the Week of Christ the King / Proper 29 / Ordinary 34
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New Living Translation
Psalms 22:1
For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be sung to the tune "Doe of the Dawn."
My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help?Bible Study Resources
Concordances:
- Nave'sDictionaries:
- AmericanEncyclopedias:
- InternationalDevotionals:
- EveryParallel Translations
For the Chief Musician; set to Aijeleth hash-Shahar. A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?
For the Chief Musician; set to Aijeleth hash-Shahar. A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? [Why are you so] far from helping me, [and from] the words of my groaning?
For the director of music. To the tune of "The Doe of Dawn." A psalm of David.
My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? You seem far from saving me, far away from my groans.For the music director; according to the tune "Morning Doe;" a psalm of David.
My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? I groan in prayer, but help seems far away.To the chief Musician upon Aijeleth Shahar, A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? [why art thou so far] from helping me, [and from] the words of my roaring?
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My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning?
To the choirmaster: according to The Doe of the Dawn. A Psalm of David.
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?The `title of the oon and twentithe salm. To ouercome, for `the morewtid hynd; the salm of Dauid. God, my God, biholde thou on me, whi hast thou forsake me? the wordis of my trespassis ben fer fro myn helthe.
For the choirmaster. To the tune of "The Doe of the Dawn." A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from saving me, so far from my words of groaning?
(A psalm by David for the music leader. To the tune "A Deer at Dawn.")
My God, my God, why have you deserted me? Why are you so far away? Won't you listen to my groans and come to my rescue?For the Chief Musician; set to Aijeleth hash-Shahar. A Psalm of David.
My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning?For the leader. Set to "Sunrise." A psalm of David:
To the chief Musician. Upon Aijeleth-Shahar. A Psalm of David.
My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? [why art thou] far from my salvation, from the words of my groaning?To the director: To the tune "The Deer of Dawn." A song of David.
My God, my God, why have you left me? You seem too far away to save me, too far to hear my cries for help!For the Leader; upon Aijeleth ha-Shahar. A Psalm of David.
[To the chiefe Musician vpon Aijeleth Shahar. A Psalme of Dauid.] My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken mee? Why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?
My God, my God, why have You left me alone? Why are You so far from helping me, and from the words I cry inside myself?
To the leader: according to The Deer of the Dawn. A Psalm of David.
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?To him that excelleth vpon Aiieleth Hasshahar. A Psalme of Dauid. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me, and art so farre from mine health, and from the wordes of my roaring?
MY God, my God, why hast thou let me to live? and yet thou hast delayed my salvation from me, because of the words of my folly.
My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? I have cried desperately for help, but still it does not come.
(21-1) <Unto the end, for the morning protection, a psalm for David.> (21-2) O God my God, look upon me: why hast thou forsaken me? Far from my salvation are the words of my sins.
To the choirmaster: according to The Hind of the Dawn. A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?
My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? [why] art thou so farre from my health, and from the wordes of my complaynt?
O God, my God, attend to me: why hast thou forsaken me? the account of my transgressions is far from my salvation.
My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?Why are you so far from my deliveranceand from my words of groaning?
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My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?
For the music director; according to The Doe of the Dawn. A psalm of David.
My God, my God why have you forsaken me? Why are you far from helping me, far from the words of my groaning?To the Chief Musician, on the deer of the dawn. A Psalm of David. My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me, and are far from My deliverance, from the words of My groaning?
To the Overseer, on `The Hind of the Morning.' -- A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me? Far from my salvation, The words of my roaring?
My God, my God: why hast thou forsaken me? ye wordes of my coplaynte are farre fro my health.
A David Psalm God, God... my God! Why did you dump me miles from nowhere? Doubled up with pain, I call to God all the day long. No answer. Nothing. I keep at it all night, tossing and turning.
My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Far from my help are the words of my groaning.
