Chapter 22
Themes, discussion questions, Christ connections, and denomination lenses.
Just read this chapter →Scripture
KJV1My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?
2O my God, I cry in the day time, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.
3But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.
4Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.
5They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.
6But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.
7All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,
8He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.
9But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother’s breasts.
10I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother’s belly.
11Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.
12Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.
13They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.
14I 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.
15My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.
16For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.
17I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.
18They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.
19But be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me.
20Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.
21Save me from the lion’s mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.
22I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.
23Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.
24For 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.
25My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.
26The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.
27All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.
28For the kingdom is the LORD’s: and he is the governor among the nations.
29All 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.
30A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.
31They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.
“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?”
Overview
Psalm 22 begins with the anguished cry 'My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?' — words Jesus spoke from the cross. David describes being scorned, mocked, and surrounded by enemies who pierce his hands and feet, stare at him, and cast lots for his garments. He feels poured out like water, his bones are out of joint, and his heart melts like wax. Yet the psalm turns dramatically: God has not despised the affliction of the afflicted. The sufferer vows to declare God's name and praise Him in the congregation. The psalm ends with a vision of all nations worshipping the LORD and future generations being told of His righteousness.
Key Themes
The Cry of Forsakenness
The psalm begins with the deepest possible spiritual anguish — the feeling of being utterly abandoned by God, yet the cry itself is directed to God.
Prophetic Detail of the Crucifixion
The psalm describes pierced hands and feet, divided garments, encircling enemies, and extreme physical suffering — details fulfilled precisely at Calvary.
From Suffering to Universal Praise
The psalm does not end in despair but erupts into praise that extends to all nations, all generations, and even those not yet born — suffering leads to global redemption.
Study Questions
Why did Jesus quote this psalm's opening words on the cross (Matthew 27:46)? Was He expressing despair or something deeper?
How do the specific details of this psalm — pierced hands and feet (v. 16), divided garments (v. 18), bones out of joint (v. 14) — correspond to the crucifixion?
What is the significance of the dramatic turn from anguish (vv. 1-21) to praise (vv. 22-31)?
How does the universal scope of the ending (vv. 27-31) reveal the purpose behind the suffering?
What does it mean that 'a seed shall serve him' and it 'shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation' (v. 30)?
Connection to Christ
Psalm 22 is the most detailed prophecy of the crucifixion in the Old Testament, written approximately 1,000 years before Christ. Jesus deliberately quoted its opening line to identify Himself with this psalm. Every detail — the mocking, the piercing, the thirst, the casting of lots — was fulfilled at Calvary. The psalm's turn to praise prefigures the resurrection and the gospel's spread to all nations.
Personal Reflection
Take time to journal or meditate on what God is teaching you through Psalms 22. How can these truths transform your thinking and actions today?