6. Psalm 22

This Psalm, which is a prayer of repentance, contains numerous prophetic passages and pictures which according to the New Testament, have found fulfillment in Jesus.“My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from helping me?” ( Psalm 22:1)“All those that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head saying, He trusted on the Lord that He would deliver him: let Him deliver him, seeing He delighted in him.” ( Psalm 22:7,8)“I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it has melted within me. My strength has dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue clings to my jaws; You have brought me to the dust of death. For dogs have surrounded me; The assembly of the wicked has enclosed me. They pierced my hands and my feet; I can count all my bones. They look and stare at me. They divide my garments among them and for my clothing they cast lots”. ( Psalm 22:14-18)This Psalm speaks of a number of details that depict the events of the crucifixion of Christ. “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani ‘? that is ‘ My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me’?” ( Matthew 27;46)rnJesus spoke these very words of Psalm 22:1 during His suffering on the cross.In the Gospel of Matthew, the following is stated:“Likewise also the chief priests mocking Him with the scribes and elders, said, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the king of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross and we will believe in Him. He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said ‘ I am the Son of God’. Even the robbers who were crucified with him reviled him with the same thing.” ( Matthew 27:41-44.)This passage identifies Psalm 22:7,8 with the words of the chief priests and others who looked at Jesus as He died on the cross and stated these words.In the Gospel of John there are additional similarities listed between Psalm 22 and the crucifixion of Jesus.“After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled said, ‘I thirst’.” ( John 19:28)“And He bearing His cross went out to a place called the Place of the Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side and Jesus in the center.” ( John 19:7,18)“They said therefore among themselves, ‘Let us not tear it (Jesus’ clothing), but cast lots for it, whose it shall be that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says ‘They divided My garments among them and for My clothing they cast lots.” (John 19:24)“But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear and immediately blood and water came out”. ( John 19:34).It is evident from these Gospel passages that the sufferings described in Psalm 22:14-18 closely resemble the Crucifixion events. A short summary of these verses reveals the fulfillment of Psalm 22 in Jesus’ death and resurrection.

• A forsaken cry . Psalm 22:1 – Matthew 27:46.
• Mocking by the crowd of bystanders . Psalm 22:7,8 – Matthew 27:41-43.
• Heart is broken. Psalm 22:14 – John 19:34.
• Intense suffering. Psalm 22:15 – John 19:17,18.
• Suffering thirst. Psalm 22:15 – John 19:28.
• Piercing of hands and feet. Psalm 22:16 – Luke 23:33, John 20:25.
• Stared on. Psalm 22:17 – Luke 23:35.
• Garments parted and lots cast. Psalm 22:18 – John 19:24.
• Suffering ends in victory. Psalms 22:22-25 – Matthew 28:1-6.
• Based on this evidence, the New Testament writers affirm that the fulfillment and full
• expression of Psalm 22 is found in the crucifixion sufferings of Jesus.

Jewish Objections

The Jewish objection to this Psalm as referring to Jesus rests on four primary arguments.A) The early Christian writers of the Gospels altered the details of Jesus’ crucifixion in order to fit and coordinate them to this Scriptural reference. B.) Psalm 22 ends with joy; if Jesus fulfills all of this Psalm, why did His life end in death and defeat? C.) The Christian translation of Psalm 22:16 is incorrect.D.) This Psalm refers to King David only – no one else.

A. “The early Christian writers of the Gospels altered the details of Jesus’ crucifixion in order to fit and coordinate them to this Scriptural reference.”