To the Chief Musician. Set to 'The Deer of the Dawn.' [fn] A Psalm of David. My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?Why are You so far from helping Me,And from the words of My groaning?
For the choir director; upon Aijeleth Hashshahar. A Psalm of David.
My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning.My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?Far from my salvation are the words of my groaning.
Contextual Overview
For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be sung to the tune "Doe of the Dawn."
My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help? 2 Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer. Every night I lift my voice, but I find no relief. 3 Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. 4 Our ancestors trusted in you, and you rescued them. 5 They cried out to you and were saved. They trusted in you and were never disgraced. 6 But I am a worm and not a man. I am scorned and despised by all! 7 Everyone who sees me mocks me. They sneer and shake their heads, saying, 8 "Is this the one who relies on the Lord ? Then let the Lord save him! If the Lord loves him so much, let the Lord rescue him!" 9 Yet you brought me safely from my mother's womb and led me to trust you at my mother's breast. 10 I was thrust into your arms at my birth. You have been my God from the moment I was born.Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
my God: Psalms 31:14-16, Psalms 43:1-5, Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34, Luke 24:44
why hast: Psalms 26:9, Psalms 37:28, Psalms 71:11, 1 Samuel 12:22, Hebrews 13:5
far: Psalms 22:11, Psalms 16:1
helping: Heb. my salvation, Isaiah 46:13
words: Psalms 32:3, Psalms 32:4, Psalms 38:8, Job 3:24, Isaiah 59:11, Luke 22:44, Hebrews 5:7
Reciprocal: Leviticus 1:15 - wring off his head Leviticus 2:6 - General Leviticus 5:11 - no oil 2 Chronicles 6:40 - my God Nehemiah 6:14 - My God Job 21:4 - is my complaint Psalms 10:1 - standest Psalms 13:1 - wilt thou hide Psalms 22:16 - dogs Psalms 25:2 - O Psalms 38:21 - O my God Psalms 42:6 - my God Psalms 42:9 - Why hast Psalms 69:18 - Draw Psalms 83:13 - O my Psalms 116:4 - called Psalms 143:10 - for thou art Song of Solomon 3:2 - I sought Song of Solomon 5:6 - I sought Isaiah 49:14 - The Lord Habakkuk 1:2 - and thou wilt not save Matthew 20:18 - and the Matthew 26:24 - Son of man goeth Matthew 26:36 - while Matthew 26:42 - the second Matthew 26:54 - General Mark 4:38 - carest Mark 9:12 - he must Mark 14:21 - goeth Mark 14:32 - while Mark 14:49 - but Luke 9:22 - General Luke 18:31 - and Luke 22:22 - truly Luke 24:26 - General Luke 24:46 - General Acts 3:18 - all Acts 26:23 - Christ 1 Corinthians 15:3 - according 2 Corinthians 4:9 - but 1 Peter 1:11 - the sufferings
Cross-References
Isaac turned to Abraham and said, "Father?" "Yes, my son?" Abraham replied. "We have the fire and the wood," the boy said, "but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?"
At that moment the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Yes," Abraham replied. "Here I am!"
"Don't lay a hand on the boy!" the angel said. "Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son."
Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means "the Lord will provide"). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: "On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided."
When the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, "Moses! Moses!" "Here I am!" Moses replied.
Then the Lord said to Moses, "Look, I'm going to rain down food from heaven for you. Each day the people can go out and pick up as much food as they need for that day. I will test them in this to see whether or not they will follow my instructions.
Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands.
He fed you with manna in the wilderness, a food unknown to your ancestors. He did this to humble you and test you for your own good.
do not listen to them. The Lord your God is testing you to see if you truly love him with all your heart and soul.
I did this to test Israel—to see whether or not they would follow the ways of the Lord as their ancestors did."
