Psalm 22:21 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Save me from the mouth of the lion! You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen!

NIV: Rescue me from the mouth of the lions; save me from the horns of the wild oxen.

NASB: Save me from the lion’s mouth; From the horns of the wild oxen You answer me.

CSB: Save me from the lion's mouth, from the horns of wild oxen. You answered me!

NLT: Snatch me from the lion’s jaws and from the horns of these wild oxen.

KJV: Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.

NKJV: Save Me from the lion’s mouth And from the horns of the wild oxen! You have answered Me.

This verse finds David exulting in the Lord for delivering him. He prays to be delivered from the mouth of the lion, but then says the Lord has rescued him from the horns of wild oxen. This completes a pattern often seen in the Old Testament: chiasm, or a "mirror image." David compared his enemies to bulls (Psalm 22:12), lions (Psalm 22:13) and dogs (Psalm 22:16). In this verse and the previous verse he reverses that order with prayers referring to dogs (Psalm 22:20), lions, and bulls.

All of this prophetically describes the suffering of Jesus during His crucifixion. These words express not only David's gratitude to his personal God—"You"—but also Jesus' delight at being raised from the dead. The Devil, a roaring lion (1 Peter 5:8), was unable to defeat Jesus. In fulfillment of Genesis 3:15 the old serpent, the Devil, would bruise Jesus the Messiah's heel, but Jesus the Messiah, "the seed" of the woman, would bruise the serpent's head.

David's deliverance from his foes came from the Lord who answered his prayer. The deliverance was like that of being rescued from the horns of wild oxen. Similarly, Jesus' crucifixion ended in a triumphant resurrection. Hebrews 12:2 refers to Jesus as "the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." The agony of Calvary ended; the glory of resurrection and ascension followed.

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.