Psalm 22:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads;

NIV: All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads.

NASB: All who see me deride me; They sneer, they shake their heads, saying,

CSB: Everyone who sees me mocks me; they sneer and shake their heads:

NLT: Everyone who sees me mocks me. They sneer and shake their heads, saying,

KJV: All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,

NKJV: All those who see Me ridicule Me; They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,

The treatment being endured here is not merely painful, it is humiliating. David describes the insulting treatment he received from his foes when he felt abandoned by God (Psalm 22:1–2, 6). This serves as insight into David's angst, as well as a prediction about the suffering of the Promised One (Matthew 27:46; Psalm 22:1).

These words describe precisely what Jesus would experience at the hands of those who despised Him. They would mock Him and part their lips to form a vicious grin (Psalm 35:21). They would also shake their heads to indicate His situation was hopeless. Matthew 27:39–42 reports the insults Jesus received when He hung on the cross. Those who passed by wagged their heads and ridiculed His claim that He would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days. They impudently called upon Him to support His claim to be the Son of God by coming down from the cross. The chief priests, scribes, and elders also mocked Him. They said He saved others but could not save Himself. Like the passersby, they challenged Him to prove His messianic claim by coming down from the cross.

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.