Gill's Notes on the Bible
My God, my God,.... God is the God of Christ as he is man; he prepared a body for him, an human nature; anointed it with the oil of gladness; supported it under all its sorrows and sufferings, and at last exalted it at his own right hand:, and Christ behaved towards him as his covenant God; prayed to him, believed in him, loved him, and was obedient to him as such; and here expresses his faith of interest in him, when he hid his face from him, on account of which he expostulates with him thus, "why hast thou forsaken me?" which is to be understood, not as if the hypostatical or personal union of the divine and human natures were dissolved, or that the one was now separated from the other: for the fulness of the Godhead still dwelt bodily in him; nor that he ceased to be the object of the Father's love; for so he was in the midst of all his sufferings, yea, his Father loved him because he laid down his life for the sheep; nor that the principle of joy and comfort was lost in him, only the act and sense of it; he was now deprived of the gracious presence of God, of the manifestations of his love to his human soul, and had a sense of divine wrath, not for his own sins, but for the sins of his people, and was for a while destitute of help and comfort; all which were necessary in order to make satisfaction for sin: for as he had the sins of his people imputed to him, he must bear the whole punishment of them, which is twofold the punishment of loss and the punishment of sense; the former lies in a deprivation of the divine presence, and the latter in a sense of divine wrath, and both Christ sustained as the surety of his people. This expostulation is made not as ignorant of the reason of it; he knew that as he was wounded and bruised for the sins of his people, he was deserted on the same account; nor as impatient, for he was a mirror of patience in all his sufferings; and much less as in despair; for, in these very words, he strongly expresses and repeats his faith of interest in God; see Psalms 22:8; and also Isaiah 50:6. But this is done to set forth the greatness and bitterness of his sufferings; that not only men hid their faces from him, and the sun in the firmament withdrew its light and heat from him, but, what was most grievous of all, his God departed from him. From hence it appears that he was truly man, had an human soul, and endured sorrows and sufferings in it; and this may be of use to his members, to expect the hidings of God's face, though on another account; and to teach them to wait patiently for him, and to trust in the Lord, and stay themselves upon their God, even while they walk in darkness and see no light;
[why art thou so] far from helping me? or from my salvation; from saving and delivering him out of his sorrows and sufferings? not that he despaired of help; he firmly believed he should have it, and accordingly had it: but he expostulates about the deferring of it. He adds,
[and from] the words of my roaring? which expresses the vehemency of his spirit in crying to God, the exceeding greatness of his sorrows, and his excruciating pains and sufferings: this is what the apostle means by his "strong crying and tears", Hebrews 5:7; or "the words of my roaring [are] far from my salvation"; there is a great space or interval between the one and the other, as Gussetius u observes.
u Comment. Ebr. p. 788.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
My God, my God - These are the very words uttered by the Saviour when on the cross Matthew 27:46; and he evidently used them as best adapted of all the words that could have been chosen to express the extremity of his sorrow. The fact that he employed them may be referred to as “some” evidence that the psalm was designed to refer to him; though it must be admitted that this circumstance is no conclusive proof of such a design, since he might have used words having originally another reference, as best fitted to express his own sufferings. The language is abrupt, and is uttered without any previous intimation of what would produce or cause it. It comes from the midst of suffering - from one enduring intense agony - as if a new form of sorrow suddenly came upon him which he was unable to endure. That new form of suffering was the feeling that now he was forsaken by the last friend of the wretched - God himself. We may suppose that he had patiently borne all the other forms of trial, but the moment the thought strikes him that he is forsaken of God, he cries out in the bitterness of his soul, under the pressure of anguish which is no longer to be borne. All other forms of suffering he could bear. All others he had borne. But this crushes him; overpowers him; is beyond all that the soul can sustain - for the soul may bear all else but this. It is to be observed, however, that the sufferer himself still has confidence in God. He addresses him as his God, though he seems to have forsaken him: “My God; My God.”
