It’s often claimed that Psalm 22 is a prophesy, written by King David, that was fulfilled by Jesus.
First off, in the entire Old Testament, David is never considered a prophet. There certainly were men known as prophets – like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, but among the “major” and “minor’ prophets, David is not one.
Here is the chapter and verse by verse, here is why it does not work to say that Psalms 22 is a prophesy of Jesus death on the cross. While there are a few verses that might seem to fit, there are some that also contradict this idea. I have bolded the verses that are contradictory. Most of the verses are simply just sound like any other prayer or worship that is found throughout the Psalms.
v1 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?
Did Jesus say this on the cross? The first sentence, but not the last sentence.
v2 “My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, but I find no rest.”
While it’s disturbing to think of Jesus of Jesus as having this kind of anxiety from being ignored by this god, there is also no reference in the New Testament substantiate it.
v3 -5 “Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the one Israel praises. In you our ancestors put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them. To you they cried out and were saved; in you they trusted and were not put to shame.”
Just a general statements not unlike many other verses in the Old Testament. Nothing prophetic here.
v 6 “But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.”
Wait. What? Jesus calls himself a worm? Interesting!
Is that how Christians describe Jesus – as ‘worm-like”?
He was despised of the people? While some religious and political leaders despised him, to say, generally, that he was despised of people is wrong.
This verse brings up two contradictory portrayals of Jesus.
v7 “All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads.“
Well this does not hold true at all. I thought that Jesus had a huge following of people who admired, loved and believed him. It’s not correct to say that all who saw him mocked and insulted him.
If you want to call Psalms 22 a prophesy, then we have another contradiction.
v 8 “He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.“
So Jesus trusted god was going to ‘deliver him’? From what? Where?
v 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.”
Prophesy of Jesus? No. Every single person began in the womb and the vast majority were comforted by their mother.
v 10 “I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother’s belly.”
Jesus was cast upon whom? God? Again, there is nothing prophetic here.
v 11 “Do not be far from me, for trouble is near, and there is no one to help.”
A simple prayer almost everyone who believes has prayed. Not a prophecy.
v 12 “Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.”
Bulls at the crucifixion? No confirmation of this. It does not fit.
v 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.”
His bones are out of joint? His heart melted to his bowels? Nothing prophetic here.
v 16 “For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.”
What’s this about dogs? None of the writers mention any dogs. Nothing prophetic here.
Ah ok pierced hands and feet! This one might count.
v 17 “I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.”
Jesus bones stare at him. Unusual. I don’t see how it relates. Not a prophesy.
v 18 “They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.”
This one could count.
v 19 “But you, Lord, do not be far from me.“
A simple prayer, like so many others.
v20 “Deliver me from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dogs.“
Swords? At a glance I thought this might fit, but it was a spear, not a sword, said to be used in Jesus’ death. Dogs? Does not fit.
v21 “Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
save me from the horns of the wild oxen.“
Jesus needed saving from lions and oxen? Nope. Does not fit.
v 22 – 31 The rest of Psalms 22 reads like any other psalm or prayer or verses of worship and praise.
22 “I will declare your name to my people;
in the assembly I will praise you.
23 You who fear the Lord, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
24 For he has not despised or scorned
the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help.
25 From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
before those who fear you[f] I will fulfill my vows.
26 The poor will eat and be satisfied;
those who seek the Lord will praise him—
may your hearts live forever!
27 All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations
will bow down before him,
28 for dominion belongs to the Lord
and he rules over the nations.
All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
those who cannot keep themselves alive.
30 Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the Lord.
31 They will proclaim his righteousness,
declaring to a people yet unborn:
He has done it!”
Conclusion
While there are a couple of verses that might seem prophetic, the majority of the verses are either neutral and are just prayers or praise and many that are cannot be confirmed as prophetic. There are three that might fit. Also, as noted already, there are some verses that are outright contradictions and clearly are not pointing to Jesus at all – unless you want to believe Jesus was worm-like, not well received by all people and mocked by all people.
You can’t have it both ways – that this is a prophesy about him while ignoring the worm reference and saying this is not about him.
It should also be noted that the writers of the gospels did not write of the events surrounding Jesus death until 40 to 80 years after he left the earth.
Did you know it was the Romans who compiled the Bible? What do you think of when you think of the Roman government from way back in Jesus time?
If you have thoughts or rebuttals or comments of any kind, you are welcome to post them.
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