Chapter summary

Psalm 22 Summary

Psalm 22 opens with the cry Jesus himself echoed from the cross — 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?' — and ends with triumphant praise spreading to the ends of the earth.

David's lament describes a sufferer surrounded by enemies, mocked, pierced in hands and feet, his bones out of joint, his garments divided by lots. The New Testament reads it as one of the clearest pictures of Christ's crucifixion in all the Old Testament.

But the psalm does not end in darkness. Praise breaks through: God has heard, he has not despised the affliction of the afflicted, and his name will be declared to all generations. From the cross's deepest cry, hope rises for the nations.

Key verses BSB · Public Domain (CC0)

Psalms 22:1 “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from saving me, so far from my words of groaning?” Psalms 22:16 “For dogs surround me; a band of evil men encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet.”

Original BibleDawn summary. Drafted with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy.