What is the correct translation of Psalm 22:16?

198 I now turn to Psalm 22:17. He finds, in the most ancient Hebrew reading, "like a lion." Now that there are difficulties of interpretation or readings in Hebrew no one doubts. Christianity is in no way concerned in this phrase. It is not quoted in the New Testament. The reason for reading it as it is in the English translation is that the ancient Jews insist it is so in the old Hebrew. It is no question of rationalism. The most High Church orthodox writers take it as meaning "a lion." The form is peculiar. There is the same in Isaiah, where it is translated, "as a lion;" but the ancient Jewish writers insist that it is not to be read so here. The LXX (a century and a half, say, before our Lord) translates it, "they pierced my hands and my feet:" so the Vulgate, so the Syriac in Walton; Montanus, De Wette, Hengstenberg, and many, "as a lion." Of the ancients, the Chaldee Targum only has "as a lion," and (according to De Rossi, the best authority) is of small authority, and founded on bad manuscripts. He insists on the manuscripts of the very learned critic of the Jews, Ben Chaiim, and the Masora, that "they pierced" is right; Rosenmuller prefers "they bound."

It is a question of reading. Cahari is, "as a lion;" most probably, though not certainly, caharu is, "they pierced;" and the difference in Hebrew is very slight. (Caru is, "they bound." Now, as all the ancient translations give "they pierced," the Masora confirms, and one of the most critical Jewish doctors approves, pleading his own good Jewish manuscripts; and the use of the text by the fathers may have induced the Jews to tamper with the text by a change hardly perceptible; and as the pointing is uncertain, there is nothing so sure in the matter. I avow I am disposed to think "pierced" right. What is the meaning of "the assembly of the wicked surrounded me, as a lion my hands and my feet?" I do not see much sense in it. What is most against "pierced," though it proves nothing, is that it is never referred to in the New Testament, whereas other parts of the Psalms are. However, my own conviction is that "they pierced" is right.

199 The difficulties and labour of those who take "as a lion" as the true reading, in making any sense of it, shew that it is no natural reading. Its place in the Psalm makes it inappropriate. It is not "the strength of bulls and lions" that is here spoken of (that is an earlier stage of the speaker's sorrow), but the "shamelessness of dogs." It is an interpretation of what is ascribed to the dogs. They "compass" him — so the wicked: then to jump to a lion, who does not compass people at all, is out of place. Next, how "compass his hands and feet?" What does this mean? We have had the lion, but then it was only "gaping with the mouth," and in place; here he is going on with personal details. All tends, I think, to shew the ancient interpreters were right, had they cahari, or caharee, or caharu. Venema reads "as a lion," but connects "my hands and my feet" with "I can count" — an additional proof of the difficulties of those who reject the ancient versions. That it is the most ancient Hebrew reading is anything but proved; that it is the common modern one is true. The versions have so far more authority in the Old Testament, that no Hebrew manuscript is so old by many centuries as the oldest of the New.

Psalm 22. 1 To the chief musician, upon the hind of the dawn; a Psalm of David. 2 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? far off from my deliverance, the words of my roaring? 3 My God, I call by day, and thou answerest not, and by night, and there is no silence for me. 4 And thou art holy, inhabiting the praises of Israel. 5 In thee our fathers trusted; they trusted, and thou dost deliver them; 6 Unto thee they cried and they were delivered in thee they trusted and they were not ashamed. 7 But I am a worm and not a man, a reproach of men and despised of the people. 8 All those who see me mock me, they open wide with the lip, they shake the head. 9 Commit† [thyself] to Jehovah; let him deliver him; he will deliver him because he has delighted in him. 10 For thou [art] he that didst bring me forth from the womb, causing me to trust‡ upon the breasts of my mother. 11 Upon thee was I cast from the womb; from the belly of my mother thou [art] my God. 12 Be not far from me, for trouble is near, for there is no helper. 13 Many bulls have surrounded me; strong ones of Bashan have encompassed me. 14 They opened their mouth upon me, [like] a lion tearing in pieces and roaring. 15 I have been poured out like water, and all my bones have been separated; my heart has become like wax, it is melted in the midst of my bowels. 16 My strength has been dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue is cleaving to my jaws; and in the dust if death thou settest me. 17 For dogs have surrounded me, the congregation of evil-doers have encompassed me, piercing my hands and my feet. 18 I number all my bones; they behold, they look upon me. 19 They divide my garments amongst themselves and upon my vestment they cast lets. 20 But thou, O Jehovah, be not far off; O my strength, make haste to my help. 21 Deliver my soul from the sword, mine only one from the power§ of the dog. 22 Save me from the mouth of the lion, and from the horns of the buffaloes|| thou hast answered me. 23 I will declare thy name to my brethren, in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee. 24 Ye who fear Jehovah, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel. 25 For he has not despised nor has he abhorred the affliction of the poor, and he has not hidden his face from him, and when he cried for help to him, he heard. 26 Of thee [is] my praise in the great congregation; I will perform my vows before those who fear him. 27 The humble eat and are satisfied; they praise Jehovah, who seek him; your heart shall live for ever. 28 All the ends of the earth shall remember and shall turn to Jehovah, and all tribes of Gentiles shall bow down before thee. 29 For the kingdom is Jehovah's; and he ruleth among the Gentiles. 30 All the fat ones of the earth have eaten and shall bow down; before him shall bend all those who go down to the dust, and he [who] has not kept alive his soul. 31 A seed shall serve him; it shall be declared by the Lord to the generation; 32 They shall come and shall tell his righteousness to a people that shall be born, that he has done [it]. *El. †Or, roll. ‡Or, hang. §Literally, hand. ||Or, unicorns.

