Psalms 22: My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me

Psalm 22 is David’s defining psalm of lament - the chapter that Christ quoted from the cross, making it the most explicitly Messianic psalm in the entire Psalter. Written circa 1000-970 BC and attributed to David in its inscription, it opens with a cry of absolute abandonment that Jesus spoke verbatim at Calvary (Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34): “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” In the 31 verses that follow, the psalm moves through acute physical suffering, public mockery, encircling enemies, and near-death, then pivots at verse 22 into a praise declaration addressed first to the assembly of Israel and then to all nations and all posterity. The closing verse - “they shall come and shall declare his righteousness, for he has done it” - became for the early church a retrospective word about the resurrection, the cosmic answer to the psalm’s opening question. No other chapter in the Hebrew Bible is quoted as extensively in the Passion narratives, and none maps the shape of Holy Week with more precision.

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Psalm Ivy - Psalms 22 | Confessional Indie-Folk

Quick Answer

Psalm 22 is David’s lament of extreme suffering and trust, which Christ quoted from the cross, moving from a cry of abandonment to a universal declaration that all nations will praise God for his deliverance.

About Psalms 22

Psalm 22 is attributed to David and dated to approximately 1000-970 BC, during his reign as Israel’s second king. The inscription reads “A Psalm of David” though no specific occasion is identified in the text itself. The psalm belongs to the genre of individual lament - a structured form in the ancient Israelite hymnbook where the poet moves from a cry of distress through recollection of God’s past faithfulness to a declaration of praise. Psalm 22 is one of the most elaborate examples of this form in the Psalter, and arguably the most theologically loaded chapter in the entire collection.

The psalm’s literary architecture is deliberate. Verses 1-11 alternate between the cry of abandonment and the memory of God’s faithfulness to Israel - “our fathers trusted in you, they cried to you and were delivered” - drawing a sharp contrast with the speaker’s present desolation. Verses 12-21 intensify the description of suffering: the encircling enemies appear as bulls, lions, and dogs; the body is poured out like water, the bones disjointed, the hands and feet pierced. Verse 18 - “they divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing” - was directly fulfilled at the crucifixion (John 19:24), one of the most specific prophetic details in the Hebrew Bible. Then at verse 22 the tone breaks entirely: “I will proclaim your name to my brothers; in the assembly I will praise you.” The turning point does not explain the suffering - it simply arrives, as the Psalms often do, on the other side of it.

The New Testament cites Psalm 22 more than any other passage in the Passion narratives. Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34 record Jesus quoting verse 1 from the cross as prayer, using the Aramaic: “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” Matthew 27:39 and 27:43 echo verses 7-8 (the mockers shaking their heads and saying “he trusts in God, let God deliver him”). John 19:24 identifies verse 18 as directly fulfilled at the division of Jesus’s garments. Hebrews 2:12 quotes verse 22 (“I will declare your name to my brothers; in the midst of the assembly I will sing your praise”) as spoken by Christ himself. The consistent New Testament reading treats Psalm 22 not as allegory but as a text whose meaning had arrived.

The psalm’s closing movement (vv. 25-31) is remarkable in its universality. What began as one man’s solitary cry ends with all the ends of the earth remembering and turning to the Lord, the rich and poor eating and worshipping together, and future generations not yet born being told about what God has done. The final phrase, “he has done it,” became a name for the cross in early Christian reading - the same words Jesus spoke before his death in John 19:30. Psalm 22 does not answer the question of suffering; it traces the path from its lowest point to the widest possible horizon.

Full Chapter Text

Psalms 22 (Berean Standard Bible)

