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?
2 O my God, I cry in the day time, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.
3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.
4 Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.
5 They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.
6 But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.
7 All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,
8 He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.
9 But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts.
10 I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly.
11 Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.
12 Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.
13 They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.
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.
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.
16 For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.
17 I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.
18 They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.
19 But be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me.
20 Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.
21 Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.
22 I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.
23 Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.
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.
25 My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.
26 The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.
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.
28 For the kingdom is the LORD's: and he is the governor among the nations.
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.
30 A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.
31 They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.
1 [[To the chief Musician H5329 upon Aijeleth H365 Shahar, H7837 A Psalm H4210 of David.]] H1732 My God, H410 my God, H410 why hast thou forsaken H5800 me? why art thou so far H7350 from helping H3444 me, and from the words H1697 of my roaring? H7581
2 O my God, H430 I cry H7121 in the daytime, H3119 but thou hearest H6030 not; and in the night season, H3915 and am not silent. H1747
3 But thou art holy, H6918 O thou that inhabitest H3427 the praises H8416 of Israel. H3478
4 Our fathers H1 trusted H982 in thee: they trusted, H982 and thou didst deliver H6403 them.
5 They cried H2199 unto thee, and were delivered: H4422 they trusted H982 in thee, and were not confounded. H954
6 But I am a worm, H8438 and no man; H376 a reproach H2781 of men, H120 and despised H959 of the people. H5971
7 All they that see H7200 me laugh me to scorn: H3932 they shoot out H6358 the lip, H8193 they shake H5128 the head, H7218 saying,
8 He trusted H1556 on the LORD H3068 that he would deliver H6403 him: let him deliver H5337 him, seeing he delighted H2654 in him.
9 But thou art he that took H1518 me out of the womb: H990 thou didst make me hope H982 when I was upon my mother's H517 breasts. H7699
10 I was cast H7993 upon thee from the womb: H7358 thou art my God H410 from my mother's H517 belly. H990
11 Be not far H7368 from me; for trouble H6869 is near; H7138 for there is none to help. H5826
12 Many H7227 bulls H6499 have compassed H5437 me: strong H47 bulls of Bashan H1316 have beset me round. H3803
13 They gaped H6475 upon me with their mouths, H6310 as a ravening H2963 and a roaring H7580 lion. H738
14 I am poured out H8210 like water, H4325 and all my bones H6106 are out of joint: H6504 my heart H3820 is like wax; H1749 it is melted H4549 in the midst H8432 of my bowels. H4578
15 My strength H3581 is dried up H3001 like a potsherd; H2789 and my tongue H3956 cleaveth H1692 to my jaws; H4455 and thou hast brought H8239 me into the dust H6083 of death. H4194
16 For dogs H3611 have compassed H5437 me: the assembly H5712 of the wicked H7489 have inclosed H5362 me: they pierced H3738 H738 my hands H3027 and my feet. H7272
17 I may tell H5608 all my bones: H6106 they look H5027 and stare H7200 upon me.
18 They part H2505 my garments H899 among them, and cast H5307 lots H1486 upon my vesture. H3830
19 But be not thou far H7368 from me, O LORD: H3068 O my strength, H360 haste H2363 thee to help H5833 me.
20 Deliver H5337 my soul H5315 from the sword; H2719 my darling H3173 from the power H3027 of the dog. H3611
21 Save H3467 me from the lion's H738 mouth: H6310 for thou hast heard H6030 me from the horns H7161 of the unicorns. H7214
22 I will declare H5608 thy name H8034 unto my brethren: H251 in the midst H8432 of the congregation H6951 will I praise H1984 thee.
23 Ye that fear H3373 the LORD, H3068 praise H1984 him; all ye the seed H2233 of Jacob, H3290 glorify H3513 him; and fear H1481 him, all ye the seed H2233 of Israel. H3478
24 For he hath not despised H959 nor abhorred H8262 the affliction H6039 of the afflicted; H6041 neither hath he hid H5641 his face H6440 from him; but when he cried H7768 unto him, he heard. H8085
25 My praise H8416 shall be of thee in the great H7227 congregation: H6951 I will pay H7999 my vows H5088 before them that fear H3373 him.
26 The meek H6035 shall eat H398 and be satisfied: H7646 they shall praise H1984 the LORD H3068 that seek H1875 him: your heart H3824 shall live H2421 for ever. H5703
27 All the ends H657 of the world H776 shall remember H2142 and turn H7725 unto the LORD: H3068 and all the kindreds H4940 of the nations H1471 shall worship H7812 before H6440 thee.