Why hast thou forsaken me? - Why hast thou abandoned me, or left me to myself, to suffer unaided and alone? As applicable to the Saviour, this refers to those dreadful moments on the cross when, forsaken by people, he seemed also to be forsaken by God Himself. God did not interpose to rescue him, but left him to bear those dreadful agonies alone. He bore the burden of the world’s atonement by himself. He was overwhelmed with grief, and crushed with pain, for the sins of the world, as well as the agonies of the cross, had come upon him. But there was evidently more than this; “what” more we are unable fully to understand! There was a higher sense in which he was forsaken of God, for no mere physical sufferings, no pains of dying even on the cross, would have extorted this cry. If he had enjoyed the light of his Father’s countenance; if these had been merely physical sufferings; if there was nothing else than what is apparent to our view in the record of those sufferings, we cannot suppose that this cry would have been heard even on the cross.
There is evidently some sense in which it was true that the dying Saviour was given up to darkness - to mental trouble, to despair, “as if” He who is the last hope of the suffering and the dying - the Father of mercies - had withdrawn from him; as if he were personally; a sinner; as if he were himself guilty or blameworthy on account of the sins for which he was making an expiation. In some sense he experienced what the sinner will himself experience when, for his own sins, he will be at last forsaken of God, and abandoned to despair. Every word in this wonderful exclamation may be supposed to be emphatic. “Why.” What is the cause? How is it to be accounted for? What end is to be answered by it? “Hast thou.” Thou, my Father; thou, the comforter of those in trouble; thou, to whom the suffering and the dying may look when all else fails. “Forsaken.” Left me to suffer alone; withdrawn the light of thy countenance - the comfort of thy presence - the joy of thy manifested favor. “Me.” Thy well-beloved Son; me. whom thou hast sent into the world to accomplish thine own work in redeeming man; me, against whom no sin can be charged, whose life has been perfectly pure and holy; why, now, in the extremity of these sufferings, hast thou forsaken me, and added to the agony of the cross the deeper agony of being abandoned by the God whom I love, the Father who loved me before the foundation of the world, John 17:24. There is a reason why God should forsake the wicked; but why should he forsake his own pure and holy Son in the agonies of death?
Why art thou so far from helping me? - Margin, from my salvation. So the Hebrew. The idea is that of one who stood so far off that he could not hear the cry, or that he could not reach out the hand to deliver. Compare Psalms 10:1.
And from the words of my roaring - The word used here properly denotes the roaring of a lion, Job 4:10; Isaiah 5:29; Zechariah 11:3; and then the outcry or the groaning of a person in great pain, Job 3:24; Psalms 32:3. It refers here to a loud cry for help or deliverance, and is descriptive of the intense suffering of the Redeemer on the cross. Compare Matthew 27:50; Luke 23:46.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
PSALM XXII
Under great affliction and distress, the psalmist prays unto
God, 1-3;
appeals to God's wonted kinkiness in behalf of his people, 4, 5;
relates the insults that he received, 6-8;
mentions the goodness of God to him in his youth, as a reason
why he should expect help now, 9-11;
details his sufferings, and the indignities offered to him,
12-18,
prays with the confidence of being heard and delivered, 19-24;
praises God. and foretells the conversion of the nations to the
true religion, 25-31.
