Psalm 22:12 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me;

NIV: Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.

NASB: Many bulls have surrounded me; Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me.

CSB: Many bulls surround me; strong ones of Bashan encircle me.

NLT: My enemies surround me like a herd of bulls; fierce bulls of Bashan have hemmed me in!

KJV: Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.

NKJV: Many bulls have surrounded Me; Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me.

The description given in this psalm does not literally match any known incident in David's life. Since it describes an execution, not merely persecution, it's clear that David is using imagery to explain His angst. This lack of a literal occurrence in Davd's life also makes these words a potent prediction of what Jesus, the Messiah, would experience during His crucifixion (Psalm 22:1; Matthew 27:46).

Part of the comparison is to the "bulls of Bashan." Bashan was an area east of the Sea of Galilee. It stretched from the Yarmuk River to Mount Hermon. Today, Bashan is known as the Golan Heights. The wild bulls of Bashan banded together to attack their victim. They surrounded their prey, and then ferociously pounced on the helpless victim. Jesus' enemies—political authorities and religious leaders, like the bulls of Bashan, banded together and viciously attacked Jesus.

When the believers prayed after the Jewish council had released Peter and John, they quoted from another prophetic passage, Psalm 2, and said, "The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord against his Anointed" (Acts 4:26). They said further, "for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever [God's] hand and [God's] plan had predestined to take place [the act of crucifying Jesus]" (Acts 4:27–28).

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.