16 My strength p has been dried up like a potsherd; v and my tongue d cleaved to my jaws; v and f thou bringest me to the dust of death.

17 For dogs p have compassed me; the assembly of d the wicked p have enclosed me; p they pierced my hands v and my feet.

" My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? ...... O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent....... 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. 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. For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me. They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture." (Psalm 22:1a, 2, 14-18)

"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent. But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them. They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded. But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, He trusted on Jehovah that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him. But thou art he that took me out of the womb … Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help. Many bulls have compassed me; strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round. They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion. 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. 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. For dogs have compassed me; the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me. They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture. But be not thou far from me, O Jehovah: O my strength, haste thee to help me."

Psalm 22, in which we have the deep darkness of Golgotha, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (v.1) speaks of our holy Lord as the holy sin bearer, the true sin offering. As you go down that psalm you learn about the raging of men against God, "the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet" (v.16). Obviously our blessed Lord is viewed here as the object of the hatred of man, but more so He is the object of the judgment of God sacrificially. He only suffered for sin on the cross, and having suffered for sin He has brought such glory to God, and now to you and me and to all is made available the rich and lasting blessing of God. God will bless us forever in regard to our reception of His blessed Son as our peerless Saviour. Psalm 22 pictures only blessing as a result of the cross.

Let us read the account of our Lord's sufferings at the hands of man and of God, and we find no confusing of the two, nor any charging God with evil. "Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round. They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion … 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. For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet … But be not Thou far from me, O Lord: O my strength, haste Thee to help me" (Ps. 22:12-19). God had been His trust from infancy; His soul still rested upon His goodness and righteousness when all the waves and billows of judgment rolled over Him. "Oh, what a load was Thine to bear, Alone in that dark hour Our sins in all their terror there, God's wrath and Satan's power."

I would add that, although the subject of prophecy is not a figure, yet figures are not only largely used, but they are often intermingled with literal expressions; so that in explaining the prophetic books one cannot make an exact rule to distinguish between figure and letter. The aid of the Holy Ghost is necessary, as is always the case in the study of the sacred word, to find the true sense of the passage. What I have said is equally applicable to other parts of scripture, and in the most solemn circumstances. Psalm 22, for instance, is a continual mixture of figures, which represent the moral character of certain facts, with other facts recited in the simplicity of the letter. There is no difficulty in understanding it. "Dogs have compassed me; the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me, they pierced my hands and my feet." The word dogs gives the character of those present. This way of speaking is found in all languages. For instance, it would be said, "He drew a fine picture of virtue." Drew a picture is a figure. I say this in order that a difficulty may not be made of that which belongs to the nature of human language.

Think of that matchless Psalm 22. One thousand years, ten long centuries, before our Saviour died, this Psalm anticipated the cry of anguish uttered by the Holy Sufferer upon the cross of Calvary—"My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" The Psalm foretold the mode of His death, "They pierced My hands and My feet" (verse 16). At that time crucifixion was a death unknown. How David himself must have wondered when he wrote those words. They did not refer to his hands. His hands were not pierced. He foretold the robber soldiers gambling for our Lord's clothes, "They part My garments among them, and cast lots upon My vesture" (verse 18).

"Psalm 22 is a graphic picture of death by crucifixion. The bones (of the hands, arms, shoulders and pelvis) out of joint (verse 14); the profuse perspiration caused by intense suffering (verse 14); the action of the heart affected (verse 14); strength exhausted and extreme thirst (verse 15); the hands and feet pierced (verse 16); partial nudity with the hurt to modesty (verse 7), are all incidental to that mode of death. The accompanying circumstances are precisely those fulfilled in the crucifixion of Christ. The desolate cry of verse 1 (Matt. 27:46); the periods of light and darkness of verse 2 (Matt. 27:45); the contumely of verses 6-8, 12-13 (Matt. 27:39-43); the casting lots of verse 18 (Matt. 27:35), all were literally fulfilled. When it is remembered that crucifixion was a Roman, not Jewish, form of execution, the proof of inspiration is irresistible."