such behaviour toward David (2 Samuel 16:5-13), and in Matthew 27:39 the word ‘reviled’ blasphemeo to speak reproachfully, rail at, revile, calumniate, blaspheme, is the attitude of those who passed by Golgotha at Christ’s crucifixion.  It is only necessary to read this passage from Matthew to see just how completely verses 7-8 were fulfilled in the case of Christ Jesus.

They shoot out the lip:  The Hebrew word patar means to separate, burst through, open and is used here in he sense of the lips wide open in derision and scorn.  Job suffered much the same experience, “They have gaped upon me with their mouth; they have smitten me upon the cheek reproachfully; they have gathered themselves together against me” (Job 16:10).  Both Job and David use poetic language to illustrate the contemptuous denunciation by their critics, but Matthew, Mark and Luke use plain speech to reveal the murderous hatred of those who crucified Christ Jesus (Matthew 27:39-40; Mark 15:29-30; Luke 23:35-39).

They shake the head:  A silent gesture of contempt and disapproval. See Matthew 27:39, “Wagging their heads.”

Psalm 22:8

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

As applied to David, a statement such as this and made in such a manner is a contemptuous and complete denial of God’s providence in his life.  This statement, He trusted on the LORD, shows that these people had knowledge of David’s religious beliefs, and by their use of the title LORD, a good understanding of the Jewish religion.  It was a comment aimed directly at David and his professed faith in Jehovah, yet in their continued rejection of God’s anointed king they showed themselves to be in contempt of his God. 

The Holy Spirit anointed the Lord Jesus and John testified to that anointing (Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22 see also Luke 4:18; Acts 4:27; Acts 10:38).  It was this anointing that gave witness to Jesus being the Messiah or Christ and anointed to be King over Israel, yet after three years proclaiming the Kingdom and proving his calling (Mark 6:2; Luke 19:37; John 10:25; John 10:37-38), he was utterly rejected by the people even to the point of callous ridicule and contempt. 

It seems incredible that the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of Israel should use these exact words against him without recognizing their part in the fulfilment of this prophecy. 

“Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, “He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.  He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God”” Matthew27: 41-43.  

But since they had rejected the Baptist’s call to repentance it was inevitable they would also reject his testimony; his testimony to Jesus being the Messiah/Christ.  Their self-righteous and arrogant pride continued to blind them to Jesus’ own teachings and the mighty works that he performed, and in the end caused them to have these hateful thoughts and utter these blasphemous words.

Psalm 22: 9-10 

“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.”

There is nothing of specific relevance to the psalmist here; nothing that is not common to others who are also brought up in a Godly home and have never known a life of unbelief (1Samuel 2:18; 2Chronicles 34:3; Psalm 71:17; Proverbs 22:6; Luke 1:15; Luke 2:40; 2Timothy 3:15).  Such people have faith in God from the moment of self-awareness, and because every child belongs to God prior to that awareness it is a fact that God is their God from the womb. 

Hope batach,̣ trust or assurance is established in them upon their mother’s breast, or in their early childhood (Genesis 18:19; Deuteronomy 4:9, Deuteronomy 6:7; Psalm 78:3-6; Proverbs 22:6; Ephesians 6:4).  It is a particularly apt phrase for it is during the mother’s intimacy with her child that the primary role of teaching and nurturing a child is fulfilled. 

In Luke 2:40-52 it can be seen that these verses were applicable to Jesus of Nazareth, for he is shown as growing up in subjection to his parents, becoming mature and knowledgeable (strong in spirit) and being filled with wisdom; for though he was God come in the flesh, it behooved him (he was under obligation) to be made like unto his brethren in all things, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God (Hebrews 2:17).

When we consider the doctrine of freewill, every child is seen to have this potential, but the tragedy is that hope is not established in them, and most enter into self-awareness and self-determination without God in their lives and without hope in this world, so that at death they have their names blotted out of the Lamb’s book of life (Revelation 3:5).

Psalm 22:11 

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

Be not far from me:  The doctrine of the omnipresence of God, found in 2 Chronicles 2:6; Isaiah 66:1; Acts 7:49 shows this comment to be either the emotional reaction of a man under testing or a prayer for help couched in poetic terms.  God never leaves nor forsakes those who are his (Deuteronomy 31:6; Joshua 1:5; Isaiah 41:10) and if there are moments when one seems to be forsaken of God it is not so, but the pressure has been allowed for God’s good purpose.  In the case of Christ, and anyone who knows and believes God’s word, this would be a prayer for help.

