PASSOVER--- PSALM 22 #1

THE FINE EXPOUNDING OF THE PROPHETIC PSALM 22 STARTING VERSE 16, BY ALBERT BARNES [1798 - 1870] FROM HIS BIBLE COMMENTARY-----

 ...The material question is, What does the verb mean? The verb—kur— properly means to dig, to bore through, to fierce. Thus used, according to Gesenius, it would mean piercing; and if the word used here is a verb, he supposes that it would refer to the enemies of David as wounding him, or piercing him, "with darts and weapons." He maintains that it is applicable to David literally, and he sees no reason to refer it to the Messiah. 

But, if so, it is natural to ask why the hands and the feet are mentioned. Certainly it is not usual for darts and spears thrown by an enemy to injure the hands or the feet particulaily; nor is it customary to refer to the hands or the feet when describing the effects produced by the use of those weapons. If the reference were to the enemies of David as wounding him with darts and spears, it would he much more natural to refer to the body in general, without specifying any of the particular members of the body. De Wette renders it fesseln—"they bind my hands and my feet." He remarks, however, in a note, that according to the ancient versions, and the Codices of Kennicott and De Eossi, it means durchiohren—bore through. Aquila, Symmachus, and Jerome in five codices, says he, render it bind. The Septuagint renders it—they pierced. The Latin Vulgate the same, foderunt. See the Syriac. 

For these reasons it seems to me that the common rendering is the true one, and that the meaning is, that, in some proper sense, the enemies here referred to "pierced or bored through" the hands and the feet of the sufferer. Evidently this could not be literally applied to David, for there is not the least authority for supposing that this ever happened to him; nor, as has been shown, was such a thing prohable. A casual dart, or the stroke of a spear, might indeed strike the hand or the foot; but it would be unusual and remarkable if they should strike those members of the body and leave the other parts uninjured, so as to make this a matter for special notice; and even if they did strike those parts, it would be every way unlikely that they would pierce them, or bore them through. 

Such an event would be so improbable that we may assume that it did not occur, unless there was the most decisive evidence of the fact. Nor is there the least probability that the enemies of David would pierce his hands and feet deliberately and of design. I say nothing in regard to the fact that they never had him in their possession so that they could do it; it is sufficient to say that this was not a mode of punishing one who was taken captive in war. Conquerors slew their captives; they made them pass under yokes; they put them under saws and harrows of iron (comp. 2 Sam. xii. 3; 1 Chron. xx. 3); but there is not the slightest evidence that they ever tortured captives in war by piercing the hands and the feet. 

But, as has been remarked above, there is every reason to believe that this was the ordinary mode of crucifixion. 

I conclude, therefore, that this must have had original reference to the Messiah. It is no objection to the interpretation that this passage is not expressly referred to as having been fulfilled in the Redeemer; for there are undoubtedly many passages in the prophets which refer to the Messiah, which are not formally applied to him in the New Testament. To make it certain that the prophecy referred to him, and was fulfilled in him, it is not necessary that we should find on record an actual application of the passage to him. All that is necessary in the case is, that it should he a prophecy; that it should have been spoken before the event; and that to him it should be fairly applicable.

17. I may tell all my bones. That is, I may count them. They are so prominent, so bare, that I can see them and count their number. The idea here is that of emaciation from continued suffering or from some other cause. As applied to the Redeemer, it would denote the effect of long protracted suffering and anxiety on his frame, as rendering it crushed, weakened, emaciated. Comp. Notes on Isa. lii. 14; liii. 2, 3. No one can prove that an effect such as is here referred to may not have been produced by the sufferings of the Redeemer. They look and stare upon me. That is, either my bones,-—or, my enemies that stand around me. The most obvious construction would refer it to the former,-—-to his bones,— as if they stood out prominently and stared him in the face. Rosenmiiller understands it in the latter sense, as meaning that his enemies gazed with wonder on such an object. Perhaps this, on the whole, furnishes the best interpretation, as there is something unnatural in speaking of a man's own bones staring or gazing upon him, and as the image of his enemies standing and looking with wonder on one so wretched, so crushed, so broken, is a very striking one. This, too, will better agree with the statement in Isa. lii. 14, "Many were astonished at thee;" and Isa. liii. 2,3, "He hath no form nor comeliness, and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him"—"we hid, as it were, our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not." It accords also better with the statement in the following verse; "they," that is, the same persons referred to, "part my garments among them."

