PSALM 22
THIS STUDY IS ON MY WEBSITE, UNDER GOD'S
FEASTS.
A Psalm of David
1. My God, my God. These are the very words uttered by the
Saviour when on the cross (Matt, xxvii. 46); and he evidently used
them as best adapted of all the words that could have been chosen
to express the extremity of his sorrow. The fact that he employed
them may be referred to as some evidence that the psalm was
designed to refer to him; though it must he admitted that this
circumstance is no conclusive proof of such a design, since he
might have used words having originally another reference, as
best fitted to express his own sufferings. The language is abrupt,
and is uttered. without any previous intimation of what would
produce or cause it. It comes from the midst of suffering—from
one enduring intense agony-—-as if a new form of sorrow
suddenly came upon him which he was unable to endure. That
new form of suffering was the feeling that now he was forsaken
by the last friend of the wretched,—God himself. We may
suppose that he had patiently borne all the other forms of trial, but
the moment the thought strikes him that he is forsaken of God, he
cries out in the bitterness of his soul, under the pressure of
anguish which is no longer to be borne. All other forms of
suffering he could bear. All others he had borne. But this crushes
him; overpowers him; is beyond all that the soul can sustain,—for
the soul may bear all else but this. It is to be observed, however,
that the sufferer himself still has confidence in God. He addresses
him as his God, though he seems to have forsaken him:—"My
God; MY God." Why hast thou forsaken me ? Why hast thou
abandoned me, or left me to myself, to suffer unaided and alone ?
s applicable to the Saviour, this refers to those dreadful moments
on the cross when, forsaken by men, he seemed also to be
forsaken of God himself. God did not interpose to rescue him, but
left him to bear those dreadful agonies alone. He bore the burden
of the world's atonement by himself. He was overwhelmed with
grief, and crushed with pain; for the sins of the world, as well as
the agonies of the cross, had come upon him. But there was
evidently more than this;—what more we are unable fully to
understand! There was a higher sense in which he was forsaken of
God; for no mere physical sufferings, no pains of dying even on
the cross, would have extorted this cry. If he had enjoyed the light
of his Father's countenance; if these had been merely physical
sufferings; if there was nothing else than what is apparent to our
view in the record of those sufferings, we cannot suppose that this
cry would have been heard even on the cross. There is evidently
some sense in which it was true that the dying Saviour was given
up to darkness—to mental trouble, to despair, as if He who is the
last hope of the suffering and the dying—the Father of mercies
—had withdrawn from him; as if he were personally a sinner; as if
he were himself guilty or blameworthy on account of the sins for
which he was making an expiation. In some sense he experienced
what the sinner will himself experience when, for his own sins, he
will be at last forsaken of God, and abandoned to despair. Every
word in this wonderful exclamation may he supposed to be
emphatic. "Why." What is the cause ? How is it to be accounted
for? What end is to be answered by it? "Hast thou." Thou, my
Father; thou, the comforter of those in trouble; thou, to whom the
suffering and the dying may look when all else fails. "Forsaken."
Left me to suffer alone withdrawn the light of thy countenance
---the comfort of thy presence--the joy of thy manifest favor. "Me"
Thy well-beloved Son; me, whom thou hast sent into
Saviour when on the cross (Matt, xxvii. 46); and he evidently used
them as best adapted of all the words that could have been chosen
to express the extremity of his sorrow. The fact that he employed
them may be referred to as some evidence that the psalm was
designed to refer to him; though it must he admitted that this
circumstance is no conclusive proof of such a design, since he
might have used words having originally another reference, as
best fitted to express his own sufferings. The language is abrupt,
and is uttered. without any previous intimation of what would
produce or cause it. It comes from the midst of suffering—from
one enduring intense agony-—-as if a new form of sorrow
suddenly came upon him which he was unable to endure. That
new form of suffering was the feeling that now he was forsaken
by the last friend of the wretched,—God himself. We may
suppose that he had patiently borne all the other forms of trial, but
the moment the thought strikes him that he is forsaken of God, he
cries out in the bitterness of his soul, under the pressure of
anguish which is no longer to be borne. All other forms of
suffering he could bear. All others he had borne. But this crushes
him; overpowers him; is beyond all that the soul can sustain,—for
the soul may bear all else but this. It is to be observed, however,
that the sufferer himself still has confidence in God. He addresses
him as his God, though he seems to have forsaken him:—"My
God; MY God." Why hast thou forsaken me ? Why hast thou
abandoned me, or left me to myself, to suffer unaided and alone ?
