Psalm 22:23 - Printer Friendly

ESV: You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him, and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!

NIV: You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!

NASB: You who fear the Lord, praise Him; All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, And stand in awe of Him, all you descendants of Israel.

CSB: You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! All you descendants of Israel, revere him!

NLT: Praise the Lord, all you who fear him! Honor him, all you descendants of Jacob! Show him reverence, all you descendants of Israel!

KJV: Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.

NKJV: You who fear the Lord, praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, And fear Him, all you offspring of Israel!

This begins describing a prayer David is planning to pray, at the point of his expected deliverance by God (Psalm 22:22).

David's poetry here summons the descendants of Jacob, which would be the twelve tribes of Israel. His call is for them to glorify God and stand in awe of Him. Every Israelite should have been familiar with the wonders the LORD had performed on behalf of the nation when He led His people through the wilderness. The pagan nations worshiped false gods that could do nothing for them, but Israel's true and living God led His people by day and night through the wilderness, provided food and water miraculously for them, and kept their sandals from wearing out. He toppled the massive walls of Jericho and defeated the Amalekites.

In the times of the judges God delivered His people from their oppressors, and in David's lifetime delivered David from his ferocious enemies. Therefore, all the people of Israel had good reasons to reverence the Lord, stand in awe of Him, and glorify Him. We, too, have many reasons to reverence the Lord, to stand in awe of Him, and to glorify Him. He has saved us; He keeps us; provides for us; and enables us to win over trials and temptation.

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.