TRV
Study This Verse
Commentary on Psalms 22 verses 1–10
Some think they find Christ in the title of this psalm, upon Aijeleth Shahar - The hind of the morning. Christ is as the swift hind upon the mountains of spices (Sol 8:14), as the loving hind and the pleasant roe, to all believers (Pro 5:19); he giveth goodly words like Naphtali, who is compared to a hind let loose, Gen 49:21. He is the hind of the morning, marked out by the counsels of God from eternity, to be run down by those dogs that compassed him, Psa 22:16. But others think it denotes only the tune to which the psalm was set. In these verses we have,
I. A sad complaint of God's withdrawings, Psa 22:1, Psa 22:2.
1.This may be applied to David, or any other child of God, in the want of the tokens of his favour, pressed with the burden of his displeasure, roaring under it, as one overwhelmed with grief and terror, crying earnestly for relief, and, in this case, apprehending himself forsaken of God, unhelped, unheard, yet calling him, again and again, "My God," and continuing to cry day and night to him and earnestly desiring his gracious returns. Note, (1.) Spiritual desertions are the saints' sorest afflictions; when their evidences are clouded, divine consolations suspended, their communion with God interrupted, and the terrors of God set in array against them, how sad are their spirits, and how sapless all their comforts! (2.) Even their complaint of these burdens is a good sign of spiritual life and spiritual senses exercised. To cry out, "My God, why am I sick? Why am I poor?" would give cause to suspect discontent and worldliness. But, Why has though forsaken me? is the language of a heart binding up its happiness in God's favour. (3.) When we are lamenting God's withdrawings, yet still we must call him our God, and continue to call upon him as ours. When we want the faith of assurance we must live by a faith of adherence. "However it be, yet God is good, and he is mine; though he slay me, yet I trust in him; though he do not answer me immediately, I will continue praying and waiting; though he be silent, I will not be silent."
2.But is must be applied to Christ: for, in the first words of this complaint, he poured out his soul before God when he was upon the cross (Mat 27:46); probably he proceeded to the following words, and, some think, repeated the whole psalm, if not aloud (because they cavilled at the first words), yet to himself. Note, (1.) Christ, in his sufferings, cried earnestly to his Father for his favour and presence with him. He cried in the day-time, upon the cross, and in the night-season, when he was in agony in the garden. He offered up strong crying and tears to him that was able to save him, and with some fear too, Heb 5:7. (2.) Yet God forsook him, was far from helping him, and did not hear him, and it was this that he complained of more than all his sufferings. God delivered him into the hands of his enemies; it was by his determinate counsel that he was crucified and slain, and he did not give in sensible comforts. But, Christ having made himself sin for us, in conformity thereunto the Father laid him under the present impressions of his wrath and displeasure against sin. It pleased the Lord to bruise him and put him to grief, Isa 53:10. But even then he kept fast hold of his relation to his Father as his God, by whom he was now employed, whom he was now serving, and with whom he should shortly be glorified.
II. Encouragement taken, in reference hereunto, Psa 22:3-5. Though God did not hear him, did not help him, yet, 1. He will think well of God: "But thou art holy, not unjust, untrue, nor unkind, in any of thy dispensations. Though thou dost not immediately come in to the relief of thy afflicted people, yet though lovest them, art true to thy covenant with them, and dost not countenance the iniquity of their persecutors, Hab 1:13. And, as thou art infinitely pure and upright thyself, so thou delightest in the services of thy upright people: Thou inhabitest the praises of Israel; thou art pleased to manifest thy glory, and grace, and special presence with thy people, in the sanctuary, where they attend thee with their praises. There thou art always ready to receive their homage, and of the tabernacle of meeting thou hast said, This is my rest for ever." This bespeaks God's wonderful condescension to his faithful worshippers - (that, though he is attended with the praises of angels, yet he is pleased to inhabit the praises of Israel), and it may comfort us in all our complaints - that, though God seem, for a while, to turn a deaf ear to them, yet he is so well pleased with his people's praises that he will, in due time, give them cause to change their note: Hope in God, for I shall yet praise him. Our Lord Jesus, in his sufferings, had an eye to the holiness of God, to preserve and advance the honour of that, and of his grace in inhabiting the praises of Israel notwithstanding the iniquities of their holy things. 2. He will take comfort from the experiences which the saints in former ages had of the benefit of faith and prayer (Psa 22:4, Psa 22:5): "Our fathers trusted in thee, cried unto thee, and thou didst deliver them; therefore thou wilt, in due time, deliver me, for never any that hoped in thee were made ashamed of their hope, never any that sought thee sought thee in vain. And thou art still the same in thyself and the same to thy people that ever thou wast. They were our fathers, and thy people are beloved for the fathers' sake," Rom 11:28. The entail of the covenant is designed for the support of the seed of the faithful. He that was our fathers' God must be ours, and will therefore be ours. Our Lord Jesus, in his sufferings, supported himself with this - that all the fathers who were types of him in his sufferings, Noah, Joseph, David, Jonah, and others, were in due time delivered and were types of his exaltation too; therefore he knew that he also should not be confounded, Isa 50:7.
