Psalm 22

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 22:13

They gaped upon me with their mouths. One metaphor is superseded by another. Fierce and threatening as bulls, the adversaries are ravenous as lions. They "gape with their mouths," eager to devour, ready to spring on the prey and crush it in their monstrous jaws. As a ravening and a roaring lion. The tumult and noise made by those who demanded our Lord's death are noted by the evangelist, περισσῶς ἔκραζον — θόρυβος γίνεται ( Matthew 27:23 , Matthew 27:24 ). read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 22:14

I am poured out like water (comp. Psalms 58:7 ; 2 Samuel 14:14 ). The exact meaning is uncertain; but extreme' weakness and exhaustion, something like utter prostration, seems to be indicated. And all my bones are out of joint. The strain of the body suspended on the cross would all but dislocate the joints of the arms, and would be felt in every bone of the body. My heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. The proximate cause of death in crucifixion is often... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 22:15

My strength is dried up like a potsherd . All strength dies out under the action of the many acute pains which rack the whole frame, and as little remains as there remains of moisture in a potsherd. And my tongue cleaveth to my jaws . An extreme and agonizing thirst sets in—the secretions generally fail—and the saliva especially is suppressed, so that the mouth feels parched and dry. Hence the cry of suffering which was at last wrung from our Lord, when, just before the end, he exclaimed,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 22:16

For dogs have compassed me. "Dogs" now encompass the Sufferer, perhaps the subordinate agents in the cruelties—the rude Roman soldiery, who laid rough hands on the adorable Person ( Matthew 27:27-35 ). Oriental dogs are savage and of unclean habits, whence the term "dog" in the East has always been, and still is, a term of reproach. The assembly of the wicked have enclosed me ; or, a band of wicked ones have shut me in. The "band" of Roman soldiers ( Mark 15:16 ) seems foreshadowed. ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 22:17

I may tell all my bones. Our Lord's active life and simple habits would give him a spare frame, while the strain of crucifixion would accentuate and bring into relief every point of his anatomy. He might thus, if so minded, "tell all his bones." They look and stare upon me (comp. Luke 23:35 , "And the people stood beholding"). read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 22:18

They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture. It has been well observed that "the act here described is not applicable either to David or to any personage whose history is recorded in the Bible, save to Jesus". Two evangelists ( Matthew 27:35 ; John 19:24 ) note the fulfilment of the prophecy in the conduct of the soldiers at the crucifixion of Christ. The circumstance is reserved for the final touch in the picture, since it marked that all was over; the Victim was... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 22:19

But be not thou far from me, O Lord (comp. Psalms 22:11 ). The special trouble for which he had invoked God's aid having been minutely described, the Sufferer reverts to his prayer, which he first repeats, and then strengthens and enforces by requesting that the aid may be given speedily, O my strength, haste thee to help me. Eyaluth , the abstract term used for "strength," seems to mean "source, or substance, of all strength." read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 22:20

Deliver my soul from the sword. "The sword" symbolizes the authority of the Roman governor—that authority by which Christ was actually put to death. If he prayed, even on the cross, to be delivered from it, the prayer must have been offered with the reservations previously made in Gethsemane, "If it be possible" ( Matthew 26:39 ); "If thou be willing" ( Luke 22:42 ); "Nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt." The human will in Christ was in favour of the deliverance; the Divine... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 22:21

Save me from the lion's mouth (comp. Psalms 22:13 ). Either the chief persecutors, viewed as a class, or Satan, their instigator, would seem to be intended. For thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns; rather, even from the horns of the win oxen hast thou heard me. The conviction suddenly comes to the Sufferer that he is heard. Still, the adversaries are round about him—the "dogs," the "lions," and the "strong bulls of Bashan," now showing as ferocious wild cattle, menacing... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 22:22

I will declare thy Name unto my brethren . The thought of the brethren is uppermost. As, when the body was removed, loving messages were at once sent to the disciples ( Matthew 28:10 ; John 20:17 ), so, with the soul of the Redeemer in the intermediate state, the "brethren" are the first care. God's Name, and all that he has done—the acceptance of the sacrifice, the effectuation of man's salvation—shall be made known to them (see Hebrews 2:9-12 ). In the midst of the congregation will... read more

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 22:13

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 22:14

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 22:15

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 22:16

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 22:17

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 22:18

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 22:19

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 22:20

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 22:21

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 22:22

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