28 For the kingdom H4410 is the LORD'S: H3068 and he is the governor H4910 among the nations. H1471
29 All they that be fat H1879 upon earth H776 shall eat H398 and worship: H7812 all they that go down H3381 to the dust H6083 shall bow H3766 before H6440 him: and none can keep alive H2421 his own soul. H5315
30 A seed H2233 shall serve H5647 him; it shall be accounted H5608 to the Lord H136 for a generation. H1755
31 They shall come, H935 and shall declare H5046 his righteousness H6666 unto a people H5971 that shall be born, H3205 that he hath done H6213 this.
1 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? `Why art thou so' far from helping me, `and from' the words of my groaning?
2 O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou answerest not; And in the night season, and am not silent.
3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.
4 Our fathers trusted in thee: They trusted, and thou didst deliver them.
5 They cried unto thee, and were delivered: They trusted in thee, and were not put to shame.
6 But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised of the people.
7 All they that see me laugh me to scorn: They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, `saying',
8 Commit `thyself' unto Jehovah; Let him deliver him: Let him rescue him, seeing he delighteth in him.
9 But thou art he that took me out of the womb; Thou didst make me trust `when I was' upon my mother's breasts.
10 I was cast upon thee from the womb; Thou art my God since my mother bare me.
11 Be not far from me; for trouble is near; For there is none to help.
12 Many bulls have compassed me; Strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.
13 They gape upon me with their mouth, `As' a ravening and a roaring lion.
14 I am poured out like water, And all my bones are out of joint: My heart is like wax; It is melted within me.
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.
16 For dogs have compassed me: A company of evil-doers have inclosed me; They pierced my hands and my feet.
17 I may count all my bones; They look and stare upon me.
18 They part my garments among them, And upon my vesture do they cast lots.
19 But be not thou far off, O Jehovah: O thou my succor, haste thee to help me.
20 Deliver my soul from the sword, My darling from the power of the dog.
21 Save me from the lion's mouth; Yea, from the horns of the wild-oxen thou hast answered me.
22 I will declare thy name unto my brethren: In the midst of the assembly will I praise thee.
23 Ye 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.
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.
25 Of thee cometh my praise in the great assembly: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.
26 The meek shall eat and be satisfied; They shall praise Jehovah that seek after him: Let your heart live for ever.
27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn unto Jehovah; And all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.
28 For the kingdom is Jehovah's; And he is the ruler over the nations.
29 All 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.
30 A seed shall serve him; It shall be told of the Lord unto the `next' generation.
31 They 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.
1 To the Overseer, on `The Hind of the Morning.' -- A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me? Far from my salvation, The words of my roaring?
2 My God, I call by day, and Thou answerest not, And by night, and there is no silence to me.
3 And Thou `art' holy, Sitting -- the Praise of Israel.
4 In Thee did our fathers trust -- they trusted, And Thou dost deliver them.
5 Unto Thee they cried, and were delivered, In Thee they trusted, and were not ashamed.
6 And I `am' a worm, and no man, A reproach of man, and despised of the people.
7 All beholding me do mock at me, They make free with the lip -- shake the head,
8 `Roll unto Jehovah, He doth deliver him, He doth deliver him, for he delighted in him.'
9 For thou `art' He bringing me forth from the womb, Causing me to trust, On the breasts of my mother.
10 On Thee I have been cast from the womb, From the belly of my mother Thou `art' my God.
11 Be not far from me, For adversity is near, for there is no helper.
12 Many bulls have surrounded me, Mighty ones of Bashan have compassed me,
13 They have opened against me their mouth, A lion tearing and roaring.
14 As waters I have been poured out, And separated themselves have all my bones, My heart hath been like wax, It is melted in the midst of my bowels.
15 Dried up as an earthen vessel is my power, And my tongue is cleaving to my jaws.
16 And to the dust of death thou appointest me, For surrounded me have dogs, A company of evil doers have compassed me, Piercing my hands and my feet.