s applicable to the Saviour, this refers to those dreadful moments
on the cross when, forsaken by men, he seemed also to be
forsaken of God himself. God did not interpose to rescue him, but
left him to bear those dreadful agonies alone. He bore the burden
of the world's atonement by himself. He was overwhelmed with
grief, and crushed with pain; for the sins of the world, as well as
the agonies of the cross, had come upon him. But there was
evidently more than this;—what more we are unable fully to
understand! There was a higher sense in which he was forsaken of
God; for no mere physical sufferings, no pains of dying even on
the cross, would have extorted this cry. If he had enjoyed the light
of his Father's countenance; if these had been merely physical
sufferings; if there was nothing else than what is apparent to our
view in the record of those sufferings, we cannot suppose that this
cry would have been heard even on the cross. There is evidently
some sense in which it was true that the dying Saviour was given
up to darkness—to mental trouble, to despair, as if He who is the
last hope of the suffering and the dying—the Father of mercies
—had withdrawn from him; as if he were personally a sinner; as if
he were himself guilty or blameworthy on account of the sins for
which he was making an expiation. In some sense he experienced
what the sinner will himself experience when, for his own sins, he
will be at last forsaken of God, and abandoned to despair. Every
word in this wonderful exclamation may he supposed to be
emphatic. "Why." What is the cause ? How is it to be accounted
for? What end is to be answered by it? "Hast thou." Thou, my
Father; thou, the comforter of those in trouble; thou, to whom the
suffering and the dying may look when all else fails. "Forsaken."
Left me to suffer alone withdrawn the light of thy countenance
---the comfort of thy presence--the joy of thy manifest favor. "Me"
Thy well-beloved Son; me, whom thou hast sent into
the world to accomplish thine own work in redeeming man; me,
against whom, no sin can be charged, whose life has been perfectly
pure and holy;—why, now, in the extremity of these sufferings,
hast thou forsaken me, and added to the agony of the cross the
deeper agony of being abandoned by the God whom I love, the
Father who loved me before the foundation of the world, John xvii.
24. There is a reason why God should forsake the wicked; but why
should he forsake his own pure and holy Son in the agonies of
death ? Why art thou so far from helping me ? Marg., from my
salvation. So the Hebrew. The idea is that of one who stood so far
off that he could not hear the cry, or that he could not reach out the
hand to deliver. Comp. Ps. x. 1. And from the words of my roaring.
The word here used properly denotes the roaring of a lion, Job iv.
10; Isa. v. 29; Zech. xi. 3; and then the outcry or the groaning of a
person in great pain, Job iii. 24; Ps. xxxii. 3. It refers here to a loud
cry for help or deliverance, and is descriptive of the intense
suffering of the Redeemer on the cross. Comp. Matt, xxvii. 50;
Luke xxiii. 46.
2. O my God, I cry in the daytime. This, in connexion with what is
said at the close of the verse, "and in the night-season," means
that his cry was incessant or constant. See Notes on Ps. i. 2. The
whole expression denotes that his prayer or cry was continuous
but that it was not heard. As applicable to the Redeemer it refers
not merely to the moment when he uttered the cry as stated in
verse. 1, but to the continuous sufferings which he endured as if
forsaken by God and men. His life in general was of that
description. The whole series of sorrows and trials through which
he passed was as if he were forsaken by God; as if he uttered a
long continuous cry, day and night, and was not heard. But thou
hearest not. Thou dost not answer me. It is as if my prayers were
not heard. God hears every cry; but the answer to a prayer is
sometimes withheld or delayed, as if he did not hear the voice of
the suppliant. So it was with the Redeemer. He was permitted to
suffer without being rescued by Divine power, as if his prayers
had not been heard. God seemed to disregard his supplications
And in the night-season. As explained above, this means
constantly. It was literally true, however, that the Redeemer's
most intense and earnest prayer was uttered in the night-season, in
the garden of Gethsemane. And am not silent. Marg., there is no
silence to me. Heb., "There is not silence to me." The idea is, that
he prayed or cried incessantly. He was never silent. All this
denotes intense and continuous supplication, supplication that
came from the deepest anguish of the soul, but which was unheard
and unanswered. If Christ experienced this, who may not ?
said at the close of the verse, "and in the night-season," means
that his cry was incessant or constant. See Notes on Ps. i. 2. The
whole expression denotes that his prayer or cry was continuous
but that it was not heard. As applicable to the Redeemer it refers
not merely to the moment when he uttered the cry as stated in
verse. 1, but to the continuous sufferings which he endured as if
forsaken by God and men. His life in general was of that
description. The whole series of sorrows and trials through which
he passed was as if he were forsaken by God; as if he uttered a
long continuous cry, day and night, and was not heard. But thou
hearest not. Thou dost not answer me. It is as if my prayers were
not heard. God hears every cry; but the answer to a prayer is
sometimes withheld or delayed, as if he did not hear the voice of
the suppliant. So it was with the Redeemer. He was permitted to
suffer without being rescued by Divine power, as if his prayers
had not been heard. God seemed to disregard his supplications
And in the night-season. As explained above, this means
constantly. It was literally true, however, that the Redeemer's
most intense and earnest prayer was uttered in the night-season, in
the garden of Gethsemane. And am not silent. Marg., there is no
silence to me. Heb., "There is not silence to me." The idea is, that
he prayed or cried incessantly. He was never silent. All this
denotes intense and continuous supplication, supplication that
came from the deepest anguish of the soul, but which was unheard
and unanswered. If Christ experienced this, who may not ?
