Psalm 22:10 - Printer Friendly

ESV: On you was I cast from my birth, and from my mother’s womb you have been my God.

NIV: From birth I was cast on you; from my mother's womb you have been my God.

NASB: I was cast upon You from birth; You have been my God from my mother’s womb.

CSB: I was given over to you at birth; you have been my God from my mother's womb.

NLT: I was thrust into your arms at my birth. You have been my God from the moment I was born.

KJV: I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly.

NKJV: I was cast upon You from birth. From My mother’s womb You have been My God.

The most vulnerable time of a person's life is when they are newborn. Here, David describes his personal relationship with God from birth, that weakest time of life (Psalm 22:9). It's important to note that David has continued to trust God in adulthood, though it seemed that God had abandoned him (Psalm 22:1–2). This statement is part of David's response to the sneers of his enemies (Psalm 22:6–8).

Jesus the Messiah had a lifelong relationship with God, His Father. When Gabriel foretold Jesus' birth to Mary, he said, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God" (Luke 1:35). When Jesus was just an infant, King Herod gave orders to kill all the male children from birth to two years old, but God rescued the infant Jesus by directing Joseph in a dream to take Jesus and Mary to Egypt (Matthew 2:13). The family stayed in Egypt until God informed them that Herod had died and it was now safe to return to Israel (Matthew 2:19–20). God never ceased to be Jesus' Father God, even when Jesus was made sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21; Matthew 27:46; Psalm 22:1).

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.