III. The complaint renewed of another grievance, and that is the contempt and reproach of men. This complaint is by no means so bitter as that before of God's withdrawings; but, as that touches a gracious soul, so this a generous soul, in a very tender part, Psa 22:6-8. Our fathers were honoured, the patriarchs in their day, first or last, appeared great in the eye of the world, Abraham, Moses, David; but Christ is a worm, and no man. It was great condescension that he became man, a step downwards, which is, and will be, the wonder of angels; yet, as if it were too much, too great, to be a man, he becomes a worm, and no man. He was Adam - a mean man, and Enosh - a man of sorrows, but lo Ish - not a considerable man: for he took upon him the form of a servant, and his visage was marred more than any man's, Isa 52:14. Man, at the best, is a worm; but he became a worm, and no man. If he had not made himself a worm, he could not have been trampled upon as he was. The word signifies such a worm as was used in dyeing scarlet or purple, whence some make it an allusion to his bloody sufferings. See what abuses were put upon him. 1. He was reproached as a bad man, as a blasphemer, a sabbath-breaker, a wine-bibber, a false prophet, an enemy to Caesar, a confederate with the prince of the devils. 2. He was despised of the people as a mean contemptible man, not worth taking notice of, his country in no repute, his relations poor mechanics, his followers none of the rulers, or the Pharisees, but the mob. 3. He was ridiculed as a foolish man, and one that not only deceived others, but himself too. Those that saw him hanging on the cross laughed him to scorn. So far were they from pitying him, or concerning themselves for him, that they added to his afflictions, with all the gestures and expressions of insolence upbraiding him with his fall. They make mouths at him, make merry over him, and make a jest of his sufferings: They shoot out the lip, they shake their head, saying, This was he that said he trusted God would deliver him; now let him deliver him. David was sometimes taunted for his confidence in God; but in the sufferings of Christ this was literally and exactly fulfilled. Those very gestures were used by those that reviled him (Mat 27:39); they wagged their heads, nay, and so far did their malice make them forget themselves that they used the very words (Mat 27:43), He trusted in God; let him deliver him. Our Lord Jesus, having undertaken to satisfy for the dishonour we had done to God by our sins, did it by submitting to the lowest possible instance of ignominy and disgrace.
