Psalm 22: From Deep Lament to Public Praise

22:1 My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? I groan in prayer, but help seems far away. 22:2 My God, I cry out during the day, but you do not answer, and during the night my prayers do not let up. 22:3 You are holy; you sit as king receiving the praises of Israel. 22:4 In you our ancestors trusted; they trusted in you and you rescued them. 22:5 To you they cried out, and they were saved; in you they trusted and they were not disappointed. 22:6 But I am a worm, not a man; people insult me and despise me. 22:7 All who see me taunt me; they mock me and shake their heads. 22:8 They say, “Commit yourself to the Lord! Let the Lord rescue him! Let the Lord deliver him, for he delights in him.” 22:9 Yes, you are the one who brought me out from the womb and made me feel secure on my mother’s breasts. 22:10 I have been dependent on you since birth; from the time I came out of my mother’s womb you have been my God. 22:11 Do not remain far away from me, for trouble is near and I have no one to help me. 22:12 Many bulls surround me; powerful bulls of Bashan hem me in. 22:13 They open their mouths to devour me like a roaring lion that rips its prey. 22:14 My strength drains away like water; all my bones are dislocated; my heart is like wax; it melts away inside me. 22:15 The roof of my mouth is as dry as a piece of pottery; my tongue sticks to my gums. You set me in the dust of death. 22:16 Yes, wild dogs surround me – a gang of evil men crowd around me; like a lion they pin my hands and feet. 22:17 I can count all my bones; my enemies are gloating over me in triumph. 22:18 They are dividing up my clothes among themselves; they are rolling dice for my garments. 22:19 But you, O Lord, do not remain far away! You are my source of strength! Hurry and help me! 22:20 Deliver me from the sword! Save my life from the claws of the wild dogs! 22:21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lion, and from the horns of the wild oxen! You have answered me! 22:22 I will declare your name to my countrymen! In the middle of the assembly I will praise you! 22:23 You loyal followers of the Lord, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! All you descendants of Israel, stand in awe of him! 22:24 For he did not despise or detest the suffering of the oppressed; he did not ignore him; when he cried out to him, he responded. 22:25 You are the reason I offer praise in the great assembly; I will fulfill my promises before the Lord’s loyal followers. 22:26 Let the oppressed eat and be filled! Let those who seek his help praise the Lord! May you live forever! 22:27 Let all the people of the earth acknowledge the Lord and turn to him! Let all the nations worship you! 22:28 For the Lord is king and rules over the nations. 22:29 All of the thriving people of the earth will join the celebration and worship; all those who are descending into the grave will bow before him, including those who cannot preserve their lives. 22:30 A whole generation will serve him; they will tell the next generation about the sovereign Lord. 22:31 They will come and tell about his saving deeds; they will tell a future generation what he has accomplished. Psalm 23 A psalm of David.

Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible®, copyright ©1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.

Psalm 22 begins with a cry of abandonment and moves through shame, danger, and distress. The sufferer still calls on the holy God who helped the fathers before him. The psalm then turns from lament to thanksgiving, and finally outward to praise for the Lord’s kingship among Israel and the nations.

The psalm opens with painful words: “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” The speaker keeps praying, even when help seems far away. Yet he does not stop trusting that God is holy and faithful. He remembers that the fathers trusted the Lord and were rescued.

The middle of the psalm describes deep shame and danger. The speaker is mocked, despised, and surrounded by enemies. He uses strong images of bulls, lions, dogs, and wild oxen to show how threatened he is. His body is weak, and he feels close to death. Verse 16 is difficult in the Hebrew, so the exact detail should be handled carefully, but the basic picture of violent encirclement is clear.

Then the tone changes. The speaker asks God not to stay far away, and the psalm moves toward answered prayer. He promises to declare God’s name in the assembly and to praise him before the people. He calls Israel to honor the Lord because God did not despise the suffering one, but heard his cry.

The end of the psalm widens the view. The oppressed are called to eat and be filled. Those who seek the Lord are to praise him. The ends of the earth are called to remember, turn to the Lord, and worship him. The Lord is king over the nations. The psalm closes with a call for one generation to tell the next about God’s saving deeds.

• The psalm gives honest words for deep suffering and felt abandonment.
• Calling God “my God” shows that the lament comes from within covenant faith.
• God’s holiness and past help to the fathers are the basis for hope.
• The speaker is mocked, shamed, and threatened by powerful enemies.
• The psalm moves from lament to thanksgiving and public praise.
• Deliverance should lead to testimony in the gathered assembly.
• The Lord’s kingship extends beyond Israel to the nations.
• Verse 16 is textually difficult, so details should be stated with caution.

• Warning: do not assume that suffering always means God has rejected his people.
• Warning: do not overbuild on the hard wording of verse 16.
• Warning: do not over-allegorize the animals, bodily images, or clothing scene.
• Promise: the Lord hears the afflicted and responds.
• Command: praise the Lord and honor him.
• Command: tell the next generation about his saving deeds.

Psalm 22 fits the pattern of righteous suffering followed by rescue and praise. In the wider Bible, this pattern is later applied to Jesus, so the psalm helps prepare for the Messiah. Still, the psalm must first be read in its own setting as a Davidic lament within Israel’s worship, where the rescued sufferer bears witness to the Lord’s saving rule.

Believers may bring real grief to God without hiding it. When God seems far away, prayer is still right. Mockery and suffering are not automatic proof that God has abandoned you. If the Lord answers and rescues, give him public thanks. Tell others what he has done, and let that praise point beyond your own life to the Lord who rules over all.

• Lite Commentary
• In-depth Commentary