18. They part my garments among them. They divide; they apportion. This refers merely to the fact that they made such a division or distribution of his garments; the manner in which it was done, is specified in the other part of the verse. The word garments is a general term, and would be applicable to any part of the raiment, And, cast lots upon my vesture. That is, upon the part here represented by the word vesture, they cask lots. There was a general division of his garments by agreement, or in some other mode not involving the use of the lot; on some particular portion, here indicated by the word vesture, the lot was easy to determine whoso it should be. The word thus rendered vesture—lebush—does not necessarily denote any particular article of raiment, as distinguished from what is meant by the word rendered garments. Both are general terms denoting clothing, raiment, vestment; and either of the terms might be applied to any article of apparel. The original words used here would not necessarily designate one article of raiment as disposed of without the lot and another specified portion by the lot. But although it could not be argued beforehand from the mere use of the language that such would be the case, yet if that should occur, it would be natural and not improper to apply the language in that sense, and as therein completely fulfilled. As a matter of fact this was literally fulfilled in the crucifixion of the Saviour. By remarkable circumstances which no human sagacity could have foreseen or anticipated, there occurred a general division of a portion of his raiment, without an appeal to the lot, among the soldiers who were engaged in crucifying him, and a specific disposal of one article of his raiment by the lot, Matt, xxvii. 35; Luke xxiii. 34; John xix. 23,24. It never occurred in the life of David, as far as we know, or have reason to believe, that his enemies stripped him, and divided his garments among themselves; and the description here, therefore, could be applicable only to some one else. It was completely fulfilled in the Saviour; and this verse, therefore, furnishes the fullest proof that the psalm refers to him. At the same time it should he observed that these circumstances are such that an impostor could not have secured the correspondence of the events with the prediction. The events referred to were not under the control of him whose garments were thus divided. They depended wholly on others; and by no art or plan could an impostor have so arranged matters that all these things should have appeared to be fulfilled in himself.

19. But be not thou far from me, O Loed. O Jehovah. Others—all others—have forsaken me, and left me to perish. Now, in the day of my desertion and my peril, be thou near to me. See ver. 11. This is the burden of the prayer in the whole psalm, that God would not leave him, but sustain and deliver him. Comp. ver. 1. O my strength. Source of my strength; thou on whom I rely for support and deliverance. Haste thee to help me. Help me speedily. Come to support me; come to deliver me from these dreadful sorrows. This is not necessarily a prayer to be rescued from death, but it would be applicable to deliverance from those deep mental sorrows that had come upon him—from this abandonment to unutterable woes.

20. Deliver my soul from the sword. The word soul here means life, and denotes a living person. It is equivalent to "deliver me." The sword is used to denote an instrument of death, or anything that pierces like a sword. Comp. 2 Sam. xi. 24,25. As applied to the Saviour here, it may mean those extreme mental sufferings that were like the piercing of a sword. My darling. Marg., my only one. Prof. Alexander, my lonely one. De Wette, my life. The Hebrew word—yahhid—means one alone, only, as of an only child;—then one alone, forsaken, solitary, wretched, Ps. xv. 16; lxviii. 6;—then it means one only, the only one, in the sense of most dear, darling. Here, according to Gesenius (Lex.), it is used poetically for life, as being something most dear, or as denoting all that we have, and, therefore, most precious. Comp. Job . 4. This is the most probable interpretation here, as it would thus correspond with the expression in the first part of the verse, "deliver my soul." From the power of the dog. [Marg., as in Heb., from the hand. The enemy is represented, as in ver. 16, as a dog (see Notes on that verse); and then that enemy is spoken of as inflicting death by his hand. There a little incongruity in speaking of a dog as having hands, but the image before the mind is that of the enemy with the character of a dog, and thus there is no impropriety in using in reference to him the language which commonly applied to a man. 