Such pressure can become extreme when one’s eyes are fixed on the approaching trouble and on the indifference or enmity of men (none to help), but when God is in view what does it matter that the heathen rage or that the kings of the earth set themselves against God’s child for God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble (Psalm46: 1; see also Hebrews 13:6).

In Psalm 55:22 David tells us to cast thy burden upon the LORD and as we continue on in this psalm it would appear that this is exactly what he did.

Psalm 22:12-13

“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.”

Many bulls have compassed me:  The bullock is a symbol of perverse and aggressive power and is used in regard to perverse and aggressive men throughout scripture (Isaiah 51:20; Psalm 68:30; Amos 4:1).  These are more than ordinary bulls however for they are bulls fed on the rich pastures of Bashan and therefore large and powerful beasts.  The surrounding enemies are seen as a great number of aggressive and powerful beasts.

On Bashan: the Easton Bible Dictionary writes: “…first mentioned in Genesis 14:5, where it is said that Chedorlaomer and his confederates "smote the Rephaim in Ashteroth" (east of the Jordan river) where Og the king of Bashan had his residence. At the time of Israel's entrance into the Promised Land, Og came out against them, but was utterly routed (Numbers 21:33-35; Deuteronomy 3:1-7). This country extended from Gilead in the south to Hermon in the north, and from the Jordan on the west to Salcah on the east. Along with the half of Gilead it was given to the half-tribe of Manasseh (Joshua 13:29-31)…

Bashan almost disappears from history, although we read of the wild cattle of its rich pastures (Ezekeil 39:18; Psalm 22:12), the oaks of its forests (Isaiah 2:13; Ezekeil 27:6; Zechariah 11:2), and the beauty of its extensive plains (Amos 4:1; Jeremiah 50:19).

Soon after the conquest, the name "Gilead" was given to the whole country beyond Jordan.  After the Exile, Bashan was divided into four districts, (1.) Gaulonitis, or Jaulan, the most western; (2.) Auranitis, the Hauran (Ezekeil 47:16); (3.) Argob or Trachonitis, now the Lejah; and (4.) Batanaea, now Ard-el-Bathanyeh, on the east of the Lejah, with many deserted towns almost as perfect as when they were inhabited.”

In vs.7 the detractors are seen to open their mouths in scorn and derision but here the gaping of the mouth has a more murderous purpose, their derision has turned to malicious intent.  Clarke has it as, “They were fiercely and madly bent on my destruction.” 

The application of this verse to the passion of Christ reverses the order from murderous intent to derision and scorn.  Luke 23:21 “But they cried, saying, Crucify him, crucify him”; then later in Luke 23:35 “And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God.”  Compare Matthew 27:22-25 with Matthew 27:41-43, and Mark 15:13 with Mark 15:29-32.

A ravening and a roaring lion:  The force of these words is greater when the uncalled-for particle of comparison ‘as’ is left out.  This verse should read, “They gaped upon me with their mouths, a ravening and a roaring lion”.  The psalmist does not mix his metaphors but keeps them distinct and separate, i.e. the ‘bulls of Bashan’ and a ‘ravening and roaring lion’. 

Psalm 22:14 

“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.

I am poured out like water:  Today we use a similar expression, which is probably derived from the scriptures: We say we are ‘as weak as water’ when feeling unwell.  Joshua 7:5 speaks of the hearts of the people “melting and becoming as water”.  The phrase has the meaning of weakness and here of physical weakness; where there is no strength left, no ability to keep upright.  In David’s case this verse speaks of psychosomatics, physical symptoms induced by mental stress (see also Psalm 31:9-12; Psalm 38)

The hands shake, the legs tremble as though the bones are out of joint giving no support to the body.  The heart may be affected, palpitations etc., but in such a case as are described here, the word leb speaks of the whole of the inner man.  The heart melting speaks of the internal workings of a man’s body becoming dysfunctional, the upsetting of the bowels will in turn flow on to effect the extremities, the arms, the hands and the legs. 

These are very human sufferings and though the Lord Jesus was “…in the likeness of sinful flesh” (Romans 8:3), it is inconceivable that such sufferings in his case were induced by psychosomatics.  It is conceivable however that they would result from the physical sufferings of crucifixion.

Psalm 22:15 

“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.”

A potsherd is a fragment of pottery or earthenware.  Though the pottery was originally made to hold water etc., a broken pot can no longer do so, and a small fragment even less; there is no moisture whatsoever in such an object.   David’s strength had dissipated as water from broken pottery.