IV. Encouragement taken as to this also (Psa 22:9, Psa 22:10): Men despise me, but thou art he that took me out of the womb. David and other good men have often, for direction to us, encouraged themselves with this, that God was not only the God of their fathers, as before (Psa 22:4), but the God of their infancy, who began by times to take care of them, as soon as they had a being, and therefore, they hope, will never cast them off. He that did so well for us in that helpless useless state will not leave us when he has reared us and nursed us up into some capacity of serving him. See the early instances of God's providential care for us, 1. In the birth: He took us also out of the womb, else we had died there, or been stifled in the birth. Every man's particular time begins with this pregnant proof of God's providence, as time, in general, began with the creation, that pregnant proof of his being. 2. At the breast: "Then didst thou make me hope;" that is, "thou didst that for me, in providing sustenance for me and protecting me from the dangers to which I was exposed, which encourages me to hope in thee all my days." The blessings of the breasts, as they crown the blessings of the womb, so they are earnests of the blessings of our whole lives; surely he that fed us then will never starve us, Job 3:12. 3. In our early dedication to him: I was cast upon thee from the womb, which perhaps refers to his circumcision on the eighth day; he was then by his parents committed and given up to God as his God in covenant; for circumcision was a seal of the covenant; and this encouraged him to trust in God. Those have reason to think themselves safe who were so soon, so solemnly, gathered under the wings of the divine majesty. 4. In the experience we have had of God's goodness to us all along ever since, drawn out in a constant uninterrupted series of preservations and supplies: Thou art my God, providing me and watching over me for good, from my mother's belly, that is, from my coming into the world unto this day. And if, as soon as we became capable of exercising reason, we put our confidence in God and committed ourselves and our way to him, we need not doubt but he will always remember the kindness of our youth and the love of our espousals, Jer 2:2. This is applicable to our Lord Jesus, over whose incarnation and birth the divine Providence watched with a peculiar care, when he was born in a stable, laid in a manger, and immediately exposed to the malice of Herod, and forced to flee into Egypt. When he was a child God loved him and called him thence (Hos 11:1), and the remembrance of this comforted him in his sufferings. Men reproached him, and discouraged his confidence in God; but God had honoured him and encouraged his confidence in him.
He is surely showing his surprise here that the Father does not hear him; he regards it as something strange and unusual. But the Father reserved his hearing until the fit time that he should be heard. That time was the hour of dawn, of the resurrection from the dead, when to him it could be more justly said than to any, “In a time accepted I heard you, and in a day of salvation I succored you. Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”
My God, I will cry unto You in the daytime, and You will not hear [Psalm 22:2]. My God, I will cry unto You in the prosperous circumstances of this life, that they be not changed; and You will not hear, because I shall cry unto You in the words of my sins. "And in the night-season, and not to my folly." And so in the adversities of this life will I cry to You for prosperity; and in like manner You will not hear. And this You do not to my folly, but rather that I may have wisdom to know what You would have me cry for, not with the words of sins out of longing for life temporal, but with the words of turning to You for life eternal.
Continue studying Psalms 22:2 across the web’s major study libraries — every link below opens this exact verse, chapter, or book on the destination site.
Read & Compare
BibleGatewayThis verse in more than 200 translations and 70 languages.
Bible.comThe YouVersion reader — hundreds of translations, reading plans, and highlights.
ESV.orgCrossway's official English Standard Version reader.
NET BibleThe NET translation with 60,000+ translators' notes on every rendering decision.
STEP BibleTyndale House's free study tool — original text, vocabulary, and scholarly resources.
BibliaLogos Bible Software's free web reader.
USCCBThe New American Bible (Revised Edition) with the U.S. bishops' study notes.
Commentaries
BibleHub CommentariesDozens of classic commentaries on this verse, gathered on one page.
StudyLightMore than 100 commentary sets — the largest collection on the web.
BibleRefPlain-English commentary on what this verse means, verse by verse.
Enduring WordDavid Guzik's free commentary on this chapter, widely used by Bible teachers.
Bible Study ToolsVerse commentary alongside Greek and Hebrew study aids.
Original Language & Research
- BibleHub InterlinearThe verse word by word — original language, transliteration, and English.
- BibleHub LexiconEvery word's original-language definition and Strong's entry.
Blue Letter BibleDeep-study tools — Strong's numbers, concordance, and word studies.
SefariaThe Hebrew text with Rashi and centuries of Jewish commentary.
Sermons, Hymns & Audio
TrulyRandomVerse is not affiliated with these sites and doesn’t control their content. They’re linked because they’re genuinely useful.
