Psalm 22:26 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord! May your hearts live forever!

NIV: The poor will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the Lord will praise him— may your hearts live forever!

NASB: The afflicted will eat and be satisfied; Those who seek Him will praise the Lord. May your heart live forever!

CSB: The humble will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the Lord will praise him. May your hearts live forever!

NLT: The poor will eat and be satisfied. All who seek the Lord will praise him. Their hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy.

KJV: The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the Lord that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.

NKJV: The poor shall eat and be satisfied; Those who seek Him will praise the Lord. Let your heart live forever!

David assures the righteous that afflictions do not last forever. The afflicted who humble themselves and seek the Lord will eat until they feel full, and they will praise the Lord. The people of Israel were very familiar with feasts. The worshiper who brought a peace offering to the Lord kept part of it for himself and his family and invited friends (see Leviticus 3 and 7:11–18). Isaiah 25:6–9 anticipates a plentiful feast the Lord will provide for all people when Jesus reigns in His earthly kingdom. At that time, the Lord will comfort His afflicted people.

When Jesus saw the faith of a centurion who asked for healing for his servant, He said: "Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 8:10–11). When He ate the Last Supper with His disciples He told them: "I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom" (Matthew 26:29). David's wish for the righteous is a figure of speech: "May your hearts live forever!" This statement means, "Do not give up!"

Psalm 22:22–31 focuses on David's praise to God, whereas the earlier passage focused on his prayer to God. We read there that trouble took a heavy toll on David. Here we find David thanking the Lord for the triumph he gave David over his foes. We find a similar contrast in chapters 27 and 28 of Matthew. One records the awful death of Jesus, the other His amazing deliverance out of the grave.

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.