My tongue cleaveth to my jaws: Most of us would have experienced the effects of thirst to some degree or other and know the dryness of mouth and thickness of tongue.  Extreme thirst causes the tongue to swell, filling the mouth, or as here, cleave dabaq to cling, to stick to the jaws, the inside of the mouth.  In times of intense excitement and apprehension such a dryness of the mouth can occur in any man but it is also evident from the gospels that Christ suffered from thirst induced by his agony (John 19:28). 

Thou hast brought me into the dust of death:  Death was expected at any moment.  In Daniel 12:2 the dead are seen to “sleep in the dust of the earth”, see also Isaiah 26:19; Psalm 22:15; Daniel 12:2 and compare them with Genesis 3:19 for “dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return”.

The context of this passage (vss. 12-18) is one of extreme pressure, where the sufferer’s death was the intended goal and its accomplishment very near.  David’s poetic imagery adds colour and intensity to his narrative, yet in accordance to the will of God, such imagery was imminently suitable to describe the sufferings of Messiah. 

There are moments of intensity in this psalm where David goes way beyond his own experience into the realm of pure revelation.  There are statements in the next three verses, which can only be the results of revelation, for there is nothing in David’s recorded history that could account for them. 

Psalm 22:16 

“For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.”

For dogs have compassed me:  In both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament, the designation ‘dog’ is usually of a contemptuous nature. 

The ISBE writes. “A dog, and especially a dead dog, is used as a figure of insignificance. Goliath says to David (1Samuel 17:43): "Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves?"  David says to Saul (1Samuel 24:14): "After whom dost thou pursue? after a dead dog, after a flea."  Mephibosheth says to David (2Samuel 9:8): "What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?"  The same figure is found in the words of Hazael to Elisha (2Kings 8:13).

Other passages express by inference the low esteem in which dogs are held. Nothing worse could happen to a person than that dogs should devour his body (1Kings 14:11; 1Kings 16:4; 1Kings 21:19, 1Kings 21:23, etc.).  Job 30:1 says of the youth who deride him that he disdained to set their fathers with the dogs of his flock. In Philippians 3:2 and Revelation 22:15, dogs are coupled with evil-workers, sorcerers, etc. In Matthew 7:6 we read: "Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast your pearls before the swine”.”

The wicked have enclosed me:  Evil and worthless men have compassed sabab or encircled me, and with violence have enclosed naqaph me.  Everything we have read up to this point could be related to David’s experience, his writings being coloured by emotions stimulated by memories of times of danger.  With a little imagination we could even feel for him, but unless the end phrase to this verse “they pierced my hands and my feet” can be made to fit David’s situation the thrust of this verse along with the next two verses must be taken as pure revelation of future events relating to Messiah. 

The translation “they pierced my hands and my feet” (so rendered in the KJV) hinges upon the word translated ‘they pierced’.  The word in its noun form ariy (used some eighty times) refers to a “full grown lion” (Vines) and in every case is translated ‘lion’. 

According to Alfred Barnes the word in this passage is a verb and used only twice, here and in Isaiah 38:13 where it is rendered ‘as a lion’.  He writes:  “All the ancient interpreters have taken the word here to be a verb, and in all the ancient versions it is rendered as if it were a verb...  …Gesenius admits that all the ancient interpreters have taken this as a verb, and says that it is “certainly possible” that it may be so.  He says that it may be regarded as a participle formed in the Aramaic manner (from kur), and in the plural number for kaariym, and says that in this way it would be properly rendered, ‘piercing, my hands and my feet’.”  Barnes continues “…From such high authority, and from the uniform mode of interpreting the word among the ancients, it may be regarded as morally certain that the word is a verb, and that it is not to be rendered, as in Isaiah 38:13, ‘as a lion’.”

Gill reports: “…in some copies, in the margin, it is "as a lion my hands and my feet", but in the text, "they have dug" or "pierced my hands and my feet"; both are joined together in the Targum, "biting as a lion my hands and my feet”.

(Note: The Targums were explanations of the Hebrew Scriptures in Chaldaic (Western Aramaic) for the benefit of those Jews who had partially or completely ceased to understand the sacred tongue.)

The thought expressed in Gill’s comments is evidently the thought behind some modern versions:  (CEV)  “Brutal enemies attack me like a pack of dogs, tearing at my hands and my feet.”  (GNB)  “An evil gang is around me; like a pack of dogs they close in on me; they tear at my hands and feet.”