SUMMARY
Psalms 22:2 articulates the psalmist's profound and persistent cry of distress to God, lamenting a perceived divine silence or unresponsiveness during times of intense suffering. This verse captures the raw anguish of feeling forsaken, expressing a ceaseless appeal—both day and night—that seemingly goes unheard. It sets the tone for a psalm that begins in deep lament but remarkably transitions to triumphant praise, serving as a poignant and prophetic foreshadowing of the Messiah's suffering and ultimate vindication.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Psalms 22:2 employs several powerful literary devices. Lament is the overarching genre, characterized by a direct address to God, a complaint about suffering, a plea for help, and often an expression of trust. The verse exemplifies this through its raw cry and perceived divine unresponsiveness. Hyperbole is evident in the phrase "I cry in the daytime... and in the night season, and am not silent," which conveys the intensity and pervasiveness of the psalmist's suffering and prayer, rather than a literal 24/7 vocal outcry. This exaggeration emphasizes the depth of his anguish. Parallelism is used effectively: "in the daytime" is paralleled by "in the night season," and "I cry" is implicitly paralleled by "am not silent." This structural repetition reinforces the ceaseless nature of the psalmist's distress and his persistent appeal. Finally, there is an element of Anthropomorphism in "thou hearest not," attributing a human-like capacity (hearing and responding) to God, and then noting His perceived failure to exercise it, thereby conveying the psalmist's deep sense of disappointment and abandonment.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Psalms 22:2 confronts the profound theological tension between a faithful believer's desperate cry and the experience of God's apparent silence. It affirms that such feelings are a legitimate part of the human spiritual journey, even for those deeply committed to God. The psalmist's lament does not negate his faith but expresses it within the context of a relational struggle, trusting that God could hear and could answer, even when He seems not to. This verse provides solace by validating the experience of spiritual dryness or unanswered prayer, reminding believers that even the most righteous can feel abandoned. Ultimately, the psalm's trajectory from lament to praise reveals that God's silence is not His absence, nor does it negate His ultimate faithfulness and redemptive purpose, which will be revealed in His perfect timing.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Psalms 22:2 offers profound comfort and guidance for those navigating seasons of spiritual struggle and perceived divine silence. It teaches us that it is not only permissible but often necessary to bring our raw, unfiltered anguish and questions before God. The psalmist's example encourages us to persist in prayer, even when answers are not immediately evident or when God's presence feels distant. Our continuous crying out, day and night, in the face of perceived silence, is not a sign of weak faith but a testament to enduring trust in God's ultimate sovereignty and goodness. This verse reminds us that God is big enough to handle our doubts, our frustrations, and our deepest laments. It invites us to lean into the tension of faith, knowing that even in the silence, God is at work, and our cries are heard, even if His answer is not what we expect or is delayed for a greater purpose.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Does God truly "not hear" our prayers, as the psalmist suggests?
Answer: The phrase "thou hearest not" (more accurately, "thou answerest not") reflects the psalmist's perception and emotional experience of God's silence, rather than a theological statement about God's inability to hear. God is omniscient and omnipresent; He hears every cry Psalm 65:2. However, His response may not be immediate, or it may not be in the way we expect. The psalmist's lament expresses the agonizing reality of waiting for God's intervention when it feels absent. The very fact that this lament is recorded in inspired Scripture testifies that God does hear and values such honest expressions of faith, even in distress. The psalm itself moves from this deep lament to triumphant praise, demonstrating that God's perceived silence is often a prelude to His ultimate deliverance and vindication Psalms 22:22-31.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Psalms 22:2 finds its ultimate and most profound fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ, particularly during His crucifixion. The entire Psalm 22 is a remarkable prophetic blueprint for the Messiah's suffering, and this verse resonates deeply with Jesus' experience on the cross. His agonizing cry, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34, directly quotes the opening of this psalm, indicating His identification with the psalmist's lament. In bearing the full weight of humanity's sin, Jesus experienced a unique and horrific spiritual separation from the Father, a "silence" that transcended any human experience of abandonment. He cried out "in the daytime" (the hours of the crucifixion) and "in the night season" (the spiritual darkness of sin's burden), enduring the ultimate "not silent" agony for our sake. Yet, even in this profound desolation, His cries were heard by the Father, not for immediate deliverance from the cross, but for the ultimate triumph of resurrection and redemption. Jesus' suffering fulfills this lament, transforming perceived divine silence into the very means of our salvation, demonstrating that God's ultimate answer to sin and suffering is found in the self-sacrificial love of the Lamb of God. Through His experience, we learn that even in the deepest spiritual darkness, God is at work, bringing about His perfect plan for redemption and glory, validating the cries of His people and ultimately answering them through Christ's victory over death and sin Hebrews 5:7-9.