3. But thou art holy. Thou art righteous and blameless. This
indicates that the sufferer had still unwavering confidence in God
Though his prayer seemed not to be heard, and though he was not
delivered, he was not disposed to blame God. He believed that
God was righteous, though he received no answer; he doubted not
that there was some sufficient reason why he was not answered.
This is applicable, not only to the Redeemer, in whom it was
most fully illustrated, but also to the people of God everywhere.
indicates that the sufferer had still unwavering confidence in God
Though his prayer seemed not to be heard, and though he was not
delivered, he was not disposed to blame God. He believed that
God was righteous, though he received no answer; he doubted not
that there was some sufficient reason why he was not answered.
This is applicable, not only to the Redeemer, in whom it was
most fully illustrated, but also to the people of God everywhere.
It expresses a state of mind such as all true believers in God have
—confidence in him, whatever may he their trials; confidence in
him, though the answer to their prayers may be long delayed;
confidence in him, though their prayers should seem to be
unanswered. O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. That
dwellest where praise is celebrated; that seemest to dwell in the
midst of praises. The language here refers to the praises offered in
the tabernacle or temple. God was supposed to dwell there, and he
was surrounded by those who praised him. The sufferer looks upon
him as worshipped by the multitude of his people; and the feeling
of his heart is, that though he was himself a sufferer—a great and
apparently unpitied sufferer—though he, by his afflictions, was not
permitted to unite in those lofty praises, yet he could own that God
was worthy of all those songs, and that it was proper that they
should be addressed to him.
—confidence in him, whatever may he their trials; confidence in
him, though the answer to their prayers may be long delayed;
confidence in him, though their prayers should seem to be
unanswered. O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. That
dwellest where praise is celebrated; that seemest to dwell in the
midst of praises. The language here refers to the praises offered in
the tabernacle or temple. God was supposed to dwell there, and he
was surrounded by those who praised him. The sufferer looks upon
him as worshipped by the multitude of his people; and the feeling
of his heart is, that though he was himself a sufferer—a great and
apparently unpitied sufferer—though he, by his afflictions, was not
permitted to unite in those lofty praises, yet he could own that God
was worthy of all those songs, and that it was proper that they
should be addressed to him.
4. Our fathers trusted in thee. This is a plea of the sufferer as
drawn from the character which God had manifested in former
times. The argument is, that he had interposed in those times
when his people in trouble had called upon him ; and he now
pleads with God that he would manifest himself to them in the
same way. The argument derives additional force also from the
idea that he who now pleads was descended from them, or was of
the same nation and people, and that he might call them his
ancestors. As applicable to the Redeemer, the argument is that he
was descended from those holy and suffering men who had trusted
in God, and in whose behalf God had so often interposed. He
identifies himself with that people; he regards himself as one of
their number; ands he makes mention of God's mercifuldrawn from the character which God had manifested in former
times. The argument is, that he had interposed in those times
when his people in trouble had called upon him ; and he now
pleads with God that he would manifest himself to them in the
same way. The argument derives additional force also from the
idea that he who now pleads was descended from them, or was of
the same nation and people, and that he might call them his
ancestors. As applicable to the Redeemer, the argument is that he
was descended from those holy and suffering men who had trusted
in God, and in whose behalf God had so often interposed. He
identifies himself with that people; he regards himself as one of
interposition in their behalf, and of the fact that he had not
forsaken them in their troubles, as a reason why he should now
interpose in his behalf and save him.
As applicable to others, it is an argument which the people of God
may always use in their trials—that God has thus interposed in
behalf of his people of former times who trusted in him, and who
called upon him. God is always the same. We may strengthen our
faith in our trials by the assurance that he never changes; and, in
pleading with him, we may urge it as an argument that he has
often interposed when the tried and the afflicted of his people have
called upon him. They trusted, and thou didst deliver them. They
confided in thee; they called on thee; thou didst not spurn their
prayer; thou didst not forsake them.
God, and were treated as men. I am left and forsaken, as if I were
not worth regarding; as if I were a grovelling worm beneath the
notice of the great God. In other words, I am treated as if I were
the most insignificant, the most despicable, of all objects,—alike
unworthy of the attention of God or man. By the one my prayers
are unheard by the other I am cast out and despised.
As applicable to the Redeemer, this means that he was forsaken
Despised of the people. That is, of the people who witnessed his
in the case of the Saviour, it is not necessary to say
Comp. Matt, xxvii. 39, "And they that passed by, reviled him."