The first argument is related by Gerald Sigal;“The early Christians, in interpreting and expanding the accounts of Jesus’ death, sought confirmation of their claims in the Hebrew Scriptures. Believing Jesus to be the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy, they proclaimed him the Messiah. The Scriptures were searched for evidence which could be used to demonstrate the truth of their hypothesis. This was especially true for the crucifixion since such a fate does not easily fit into the prophetic visions of a triumphant Messiah. That is why early Christianity inserted many scriptural references within the account of the crucifixion, altering at the same time some of the details of the crucifixion story in order to coordinate them with these scriptural references. In this effort, Psalm 22 played a crucial role. Indeed, it has become for Christianity a major proof-text for the most important elements of the several crucifixion accounts”. 76Samuel Levine also states this argument:“…. The only reason we would think that this Psalm refers to Jesus is because the history described in the New Testament seems to indicate a similarity between the crucifixion story and this Psalm. But the problem remains, how can we know if the history of the New Testament is true? Or was it doctored to make Jesus look the subject of Psalm 22”. 77When other explanations regarding a Hebrew Scriptural prophetic picture are inadequate, this argument becomes the last objection that can be raised. However, the New Testament documents are very reliable historical records when they are examined using the typical methods of investigative inquiry.The Gospels appeal to firsthand, eyewitness testimony concerning many events that occurred and took place in public. These records were written within 20-50 years after the death of Christ and were written when eyewitness knowledge of the events was still available. If the recorded facts of the Gospel were not truthful, the corrective element of these eyewitnesses would have served to confront and remove any nonfactual material. Moreover, first and early second century history is silent concerning negative or contradictory testimony regarding the Gospel related events of Jesus Christ’s life. This silence is a significant factor when examining any historical record of the past and in the case of the Gospel, there is none.The process by which the Gospel documents were preserved and passed down through the centuries is also one on which a great deal of evidence supports the reliability of the texts of these testimonies. (See the article “Are the New Testament Gospel Documents Reliable?”)This entire line of Jewish argument lacks any evidence to substantiate the claims and should not be considered as an evidence- based line of reasoning because there simply is none. Jewish polemicists and scholars are certainly aware of the skeptical lines of argumentation that are leveled at the prophecies of Jeremiah, Isaiah, Daniel… from the opponents of the Gospel because these very same liberal Biblical scholars follow a similar kind of reasoning in their attacks against the Hebrew Scriptures. The skeptic’s objection to the remarkable information that is predicted by the prophets of the Old Testament Scriptures (order of world kingdoms, fall and destruction of numerous cities down to the very details….) is that this information was based on proof texting – writing it down after the fact. And yet here, the Jewish polemicists make use of the same tactic against the New Testament that is used unjustly against the Hebrew Old Testament Scriptures. The Jewish polemicists would certainly defend the historicity of the Hebrew Scriptures from this line of attack (proof texting), but when it serves their interests, they are more than willing to employ this method against the New Testament documents when no legitimate basis for such a charge exists

B. “Psalm 22 ends with joy; if Jesus fulfills all of this Psalm, why did His life end in death and defeat?”

The second argument is stated by Mr. Sigal:“Psalm 22 cannot be made to apply to the life of Jesus. Jesus’ life ends on a note of disappointment, whereas the psalmist, after describing metaphorically his trials and tribulations, concludes on a positive note. No such positive position is taken by Jesus. If he fulfilled literally all of Psalm 22, instead of selective parts, the logical order of development would be for depression to give way to joy as he realizes God’s purpose has been attained through his act of sacrificial death”. 78It is amazing that this objection could possibly be raised concerning this Psalm as it applies to Jesus. Any examination of the Gospels should reveal that the crucifixion of Christ comes to a great climax of joy in the resurrection and ascension. What greater climax could possibly take place after the death of the Messiah than a resurrection where death is defeated and the claims of the Messiah verified? After Jesus’ resurrection the following event took place.“And He led them out as far as Bethany and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. Now it came to pass while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up to heaven. And they worshipped Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen.” (Luke 24:50-53).If the life of Jesus Christ does not end on a positive note, it must be asked – what more could occur to make it that way? The resurrection of Christ stands as the cornerstone of the joy and triumph of the Christian faith.

