📖 Psalms — Chapter 22 (KJV)
Read the complete King James Version chapter below, then explore the passage sections, check what you remember, and keep your private study notes.
Scripture source: Project Gutenberg KJV, ebook 10.
Psalms 22:1 My God, my God, Rwhy hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from Thelping me, and from the words of my roaring?
Psalms 22:2 O my God, RI cry in the day time, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and Tam not silent.
Psalms 22:3 RBut thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.
Psalms 22:4 Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.
Psalms 22:5 They Rcried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.
Psalms 22:6 But RI am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.
Psalms 22:7 All they that see me Rlaugh me to scorn: they Tshoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,
Psalms 22:8 RTHe trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, Tseeing he delighted in him.
Psalms 22:9 But thou art he Rthat took me out of the womb: thou Tdidst make me hope when I was upon my mother’s breasts.
Psalms 22:10 I was Rcast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother’s belly.
Psalms 22:11 RBe not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is Tnone to help.
Psalms 22:12 RMany bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.
Psalms 22:13 They RTgaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.
Psalms 22:14 RI am poured out like water, and all my bones are Tout of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.
Psalms 22:15 My Rstrength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.
Psalms 22:16 For Rdogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.
Psalms 22:17 RI may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.
Psalms 22:18 RThey part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.
Psalms 22:19 RBut be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me.
Psalms 22:20 Deliver my Rsoul from the sword; Tmy darling from the Tpower of the dog.
Psalms 22:21 Save me from the lion’s mouth: for thou hast heard me from the Rhorns of the unicorns.
Psalms 22:22 RI will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.
Psalms 22:23 RYe that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.
Psalms 22:24 RFor 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.
Psalms 22:25 RMy praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.
Psalms 22:26 RThe meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.
Psalms 22:27 RAll the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.
Psalms 22:28 For the kingdom is the LORD’s: and he is the governor among the nations.
Psalms 22:29 All they Rthat 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.
Psalms 22:30 RA seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.
Psalms 22:31 RThey shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.
📚 Study This Chapter
📖 What We’re Reading
Psalms 22:1–11 — Abandonment, mockery, and remembered trust
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
The sufferer cries out with a sense of abandonment while recalling God's holiness and earlier deliverances. Mockery surrounds him, yet he remembers dependence upon God from infancy. Jesus uses the opening cry on the cross, giving this lament a central place in Christian reflection on his suffering.
Key Truth: Deep anguish can still address God as my God.
Check What You Remember
1. What question opens the psalm? (Psalms 22:1)
Find it in Psalms 22:1 (KJV).
2. Who trusted and were delivered? (Psalms 22:4)
Find it in Psalms 22:4 (KJV).
3. What is near when he asks God not to be far? (Psalms 22:11)
Find it in Psalms 22:11 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
Psalms 22:12–21 — A plea amid devastating suffering
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Animal images portray powerful opponents as the speaker describes bodily collapse, pierced hands and feet, and divided clothing. He repeatedly asks the Lord for rescue. The Gospel accounts connect these details with Jesus' crucifixion. The suffering is brought to God without pretending it is minor or easy.
Key Truth: The afflicted may urgently seek God's help.
Check What You Remember
1. What are the strong bulls associated with? (Psalms 22:12)
Find it in Psalms 22:12 (KJV).
2. What parts are pierced? (Psalms 22:16)
Find it in Psalms 22:16 (KJV).
3. What do the opponents cast for his clothing? (Psalms 22:18)
Find it in Psalms 22:18 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
Psalms 22:22–31 — Praise spreads to the nations
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
The lament turns toward praise in the congregation because God has heard the afflicted. The vision widens to the ends of the world and future generations declaring God's righteousness. The ending answers the opening anguish with testimony that God did not despise the sufferer's affliction.
Key Truth: God hears the afflicted, and his praise reaches future generations.
Check What You Remember
1. Where will the speaker praise God? (Psalms 22:22)
Find it in Psalms 22:22 (KJV).
2. Whose affliction has God not despised? (Psalms 22:24)
Find it in Psalms 22:24 (KJV).
3. To whom does the kingdom belong? (Psalms 22:28)
Find it in Psalms 22:28 (KJV).
Related Scripture (KJV)
Matthew 27:46 — Jesus speaks the psalm's opening words from the cross.
This related passage is selected for its connection with this chapter. It is separate from the chapter text.
Reflect and Apply
How can this lament help you pray honestly while remembering Christ's suffering and God's attention to the afflicted?
Advanced Questions and Answers
Study this chapter’s wording, patterns, contrasts, and meaning in greater depth.
1. How does the opening lament hold distress alongside remembered trust?
2. Whose speech challenges the sufferer’s trust in the LORD?
3. How do animal images and bodily weakness intensify the lament?
4. What change connects the plea for rescue with public praise?
5. How does the closing extend praise beyond the present speaker?
Notes
Write what you want to remember, questions to explore, or Scriptures to look up later. Your saved notes are private to your account.
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