There is no evidence that this literally occurred in the life of
David, They shoot out the lip. Marg., open. The Hebrew word
—patar— means properly to split, to burst open; then, as in this
place, it means to open wide the mouth; to stretch the mouth in
derision and scorn. See Ps. xxxv. 21, "They opened their mouth
wide against me." Job xvi. 10, "They have gaped upon me with
their month." They shake the head. In contempt and derision. See
Matt, xxvii. 39, "Wagging their heads."
I owe my life to thee. This is urged by the sufferer:
5. They cried unto thee. They offered earnest prayer and
supplication. And were delivered. From dangers and trials. If
They trusted in thee, and were not confounded. Were not
disappointed. Literally, "they were not ashamed." That is, they
had not the confusion which those have who are disappointed.
The idea in the word is, that when men put their trust in anything
and are disappointed, they are conscious of a species of shame as
if they had been foolish in relying on that which proved to be
insufficient to help them; as if they had manifested a want of
wisdom in not being more cautious, or in supposing that they
could derive help from that which has proved to be fallacious. So
in Jer. xiv. 3, "Their nobles have sent their little ones to the
waters; they came to the pits, and found no water; they returned
with their vessels empty; they were ashamed and confounded, and
covered their heads." That is, they felt as if they had acted
supplication. And were delivered. From dangers and trials. If
They trusted in thee, and were not confounded. Were not
disappointed. Literally, "they were not ashamed." That is, they
had not the confusion which those have who are disappointed.
The idea in the word is, that when men put their trust in anything
and are disappointed, they are conscious of a species of shame as
if they had been foolish in relying on that which proved to be
insufficient to help them; as if they had manifested a want of
wisdom in not being more cautious, or in supposing that they
could derive help from that which has proved to be fallacious. So
in Jer. xiv. 3, "Their nobles have sent their little ones to the
waters; they came to the pits, and found no water; they returned
with their vessels empty; they were ashamed and confounded, and
covered their heads." That is, they felt as if they had acted
foolishly or unwisely in expecting to find water there.
In the expression:
"they trusted in thee, and were not confounded,"
It is meant that men who confide in God are never
disappointed....
In the expression:
"they trusted in thee, and were not confounded,"
It is meant that men who confide in God are never
disappointed....
6. But I am a worm, and no man. In contrast with the fathers who
trusted in thee. They prayed, and were heard; they confided inGod, and were treated as men. I am left and forsaken, as if I were
not worth regarding; as if I were a grovelling worm beneath the
notice of the great God. In other words, I am treated as if I were
the most insignificant, the most despicable, of all objects,—alike
unworthy of the attention of God or man. By the one my prayers
alike by God and men, as if he had no claims to the treatment due
to a man. A reproach of men. Reproached by men.
sufferings. It is not necessary to say how completely this had a
fulfilment in the sufferings of the Saviour.
7. All they that see me laugh me to scorn. They deride or mock me.
On the word used here—laag—see Notes on Ps.ii. 4. The
meaning here is to mock, to deride, to treat with scorn.
How completely this was fulfilled......
How completely this was fulfilled......
in the case of the Saviour, it is not necessary to say
Comp. Matt, xxvii. 39, "And they that passed by, reviled him."
There is no evidence that this literally occurred in the life of
David, They shoot out the lip. Marg., open. The Hebrew word
—patar— means properly to split, to burst open; then, as in this
place, it means to open wide the mouth; to stretch the mouth in
derision and scorn. See Ps. xxxv. 21, "They opened their mouth
wide against me." Job xvi. 10, "They have gaped upon me with
their month." They shake the head. In contempt and derision. See
Matt, xxvii. 39, "Wagging their heads."
8. He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him. Marg., He
rolled himself on the Lord. The margin expresses the true sense
of the Hebrew word. The idea is that of being under the pressure
of a heavy burden, and of rolling it of, or casting it on another.
Hence the word is often used in the sense of committing to
another; entrusting anything to another; confiding in another. Ps
xxxvii. 5, "Commit thy way unto the Lord;" Marg., as in Heb.,
"Roll thy way upon the Lord." Prov. xvi. 3, "Commit thy works
unto the Lord," Marg., as in Heb., "Roll." The language here is
the taunting language of his enemies, and the meaning is that he
had professed to commit himself to the Lord as if he were his
friend; he had expressed confidence in God, and he believed that
his cause was safe in His hand. This, too, was actually fulfilled in
the case of the Saviour. Matt, xxvii. 43: "He trusted in God; let
him deliver him now, if he will have him." It is one of the most
remarkable instances of blindness and infatuation that has ever
occurred in the world, that the Jews should have used this
language in taunting the dying Redeemer, without even
suspecting that they were fulfilling the prophecies, and
demonstrating at the very time when they were reviling him that
he was the true Messiah, Let Him deliver him. Let him come and
save him. Since he professes to belong to God; since he claims
that God loves him and regards him as his friend, let him come
now and rescue one so dear to him. He is hopelessly abandoned
by men. If God chooses to have one so abject, so despised, so
forsaken, so helpless, let him come now and take him as his own.
