Psalm 22:15 - Printer Friendly

ESV: my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death.

NIV: My mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death.

NASB: My strength is dried up like a piece of pottery, And my tongue clings to my jaws; And You lay me in the dust of death.

CSB: My strength is dried up like baked clay; my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You put me into the dust of death.

NLT: My strength has dried up like sunbaked clay. My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You have laid me in the dust and left me for dead.

KJV: My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.

NKJV: My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death.

Symbolically, David writes about weakness and severe dehydration when his enemies surrounded him—his plight is so traumatic that he feels near death. This continues his dramatic prayer during a time he felt abandoned by God (Psalm 22:1–2), which also serves as a prediction of Messiah's suffering (Matthew 27:46).

A "potsherd" is a fragment of broken clay. The emphasis here is on "dryness," suggesting one whose strength has vanished like the water out of a piece of baked ceramic.

Jesus' strength left Him during the ordeal of His arrest and crucifixion. He was brutalized by Pilate's soldiers. They shoved a crown of thorns onto His head and beat Him with a reed (Matthew 27:27–30). This unusually brutal abuse left Jesus too weak to carry His cross all the way to Calvary. The soldiers compelled Simon, a man of Cyrene, to carry it (Matthew 27:32). In a severely weakened condition on the cross, Jesus died before the two robbers who were crucified alongside Him (John 19:31–33).

Even so, it's worth noting that Jesus died by an act of His will. He called out loudly and dismissed His spirit (Matthew 27:50; Luke 23:46; John 19:30). At one point in His earthly ministry Jesus affirmed: "For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again" (John 10:17–18). It was only after He had fulfilled His mission to provide redemption that Jesus cried, "It is finished" (John 19:30) and dismissed His spirit.

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.