Psalm 22

Psalm 22 of the Book of Psalms or My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? is a psalm in the Bible.
The Book of Psalms is part of the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament of the Bible. In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate translations of the Bible, this psalm is Psalm 21. In Latin, it is known as Deus, Deus meus.
The psalm forms a regular part of Jewish, Orthodox, Catholic, Anglican and Lutheran liturgies in addition to Protestant psalmody.

History and context

In the most general sense, Psalm 22 is about a person who is crying out to God to save him from the taunts and torments of his enemies, and thanking God for rescuing him.
Jewish interpretations of Psalm 22 identify the individual in the psalm with a royal figure, usually King David or Queen Esther.
The psalm is also interpreted as referring to the plight of the Jewish people and their distress and alienation in exile. For instance, the phrase "But I am a worm" refers to Israel, similarly to Isaiah 41: "Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I help thee, saith the LORD, and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel."
Tractate Megillah of the Babylonian Talmud contains an extended collection of midrash expanding on the Book of Esther. Commenting on Esther 5:1, Rabbi Levi is quoted saying that, as Esther passed through the hall of idols on the way to the throne room to plead with the king, she felt the Shekhinah leaving her, at which point she quoted Psalm 22:1 saying "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me."

Heading

Ayelet Hashachar is found in the title of the psalm. It is probably the name of some song or tune to the measure of which the psalm was to be chanted. Some, however, understand by the name some instrument of music, or an allegorical allusion to the subject of the psalms. In the recent literature, however, it is argued that "Hind of Dawn" is a cultic role of the priest designated person acting as מְנַצֵּחַ, as head of the ritual.
Where English translations have "psalm", the underlying Hebrew word is מִזְמוֹר, a song with instrumental accompaniment. This is part of the series of "Davidic Psalms". Traditionally, their authorship was attributed to King David; however, in scholarly exegesis this attribution has been variously qualified or challenged since the late 19th century. The Hebrew particle le can mean "for", "about", or "by", so that it remains open to interpretation whether these psalms originate with David, or whether the heading refers, rather, to the chief character of the poetry, as being concerned with Davidic kingship in the narrow sense, or even divine kingship more generally.
The heading further assigns the psalm as "for the conductor". This is apparently a reference to the use of psalms in the liturgy. The exact meaning is unclear.

Parallels and allusions

Old Testament

In verse 12, the "strong bulls of Bashan" represent "frightening power"; in Amos 4:1 the "cows of Bashan" represent luxury.

New Testament

The New Testament makes numerous allusions to Psalm 22, mainly during the crucifixion of Jesus.
Verse 1, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?", is quoted in ; Codex Vaticanus transliterates this differently from the canonical Greek text. Codex Vaticanus Matthew 27.46 has: Eloey, Eloey, lema sabaktanei which is similar to the old Syriac Psalm 22 Alóhi Alóhi lmóno shbáqthoni. Codex Vaticanus Mark 15.34 has: Eloi, Eloi, lama zabafthanei which matches the Hebrew Psalm 22 Elí, Elí, láma azavtháni.
Verse 7, "They hurl insults, shaking their heads", is quoted in ; .
Verse 8, "He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him", is quoted in .
Verse 18, "They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment", is quoted in ; ; ; .
Verse 22, "I will declare your name to my people; in the assembly I will praise you", is quoted .

Text

The following table shows the Hebrew text of the Psalm with vowels, alongside the Koine Greek text in the Septuagint and the English translation from the King James Version. Note that the meaning can slightly differ between these versions, as the Septuagint and the Masoretic Text come from different textual traditions. In the Septuagint, this psalm is numbered Psalm 21.