17 I count all my bones -- they look expectingly, They look upon me,
18 They apportion my garments to themselves, And for my clothing they cause a lot to fall.
19 And Thou, O Jehovah, be not far off, O my strength, to help me haste.
20 Deliver from the sword my soul, From the paw of a dog mine only one.
21 Save me from the mouth of a lion: -- And -- from the horns of the high places Thou hast answered me!
22 I declare Thy name to my brethren, In the midst of the assembly I praise Thee.
23 Ye who fear Jehovah, praise ye Him, All the seed of Jacob, honour ye Him, And be afraid of Him, all ye seed of Israel.
24 For He hath not despised, nor abominated, The affliction of the afflicted, Nor hath He hidden His face from him, And in his crying unto Him He heareth.
25 Of Thee my praise `is' in the great assembly. My vows I complete before His fearers.
26 The humble do eat and are satisfied, Praise Jehovah do those seeking Him, Your heart doth live for ever.
27 Remember and return unto Jehovah, Do all ends of the earth, And before Thee bow themselves, Do all families of the nations,
28 For to Jehovah `is' the kingdom, And He is ruling among nations.
29 And the fat ones of earth have eaten, And they bow themselves, Before Him bow do all going down to dust, And he `who' hath not revived his soul.
30 A seed doth serve Him, It is declared of the Lord to the generation.
31 They come and declare His righteousness, To a people that is borne, that He hath made!
1 {To the chief Musician. Upon Aijeleth-Shahar. A Psalm of David.} My ùGod, my ùGod, why hast thou forsaken me? [why art thou] far from my salvation, from the words of my groaning?
2 My God, I cry by day, and thou answerest not; and by night, and there is no rest for me:
3 And thou art holy, thou that dwellest amid the praises of Israel.
4 Our fathers confided in thee: they confided, and thou didst deliver them.
5 They cried unto thee, and were delivered; they confided in thee, and were not confounded.
6 But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and the despised of the people.
7 All they that see me laugh me to scorn; they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, [saying:]
8 Commit it to Jehovah -- let him rescue him; let him deliver him, because he delighteth in him!
9 But thou art he that took me out of the womb; thou didst make me trust, upon my mother's breasts.
10 I was cast upon thee from the womb; thou art my ùGod from my mother's belly.
11 Be not far from me, for trouble is near; for there is none to help.
12 Many bulls have encompassed me; Bashan's strong ones have beset me round.
13 They gape upon me with their mouth, [as] a ravening and a roaring lion.
14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is become like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.
15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue cleaveth to my palate; and thou hast laid me in the dust of death.
16 For dogs have encompassed me; an assembly of evil-doers have surrounded me: they pierced my hands and my feet.
17 I may count all my bones. They look, they stare upon me;
18 They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.
19 But thou, Jehovah, be not far [from me]; O my strength, haste thee to help me.
20 Deliver my soul from the sword; my only one from the power of the dog;
21 Save me from the lion's mouth. Yea, from the horns of the buffaloes hast thou answered me.
22 I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.
23 Ye that fear Jehovah, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and revere him, all ye the seed of Israel.
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.
25 My praise is from thee, in the great congregation; I will pay my vows before them that fear him.
26 The meek shall eat and be satisfied; they shall praise Jehovah that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.
27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn unto Jehovah, and all the families of the nations shall worship before thee:
28 For the kingdom is Jehovah's, and he ruleth among the nations.
29 All the fat ones of the earth shall eat and worship; all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him, and he that cannot keep alive his own soul.
30 A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.
31 They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done [it].
1 > My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning?
2 My God, I cry in the daytime, but you don't answer; In the night season, and am not silent.
3 But you are holy, You who inhabit the praises of Israel.
4 Our fathers trusted in you. They trusted, and you delivered them.
5 They cried to you, and were delivered. They trusted in you, and were not disappointed.
6 But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people.
7 All 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."
9 But you brought me out of the womb. You made me trust at my mother's breasts.
10 I was thrown on you from my mother's womb. You are my God since my mother bore me.
11 Don't be far from me, for trouble is near. For there is none to help.
12 Many bulls have surrounded me. Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me.
13 They open their mouths wide against me, Lions tearing prey and roaring.
14 I am poured out like water. All my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax; It is melted within me.
15 My 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.
16 For dogs have surrounded me. A company of evil-doers have enclosed me. They pierced my hands and my feet.
17 I can count all of my bones. They look and stare at me.
18 They divide my garments among them. They cast lots for my clothing.
19 But don't be far off, Yahweh. You are my help: hurry to help me.
20 Deliver my soul from the sword, My precious life from the power of the dog.
21 Save me from the lion's mouth; Yes, from the horns of the wild oxen you have answered me.
22 I will declare your name to my brothers. In the midst of the assembly, I will praise you.
23 You who fear Yahweh, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, glorify him! Stand in awe of him, all you descendants of Israel!
24 For 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.
25 Of you comes my praise in the great assembly. I will pay my vows before those who fear him.
26 The humble shall eat and be satisfied. They shall praise Yahweh who seek after him. Let your hearts live forever.
27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to Yahweh. All the relatives of the nations shall worship before you.
28 For the kingdom is Yahweh's. He is the ruler over the nations.
29 All 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.
30 Posterity shall serve him. Future generations shall be told about the Lord.
31 They shall come and shall declare his righteousness to a people that shall be born, For he has done it.
1 <To the chief music-maker on Aijeleth-hash-shahar. A Psalm. Of David.> My God, my God, why are you turned away from me? why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my crying?
2 O my God, I make my cry in the day, and you give no answer; and in the night, and have no rest.
3 But you are holy, O you who are seated among the praises of Israel.
4 Our fathers had faith in you: they had faith and you were their saviour.
5 They sent up their cry to you and were made free: they put their faith in you and were not put to shame.
6 But I am a worm and not a man; cursed by men, and looked down on by the people.
7 I am laughed at by all those who see me: pushing out their lips and shaking their heads they say,
8 He put his faith in the Lord; let the Lord be his saviour now: let the Lord be his saviour, because he had delight in him.
9 But it was you who took care of me from the day of my birth: you gave me faith even from my mother's breasts.
10 I was in your hands even before my birth; you are my God from the time when I was in my mother's body.
11 Be not far from me, for trouble is near; there is no one to give help.
12 A great herd of oxen is round me: I am shut in by the strong oxen of Bashan.
13 I saw their mouths wide open, like lions crying after food.
14 I am flowing away like water, and all my bones are out of place: my heart is like wax, it has become soft in my body.
15 My throat is dry like a broken vessel; my tongue is fixed to the roof of my mouth, and the dust of death is on my lips.
16 Dogs have come round me: I am shut in by the band of evil-doers; they made wounds in my hands and feet.
17 I am able to see all my bones; their looks are fixed on me:
18 They make a division of my robes among them, by the decision of chance they take my clothing.
19 Do not be far from me, O Lord: O my strength, come quickly to my help.
20 Make my soul safe from the sword, my life from the power of the dog.
21 Be my saviour from the lion's mouth; let me go free from the horns of the cruel oxen.
22 I will give the knowledge of your name to my brothers: I will give you praise among the people.
23 You who have fear of the Lord, give him praise; all you seed of Jacob, give him glory; go in fear of him, all you seed of Israel.
24 For he has not been unmoved by the pain of him who is troubled; or kept his face covered from him; but he has given an answer to his cry.
25 My praise will be of you in the great meeting: I will make my offerings before his worshippers.
26 The poor will have a feast of good things: those who make search for the Lord will give him praise: your heart will have life for ever.
27 All the ends of the earth will keep it in mind and be turned to the Lord: all the families of the nations will give him worship.
28 For the kingdom is the Lord's; he is the ruler among the nations.
29 All the fat ones of the earth will give him worship; all those who go down to the dust will make themselves low before him, even he who has not enough for the life of his soul.
30 A seed will be his servant; the doings of the Lord will be made clear to the generation which comes after.
31 They will come and make his righteousness clear to a people of the future because he has done this.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on Psalms 22
Commentary on Psalms 22 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
Eli Eli Lama Asabtani
We have here a plaintive Psalm, whose deep complaints, out of the midst of the most humiliating degradation and most fearful peril, stand in striking contrast to the cheerful tone of Psalms 21:1-13 - starting with a disconsolate cry of anguish, it passes on to a trustful cry for help, and ends in vows of thanksgiving and a vision of world-wide results, which spring from the deliverance of the sufferer. In no Psalm do we trace such an accumulation of the most excruciating outward and inward suffering pressing upon the complainant, in connection the most perfect innocence. In this respect Ps 69 is its counterpart; but it differs from it in this particular, that there is not a single sound of imprecation mingled with its complaints.
It is David, who here struggles upward out of the gloomiest depth to such a bright height. It is a Davidic Psalm belonging to the time of the persecution by Saul. Ewald brings it down to the time preceding the destruction of Jerusalem, and Bauer to the time of the Exile. Ewald says it is not now possible to trace the poet more exactly. And Maurer closes by saying: illue unum equidem pro certo habeo, fuisse vatem hominem opibus praeditum atque illustrem, qui magna auctoritate valeret non solum apud suos, verum etiam apud barbaros . Hitzig persists in his view, that Jeremiah composed the first portion when cast into prison as an apostate, and the second portion in the court of the prison, when placed under this milder restraint. And according to Olshausen, even here again, the whole is appropriate to the time of the Maccabees. But it seems to us to be confirmed at every point, that David, who was so persecuted by Saul, is the author. The cry of prayer אל־תרחק (Psalms 22:12, Psalms 22:20; Psalms 35:22; Psalms 38:22, borrowed in Psalms 71:12); the name given to the soul, יחידה (Psalms 22:21; Psalms 35:17); the designation of quiet and resignation by דומיה (Psalms 22:3; Psalms 39:3; Psalms 62:2, cf. Psalms 65:2), are all regarded by us, since we do not limit the genuine Davidic Psalms to Psalms 3:1 as Hitzig does, as Davidic idioms. Moreover, there is no lack of points of contact in other respects with genuine old Davidic hymns (cf. Psalms 22:30 with Psalms 28:1, those that go down to the dust, to the grave; then in later Psalms as in Psalms 143:7, in Isaiah and Ezekiel), and more especially those belonging to the time of Saul, as Ps 69 (cf. Psalms 22:27 with Psalms 69:33) and Ps 59 (cf. Psalms 22:17 with Psalms 59:15). To the peculiar characteristics of the Psalms of this period belong the figures taken from animals, which are heaped up in the Psalm before us. The fact that Ps 22 is an ancient Davidic original is also confirmed by the parallel passages in the later literature of the Shı̂r (Psalms 71:5. taken from Psalms 22:10.; Psalms 102:18. in imitation Psalms 22:25, Psalms 22:31.), of the Chokma (Proverbs 16:3, גּל אל־ה taken from Psalms 22:9; Psalms 37:5), and of prophecy (Isaiah, Isaiah 49:1, Isaiah 53:1; Jeremiah, in Lamentations 4:4; cf. Psalms 22:15, and many other similar instances). In spite of these echoes in the later literature there are still some expressions that remain unique in the Psalm and are not found elsewhere, as the hapaxlegomena אילוּת and ענוּת . Thus, then, we entertain no doubts respecting the truth of the לדוד . David speaks in this Psalm, - he and not any other, and that out of his own inmost being. In accordance with the nature of lyric poetry, the Psalm has grown up on the soil of his individual life and his individual sensibilities.
There is also in reality in the history of David, when persecuted by Saul, a situation which may have given occasion to the lifelike picture drawn in this Psalm, viz., 1 Samuel 23:25. The detailed circumstances of the distress at that time are not known to us, but they certainly did not coincide with the rare and terrible sufferings depicted in this Psalm in such a manner that these can be regarded as an historically faithful and literally exact copy of those circumstances; cf. on the other hand Psalms 17:1-15 which was composed at the same period. To just as slight a degree have the prospects, which he connects in this Psalm with his deliverance, been realised in David's own life. On the other hand, the first portion exactly coincides with the sufferings of Jesus Christ, and the second with the results that have sprung from His resurrection. It is the agonising situation of the Crucified One which is presented before our eyes in Psalms 22:15 with such artistic faithfulness: the spreading out of the limbs of the naked body, the torturing pain in hands and feet, and the burning thirst which the Redeemer, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled, announced in the cry διψῶ , John 19:28. Those who blaspheme and those who shake their head at Him passed by His cross, Matthew 27:39, just as Psalms 22:8 says; scoffers cried out to Him: let the God in whom He trusts help Him, Matthew 27:43, just as Psalms 22:9 says; His garments were divided and lots were cast for His coat, John 19:23., in order that Psalms 22:19 of our Psalm might be fulfilled. The fourth of the seven sayings of the dying One, Ἠελί, Ἠελί κ. τ. λ . , Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34, is the first word of our Psalm and the appropriation of the whole. And the Epistle to the Hebrews, Hebrews 2:11., cites Psalms 22:23 as the words of Christ, to show that He is not ashamed to call them brethren, whose sanctifier God has appointed Him to be, just as the risen Redeemer actually has done, Matthew 28:10; John 20:17. This has by no means exhausted the list of mutual relationships. The Psalm so vividly sets before us not merely the sufferings of the Crucified One, but also the salvation of the world arising out of His resurrection and its sacramental efficacy, that it seems more like history than prophecy, ut non tam prophetia, quam historia videatur (Cassiodorus). Accordingly the ancient Church regarded Christ, not David, as the speaker in this Psalm; and condemned Theodore of Mopsuestia who expounded it as contemporary history. Bakius expresses the meaning of the older Lutheran expositors when he says: asserimus, hunc Psalmum ad literam primo, proprie et absque ulla allegoria, tropologia et ἀναγωῇ integrum et per omnia de solo Christo exponendum esse . Even the synagogue, so far as it recognises a suffering Messiah, hears Him speak here; and takes the “hind of the morning” as a name of the Shechı̂na and as a symbol of the dawning redemption.