We will not rescue him; we will do nothing to save him, for we
do not need him. If God wants him, let him come and save him
What blasphemy! What an exhibition of the dreadful depravity of
the human heart was manifested in the crucifixion of the
Redeemer. Seeing he delighted, in Him. Marg., if he delight in
him. The correct rendering is,"for he delighted in him." That is, it
was claimed by the sufferer that God delighted in him. If this is
so, say they, let him come and rescue one so dear to himself. Let
him show his friendship for this vagrant, this impostor, this
despised and worthless man!
9. But thou art he that took me out of the womb
I owe my life to thee. This is urged by the sufferer:
as a reason why God should now interpose and protect him. God
had brought him into the world, guarding him in the perils of the
earliest moments of his being, and he now pleads that in the day
of trouble God will interpose and save him. There is nothing
improper in applying this to the Messiah. He was a man, with all
the innocent propensities and feelings of man; and no one can say
but that when on the cross,—and perhaps with peculiar fitness we
may say when he saw his mother standing near him (John xix. 25),
—these thoughts may have passed through his mind. In the
remembrance of the care bestowed on his early years, he may now
have looked with an eye of earnest pleading to God, that, if it were
possible, he might deliver him. Thou didst make me hope. Marg.
Keptest me in safety. The phrase in the Hebrew means, Thou didst
cause me to trust or to hope. It may mean here either that he was
made to cherish a hope of the Divine favour in very early life, as it
were when an infant at the breast; or it may mean that he had
cause then to hope, or to trust in God. The former, it seems to me,
is probably the meaning; and the idea, that from his earliest years
he had been led to trust in God; and he now pleads this fact as a
reason why he should interpose to save him. Applied to the
Redeemer as a man, means that in his earliest childhood he had
trusted in God. His first breathings were those of piety. His first
aspirations were for the Divine favour. His first love was the love
of God. This he now calls to remembrance; this he now urges as
reason why God should not withraw the light of his countenance,
and leave him to suffer alone. No one can prove that these
thoughts did not pass through the mind of the Redeemer when he
was enduring the agonies of desertion on the cross; no one can
show that they would have been improper. Upon my mother's
beast. In my earliest infancy. This does not mean that he literally
cherished hope then, but that he had done it in the earliest period
of his life, as the first act of his conscious being.
may say when he saw his mother standing near him (John xix. 25),
—these thoughts may have passed through his mind. In the
remembrance of the care bestowed on his early years, he may now
have looked with an eye of earnest pleading to God, that, if it were
possible, he might deliver him. Thou didst make me hope. Marg.
Keptest me in safety. The phrase in the Hebrew means, Thou didst
cause me to trust or to hope. It may mean here either that he was
made to cherish a hope of the Divine favour in very early life, as it
were when an infant at the breast; or it may mean that he had
cause then to hope, or to trust in God. The former, it seems to me,
is probably the meaning; and the idea, that from his earliest years
he had been led to trust in God; and he now pleads this fact as a
reason why he should interpose to save him. Applied to the
Redeemer as a man, means that in his earliest childhood he had
trusted in God. His first breathings were those of piety. His first
aspirations were for the Divine favour. His first love was the love
of God. This he now calls to remembrance; this he now urges as
reason why God should not withraw the light of his countenance,
and leave him to suffer alone. No one can prove that these
thoughts did not pass through the mind of the Redeemer when he
was enduring the agonies of desertion on the cross; no one can
show that they would have been improper. Upon my mother's
beast. In my earliest infancy. This does not mean that he literally
cherished hope then, but that he had done it in the earliest period
of his life, as the first act of his conscious being.
10. I was cast upon thee from the womb. Upon thy protection and
care. This, too, is an argument for the Divine interposition. He
had been, as it were, thrown early in life upon the protecting care
of God. In some peculiar sense he had been more unprotected and
defenceless than is common at that period of life, and he owed his
preservation then entirely to God. This, too, may have passed
through the mind of the Redeemer on the cross. In those sad and
desolate moments he may have recalled the scenes of his early
life—the events which had occurred in regard to him in his early
years; the poverty of his mother, the manger, the persecution by
Herod, the flight into Egypt, the return, the safety which he then
enjoyed from persecution in a distant part of the land of Palestine,
in the obscure and unknown village of Nazareth. This too may
have occurred to his mind as a reason why God should interpose
and deliver him from the dreadful darkness which had come over
him now. Thou art my God from my mother's belly. Thou hast
been my God from my very childhood. He had loved God as such;
he had obeyed him as such; he had trusted him as such; and he
now pleads this as a reason why God should interpose for him.