It is possible that these are accurate renditions of David’s thoughts, yet the explicit use of ‘hands’ and ‘feet’ is difficult to appreciate when applied to him.  It is not difficult however when this passage is applied as prophecy, and seen in its fulfilment in the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ.  If there is any doubt as to the meaning in David’s case, the use of hands and feet are plainly revealed to be the facts regarding our Lord and his crucifixion (John 20:15).  

Psalm 22:17 

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

As we follow on from the previous verse’s clear reference to the wounds of crucifixion, this phrase to ‘make record of one’s bones’ has great relevance to one whose body is being subjected to the forces of exhaustion and gravity.  Christ Jesus hung from his nailed hands, supported only by his nailed feet, and as exhaustion set in, the joints of his body would be painfully extended.  It doesn’t take a great deal of imagination to see that such a situation would allow one to detail all my bones.

They look… stare upon me:  The conjunction and is not in the original therefore to use both nabat and raah adds intensity to the action.   The dogs of vs.16, those who have violently enclosed him and nailed him to the Cross looked at him intently and because their attitude has been one of malicious hostility such looks must have been as hateful or derisive as were their words.

This expression is too extreme to be descriptive of anything applicable to David.  Becoming emaciated would allow one to ‘tell all my bones’, yet there is no evidence of such a thing happening to him.  There is no doubt that there were times he was hungry, yet to be so thin that he became an object of intense scrutiny is not recorded and highly unlikely:  It would require a sustained period of hunger, or starvation.  Anxiety and stress can do things to the body, and aches and pains may be behind this expression, yet would it attract intense scrutiny?  I think not. 

Psalm 22:18 

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

They part my garments:  Again there is no record of anything like this as being David’s experience, yet when we read the account of our Lord’s crucifixion it is seen in perfect detail.  There is no real difference between begged ‘garments’ and lebush ‘vesture’ and from this passage it might seem to be only a parallelism, but the repetition brings out the accuracy with which God the Holy Spirit gives to his record of future events. 

And cast lots upon my vesture:  The soldiers divided his upper garment into four parts, each soldier taking a part; but they agreed not to divide his tunic or inward vestment (chiton) and cast lots to see whose it would be, for it was without seam, woven in one entire piece.  Of this passage in Psalm 22, the Roman soldiers were almost certainly ignorant; but they fulfilled it to the letter. The Spirit of God foresaw this, making this verse and those in context, a direct revelation concerning Jesus Christ (c.f. Matthew 27:35; Luke 23:34; John 19:23-24).

Psalm 22:19-20 

“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.”

Such was the agony of soul during this trial that the sufferer was constant in his plea for divine relief, for the return of intimacy with his God.  See also vs.11 and compare them both with vs.1.

My soul… my darling:  Soul or nephesh is the inner man but is here used to denote the whole man.  It is equivalent to “deliver me.”  It is therefore a parallelism to my darling yachiyd (only one), which according to Gesenius (Lexicon), is used poetically for life, as being something most dear, or as denoting all that we have, and therefore most precious.  Barnes believes this to be the most probable interpretation as it would correspond with the expression in the first part of the parallelism, “Deliver my soul.”

Gill agrees: "My only one"; meaning his life or soul… so called, not because there is but one soul in the body, but because it was dear and valuable to him; and hence we render it "darling", an only one being usually the darling of its parents; so a man's life is dear to him…”

The sword chereb, a knife, sword, or other sharp implement is also parallel to the power of the dog, for as we saw in vs.16, dogs were instrumental in the piercing of the hands and feet.  If we accept the possible rendition for that verse, “like a pack of dogs, tearing at my hands and my feet”, then the parallelism here is unmistakable.

In these verses we have intense prayer for support and deliverance: “be not thou far from me, O LORD… haste thee to help me… Deliver my soul…  Save me” and from what?  The sword, dogs, ravening and roaring lions and from the unicorns, for the implication here is that it was while he was on the horns of these unicorns that the LORD heard him.

Unicorn reem seems in all probability to be the great aurochs or wild bulls, which are now extinct.  If this were so then they would be parallel to the “strong bulls of Bashan” in vs.12.  The unicorns and the bulls of Bashan are the powerful adversaries who had arrayed themselves against the LORD’S anointed, and seeing these animals are being used in this figurative way, so horns qeren should also be used, as reference to the power (political and military ) of these men.   

