Psalms Chapter 22 (KJV)
Psalms 22
Suffering and AbandonmentTrust in God's FaithfulnessMessianic ProphecyUniversal WorshipGod's Deliverance
[To the chief Musician upon Aijeleth Shahar, A Psalm of David.] My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? {why art thou so} far from helping me, {and from} the words of my roaring? {Aijeleth...: or, the hind of the morning} {helping...: Heb. my salvation}
O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent. {am...: Heb. there is no silence to me}
But thou {art} holy, {O thou} that inhabitest the praises of Israel.
Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.
They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.
But I {am} a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.
All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, {saying}, {shoot...: Heb. open}
He trusted on the LORD {that} he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him. {He trusted...: Heb. He rolled himself on} {seeing...: or, if he delight in}
But thou {art} he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope {when I was} upon my mother's breasts. {didst...: or, kept me in safety}
I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou {art} my God from my mother's belly.
Be not far from me; for trouble {is} near; for {there is} none to help. {none...: Heb. not a helper}
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. {gaped...: Heb. opened their mouths against me}
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. {out of...: or, sundered}
My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.
For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.
I may tell all my bones: they look {and} stare upon me.
They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.
But be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me.
Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog. {my darling: Heb. my only one} {power: Heb. hand}
Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.
I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.
Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.
For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.
My praise {shall be} of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.
The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.
All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.
For the kingdom {is} the LORD'S: and he {is} the governor among the nations.
All {they that be} fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.
A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.
They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done {this}.
Context & Meaning
Psalm 22 begins with David's cry of feeling abandoned by God, progresses through expressions of trust in God's faithfulness, contains striking prophecies foreshadowing Christ's crucifixion, and concludes with a triumphant declaration of God's universal reign and salvation.