care. This, too, is an argument for the Divine interposition. He
had been, as it were, thrown early in life upon the protecting care
of God. In some peculiar sense he had been more unprotected and
defenceless than is common at that period of life, and he owed his
preservation then entirely to God. This, too, may have passed
through the mind of the Redeemer on the cross. In those sad and
desolate moments he may have recalled the scenes of his early
life—the events which had occurred in regard to him in his early
years; the poverty of his mother, the manger, the persecution by
Herod, the flight into Egypt, the return, the safety which he then
enjoyed from persecution in a distant part of the land of Palestine,
in the obscure and unknown village of Nazareth. This too may
have occurred to his mind as a reason why God should interpose
and deliver him from the dreadful darkness which had come over
him now. Thou art my God from my mother's belly. Thou hast
been my God from my very childhood. He had loved God as such;
he had obeyed him as such; he had trusted him as such; and he
now pleads this as a reason why God should interpose for him.
11. Be not far from me. Do not withdraw from me; do not leave or
forsake me. For trouble is near. Near, in the sense that deep
sorrow has come upon me; near, in the sense that I am
approaching a dreadful death, For there is none to help. Marg., as
in Heb., not a helper. There were those who would have helped
but they could not; there were those who could have helped, but
they would not.
forsake me. For trouble is near. Near, in the sense that deep
sorrow has come upon me; near, in the sense that I am
approaching a dreadful death, For there is none to help. Marg., as
in Heb., not a helper. There were those who would have helped
but they could not; there were those who could have helped, but
they would not.
His friends that stood around the cross were unable to aid him; his
foes were unwilling to do it; and he was left to suffer unhelped.
foes were unwilling to do it; and he was left to suffer unhelped.
12. Many bulls have compassed me. Men with the fierceness and
fury of bulls. Comp. Isa. li. 20; Ps. lxviii. 30. Strong bulls of
Bashan. The country of Bashan embraced the territory which was
on the east of the Jordan, north of Gilead, which was given to the
half tribe of Manasseh: comp. Gen. xiv. 5 with Joshua xii. 4-6. It
was distinguished as pasture land for its richness. Its trees and its
breed of cattle are frequently referred to in the Scriptures. Thus in
Deut. xxxii. 14, "rams of the breed of Bashan" are mentioned; in
Isa. ii. 13, Zech. xi. 2, "oaks of Bashan" are mentioned in
connexion with the cedars of Lebanon; in Amos iv. 1, "the kine of
Bashan " are mentioned. The bulls of Bashan are here alluded to
as remarkable for their size, their strength, and their fierceness;
and are designed to represent men that were fierce, savage, and
violent. As applied to the Redeemer, the allusion is to the fierce
and cruel men that persecuted, him and sought his life. No one
can doubt that the allusion is applicable to his persecutors and
murderers; and no one can show that the thought indicated by this
phrase also may not have passed through the mind of the
Redeemer when on the cross.
fury of bulls. Comp. Isa. li. 20; Ps. lxviii. 30. Strong bulls of
Bashan. The country of Bashan embraced the territory which was
on the east of the Jordan, north of Gilead, which was given to the
half tribe of Manasseh: comp. Gen. xiv. 5 with Joshua xii. 4-6. It
was distinguished as pasture land for its richness. Its trees and its
breed of cattle are frequently referred to in the Scriptures. Thus in
Deut. xxxii. 14, "rams of the breed of Bashan" are mentioned; in
Isa. ii. 13, Zech. xi. 2, "oaks of Bashan" are mentioned in
connexion with the cedars of Lebanon; in Amos iv. 1, "the kine of
Bashan " are mentioned. The bulls of Bashan are here alluded to
as remarkable for their size, their strength, and their fierceness;
and are designed to represent men that were fierce, savage, and
violent. As applied to the Redeemer, the allusion is to the fierce
and cruel men that persecuted, him and sought his life. No one
can doubt that the allusion is applicable to his persecutors and
murderers; and no one can show that the thought indicated by this
phrase also may not have passed through the mind of the
Redeemer when on the cross.
13. They gaped upon me with their mouths. Marg., as in Heb.
opened their mouths against me. That is, they opened their mouths
wide as if they would devour me, as a lion does when he seizes
upon his prey. In ver. 7 they are represented as "opening" the
mouth for another purpose— that of derision or scorn; here they
are described as if they were fierce and wild beasts ready to fall
upon their prey. As a ravening and roaring lion. The word
ravening means voraciously devouring, and the allusion in the
Hebrew word is to the lion as he tears his prey—toreph —-rending
it in pieces to devour it. All this is designed to denote the
greediness with which the enemies of the Redeemer sought his
life.
upon their prey. As a ravening and roaring lion. The word
ravening means voraciously devouring, and the allusion in the
Hebrew word is to the lion as he tears his prey—toreph —-rending
it in pieces to devour it. All this is designed to denote the
greediness with which the enemies of the Redeemer sought his
life.
