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Psalms

About this book
Psalm 22

1 For the music director, according to the tune “Morning Doe”; a psalm of David. My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?⁠ I groan in prayer, but help seems far away.⁠ 2 My God, I cry out during the day, but you do not answer, and during the night my prayers do not let up.⁠ 3 You are holy; you sit as king receiving the praises of Israel. 4 In you our ancestors trusted; they trusted in you and you rescued them. 5 To you they cried out, and they were saved; in you they trusted and they were not disappointed. 6 But I am a worm, not a man; people insult me and despise me. 7 All who see me taunt me; they mock me and shake their heads.⁠ 8 They say, “Commit yourself to the Lord! Let the Lord rescue him! Let the Lord deliver him, for he delights in him.” 9 Yes, you are the one who brought me out from the womb and made me feel secure on my mother’s breasts. 10 I have been dependent on you since birth; from the time I came out of my mother’s womb you have been my God. 11 Do not remain far away from me, for trouble is near and I have no one to help me. 12 Many bulls surround me; powerful bulls of Bashan hem me in.⁠ 13 They open their mouths to devour me like a roaring lion that rips its prey.⁠ 14 My strength drains away like water; all my bones are dislocated. My heart is like wax; it melts away inside me. 15 The roof of my mouth is as dry as a piece of pottery; my tongue sticks to my gums. You set me in the dust of death.⁠ 16 Yes, wild dogs surround me—a gang of evil men crowd around me; like a lion they pin my hands and feet.⁠ 17 I can count all my bones; my enemies are gloating over me in triumph. 18 They are dividing up my clothes among themselves; they are rolling dice for my garments. 19 But you, O Lord, do not remain far away. You are my source of strength. Hurry and help me! 20 Deliver me from the sword. Save my life from the claws of the wild dogs. 21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lion and from the horns of the wild oxen. You have answered me.⁠ 22 I will declare your name to my countrymen.⁠ In the middle of the assembly I will praise you. 23 You loyal followers of the Lord, praise him. All you descendants of Jacob, honor him. All you descendants of Israel, stand in awe of him. 24 For he did not despise or detest the suffering of the oppressed. He did not ignore him; when he cried out to him, he responded. 25 You are the reason I offer praise in the great assembly; I will fulfill my promises before the Lord’s loyal followers. 26 Let the oppressed eat and be filled. Let those who seek his help praise the Lord. May you live forever! 27 Let all the people of the earth acknowledge the Lord and turn to him. Let all the nations worship you. 28 For the Lord is king and rules over the nations. 29 All the thriving people of the earth will join the celebration and worship; all those who are descending into the grave will bow before him, including those who cannot preserve their lives. 30 A whole generation will serve him; they will tell the next generation about the Lord. 31 They will come and tell about his saving deeds; they will tell a future generation what he has accomplished.

Texts in conversation

Compare Psalm 22:22 and John 20:17

Hebrew Bible · New Testament

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Summary

Psalm 22 describes a sufferer rescued from shame who promises to honor God publicly. John echoes this when Jesus calls his followers brothers after his resurrection, linking his vindication to their restoration and moving from disgrace to shared honor.

Passages

Psalm 22:22

Hebrew Bible
20 Deliver me from the sword. Save my life from the claws of the wild dogs. 21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lion and from the horns of the wild oxen. You have answered me. 22 I will declare your name to my countrymen. In the middle of the assembly I will praise you. 23 You loyal followers of the Lord, praise him. All you descendants of Jacob, honor him. All you descendants of Israel, stand in awe of him. 24 For he did not despise or detest the suffering of the oppressed. He did not ignore him; when he cried out to him, he responded.
600–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Psalms

John 20:17

New Testament
15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?” Because she thought he was the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will take him.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni” (which means “Teacher”). 17 Jesus replied, “Do not touch me, for I have not yet ascended to my Father. Go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene came and informed the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them what Jesus had said to her. 19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the disciples had gathered together and locked the doors of the place because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
90–110 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in John

References

"... David is confident of God's help and makes a vow to praise Him (verses 22-26[23-27]). He presents a vision that the Gentiles will join him in praising God (verses 27-31[28-32]). His commitment to praise God is spoken of in verse 22[23] ... The author of Hebrews comments on the significance of Jesus' suffering in 2:9-10: Christ was crowned with glory and honor after the suffering which He had taken on Himself for all people were brought to glory through His suffering. Then he quotes Psalm 22:22[23] and applies it to Jesus Christ ... The author of Hebrews emphasizes that Psalm 22:22[23] is to be understood as a prediction of Christ's mission. The psalm is fulfilled through Him, especially through His death and resurrection. Though the speaker of Psalm 22:22[23] is primarily David the ultimate speaker is the coming Messiah. The mission of the Messiah will be directed to His brothers and the assembly. The 'brothers' of the Messiah are described in the New Testament: (1) those who do the will of God (Matt. 12:50), (2) the disciples of Jesus (Matt. 28:10; John 20:17), and (3) those who are called and justified by God, namely, the believers (Rom. 8:29) ..."
Young Jin Kim, “Jesus and the Gentiles in the Gospel of Matthew: A Historical Study of the Redemption Motif” (ThD diss., Concordia Seminary, 1992), 26–27.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Psalm 22:22 and John 20:17

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