Psalms 22:14

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.

I am poured out {H8210} like water {H4325}, and all my bones {H6106} are out of joint {H6504}: my heart {H3820} is like wax {H1749}; it is melted {H4549} in the midst {H8432} of my bowels {H4578}.

I am poured out like water; all my bones are out of joint; my heart has become like wax it melts inside me;

I am poured out like water, and all my bones are disjointed. My heart is like wax; it melts away within me.

I am poured out like water, And all my bones are out of joint: My heart is like wax; It is melted within me.

Psalm 22:14 (KJV) offers a vivid and visceral description of profound physical and emotional agony. This verse, part of a psalm traditionally attributed to King David, is renowned for its prophetic foresight regarding the suffering of Jesus Christ on the cross.

Context

Psalm 22 begins with a desperate cry of abandonment, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" words later echoed by Jesus Himself (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34). The psalm transitions from intense lament to ultimate triumph, but the preceding verses, including verse 14, paint a picture of immense distress. While reflecting David's own experiences of persecution and despair, the imagery is so precise that it transcends his immediate circumstances, pointing forward to the ultimate suffering of the Messiah.

Key Themes

  • Extreme Physical Dissolution: The phrase "I am poured out like water" conveys a complete loss of bodily integrity, strength, and life force, as if one's very being is dissolving. This speaks to utter weakness and a sense of being drained.
  • Intense Skeletal Agony: "All my bones are out of joint" describes agonizing pain, likely from dislocation or extreme stretching. This imagery powerfully foreshadows the physical torment of crucifixion, where the body's weight pulls limbs from their sockets.
  • Profound Internal Collapse: "My heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels" speaks to an overwhelming emotional and physiological shock. The "heart" (lev in Hebrew) was considered the seat of intellect, will, and emotion, while "bowels" (me'ay) referred to the inner parts, often associated with deep feelings. A "melted heart" signifies utter despair, loss of courage, and a complete internal giving way.

Linguistic Insights

The Hebrew term for "poured out" (nissakh, נִסַּךְ) can refer to pouring a libation, but here it metaphorically describes being utterly drained and dissolved. The verb for "out of joint" (parad, פָּרַד) implies separation or dislocation, vividly portraying the agony of stretched ligaments and joints. The "heart" (lev, לֵב) and "bowels" (me'ay, מֵעַי) emphasize the internal, deeply personal nature of this suffering, extending beyond mere external wounds to a profound internal collapse.

Prophetic Significance and Cross-References

The imagery in Psalm 22:14 is strikingly consistent with the physical realities of crucifixion, an execution method unknown in David's time. The sensation of "bones out of joint" aligns with the body's weight pulling on the limbs during crucifixion, causing immense strain on joints. While the prophecy in Psalm 34:20 and its fulfillment in John 19:36 state that no bone of Jesus was broken, the intense stretching and dislocation implied by "out of joint" accurately describes the physical agony. Furthermore, the "heart melted like wax" and being "poured out like water" could allude to the internal hemorrhaging or cardiac distress that contributed to Jesus' death. The piercing of Jesus' side on the cross, from which "blood and water" flowed (John 19:34), is often seen by commentators as a fulfillment of this internal dissolution and the heart's failure.

Practical Application

This verse provides a profound window into the depth of suffering endured by the Messiah for humanity's redemption. For believers, it highlights the immense cost of salvation and underscores God's willingness to identify with human pain at its most extreme. It reminds us that even in our deepest despair and physical agony, we have a Savior who understands and has experienced unimaginable suffering. It invites us to consider the love that motivated such sacrifice and to find solace in the fact that our struggles are not unknown to Him, offering hope and strength even when we feel "poured out" and "melted."

Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • Daniel 5:6

    Then the king's countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another.

  • Job 23:16

    For God maketh my heart soft, and the Almighty troubleth me:

  • Psalms 31:10

    For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed.

  • Joshua 7:5

    And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them [from] before the gate [even] unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.

  • Psalms 68:2

    As smoke is driven away, [so] drive [them] away: as wax melteth before the fire, [so] let the wicked perish at the presence of God.

  • Job 30:16

    And now my soul is poured out upon me; the days of affliction have taken hold upon me.

  • Nahum 2:10

    She is empty, and void, and waste: and the heart melteth, and the knees smite together, and much pain [is] in all loins, and the faces of them all gather blackness.

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