To ourselves, who regard the whole Psalm as the words of David, it does not thereby lose anything whatever of its prophetic character. It is a typical Psalm. The same God who communicates His thoughts of redemption to the mind of men, and there causes them to develop into the word of prophetic announcement, has also moulded the history itself into a prefiguring representation of the future deliverance; and the evidence for the truth of Christianity which is derived from this factual prophecy ( Thatweissagung ) is as grand as that derived from the verbal prediction ( Wortweissagung ). That David, the anointed of Samuel, before he ascended the throne, had to traverse a path of suffering which resembles the suffering path of Jesus, the Son of David, baptized of John, and that this typical suffering of David is embodied for us in the Psalms as in the images reflected from a mirror, is an arrangement of divine power, mercy, and wisdom. But Ps 22 is not merely a typical Psalm. For in the very nature of the type is involved the distance between it and the antitype. In Ps 22, however, David descends, with his complaint, into a depth that lies beyond the depth of his affliction, and rises, with his hopes, to a height that lies far beyond the height of the reward of his affliction. In other words: the rhetorical figure hyperbole (Arab. mubâlgt , i.e., depiction, with colours thickly laid on), without which, in the eyes of the Semite, poetic diction would be flat and faded, is here made use of by the Spirit of God. By this Spirit the hyperbolic element is changed into the prophetic. This elevation of the typical into the prophetic is also capable of explanation on psychological grounds. Since David has been anointed with the oil of royal consecration, and at the same time with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the kingship of promise, he regards himself also as the messiah of God, towards whom the promises point; and by virtue of this view of himself, in the light of the highest calling in connection with the redemptive history, the historical reality of his own experiences becomes idealised to him, and thereby both what he experiences and what he hopes for acquire a depth and height of background which stretches out into the history of the final and true Christ of God. We do not by this maintain any overflowing of his own consciousness to that of the future Christ, an opinion which has been shown by Hengstenberg, Tholuck and Kurtz to be psychologically impossible. But what we say is, that looking upon himself as the Christ of God, - to express it in the light of the historical fulfilment, - he looks upon himself in Jesus Christ. He does not distinguish himself from the Future One, but in himself he sees the Future One, whose image does not free itself from him till afterwards, and whose history will coincide with all that is excessive in his own utterances. For as God the Father moulds the history of Jesus Christ in accordance with His own counsel, so His Spirit moulds even the utterances of David concerning himself the type of the Future One, with a view to that history. Through this Spirit, who is the Spirit of God and of the future Christ at the same time, David's typical history, as he describes it in the Psalms and more especially in this Psalm, acquires that ideal depth of tone, brilliancy, and power, by virtue of which it (the history) reaches far beyond its typical facts, penetrates to its very root in the divine counsels, and grows to be the word of prophecy: so that, to a certain extent, it may rightly be said that Christ here speaks through David, insofar as the Spirit of Christ speaks through him, and makes the typical suffering of His ancestor the medium for the representation of His own future sufferings. Without recognising this incontestable relation of the matter Ps 22 cannot be understood nor can we fully enter into its sentiments.
The inscription runs: To the precentor, upon (after) the hind of the morning's dawn, a Psalm of David . Luther, with reference to the fact that Jesus was taken in the night and brought before the Sanhedrim, renders it “of the hind, that is early chased,” for
Patris Sapientia, Veritas divina,
Deus homo captus est horâ matutinâ .