Unicorn:

Described as an animal of great ferocity and strength and untameable ((Numbers 23:22; Numbers 24:8; Isaiah 34:7; Job 39:9), it is translated "wild oxen" in the RV.  It was in reality a two-horned animal; but the exact reference of the word so rendered (reem) is doubtful. Some have supposed it to be the buffalo; others, the white antelope, called by the Arabs rim. Most probably, however, the word denotes the Bos primigenius ("primitive ox"), which is now extinct all over the world. This was the auerochs of the Germans, and the urus described by Caesar (Gal. Bel., vi.28) as inhabiting the Hercynian forest. The word thus rendered has been found in an Assyrian inscription written over the wild ox or bison, which some also suppose to be the animal intended (c.f. Deuteronomy 33:17; Psalm 29:6; Psalm 92:10).  From the Easton Bible Dictionary

Unicorns:

DESCRIBED AS:

Intractable in disposition

Job 39:9; Job 39:10; Job 39:12

Of vast strength

Job 39:11

The young being remarkable for their agility

Psalm 29:6

ILLUSTRATIVE:

Of God as the strength of Israel

Numbers 23:22; Numbers 24:8

Of the wicked

Isaiah 34:7

(Horns of,) of the strength of the descendants of Joseph

Deuteronomy 33:17

(Horns of,) of the strength of powerful enemies

Psalm 22:21

(The position of its horns,) of the exaltation of saints

Psalm 92:10                                                                

                                                                        From RA Torrey’s New Topical Textbook

Psalm 22:22-23 

“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.”

We now enter into what can only be described as pure praise and thanksgiving, intimating that fellowship has been restored, help received and deliverance obtained. 

The inspired writer of the letter to the Hebrews adds this verse to his review of the purpose of Christ’s sufferings:  i.e. “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.  For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one (of one Father): for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,; Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee” (Hebrews 2: 9-12).  (The ‘Church’, the Gk. ekklesia, has the same meaning as the Heb. qahal, or congregation.)

The use of Psalm 22:22 in Hebrews makes it clear that the previous verses of this psalm were intended by God to foretell the crucifixion experience of Messiah/Christ and that vs.22 itself expresses his reaction after his ordeal was over and the great act of salvation and sanctification was completed (c.f. Hebrews 2: 10-11). 

  

I will declare thy name: Throughout his ministry Christ declared the character and glory of God (John 5:17-47; John 14:6-11).  His ministry was to the whole nation, the whole congregation of Israel, but there were very few who believed in him and it was these few that are identified as his brethren (Matthew 12:48-50).  We see then that this exhortation to the seed of Jacob and the seed of Israel to praise, glorify and fear God was fulfilled in Jesus preaching godliness to the Jews and, though only in a minority, their acceptance of his message. 

There is no mention of the Nations (Gentiles) here, because Messiah was not to be sent to them but “…unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel” and until it became clear that the Jews were bent on rejecting him, Christ Jesus commanded his disciples to do the same (Matthew 15:24 see also Matthew 10:5-6).  This created the principle, which the apostle Paul enunciated in Romans 1:16 “… it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek”.  Compare this with Matthew 21:43 and Acts 13:46.

 

Psalm 22:24 

“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.”

The reasons for the exhortation to praise, glorify and fear the LORD in the previous verse are now given. 

Though the sufferer had suffered utter humiliation to the point of being abandoned by God and men, it was for a little while only, and though the reason for his suffering is not directly revealed in the psalm, in the renewal of his fellowship with the LORD he finds, not disdain or detestation but acceptance and esteem.  God in grace has turned his face toward the petitioner, listened to his cry and responded.  The contrast from feelings of humiliation to intense joy is good reason for praise and thanksgiving. 

Up to this point, the psalm has been written in the first person, in this verse it is written in the third person showing that all who are afflicted and cry unto God will be heard, therefore “Ye (all you) that fear the LORD, praise him” (vs.23), for he has not despised (ignored) your affliction: It becomes a very personal application. 

It is when we look into such N.T. passages as Hebrews 2:9-12 (as we did in the previous verse) that we see its application to the Lord Jesus Christ.  Barnes writes, “Though the darkness seemed to continue until death, yet it was not an utter forsaking. His prayer was heard; his work was accepted; the great object for which he came into the world would be accomplished; he himself would rise triumphantly from his sufferings; and the cause, which he came to establish, and for which he died, would finally prevail in the world. Compare Hebrew 5:7-8; John 11:42; Isaiah 53:11-12.”

In vss.6-8 we see the attitude of self-righteous and religious men; men who looked on Christ with contempt and ridicule, in this verse however we are shown the LORD’S attitude to the affliction of the afflicted.  Those afflictions were of such a nature as to bring salvation to the world of men, including those who despise him (1John 2:2).  The LORD hath not despised nor abhorred his afflictions for they were in accordance with God’s will in the eternal plan of salvation for mankind. 

