1 For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Doe of the Dawn.” A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from saving me, so far from my words of groaning? 2 I cry out by day, O my God, but You do not answer, and by night, but I have no rest. 3 Yet You are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. 4 In You our fathers trusted; they trusted and You delivered them. 5 They cried out to You and were set free; they trusted in You and were not disappointed. 6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people. 7 All who see me mock me; they sneer and shake their heads: 8 “He trusts in the LORD, let the LORD deliver him; let the LORD rescue him, since He delights in him.” 9 Yet You brought me forth from the womb; You made me secure at my mother’s breast. 10 From birth I was cast upon You; from my mother’s womb You have been my God. 11 Be not far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help. 12 Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me. 13 They open their jaws against me like lions that roar and maul. 14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are disjointed. My heart is like wax; it melts away within me. 15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You lay me in the dust of death. 16◆ For dogs surround me; a band of evil men encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet. 17 I can count all my bones; they stare and gloat over me. 18 They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing. 19 But You, O LORD, be not far off; O my Strength, come quickly to help me. 20 Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of wild dogs. 21 Save me from the mouth of the lion; at the horns of the wild oxen You have answered me! 22 I will proclaim Your name to my brothers; I will praise You in the assembly. 23 You who fear the LORD, praise Him! All descendants of Jacob, honor Him! All offspring of Israel, revere Him! 24 For He has not despised or detested the torment of the afflicted. He has not hidden His face from him, but has attended to his cry for help. 25 My praise for You resounds in the great assembly; I will fulfill my vows before those who fear You. 26 The poor will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the LORD will praise Him. May your hearts live forever! 27 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD. All the families of the nations will bow down before Him. 28 For dominion belongs to the LORD and He rules over the nations. 29 All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before Him— even those unable to preserve their lives. 30 Posterity will serve Him; they will declare the Lord to a new generation. 31 They will come and proclaim His righteousness to a people yet unborn— all that He has done.
Psalms · Berean Standard Bible
Psalm 22 Berean Standard Bible
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Notes on this text (1)
- Greek and Latin Bibles number most Psalms one lower than Hebrew and English Bibles.
Cross references (31)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Mark 15:34; Matthew 27:46; Hebrews 5:7; Psalm 22:16; Job 3:24
- 2 Psalm 42:3; Luke 18:7; Psalm 55:16–17; Luke 22:41–46; Psalm 88:1
- 3 Deuteronomy 10:21; Psalm 50:23; Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8; Psalm 99:9
- 4 Exodus 14:31; Exodus 14:13–14; Genesis 32:28; Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:18–22
- 5 Romans 10:11; Isaiah 49:23; 1 Peter 2:6; Romans 9:33; Isaiah 45:17
- 6 Isaiah 53:3; Job 25:6; Isaiah 41:14; Isaiah 49:7; Psalm 69:7–12
- 7 Mark 15:29; Matthew 27:39–40; Psalm 109:25; Luke 23:11; Mark 15:20
- 8 Matthew 27:42–43; Mark 15:30–32; Psalm 91:14; Psalm 18:19; Proverbs 16:3
- 9 Psalm 71:6; Isaiah 49:1–2; Psalm 71:17; Psalm 139:15–16; Matthew 2:13–15
- 10 Jeremiah 1:5; Galatians 1:15; Isaiah 49:1; Isaiah 46:3–4; John 20:17
- 11 Psalm 71:12; Hebrews 5:7; Psalm 72:12; Psalm 10:1; John 16:32
- 12 Amos 4:1–3; Acts 4:27; Psalm 68:30; Matthew 27:1; Deuteronomy 32:14–15
- 13 1 Peter 5:8; Psalm 35:21; Psalm 17:12; Lamentations 3:46; Job 16:10
- 14 Psalm 31:10; Job 30:16; Psalm 22:17; Daniel 5:6; Job 23:16
- 15 John 19:28; Psalm 69:3; Psalm 69:21; Isaiah 53:12; Psalm 104:29
- 16 John 19:37; Zechariah 12:10; Matthew 27:35; John 20:25; John 19:23
- 17 Luke 23:35; Job 33:21; Matthew 27:39–41; Isaiah 52:14; Luke 23:27
- 18 Matthew 27:35; Luke 23:34; Mark 15:24; John 19:23–24
- 19 Psalm 22:11; Psalm 40:13; Psalm 40:17; Psalm 10:1; Psalm 21:1
- 20 Psalm 35:17; Zechariah 13:7; Psalm 17:13
- 21 2 Timothy 4:17; 1 Peter 5:8; Acts 4:27; John 14:30; Numbers 23:22
- 22 Hebrews 2:11–12; Romans 8:29; Matthew 12:48–49; Matthew 28:10; Psalm 40:9–10
- 23 Revelation 15:4; Psalm 135:19–20; Psalm 107:1–2; Luke 1:50; Psalm 115:11
- 24 Hebrews 5:7; Isaiah 50:6–9; Psalm 118:5; Psalm 116:3–6; Luke 23:46
- 25 Psalm 40:9–10; Psalm 35:18; Psalm 111:1; Psalm 116:14–19; Psalm 66:13
- 26 Psalm 69:32; Psalm 40:16; Isaiah 65:13; Psalm 105:3–4; John 6:48–58
- 27 Psalm 86:9; Isaiah 45:22; Revelation 7:9–12; Psalm 2:8; Isaiah 49:6
- 28 Zechariah 14:9; Psalm 47:7–8; Daniel 7:14; Revelation 11:15; Obadiah 21
- 29 Philippians 2:10; Isaiah 26:19; John 11:25–26; Psalm 45:12; Psalm 113:7
- 30 1 Peter 2:9; Hebrews 2:13; Psalm 102:28; Galatians 3:26–29; Psalm 87:6
- 31 Psalm 78:6; Psalm 86:9; Romans 1:17; Psalm 102:18; Isaiah 44:3–5
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
Why does my Bible say something different?
- Psalm 22:16: “they pierced” or “like a lion”?
Most Hebrew manuscripts of Psalm 22:16 (22:17 in Hebrew) read ka’ari, “like a lion, my hands and my feet,” a line with no verb. The Greek Septuagint reads “they dug my hands and my feet,” which Christian Bibles have long rendered “pierced.” A Psalms fragment from the Judean desert has a different spelling that may be a verb. What the original Hebrew said is honestly debated.
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
All that see Me have derided Me; they have spoken with their lips; they have wagged their head, [saying] He hoped in God, let Him deliver Him, let Him save Him, since He delighteth in Him." Ye see, beloved, what is the example which has been given us; for if the Lord thus humbled Himself, what shall we do who …
They now ask of me judgment, and dare to draw near to God." And again in other words, through another prophet, He says, "They pierced My hands and My feet, and for My vesture they cast lots." And indeed David, the king and prophet, who uttered these things, suffered none of them; but Jesus Christ stretched forth His hands, being …
… friends and those nearest to Him; and that He should stretch forth His hands the whole day long; and that He should be mocked and maligned by those who looked upon Him; and that His garments should be parted, and lots cast upon His raiment; and that He should be brought down to the dust of death with all [the …
or how shall they believe without a preacher?" And those who seek the Lord shall praise Him. For those who seek shall find Him, and those who find Him shall praise Him.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 1 (1886)
The kings of the earth stand up, and the rulers are gathered together against the Lord, and against His anointed." And elsewhere he mentions also the image of the cross, saying on this wise, "They pierced my hand and my feet," and those things which the soldiers were emboldened to do, he adds with all exactness, "For they parted my …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)