21. Save me from the lion's mouth. [his enemies represented as fierce and ravening lions, comp. ver. 13. For thou hast heard me. The word heard in this place is equivalent to saved—saved in answer to prayer. The act of hearing the prayer, and answering it, is regarded as so identical, or the one as so certainly following from the other, that they may be spoken of like the same thing.  From the horns of the unicorns. The idea here is that he cried to God when exposed what is here called "the horns of the unicorns." That is, when surrounded by enemies as fierce and violent as wild beasts,—as if he were among "unicorns" seeking his life,-— had called upon God, and God had heard him. This would refer to some former period of his life, when surrounded by dangers, or exposed to the attacks of wicked men, and when he had called upon God, and had been heard. There were not a few occasions alike in the life of David and in the life of the Saviour, to which this would be applicable. The fact that he had thus been delivered from danger, is now urged as an argument why God was to be regarded as able to deliver him again, and why the prayer might be offered that he would do it; comp. vers. 9-11. To see the force of this it is not necessary to be able to determine with accuracy what is meant here by the word rendered unicorn, or whether the psalmist referred to the animal now denoted by that term. The existence of such an animal was long regarded as fabulous; but though it has been proved that there is such an animal, it is not necessary to suppose that the psalmist referred to it. Gesenius renders the word—reem—buffalo (Lex.), So also De Wette. See Notes on Job xxxix. 9,10, where the meaning of the word is fully considered. The word occurs elsewhere only in Numb, xxiii. 22; xxir. 8; Deut. xxxiii. 17; Ps. xxix. 6; xcii. 10; Isa. xxxiv. 7, in all which places it is rendered unicorn, or unicorns.

22. I will declare thy name. I will make thee known; that is, thine existence; thy perfections; thy law; thy method of salvation. As the result or effect of the interposition which he desired, and for which he prayed, he says that he would diffuse a knowledge of God. This is an expression of true piety, and is a statement of what in a pure mind, will always be consequent on a gracious Divine interposition,—a purpose to make the character of the benefactor known. Comp. Ps. li. 12,13; xviii. 48,49.  As applicable to the Redeemer, it means that he would make the name of God known to men, or that through him that name would he made known. Unto my brethren. Comp. John xx. 17; Rom. viii. 29. The word brethren would embrace literally brothers; kinsfolk; countrymen; then, those of the same opinion, profession, or religion; then, in a still larger sense, the human race as descended from a common parent. As having reference to the Redeemer, it would embrace here not only those who were his immediate followers and whom he called brethren,—-not only those of his own nation,—hut the human family in general, towards whom he consented to sustain this relation. Comp. Notes on Heb. ii. 10 —12, where this passage is quoted and expressly applied to our Saviour. In the midst of the congregation. Among the people assembled to worship there. See Notes on Heb. ii. 12. This is the place where praise is commonly celebrated, and he says that there he would make known the goodness of God. Comp. Isa. xxxviii. 19, 20. It is not necessary to show that this was literally done by the Redeemer. It is enough to observe that this is the usual language of piety, and that the effect of his work has been to cause the praises of God to be celebrated in tens of thousands of the congregations of his saints.

23. Ye that fear the Lord. A phrase denoting those who are pious. Praise him. This is language which may be supposed to be addressed by the speaker in the great congregation. In the previous verse he had said that he would praise God "in the midst of the congregation;" he here speaks as if he were in that congregation, and addressing them. He, therefore, calls on them to praise and honour God. All ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him. The descendants of Jacob; that is, all who are true worshippers of God. And fear him. Honour him, worship him. See Notes on Ps. v. 7. All ye the seed of Israel. Another name for Jacob (Gen. xxxii. 28), and designed to denote also all who are true worshippers of Jehovah.

24. For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted. This expresses the belief that his prayer had been heard. The fact that he had been, thus heard is here assigned to be the ground or reason for the exhortation in the previous verse, addressed to all the pious. The Lord had heard his prayer, and this was a reason why others should also confide in the Lord, and feel assured that he would likewise hear their prayers. Neither hath he hid his face from him. That is, permanently, constantly, finally, completely. He has not wholly abandoned me, but though he seemed to forsake me, it was for a time only; and his friendship has not been ultimately and for ever withdrawn. lt was indeed the foundation of all the petitions in this psalm that the Lord had hid his face from the sufferer (ver. 1) ; but, from this verse, it seems that it was only for a time. That which he passed through was a temporary darkness, succeeded by the clear manifestations of the Divine favour. The Lord heard his prayer; the Lord showed that he had not utterly forsaken him. But when he cried unto him, he heard. Showing that now he had the evidence and the assurance that his prayer had been heard. As applicable to the Redeemer on the cross, this means that though the darkness seemed to continue till death, yet it was not an utter forsaking. His prayer was heard; his work was accepted; the great object for which he came into the world would he accomplished; he himself would rise triumphantly from his sufferings; and the cause which he came to establish, and for which He died, would finally prevail in the world. Comp. Heh. v. 7,8; John xi. 42; Isa. liii. 11,12.

TO BE CONTUNUED