Gill writes: “…the sacrifice of Christ was of a sweet smelling savour to him; he was well pleased with his righteousness, his law being magnified and made honourable by it; and his death was precious in his sight, being the propitiation for the sins of his people; so far was he from despising and abhorring the afflictions of his son.”   For this reason, those that ‘fear’ the LORD (vs.23) are exhorted to praise him.

Neither hath he hid his face from him:  Men turned from him (Isaiah 53:3), but God, though he forsook him for a while and in judgment hid his face from him for a moment (that he might bear the whole curse of the law for us); yet turned again in restoration of fellowship. Gill paraphrased.

But when he cried unto him, he heard:  The cry with which this psalm begins, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken me?" (Psalm 22:1; c.f. Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34) contains desolation that only Messiah was to experience, we experience loss of fellowship but Christ suffered judgment for sin.  Something of this cry is brought out as we read Christ’s prayer in Gethsemane (Matthew 26:37-39; Mark 14:32-39; Luke 22:44; see also Hebrews 5:7).

Psalm 22:25 

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

My praise shall be of thee:  David was never in a position to sing his praises of God in the ‘great’ congregation, though some may say he does so by means of his psalms.  As we saw in vs.22 the ‘congregation’ there was in reference to Israel, here it is the ‘great’ congregation and is almost certainly the Church, which includes Jews and Gentiles, and over the centuries has and will continue to encompass many tens of millions of people. Compare this with vs.27.

I will pay my vows:  Jesus, in his declaration “thy will, not mine be done” (Luke 22:42), makes his vow, confirming the promise made “before the foundation of the world” (1Peter 1:20, c.f. 2Timothy 1:9, 2Timothy 1:10; Titus 1:2, Revelation 13:8) when, as Gill writes, “…in the council and covenant of grace, he engaged (vowed) to become a surety for his people, to assume their nature, to suffer and die for them, to redeem them from sin and misery, and bring them nigh to God, and save them with an everlasting salvation”. 

Before them that fear him: Though the work entailed in the vow was finished at the Cross, Messiah’s vow is paid (complete) when those who ‘fear’ God are standing before him (the proof is in the pudding as it were).  This is a similar construction to our sanctification in Christ (John 3:15-16, John 1:12, John 5:24): complete in Christ yet not completed until the redemption of our bodies at the resurrection (Romans 8:23; Ephesians 1:14). 

Psalm 22:26 

“The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live forever.”

The meek are those who humbly accept life as the Lord provides; are those who learn “…in whatsoever state they are, therewith to be content” (Philippians 4:11; Hebrews 13:5) and in their contentment are satisfied (see Matthew 6:30-32 c.f. Psalm 37:3, Psalm 55:22 where the Lord’s providence is assured). 

Shall praise the LORD: This necessitates belief in God and an enquiring mind to seek him; which will elicit a gracious response from God in giving them reason for praising him.  Such a response from God is guaranteed for “I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me” (Proverbs 11:18, see also Proverbs 8:17; Jeremiah 29:13; Matthew 6:33; 2Peter 1:10, 2Peter 3:14).  The end result will be that those who seek him shall praise the LORD.

Your heart shall live forever:  Heart lebab is not referring to the heart muscle but to the inner man, the soul; that immaterial part of man that has been made in the image of God (see below).  Live chayah means to have life and coupled with ad meaning perpetuity, the combination means ‘liver forever’:  a continuing future: eternal life.

Man – The Image Of God

Genesis 1:26   “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness”.

Image Heb. tselem, image, likeness (of resemblance)

Likeness Heb. demuth, resemblance; in the physical sense – model or shape: - fashion, manner, similitude

Vine’s Expository Dictionary says of these two words: “It is noteworthy that in Genesis 1:26, (the first occurrence of the word) the image of God is represented by two Hebrew words (selem and demut); by selem alone in Genesis 1:27 and 9:6; and demut alone in Genesis 5:1.  This plus the fact that in other contexts the words are used exactly the same leads to the conclusion that the use of both in passages such as Genesis 1:26 is for literary effect.” 

The way Genesis 1 is written makes it evident that man was to see himself as distinct and separate from the swarming mass of other creatures, for we read, “Let the waters bring forth the moving creature that hath life”; “let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind” and then “let us make man”.  In this, God leads our thoughts toward a pinnacle of his (nephesh), his living creation.  From the waters God brings forth a myriad of life forms including monstrous creatures and the winged fowl, the birds:  From the earth he makes other categories of living creatures, quadrupeds and reptiles, then in a separate and distinct decision, God says, “Let us make man… in our image”.  