My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from my salvation, so far from the words of my groaning?
O my God, I cry out by day, but You do not answer; by night, but I find no rest.
But You are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.
Our fathers trusted in You; they trusted, and You delivered them.
They cried out to You and were saved; they trusted in You and were not put to shame.
But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people.
All who see me mock me; they curl their lips and shake their heads:
“He trusts in the LORD; let the LORD deliver him. Let the LORD rescue him, since he delights in him.”
Yet You brought me out of the womb; You made me trust while at my mother’s breast.
I was cast upon You from the womb; from my mother’s womb You have been my God.
Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and no one is there to help.
Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
They open their mouths against me like roaring, ravening lions.
I am poured out like water, and all my bones are disjointed; my heart is like wax; it has melted within me.
My strength is dried up like a potsherd; my tongue clings to the roof of my mouth; You lay me in the dust of death.
For dogs have surrounded me; a band of evildoers has encircled me; they have pierced my hands and feet.
I can count all my bones; the people stare and gloat over me.
They divide my garments among themselves and cast lots for my clothing.
But You, O LORD, be not far off; You are my strength; hasten to help me.
Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog.
Save me from the mouth of the lion; from the horns of the wild oxen You have answered me.
I will proclaim Your name to my brothers; in the assembly I will praise You.
You who fear the LORD, praise Him! All offspring of Jacob, glorify Him! Stand in awe of Him, all offspring of Israel!
For He has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one; He has not hidden His face from him but has listened to his cry for help.
From You comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear You I will fulfill my vows.
The poor will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the LORD will praise Him. May your hearts live forever!
All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will bow down before Him,
for dominion belongs to the LORD and He rules over the nations.
All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before Him - those who cannot keep themselves alive.
Posterity will serve Him; the Lord’s doings will be recounted to the coming generation.
They will come and will proclaim His righteousness to a people yet unborn - for He has done it!

Berean Standard Bible. Public domain.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the main message of Psalms 22?

Psalm 22 moves from anguish to praise - from David’s cry of abandonment (“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”) to a declaration that God heard, did not despise the afflicted, and will be praised by all nations. It is a personal lament that opens into a cosmic vision of God’s faithfulness across all generations. The chapter does not explain suffering; it models the path through it.

Who wrote Psalms 22?

Psalm 22 is attributed to David in its inscription (“A Psalm of David”) and was written approximately 1000-970 BC during his reign. Scholars observe that the suffering described in verses 6-18 exceeds anything in David’s documented biography, which is why the New Testament consistently reads it as pointing forward to Christ - a psalm that David wrote under conditions his own life could not fully account for.

What does “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me” mean?

The opening verse is the psalm’s defining cry - a raw expression of spiritual and physical abandonment directed at God, not away from Him. That it is addressed to God (“my God”) rather than spoken about Him is the crucial point: it is protest as prayer. When Jesus quoted this verse from the cross, he was not expressing despair in isolation - he was praying a psalm his listeners knew, and pointing to its full arc from desolation to vindication.

Why did Jesus quote Psalms 22 on the cross?

By quoting Psalm 22:1 from the cross (Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34), Jesus was praying the opening verse of this psalm and directing those who knew Scripture to its full trajectory - from desolation to vindication, ending in “he has done it” (v. 31). It is a deliberately chosen entire-psalm prayer, not a single isolated verse. The listeners who heard him would have known the psalm ended in praise and cosmic rescue.

What is the structure of Psalms 22?

Psalm 22 divides into two halves: a lament (vv. 1-21) and a praise declaration (vv. 22-31). Within the lament, verses alternate between the cry of abandonment and recollection of God’s past faithfulness. The second half shifts from petition to proclamation - beginning with the assembly of Israel and expanding outward to all nations and all future generations. The pivot at verse 22 (“I will proclaim Your name to my brothers”) is the structural and theological hinge.

How is Psalms 22 a Messianic prophecy?

Psalm 22 contains several details that the New Testament identifies as directly fulfilled in Christ’s crucifixion: mockery by bystanders who say “he trusts in God, let God deliver him” (vv. 7-8; cf. Matthew 27:43), physical suffering consistent with crucifixion (v. 16: “they have pierced my hands and feet”), and the division of clothing by lot (v. 18; cf. John 19:24). Hebrews 2:12 quotes verse 22 as spoken by Christ himself. The Reformed reading, consistent with Jesus’s own use of the psalm, treats it as genuinely prophetic - not allegory, but a text whose full meaning had not yet arrived when David wrote it.

What does verse 18 of Psalms 22 mean?

“They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing” (v. 18) is a detail of public humiliation - the defeated person’s possessions distributed as spoils. John 19:24 explicitly identifies this verse as fulfilled at the crucifixion when soldiers divided Jesus’s garments and cast lots for his seamless tunic. It is one of the most specific prophetic details in the Hebrew Bible and the most commonly cited proof text for the psalm’s Messianic character.

Is Psalms 22 a psalm of lament?

Yes. Psalm 22 is classified as an individual lament - the most intense subgenre of the Psalter. It follows the classic lament structure: address to God, complaint, statement of trust, petition, and vow of praise. What distinguishes Psalm 22 within the lament genre is the extremity of the suffering described and the cosmic scope of the praise movement that follows. It is the lament psalm that defines the category.