C. “The Christian translation of this verse is incorrect.”

The third argument concerning this Psalm is given again by Mr. Sigal;“Christian missionary apologists assert that the Hebrew word (ka-ari) in verse 17 (verse 16 in some versions) should be translated as ‘pierce’. They render this verse as: ‘They pierced my hands and my feet’. This follows the Septuagint version used by the early Christians, whose error is repeated by the Vulgate and Syriac. This rendering contains two fallacies. First, assuming that the root of this Hebrew word is ‘krh’ ‘to dig’, then the function of the ‘aleph’ in the word ‘ka-ari’ is inexplicable since it is not a part of the root. Karah consists only of the Hebrew letters kaph, resh and he, whereas the word in the Hebrew text, ‘ka-ari’ consists of kaph-aleph, resh and yod. Second, the verb krh ‘to dig’ does not have the meaning ‘to pierce’. Karah generally refers to the digging of the soil, and is never applied in the Scriptures to the piercing of the flesh.” 79He continues by saying:“The correct interpretation of this verse must be based on the elliptical style of this particular psalm. The text should read, in effect ‘Like a lion (they are gnawing at) my hands and my feet.” 80Hebrew scholar Franz Delitzsch states regarding the argument against the Septuagint rendering of Psalm 22:16 as “pierced”,“… nothing of any weight can be urged against the rendering of the LXX (Septuagint).…. the fulfillment in the nailing of the hands and (at least, the binding fast) of the feet of the Crucified One to the cross is clear.” 81In the Pulpit Commentary the following is stated concerning the Christian translation which is based on the Septuagint:“There are no sufficient critical grounds for relinquishing this interpretation. It has the support of the Septuagint, the Syriac, the Arabic and the Vulgate version. Whether the true reading be ‘kaaru’ or ‘kaari’, the sense will be the same.” 82Dr. Gill explains how this Jewish reading of Psalm 22:16 came into being;“In the clause there is a various reading; in some copies in the margin it is, ‘as a lion my hands and my feet,’ but in the text, ‘they have dug or pierced my hands and my feet,’ both are joined together in the Targum, ‘biting as a lion my hands and my feet.’ The modern Jews are for retaining the marginal reading, though without any good sense, and are therefore sometimes charged with the willful and malicious corruption of the text, but without sufficient proof, since the different reading in some copies might be originally occasioned by the similarity of the letters (yod) and (vaw) and therefore finding it in their copies or margins… have chosen that which best serves their purpose.” 83The answer to this argument is simple. The Christian translation follows the Septuagint, Arabic, Syriac, Ethiopic, Greek and Latin Vulgate versions which read: “they dug (pierced) my hands and my feet.” It is true that there are manuscript readings which cause eminent critics to divide into one of the two positions regarding the proper rendering of this verse. The whole difference lies between the letters (yod) and the (vaw) which can be easily confused, with the former reading ‘like a lion’ and the latter ‘they pierced’. What probably happened is that through the period of textual transmission, a scribe changed the text by mistake and inserted a ‘yod’ and failed to attach a vertical line so that it would become a ‘vaw’. It therefore reads ‘like a lion’, instead of ‘they pierced’. The Septuagint, which was established before the time of Jesus, retains the correct textual phrase – ‘they pierced’ and the Gospel of John (A.D. 90-95) confirms this rendering. Along with this, by examining the passage the reading which most easily adapts into the context is the reading ‘they pierced’. ‘Like a lion’ my hands and my feet’ does not fit into a context that is expressing agony and suffering but ‘ they pierced my hands and my feet’ seems to fit with much greater ease. There is evidence from a 13th century rabbinical work entitled Yalkut Shimoni, that the reading of Psalm 22:16 as ‘ pierced’ was accepted by certain rabbis. Rabbi Nehemiah states:“They pierced my hands and my feet in the presence of Ahasuerus [ when commenting on Psalm 22].” 84The support for the rendering of the passage in the New Testament manner is sufficiently strong to validate the Christian translation ‘they pierced my hands and my feet’.

D. “This Psalm refers to King David only – no one else.”

The fourth argument asserts that King David is the one referred to here. Jewish sources by no means are in agreement on this understanding of Psalm 22. Some Jewish polemicists apply this Psalm to the Jewish people; others to Hezekiah or another subject in Jewish history, and still others to the Messiah himself. The Nizzahon Vetus relates the argument that King David is the subject of Psalm 22.“The true explanation of the Psalm is that David said it of his war with the Amalekites after they invaded and despoiled both the land of the Philistines and that of Judah and left Ziklag in flames.” 85The problem with this explanation is that King David does not fit the criteria of Psalm 22. Dr. Hengstenberg states concerning King David,“That he was never in such distress as is here described… In this Psalm the sufferer appears alone, the object of universal scorn, forsaken of every helper, given up to the violence of blood thirsty enemies, and at the point of death; there David was in the midst of a brave and numerous host and in no danger of his life… To this it must be added that while this description of suffering contains much which does not suit David, there is on the other hand, among so many particulars, nothing which gives intimation of the event or the time to which this lamentation of David belongs. In other Psalms, which are less circumstantial than this, we can often tell whether they were composed in the flight before Saul or in that before Absalom, and can readily decide with precision concerning them. But this Psalm, abounding as it does in particulars, does not afford us a trace to lead us to the words in the history of David’s misfortunes to which it relates.” 86To ascribe this Psalm to David when he in no way meets the criteria of this Psalm is improper exegesis of the Hebrew Scriptures. With this type of interpretation of the Scriptures, anyone in Jewish history who has suffered at all in life could be viewed as the subject referred to here. Yet the particulars and details mentioned in this passage do not allow for this. This Psalm is a clear prophetic picture that has found fulfillment in the Messiah, “Yeshua” – Jesus, for no one else can satisfy this Psalm as He has.

6. Summary

The Jewish polemic regarding this Psalm offers many weak objections against its fulfillment in Jesus of Nazareth. However, no alternative explanation worthy of credit is given. An examination of the rabbinic interpretation of Psalm 22 reveals that it was considered by many rabbis to refer to the suffering of the Messiah. Information regarding this is provided at the end of this chapter.When Jewish polemicists offer the above noted arguments, they are contradicting an ancient Messianic interpretation given to it by early Jewish rabbis. Jesus, who claimed to be the Messiah, fulfilled the details of this Psalm in a remarkable manner. To reject its application to Jesus is to ignore the plain facts of history.