Man was to be something beyond what had come before.  Let us make asah man; make him from existing materials (the dust of the earth, Genesis 2:7), modelled on the same principles as those creatures that came from the earth (Genesis 1:24), yet with a far greater dimension, “in our image, after our likeness”.

Up to this point in the narrative we know God to be above and beyond his creation (he is infinite), that he is a spirit (Genesis 1:2) and that he thinks, speaks, wills, and acts (Genesis 1:3-4, etc.).  Therefore, from this context alone we can conclude that if we are made in God’s image, it must be an image that reflects only those characteristics of God appropriate to the limitations of our material and finite body: These would be the attributes of consciousness and volition.

Because the material part of man’s being (his body) is so obviously unlike God, logic demands that the image of God must be within the intellectual side of man’s being, yet manifesting itself through the body in thinking, willing, speaking and acting.

In Ephesians 4:24 (see also Colossians 3:10) Paul tells us that God’s image is “righteousness and true holiness”, which would indicate that Adam was made a righteous and holy being, a fact that Genesis 1:31 asserts, “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, very good”.  This then is what places man above all of God’s physical creation, the capacity for godly thinking and behaviour, the ability to appreciate God.  This also explains the innate desire of fallen man to worship, and because of ignorance (wilful or otherwise), the proliferation of religion.  

Psalm 22:27 

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

All the ends of the world:  The world (an almost perfect sphere) is often depicted as having four corners: “And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth” (Isaiah 11:12; Jeremiah 9:26; Jeremiah 25:23; Jeremiah 49:32; Revelation 7:1).  ‘Ends of the world’ is used in the same way; a means of conveying an impression of totality, of every part, of every nation.

  Shall remember and turn unto the LORD: To remember is an attribute of intellect, therefore it is the race of men, of every nation, from the four corners of the earth who in times past had had knowledge of God but through neglect or indifference had forgotten him; people from these nations will remember and shub, turn back to the LORD. 

All the kindreds of the nations shall worship:  Again we see the parallelism of Hebrew poetry, for to worship shachah is to bow down, to prostrate oneself before thee (the LORD) and requires the active participation of mind and body, parallel to remember and turn.

This verse, following such clear references to Messiah’s sacrifice, is prophecy regarding the effect the Christian gospel would have on the Gentile world, and it is these people who will make up the ‘great congregation’ of vs.25.  ‘All the ends’ and ‘all the kindreds’ are referring to nations and families (or tribes), not to every individual person within those nations/tribes.  By the end of the Church age, every nation/tribe will be represented by the redeemed “out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation” (Revelation 5:9), and in the kingdom to come all nations and tribes will be represented in worship before the LORD.

Psalm 22:28

“For the kingdom is the LORD's: and he is the governor among the nations.”

In the latter part of this psalm (vs.22 on) we see the transition from Judaism to the fullness of the LORD’S kingdom. 

With the benefit of New Testament revelation, we now know that that transition incorporates the dispensation of the Christian Church, something that was hidden from the understanding of O.T. saints, yet revealed to the apostles of Christ (Romans 11:25, Romans 16:25; Ephesians 3:4, Ephesians 5:32; Colossians 1:27; 1Titus 3:16).  Therefore many Old Testament prophecies regarding the kingdom (including this psalm) incorporate things to do with the Christian Church.   It is because this dispensation was kept hidden that prophecies regarding these two ages (Church and Kingdom) are blended, without any chronological order.  

The transition from Judaism to the fullness of the LORD’S kingdom was begun by Messiah/Christ’s redeeming sacrifice (vss.1-24) on behalf of the congregation of Israel  (vs.22) and for the ‘great’ congregation (vs.25) made up of all who fear God and turn and worship him (vs.27).

The fullness of the LORD’S kingdom is the millennial reign of Christ (Isaiah 9:6-7, 11:3-9; Ezekiel 37:21-23; Revelation 20:6), for it is his by right of creation (Genesis 1:1; Colossians 1:16), and by right of conquest. 

In rising from the dead, Christ took from Satan (the god of this world) the keys of hell and death, destroying the power of him who through the power of sin and death had kept mankind in bondage (Isaiah 25:8; Hosea 13:14; Hebrew 2:14-15; 1 Corinthians 15:54-57).  In Revelation 5 Christ is seen as the only one worthy of taking and opening the title deeds of the earth (the book with seven seals) and of the praise and worship of his creatures.  It is from this moment that Christ will indeed have mashalI, dominion or governorship over the nations. 

Psalm 22:29 

“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.”

Here we have a three-fold description of the representatives of the nations. 

All fat upon earth shall eat and worship: These are they who are wealthy, the fat dashen, the rich and fertile; they will remember God and turn to him.  Kings are said to come to worship bringing gifts (Isaiah 49:23, Isaiah 52:15, Isaiah 60:3, Isaiah 60:10,Isaiah 60:16; Psalm 2:10-12, Psalm 68:31, Psalm 72:10, Psalm 72:11; Revelation 11:15).  Although there are “not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, called” (1Corinthians 1:26) there are those who do, and it would seem more so in the latter days including the tribulation. 

The tribulation period is shown to be a time of great evangelism where the manifest evil of Satan and those who follow him will drive righteous people to the Lord, it will be a great example of grace before judgment even though many will be martyred (Revelation 7:9-14).  It may very well be that a great number of wise, mighty and noble men and women will be saved during this time.

They that go down to the dust:  Barnes (and others) interpret this as “those who are bowed down to the dust; who are crushed, broken, and oppressed; the poor, the sad, the sorrowful”, yet the Psalmist has already used dust aphar as a picture of death (see note at vs.15) therefore ‘down (yarad) to the dust’ must surely speak of a decline, a descent to physical death, making this a reference to the frail and elderly. 

And none can keep alive his own soul: Barnes states that the proper rendering of this phrase is “and he who cannot keep alive his own soul”, which he believes to be the reference to the frail and elderly.  Yet to the present author this is more in keeping with the destitute, the poverty stricken who, as our modern day phrase goes, ‘cannot keep body and soul together’.  

There is quite a divergence between scholars as to the meaning of these last two phrases yet it does seem clear that the intention of the Psalmist is to show “all classes of persons will come and worship the true God; not the poor and needy only, the afflicted, and the oppressed, but the rich and the prosperous”.  From history we know this to be true and even in our own day ‘all classes of people’ are experiencing regeneration and come to worship God through Jesus the Christ.

Psalm 22:30-31 

“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.”

A seed shall serve him:  The word ‘seed’ is zera‛, which properly means “a sowing” and in that context depicts many stemming from one (a planted seed produces many).  It is used here in the figurative sense regarding a multitude of people; posterity (Genesis 3:15; Genesis 13:16; Genesis 15:5, Genesis 15:13).  This brings to mind the very fitting parable of our Lord “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone; but if it dies, it brings forth much fruit” (John 12:24).   This posterity, the fruit of the Saviours sacrifice, “shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation”.

It shall be accounted:  The posterity shall be saphar, scored with a mark, made a permanent record to the Lord.  This is generally translated in the manner, i.e. “A seed shall serve him; It shall be told of the Lord unto the next generation.” (ASV).  But ‘to the Lord’ could also be translated ‘unto’ the Lord, which gives it the connotation of belonging to him.  Generation is the Heb. dor and is properly period, duration or (those living during a period).  It is here related to people therefore translated generation in the sense of family, tribe or people. 

 

It is best understood as Barnes has it. “The seed - the people referred to - would be reckoned to the Lord as a generation of his own people, a race, a tribe, a family pertaining to him. They would be regarded as such by him; they would be so estimated by mankind. They would not be a generation of aliens and strangers, but a generation of his people and friends (compare Psalm 87:6, in context).

Shall come and declare his righteousness: To declare the LORD’S righteousness is to make known the very essence of God’s character.  Righteousness tsedaqah (all that is right, just and virtuous) is revealed in God’s dealings with his creation; from condemnation and judgment of sin to the love displayed in redemption; both of which are seen in the sacrifice of Messiah the Son of God.  This is why the Apostle Paul wrote of Christ, “But now, apart from the law, God's righteousness is revealed and is attested by the Law and the Prophets - God's righteousness through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ for all who believe” (Romans 3:21-22).  

Unto a people that shall be born:  The declaration of God’s righteousness is the preaching of Christ (the gospel) to every generation.  The gospel has been preached throughout the dispensation of the Church and will be preached to those who will be born during the millennial age.

(All Adam’s descendants, of any and every age are born of the flesh and because of the inherent nature of Adam must be born of the Spirit to enter the kingdom of God (John 3:5-7).  This includes those “that shall be born” during the millennial phase of the kingdom of heaven.  Those who are not ‘born of the Spirit’ will take part in the final rebellion and its consequences (Revelation 20:7-9)).