How does Psalms 22 connect to the New Testament?

Psalm 22 is quoted or alluded to more than any other passage in the Passion narratives. Matthew cites it three times (27:35, 27:39, 27:43, 27:46). John cites it directly (19:24). Hebrews quotes it as spoken by Christ (2:12). The opening verse becomes Jesus’s prayer from the cross; the closing verse (“he has done it”) is the retrospective declaration the early church applied to the resurrection. No Old Testament chapter is more thoroughly woven into the New Testament’s account of Jesus’s death.

What does “He has done it” mean at the end of Psalms 22?

The final phrase of Psalm 22 (“for he has done it,” v. 31) is the summary declaration of the entire psalm’s movement - God acted on behalf of the afflicted one, and this act is worth telling to every future generation. In the context of the New Testament Passion, the phrase resonates with Jesus’s final words in John 19:30 (“It is finished”) - the same note of completed action. The psalm that opened with a cry of abandonment closes with an announcement: it is done, tell everyone.

What are the main themes of Psalms 22?

The psalm’s dominant themes are suffering and abandonment, trust in God’s past faithfulness, mockery and isolation, physical anguish, and universal praise. Secondary themes include the continuity of faith across generations (vv. 4-5, 30-31) and the ultimate sovereignty of God over all nations. The structural theme is the move from “why have you forsaken me?” to “he has done it” - the lament resolved not by explanation but by encounter.

How many verses are in Psalms 22?

Psalm 22 has 31 verses, structured as an extended lament (vv. 1-21) followed by a praise declaration (vv. 22-31).

Psalm 23 - 50days.io/bible/psalms/23 - The shepherd psalm that immediately follows; the rest and comfort on the other side of Psalm 22’s suffering
Isaiah 53 - 50days.io/bible/isaiah/53 - The Suffering Servant prophecy; the other great Messianic suffering text, written 700 years after Psalm 22
Matthew 27 - 50days.io/bible/matthew/27 - The crucifixion narrative that quotes Psalm 22:1, echoes 22:7-8, and fulfills 22:18
Hebrews 2 - 50days.io/bible/hebrews/2 - Quotes Psalm 22:22 as spoken by Christ; essential for understanding the psalm’s Messianic scope
Psalm 118 - 50days.io/bible/psalms/118 - Another Messianic passion psalm; “the stone the builders rejected” read alongside Psalm 22 in the Passion narrative

Sources & Further Reading

The Bible Project - Psalms Overview - bibleproject.com/explore/video/psalms
Bible Gateway - Psalm 22 (Berean Standard Bible) - biblegateway.com
YouVersion - Psalm 22 - bible.com

About Psalm Ivy

Psalm Ivy is the female confessional-narrative singer-songwriter project of Psalmody Press, setting every chapter of the Bible to song in the sonic register of Taylor Swift’s folklore and evermore, Phoebe Bridgers, boygenius, and Sufjan Stevens’ Carrie & Lowell. Her signature compositional move is the bridge-turn: every chapter’s lament pivots at the bridge into trust or praise, the lament-to-hope hinge that Ivy reads as the structure of the gospel itself. Instrumentally she works in hushed felt piano, fingerpicked acoustic guitar, atmospheric Dessner-style synth pads, and warm self-stacked harmonies - bedroom-close verses that build to a soaring bridge, then dissolve to a stripped outro. Her catalog prioritizes the confessional Psalms, the women of Scripture (the Magnificat, Hannah’s prayer, Ruth’s vow, the bride of the Song of Solomon), and any chapter where Scripture speaks from inside suffering toward an earned hope. For Psalm Ivy, Psalm 22 is the blueprint - a chapter whose bridge-turn is the cross itself, and whose final word is “he has done it.”

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Psalms 22: My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me

Psalms 22: My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me

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Quick Answer

About Psalms 22

Full Chapter Text

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the main message of Psalms 22?

Who wrote Psalms 22?

What does “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me” mean?

Why did Jesus quote Psalms 22 on the cross?

What is the structure of Psalms 22?

How is Psalms 22 a Messianic prophecy?

What does verse 18 of Psalms 22 mean?

Is Psalms 22 a psalm of lament?

How does Psalms 22 connect to the New Testament?

What does “He has done it” mean at the end of Psalms 22?

What are the main themes of Psalms 22?

How many verses are in Psalms 22?

Related Chapters

Sources & Further Reading

About Psalm Ivy

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