Psalms Chapter 22

Chapter Overview

Psalm 22 opens with a haunting cry of abandonment—“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”—a profound lament of perceived divine distantness in the midst of intense suffering. The speaker’s distress is palpable: betrayal by distance from God, mockery by onlookers, and physical anguish. Yet the psalm does not remain in despair. It threads a path from lament to trust, praise, and proclamation. The lament gives way to a confession of integrity and remembrance: the speaker remains righteous before God, trusting in God’s past faithfulness to deliver. The texture shifts as the speaker recalls the faith of earlier generations, their trust that God would rescue, which then fuels present confidence that God will deliver again.

The middle sections turn to the radical tension of visible suffering and invisible faithfulness, culminating in a vow to declare God’s name to the congregation. The psalm ends with a note of future hope: all the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all families shall bow down before Him. The arc—from abandonment to praise, from isolation to universal worship—frames suffering as a crucible that refines faith and fuels mission. It is a powerful prophetic-psalm, often read in light of the suffering of the righteous and, in Christian tradition, as a foreshadowing of the crucifixion and the universal scope of Jesus’ redemptive work.

Historical & Literary Context

Psalm 22 is commonly considered a deeply personal lament that also carries prophetic dimensions. Its opening lines are echoed by Jesus on the cross, making it a key text in Christological readings. The psalm’s structure—lament, petition, recollection, trust, and universal praise—reflects a sophisticated ancient near eastern pattern of communal laments that transition into confident worship. It sits among the laments, particularly those that explore genuine pain while maintaining faith in God’s ultimate faithfulness.

While intensely personal, the psalm also serves liturgical and collective memory purposes. By ending with visions of nations turning to God and bowing before Him, it links individual suffering to the cosmos-wide reign of God, offering hope to the afflicted and encouragement to the faithful community to persevere in prayer and worship amid hardship.

Key Themes

- Lament and trust: Honest cry to God amid intense suffering, followed by unwavering faith.

- God’s faithfulness through suffering: Even in perceived abandonment, God remains present and will vindicate.

- Re-centering worship: The arc moves from personal pain to corporate praise and proclamation of God’s name.

- Suffering as a conduit to mission: The psalm’s final vision broadens to universal worship.

Modern Application

Psalm 22 speaks powerfully to those who feel abandoned or crushed by life’s pressures—whether illness, injustice, grief, or systemic hardship. It reassures believers that pain does not disqualify faith and that honest lament can become a bridge to trust and witness. The psalm invites communities to accompany sufferers with empathetic solidarity, prayer, and practical support, while holding fast to the conviction that God’s purposes extend beyond personal experience to the redemption of all nations.

- Psalm 6 (lament with distress and supplication)

- Isaiah 53 (suffering servant imagery in light of faithful endurance)

- Matthew 27:46 (Jesus’ cry on the cross echoing the psalm)

- Hebrews 2:11–12 (Jesus and the community both marked by suffering and proclaimed faith)

Recommended Personas

- Jesus: for a direct Christological reading of the lament and its fulfillment in the cross.

- David: as the personal sufferer who teaches faithful endurance in the midst of danger.

- The Prophet (Isaiah): for the broader prophetic horizon of suffering leading to redemptive purposes.