PSALM 22

In the most general sense, Psalm 22 is about a person who is crying out to God to save him from the taunts and torments of his enemies, and (in the last ten verses) thanking God for rescuing him. Jewish interpretations of Psalm 22 identify the individual in the psalm with a royal figure, usually King David or Queen Esther. The psalm is also interpreted as referring to the plight of the Jewish people and their distress and alienation in exile.[3] For instance, the phrase "But I am a worm" (Hebrew: ואנכי תולעת) refers to Israel, similarly to Isaiah 41: "Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I help thee, saith the LORD, and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel." Tractate Megillah of the Babylonian Talmud contains an extended collection of midrash expanding on the Book of Esther. Commenting on Esther 5:1, Rabbi Levi is quoted saying that, as Esther passed through the hall of idols on the way to the throne room to plead with the king, she felt the Shekhinah (divine presence) leaving her, at which point she quoted Psalm 22:1 saying "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me." Heading To the Chief Musician. Set to "The Deer of the Dawn". A Psalm of David. Ayelet Hashachar (Hebrew: "hind of the dawn") is found in the title of the psalm. It is probably the name of some song or tune to the measure of which the psalm was to be chanted.Some, however, understand by the name some instrument of music, or an allegorical allusion to the subject of the psalms. In the recent literature, however, it is argued that "Hind of Dawn" is a cultic role of the priest designated person acting as מְנַצֵּחַ (menatseach), as head of the ritual. Where English translations have "psalm", the underlying Hebrew word is מִזְמוֹר (mizmor), a song with instrumental accompaniment. This is part of the series of "Davidic Psalms" (mizmor le-david). Traditionally, their authorship was attributed to King David; however, in scholarly exegesis this attribution has been variously qualified or challenged since the late 19th century. The Hebrew particle le can mean "for", "about", or "by", so that it remains open to interpretation whether these psalms originate with David, or whether the heading refers, rather, to the chief character of the poetry, as being concerned with Davidic kingship in the narrow sense, or even divine kingship more generally. The heading further assigns the psalm as "for the conductor" (לַֽמְנַצֵּחַ). This is apparently a reference to the use of psalms in the (temple) liturgy. The exact meaning is unclear. New Testament The New Testament makes numerous allusions to Psalm 22, mainly during the crucifixion of Jesus. Verse 1, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?", is quoted in Mark 15:34; Matthew 27:46 Codex Vaticanus transliterates this differently from the canonical Greek text. Codex Vaticanus Matthew 27.46 has: Eloey, Eloey, lema sabaktanei which is similar to the old Syriac Psalm 22 Alóhi Alóhi lmóno shbáqthoni. Codex Vaticanus Mark 15.34 has: Eloi, Eloi, lama zabafthanei which matches the Hebrew Psalm 22 (אלי אלי למה עזבתני) Elí, Elí, láma azavtháni. Verse 7, "They hurl insults, shaking their heads", is quoted in Mark 15:29; Matthew 27:39. Verse 8, "He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him", is quoted in Matthew 27:43. Verse 18, "They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment", is quoted in Mark 15:24; Matthew 27:35; Luke 23:34; John 19:24. Verse 22, "I will declare your name to my people; in the assembly I will praise you", is quoted Hebrews 2:12.