14. I am poured out like water. The sufferer now turns from his
enemies, and describes the effect of all these outward
persecutions and trials on himself. The meaning in this expression
is, that all his strength was gone. It is remarkable that we have a
similar expression, which is not easily accounted for, when we say
of ourselves that "we are as weak as water." An expression similar
to this occurs in Joshua vii. 5 "The hearts of the people melted,
and became as water." Comp. Lam. ii. 19; Ps. Iviii. 7. My bones
are out of joint. Marg., sundered. The Hebrew word—parad—
means to break off, to break in pieces, to separate by breaking;
and then, to be separated, or divided. It is not necessary to
suppose here that his bones were literally dislocated or "put out of
joint" any more than it is necessary to suppose that he was
literally "poured out like water," or that his heart was literally
"melted like wax" within him. The meaning is that he was utterly
prostrated and powerless; he was as if his bones had been
dislocated, and he was unable to use his limbs, My heart is like
wax. The idea here also is that of debility. His strength seemed all
to be gone. His heart was no longer firm; his vigour was
exhausted. It is melted in the midst of my bowels, Or, within me.
The word bowels in the Scriptures is not
restricted........
restricted........
and consequently would:
include that part in which the heart is situated. See Notes on Isa.
xvi. 11. The meaning here is that his heart was no longer firm and
strong. As applied to the Redeemer, this would refer to the
prostration of his strength in his last struggle; and no one can prove
that these thoughts did not pass through his mind when on the
cross.
15. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, A potsherd is a
fragment of a broken pot, or a piece of earthenware. See Notes on
Isa. xlv. 9; Job ii. 8. The meaning here is, that his strength was not
vigorous like a green tree that was growing, and that was full of
sap, but it was like a brittle piece of earthenware, so dry and
fragile that it could be easily crumbled to pieces. And my tongue
cleaveih to my jaws. See Notes on Job xxix. 10. The meaning here
is, that his mouth was dry, and he could not speak. His tongue
adhered to the roof of his mouth so that he could not use it
—another description of the effects of intense thirst. Comp. John
xix. 28. And thou hast brought me into the dust of death. Or, as we
should say, to dust—to the grave—to the dust where death reigns.
See Notes on Dan. xii. 2. The meaning is, that he was near death;
or, was just ready to die. Who can show that the Redeemer when
on the cross may not in his own meditations have gone over these
very expressions in the psalm as applicable to himself?
fragment of a broken pot, or a piece of earthenware. See Notes on
Isa. xlv. 9; Job ii. 8. The meaning here is, that his strength was not
vigorous like a green tree that was growing, and that was full of
sap, but it was like a brittle piece of earthenware, so dry and
fragile that it could be easily crumbled to pieces. And my tongue
cleaveih to my jaws. See Notes on Job xxix. 10. The meaning here
is, that his mouth was dry, and he could not speak. His tongue
adhered to the roof of his mouth so that he could not use it
—another description of the effects of intense thirst. Comp. John
xix. 28. And thou hast brought me into the dust of death. Or, as we
should say, to dust—to the grave—to the dust where death reigns.
See Notes on Dan. xii. 2. The meaning is, that he was near death;
or, was just ready to die. Who can show that the Redeemer when
on the cross may not in his own meditations have gone over these
very expressions in the psalm as applicable to himself?
16. For dogs have compassed me, Men who resemble dogs;
—harsh, snarling, fierce, ferocious.
—harsh, snarling, fierce, ferocious.
See Notes on Phil. iii. 2; Rev. xxii. 15. No one can doubt that this
is applicable to the Redeemer. The assembly of the wicked have
inclosed me. That is, they have surrounded me; they I have come
around me on all sides so that I might not escape. So they
surrounded the Redeemer in the garden of Gethsemane when they
arrested him and bound him; so they surrounded him when on his
trial before the Sanhedrim and before Pilate; and so they
surrounded him on the cross. They pierced my hands and my feet
This passage is attended with more difficulty than perhaps any
other part of the psalm. It is remarkable that it is nowhere quoted
or referred to in the New Testament as applicable to the Saviour;
and it is no less remarkable that there is no express statement in
the actual history of the crucifixion that either the hands or the feet
of the Saviour were pierced, or that he was nailed to the cross at
all. This was not necessarily implied in the idea of crucifixion, for
the hands and the feet were sometimes merely hound to the cross
by cords, and the sufferer was allowed to linger on the cross thus
suspended until he died from mere exhaustion. There can be no
doubt, however, that the common mode of crucifixion was to nail
the hands to the transverse beam of the cross, and the feet to the
upright part of it. See the description of the crucifixion in the
Notes on Matt, xxvii. 31,32. Thus Tertullian, speaking of the
sufferings of Christ, and applying this passage to his death, says
that "this was the peculiar or proper—-propria —severity of the
cross."— Adv. Marcionem, iii. 19, ed. Wurtz, I. p. 403. See
Hengstenberg's Christology, 1,139. The great difficulty in this
passage is in the word rendered in our version, they
pierced—kaari. It occurs only in one other place, Isa. xxxviii. 13,
where it means as a lion.
passage is in the word rendered in our version, they
pierced—kaari. It occurs only in one other place, Isa. xxxviii. 13,
where it means as a lion.
