Psalm 22:1 - Printer Friendly

ESV: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?

NIV: For the director of music. To the tune of "The Doe of the Morning." A psalm of David. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish?

NASB: My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Far from my help are the words of my groaning.

CSB: For the choir director: according to "The Deer of the Dawn." A psalm of David. My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far from my deliverance and from my words of groaning?

NLT: My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help?

KJV: To the chief Musician upon Aijeleth Shahar, A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?

NKJV: {To the Chief Musician. Set to “The Deer of the Dawn.” A Psalm of David.} My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning?

Some Psalms, such as Psalm 3, can be connected to specific events in the life of David. Psalm 22 does not match any exact incident in David's history. The language used is more like an execution than a time of trouble. It seems David uses those figures of speech to highlight how troubled he is. This also implies this portion of Scripture is prophetic. The suffering depicted here closely matches that of Jesus during His crucifixion. Both Christ (Matthew 27:46) and later writers (Hebrews 2:12; Psalm 22:22) made this same connection.

David feels abandoned by the Lord, but he still acknowledges that the Lord is his God. We do not know what circumstances caused David to feel this way, but we do know Jesus spoke these same words from the cross (Matthew 27:46). The Father did not rescue Jesus by taking Him off the cross, because He had sent Jesus into the world as His Lamb to take away the sin of the world (John 1:29). When Jesus died on the cross, God "made him to be sin" for us (2 Corinthians 5:21) and a curse (Galatians 3:13). Rather than rescue Jesus "from" death, God rescued Him "out of" death (Psalm 22:24).

Because God is "of purer eyes than to see evil" (Habakkuk 1:13), He looked away from His Son when His Son was bearing our sin on the cross. Many feel the only answer to Jesus' question, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" is this: God forsook Jesus at Calvary so He would not have to forsake us eternally. Because Jesus died for our sins and conquered death, we can live forever in the constant presence of God. At the same time, as part of the Trinity, Jesus can never be entirely separated from God.

Another explanation for Jesus' use of these words is the method of naming Scriptures used in Jewish tradition. Books or other writings were often known by their starting words or phrases. Reciting the first statement of this Psalm, then, might have been Jesus pointing to this passage as both encouragement and explanation during His crucifixion.

Psalm 22:1–21 depicts David's questioning of God's silence and estrangement from him in his desperate situation. The structure of this prayer, and the images it evokes, are prophecies of Messiah's sufferings. Isaiah 53:3–8 likewise predicts these experiences and explains that Messiah endured them for us sinners. Matthew 27:46 reports that Jesus quoted Psalm 22:1 when he was suffering on the cross. First Peter 2:24 –25 refers to the sufferings of Jesus the Messiah and calls Jesus ''the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.''

This psalm may be divided into two parts. The first part, verses 1–21, contains an urgent prayer, in which the suppliant questions a holy God's distance from him in his time of suffering. It also contains a graphic description of the Messiah's suffering. Messiah's suffering included humiliation, the taunts of unbelievers, a distressful sense of loneliness, and intense physical pain. The second part of the psalm continues a prayer to be delivered, and includes a glimpse of resurrection and exaltation. The psalm praises God and announces a future time when God will receive worldwide acclaim and worship.

This psalm of David should be understood in association with Psalms 23 and 24. Psalm 22 describes the sufferings of the Good Shepherd, Jesus, for His sheep. Psalm 23 describes His care for His sheep. Psalm 24 describes His return in glory to reward His sheep. Psalm 22 includes prophetic sayings which Jesus uttered from the cross. It also predicts the afflictions he endured there (Matthew 27:27–56; Luke 22:63–65; 23:18–49). Isaiah 53 also prophesies the sufferings that Jesus suffered on the cross.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.