NOTES ON PSALM XXII
The title of this Psalm, To the chief Musician upon Aijeleth Shahar, A Psalm of David, has given rise to many conjectures. The words אילת השחר aiyeleth hashshachar are translated in the margin, "the hind of the morning;" but what was this? Was it the name of a musical instrument? or of a tune? or of a band of music? Calmet argues for the last, and translates "A Psalm of David, addressed to the Musicmaster who presides over the Band called the Morning Hind." This is more likely than any of the other conjectures I have seen. But aiyeleth hashshachar may be the name of the Psalm itself, for it was customary among the Asiatics to give names to their poetic compositions which often bore no relation to the subject itself. Mr. Harmer and others have collected a few instances from D'Herbelot's Bibliotheque Orientale. I could add many more from MSS. in my own collection:-thus Saady calls a famous miscellaneous work of his Gulisstan, "The Country of Roses," or, "The Rose Garden:" and yet there is nothing relative to such a country, nor concerning roses nor rose gardens, in the book. Another is called Negaristan, "The Gallery of Pictures; " yet no picture gallery is mentioned. Another Beharistan, "The Spring Season; " Bostan, "The Garden;" Anvar Soheely, "The Light of Canopus;" Bahar Danush, "The Garden of Knowledge; " Tuhfit Almumeneen, "The Gift of the Faithful," a treatise on medicine; Kemeea Isadut, "The Alchymy of Life; " Mukhzeen al Asrar, "The Magazine of Secrets;" Sulselet al Zahab, "The Golden Chain; " Zuhfit al Abrar, "The Rosary of the Pious:" Merat al Asrar, "The Mirror of Secrets; " Durj ul Durar, "The most precious Jewels;" Deru Majlis, "The Jewel of the Assembly;" Al Bordah, "The Variegated Garment;" a poem written by Al Basiree, in praise of the Mohammedan religion, in gratitude for a cure which he believed he received from the prophet who appeared to him in a dream. The poem is written in one hundred and sixty-two couplets, each of which ends with [Arabic] mim, the first letter in the name of Mohammed.
Scarcely one of the above titles, and their number might be easily trebled, bears any relation to the subject of the work to which it is prefixed, no more than Aijeleth Shahar bears to the matter contained in the twenty-second Psalm. Such titles are of very little importance in themselves; and of no farther use to us than as they serve to distinguish the different books, poems, or Psalms, to which they are prefixed. To me, many seem to have spent their time uselessly in the investigation of such subjects. 2 Samuel 1:18.
On the subject of the Psalm itself, there is considerable diversity of opinion:
1. Some referring it all to David;
2. Others referring it all to Christ; and,
3. Some, because of the application of several verses of it to our Lord in his sufferings, take a middle way, and apply it primarily to David, and in a secondary or accommodated sense, to Christ.
Of this opinion was Theodore of Mopsuestia. who gave a very rational account of his own plan of interpretation; for which he was condemned by the second council of Constantinople or fifth OEcumenic council. Grotius and others have nearly copied his plan; and I think, with a little correction, it is the only safe one. That several parts of it relate to David, primarily, there is very little reason to doubt; that several passages may be applied by way of accommodation to our Lord, though originally belonging to and expressing the state of David, may be piously believed; and that it contains portions which are direct prophecies of our Lord's passion, death, and victory, appears too evident to be safely denied. On this plan I propose to treat it in the following paraphrase; keeping it as near to the Gospel standard as I can. Dr. Delaney supposes the Psalm to have been written by David when he was at Mahanaim, the very place where God appeared to Jacob in his distress. See Genesis 32:2. And on this supposition the third, fourth, and fifth verses may be easily and strikingly illustrated: Our fathers trusted in thee; why may not I? Thou didst deliver THEM; why may not I expect deliverance also? THEY cried unto thee, trusted in thee, and were not confounded; I cry until thee, trust in thee; and why should I be confounded? For thou art the same God, thou changest not; and with thee there is no respect of persons. Thus David encouraged himself in the Lord; and these considerations helped to sustain him in his painful exercises and heavy distresses.
Verse Psalms 22:1. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? — Show me the cause why thou hast abandoned me to my enemies; and why thou seemest to disregard my prayers and cries? For a full illustration of this passage, I beg the reader to refer to Clarke's note on "Matthew 27:46".
The words of my roaring? — שאגתי shaagathi, The Vulgate, Septuagint, Syriac, AEthiopic, and Arabic, with the Anglo-Saxon, make use of terms which may be thus translated: "My sins (or foolishness) are the cause why deliverance is so far from me." It appears that these versions have read שגגתי shegagathi, "my sin of ignorance," instead of שאגתי shaagathi, "my roaring:" but no MS. extant supports this reading.
