Psalm 22
Why have you abandoned me?
WHY HAVE YOU ABANDONED ME?
For the Chief Musician; set to “The Doe of the Morning.” A Psalm by David.
VERSE 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?
why have you forsaken me? Have you ever felt forsaken by God? If so, you are not alone. On the cross, the Lord Jesus himself felt forsaken by God the Father. Read more »
VERSE 2. My God, I cry in the daytime, but you don’t answer; in the night season, and am not silent.
VERSE 3. But you are holy, you who inhabit the praises of Israel.
you are holy. David finds inspiration in the holiness of God.
VERSE 4. Our fathers trusted in you. They trusted, and you delivered them.
VERSE 5. They cried to you, and were delivered. They trusted in you, and were not disappointed.
VERSE 6. But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised by the people.
VERSE 7. All those who see me mock me. They insult me with their lips. They shake their heads, saying,
All those who see me mock me. They mocking his faith since the Lord was not rescuing him.
VERSE 8. “He trusts in the LORD. Let him deliver him. Let him rescue him, since he delights in him.”
VERSE 9. But you brought me out of the womb. You made me trust while at my mother’s breasts.
VERSE 10. I was thrown on you from my mother’s womb. You are my God since my mother bore me.
VERSE 11. Don’t be far from me, for trouble is near. For there is no one to help.
VERSE 12. Many bulls have surrounded me. Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me.
Strong bulls. David compares his enemies to cruel and insensitive beasts who would destroy him.
bulls of Bashan. These were well-fed cattle.
VERSE 13. They open their mouths wide against me, lions tearing prey and roaring.
VERSE 14. I am poured out like water. All my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax; it is melted within me.
VERSE 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.
VERSE 16. For dogs have surrounded me. A company of evildoers have enclosed me. They have pierced my hands and feet.
They have pierced my hands and feet. This happened to the Lord Jesus Christ. They pounded nails through his hands and feet.
VERSE 17. I can count all of my bones. They look and stare at me.
VERSE 18. They divide my garments among them. They cast lots for my clothing.
They cast lots for my clothing. This happened to the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who crucified him cast lots for his garment.
Sometimes people in the Bible made decisions by casting lots. That is, by rolling dice. Dice give a yes-or-no answer. Read more »
VERSE 19. But don’t be far off, LORD. You are my help: hurry to help me.
VERSE 20. Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog.
VERSE 21. Save me from the lion’s mouth! Yes, from the horns of the wild oxen, you have answered me.
you have answered me. David is confident that God has already heard his prayer. So David switches from asking in prayer to thanking and praising in prayer.
VERSE 22. I will declare your name to my brothers. Among the assembly, I will praise you.
VERSE 23. You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, glorify him! Stand in awe of him, all you descendants of Israel!
VERSE 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.
VERSE 25. My praise of you comes in the great assembly. I will pay my vows before those who fear him.
VERSE 26. The humble shall eat and be satisfied. They shall praise the LORD who seek after him. Let your hearts live forever.
Let your hearts live forever. That is, “do not give up.”
VERSE 27. All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD. All the relatives of the nations shall worship before you.
All the ends of the earth shall … turn to the LORD. The Old Testament foresees Gentiles coming to faith in the One God of Israel and bringing gifts to Jerusalem. Here are the key Bible verses about this »
VERSE 28. For the kingdom is the LORD’s. He is the ruler over the nations.
VERSE 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.
VERSE 30. Posterity shall serve him. Future generations shall be told about the Lord.
Future generations shall be told about the Lord. One generation mentors the next generation in the faith. This is a wonderful instance of the ministry of discipleship right here in the Old Testament.
VERSE 31. They shall come and shall declare his righteousness to a people that shall be born, for he has done it.
PSALMS
CHAPTERS: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150
Deuterocanonical chapter: 151
RESOURCES: Summary, Outline, Memorize, David’s Fasting
Unless otherwise noted, all Bible quotations on this page are from the World English Bible and the World Messianic Edition. These translations have no copyright restrictions. They are in the Public Domain.