#	Hebrew	English	Greek
			Εἰς τὸ τέλος, ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀντιλήψεως τῆς ἑωθινῆς· ψαλμὸς τῷ Δαυΐδ. -
1		My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?	Ο ΘΕΟΣ, ὁ Θεός μου, πρόσχες μοι· ἵνα τί ἐγκατέλιπές με; μακρὰν ἀπὸ τῆς σωτηρίας μου οἱ λόγοι τῶν παραπτωμάτων μου.
2		O my God, I cry in the day time, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.	ὁ Θεός μου, κεκράξομαι ἡμέρας, καὶ οὐκ εἰσακούσῃ, καὶ νυκτός, καὶ οὐκ εἰς ἄνοιαν ἐμοί.
3		But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.	σὺ δὲ ἐν ἁγίῳ κατοικεῖς, ὁ ἔπαινος τοῦ ᾿Ισραήλ.
4		Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.	ἐπὶ σοὶ ἤλπισαν οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν, ἤλπισαν, καὶ ἐῤῥύσω αὐτούς·
5		They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.	πρὸς σὲ ἐκέκραξαν καὶ ἐσώθησαν, ἐπὶ σοὶ ἤλπισαν καὶ οὐ κατῃσχύνθησαν.
6		But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.	ἐγὼ δέ εἰμι σκώληξ καὶ οὐκ ἄνθρωπος, ὄνειδος ἀνθρώπων καὶ ἐξουθένημα λαοῦ.
7		All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,	πάντες οἱ θεωροῦντές με ἐξεμυκτήρισάν με, ἐλάλησαν ἐν χείλεσιν, ἐκίνησαν κεφαλήν·
8		He trusted on the that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.	ἤλπισεν ἐπὶ Κύριον, ῥυσάσθω αὐτόν· σωσάτω αὐτόν, ὅτι θέλει αὐτόν.
9		But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts.	ὅτι σὺ εἶ ὁ ἐκσπάσας με ἐκ γαστρός, ἡ ἐλπίς μου ἀπὸ μαστῶν τῆς μητρός μου·
10		I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly.	ἐπὶ σὲ ἐπεῤῥίφην ἐκ μήτρας, ἐκ κοιλίας μητρός μου Θεός μου εἶ σύ·
11		Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.	μὴ ἀποστῇς ἀπ᾿ ἐμοῦ, ὅτι θλῖψις ἐγγύς, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ βοηθῶν.
12		Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.	περιεκύκλωσάν με μόσχοι πολλοί, ταῦροι πίονες περιέσχον με·
13		They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.	ἤνοιξαν ἐπ᾿ ἐμὲ τὸ στόμα αὐτῶν ὡς λέων ἁρπάζων καὶ ὠρυόμενος.
14		I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.	ὡσεὶ ὕδωρ ἐξεχύθην, καὶ διεσκορπίσθη πάντα τὰ ὀστᾶ μου, ἐγενήθη ἡ καρδία μου ὡσεὶ κηρὸς τηκόμενος ἐν μέσῳ τῆς κοιλίας μου·
15		My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.	ἐξηράνθη ὡσεὶ ὄστρακον ἡ ἰσχύς μου, καὶ ἡ γλῶσσά μου κεκόλληται τῷ λάρυγγί μου, καὶ εἰς χοῦν θανάτου κατήγαγές με.
16		For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.	ὅτι ἐκύκλωσάν με κύνες πολλοί, συναγωγὴ πονηρευομένων περιέσχον με, ὤρυξαν χεῖράς μου καὶ πόδας.
17		I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.	ἐξηρίθμησαν πάντα τὰ ὀστᾶ μου, αὐτοὶ δὲ κατενόησαν καὶ ἐπεῖδόν με.
18		They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.	διεμερίσαντο τὰ ἱμάτιά μου ἑαυτοῖς καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν ἱματισμόν μου ἔβαλον κλῆρον.
19		But be not thou far from me, O : O my strength, haste thee to help me.	σὺ δέ, Κύριε, μὴ μακρύνῃς τὴν βοήθειάν μου ἀπ᾿ ἐμοῦ, εἰς τὴν ἀντίληψίν μου πρόσχες.
20		Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.	ῥῦσαι ἀπὸ ῥομφαίας τὴν ψυχήν μου, καὶ ἐκ χειρὸς κυνὸς τὴν μονογενῆ μου·
21		Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.	σῶσόν με ἐκ στόματος λέοντος καὶ ἀπὸ κεράτων μονοκερώτων τὴν ταπείνωσίν μου.
22		I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.	διηγήσομαι τὸ ὄνομά σου τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς μου, ἐν μέσῳ ἐκκλησίας ὑμνήσω σε.
23		Ye that fear the, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.	οἱ φοβούμενοι τὸν Κύριον, αἰνέσατε αὐτόν, ἅπαν τὸ σπέρμα ᾿Ιακώβ, δοξάσατε αὐτόν, φοβηθήτωσαν αὐτὸν ἅπαν τὸ σπέρμα ᾿Ισραήλ,
24		For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.	ὅτι οὐκ ἐξουδένωσεν οὐδὲ προσώχθισε τῇ δεήσει τοῦ πτωχοῦ, οὐδὲ ἀπέστρεψε τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἀπ᾿ ἐμοῦ καὶ ἐν τῷ κεκραγέναι με πρὸς αὐτὸν εἰσήκουσέ μου.
25		My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.	παρὰ σοῦ ὁ ἔπαινός μου ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ μεγάλῃ, τὰς εὐχάς μου ἀποδώσω ἐνώπιον τῶν φοβουμένων αὐτόν.
26		The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.	φάγονται πένητες καὶ ἐμπλησθήσονται, καὶ αἰνέσουσι Κύριον οἱ ἐκζητοῦντες αὐτόν· ζήσονται αἱ καρδίαι αὐτῶν εἰς αἰῶνα αἰῶνος.
27		All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the : and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.	μνησθήσονται καὶ ἐπιστραφήσονται πρὸς Κύριον πάντα τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς καὶ προσκυνήσουσιν ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ πᾶσαι αἱ πατριαὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν,
28		For the kingdom is the 's: and he is the governor among the nations.	ὅτι τοῦ Κυρίου ἡ βασιλεία, καὶ αὐτὸς δεσπόζει τῶν ἐθνῶν.
29		All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.	ἔφαγον καὶ προσεκύνησαν πάντες οἱ πίονες τῆς γῆς, ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ προπεσοῦνται πάντες οἱ καταβαίνοντες εἰς γῆν. καὶ ἡ ψυχή μου αὐτῷ ζῇ,
30		A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the for a generation.	καὶ τὸ σπέρμα μου δουλεύσει αὐτῷ· ἀναγγελήσεται τῷ Κυρίῳ γενεὰ ἡ ἐρχομένη,
31		They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.	καὶ ἀναγγελοῦσι τὴν δικαιοσύνην αὐτοῦ λαῷ τῷ τεχθησομένῳ, ὃν ἐποίησεν ὁ Κύριος.