Psalm 22:
A Terrible Vision
The phrase “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” in Hebrew is:
אֵלִי אֵלִי לָמָה עֲזַבְתָּנִי
(Eli, Eli, lama azavtani)
This is the exact opening line of Psalm 22:2 (in the Hebrew Bible, verse numbering may differ slightly; in some translations, it is Psalm 22:1).
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אֵלִי (Eli) = My God
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לָמָה (lama) = Why
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עֲזַבְתָּנִי (azavtani) = Have you forsaken me
TO THE CHIEF MUSICIAN UPON AIJELETH SHAHAR,
A PSALM OF DAVID.
1 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
[Matthew 27:46 (KJV)
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying,
Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say,
My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?]
Why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?
2 O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not;
and in the night season, and am not silent.
3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.
4 Our fathers trusted in thee:
they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.
5 They cried unto thee, and were delivered:
they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.
6 But I am a worm, and no man;
a reproach of men, and despised of the people.
7 All they that see me laugh me to scorn:
they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,
8 He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him:
let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.
[Matthew 27:39-43 (KJV) 39 And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, 40 And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. 41 Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, 42 He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. 43 He trusted in God;let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.]
9 But thou art he that took me out of the womb:
thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother’s breasts.
10 I was cast upon thee from the womb:
thou art my God from my mother’s belly.
11 Be not far from me; for trouble is near;
for there is none to help.
12 Many bulls have compassed me:
strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.
13 They gaped upon me with their mouths,
as a ravening and a roaring lion.
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.
15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd;
and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws;
and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.
16 For dogs have compassed me:
[“Dogs” = Jews referred to Gentiles as “Dogs”, referring to the Roman Soldiers piercing the Messiah’s hand and feet.]
the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me:
they pierced my hands and my feet.
[John 20:25 (NIV) 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”
But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”]
[John 19:33-37 (KJV) 33 But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: 34 But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. 35 And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe. 36 For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken. 37 And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced.
Psalms 34:18-22 (KJV) 18 The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous:but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.20 He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken. 21 Evil shall slay the wicked:and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate.22 The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants:and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.
Zechariah 12:10 (KJV) 10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications:and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced,and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.]
17 I may tell all my bones:they look and stare upon me.
18 They part my garments among them,and cast lots upon my vesture.
[Matthew 27:35-38 (KJV) 35 And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots. 36 And sitting down they watched him there; 37 And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. 38 Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left.]
19 But be not thou far from me, O LORD:O my strength, haste thee to help me.
20 Deliver my soul from the sword;my darling from the power of the dog.
21 Save me from the lion’s mouth:for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.
22 I will declare thy name unto my brethren:in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.
23 Ye that fear the LORD, praise him;all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him;and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.
24 For 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.
25 My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation:I will pay my vows before them that fear him.
26 The meek shall eat and be satisfied:they shall praise the LORD that seek him:your heart shall live for ever.
27 All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD:and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.
28 For the kingdom is the LORD’s:and he is the governor among the nations.
29 All they that 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.
30 A seed shall serve him;it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.
31 They shall come, and shall declare his righteousnessunto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this.