This would undoubtedly be the most natural interpretation of the
word here, unless there were good reasons for setting it aside; and
not a few have endeavoured to show that this is the true rendering.
According to this interpretation, the passage would mean, "As
lions, they [that is, my enemies] surround (gape upon) my hands
and my feet; that is, they threaten to tear my limbs to pieces.
"Qesenius, Lex." This interpretation is also that of Aben Ezra,
Ewald, Paulus, and others. But, whatever may be the true
explanation, there are very serious objections to this one. (a) It is
difficult to make sense of the passage if this is adopted. The
preceding word, rendered in our version "inclosed," can mean only
surrounded or encompassed, and it is difficult to see how it could
be said that a lion could "surround" or "encompass" the hands and
the feet. At all events, such an interpretation would be harsh and
unusual. (b) According to this interpretation the word
"me"—"inclosed me"—-would be superfluous; since the idea
would be, "they enclose or surround my hands and my feet." (c) All
the ancient interpreters have taken the word here to be a verb, and
in all the ancient versions it is rendered as if it were a verb. Even
in the Masora parva (Jewish) it is said that the word here is to be
taken in a different sense from what it has in Isa. xxxviii. 13
where it plainly means a lion. Gesenius admits that all the ancient
interpreters have taken this as a verb, and says that it is "certainly
possible" that it may be so. He says that it may be regarded as a
participle formed in the Chaldee manner (from kur), and in the
plural number for kaarim, and says that in this way it would be
properly rendered, piercing my hands and my feet; that is, as he
says, "my enemies, who are understood in the dogs." Form such
high authority, and from the uniform mode of interpretation the
word among the ancients, it may be regarded as morally certain
that the word is a verb, and that it is not to be rendered, as in Isa.
xxxviii. 13, "as a lion," The verb--kur--properly means to dig, to
bore through, to pierce.
word here, unless there were good reasons for setting it aside; and
not a few have endeavoured to show that this is the true rendering.
According to this interpretation, the passage would mean, "As
lions, they [that is, my enemies] surround (gape upon) my hands
and my feet; that is, they threaten to tear my limbs to pieces.
"Qesenius, Lex." This interpretation is also that of Aben Ezra,
Ewald, Paulus, and others. But, whatever may be the true
explanation, there are very serious objections to this one. (a) It is
difficult to make sense of the passage if this is adopted. The
preceding word, rendered in our version "inclosed," can mean only
surrounded or encompassed, and it is difficult to see how it could
be said that a lion could "surround" or "encompass" the hands and
the feet. At all events, such an interpretation would be harsh and
unusual. (b) According to this interpretation the word
"me"—"inclosed me"—-would be superfluous; since the idea
would be, "they enclose or surround my hands and my feet." (c) All
the ancient interpreters have taken the word here to be a verb, and
in all the ancient versions it is rendered as if it were a verb. Even
in the Masora parva (Jewish) it is said that the word here is to be
taken in a different sense from what it has in Isa. xxxviii. 13
where it plainly means a lion. Gesenius admits that all the ancient
interpreters have taken this as a verb, and says that it is "certainly
possible" that it may be so. He says that it may be regarded as a
participle formed in the Chaldee manner (from kur), and in the
plural number for kaarim, and says that in this way it would be
properly rendered, piercing my hands and my feet; that is, as he
says, "my enemies, who are understood in the dogs." Form such
high authority, and from the uniform mode of interpretation the
word among the ancients, it may be regarded as morally certain
that the word is a verb, and that it is not to be rendered, as in Isa.
xxxviii. 13, "as a lion," The verb--kur--properly means to dig, to
bore through, to pierce.
....................
TO BE CONTINUED --- ON MY WEBSITE UNDER
"GOD'S FEASTS"
"GOD'S FEASTS"
THERE IS NOTHING I CAN ADD. ALBERT BARNES HAS
DONE A VERY FINE JOB IN EXPOUNDING THIS
WONDERFUL PSALM THAT HAS SO MUCH
APPLICABLE TO OUR SAVIOR.
DONE A VERY FINE JOB IN EXPOUNDING THIS
WONDERFUL PSALM THAT HAS SO MUCH
APPLICABLE TO OUR SAVIOR.
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