Psalm 22:29 - Printer Friendly

ESV: All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, even the one who could not keep himself alive.

NIV: All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him— those who cannot keep themselves alive.

NASB: All the prosperous of the earth will eat and worship, All those who go down to the dust will kneel before Him, Even he who cannot keep his soul alive.

CSB: All who prosper on earth will eat and bow down; all those who go down to the dust will kneel before him— even the one who cannot preserve his life.

NLT: Let the rich of the earth feast and worship. Bow before him, all who are mortal, all whose lives will end as dust.

KJV: All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.

NKJV: All the prosperous of the earth Shall eat and worship; All those who go down to the dust Shall bow before Him, Even he who cannot keep himself alive.

This passage looks forward to the eventual worldwide reign of Christ over all people. This is often interpreted to mean that everyone who has been redeemed, regardless of status or rank, will partake of a sacrificial feast in honor of the Lord's salvation. Certainly, David anticipates that all future generations will celebrate the Lord's deliverance.

Even now, Christians of all walks of life celebrate the Lord's resurrection. This is symbolized in the sacrament of communion. Paul explained the significance of communion to the Corinthians. He wrote in 1 Corinthians 11:26: "For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes." Christians experience a unity in Christ (Galatians 3:28) and share equally in communion, anticipating the return of their Lord and Savior.

The apostle James rebuked his readers for violating this ideal by showing partiality. They ushered the rich to favorable seating when they gathered for worship (James 2:1–4). He said plainly, "If you show partiality, you are committing sin" (James 2:9). When we gather for worship, we should remember that we are equals in the Lord's sight.

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.