Psalmen 22:14 Kommentar

The Spirit of Christ, which was in the prophets, testifies in this psalm, as clearly and fully as any where in all the Old Testament, "the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow" (Pe1 1:11); of him, no doubt, David here speaks, and not of himself, or any other man. Much of it is expressly applied to Christ in the New Testament, all of it may be applied to him, and some of it must be understood of him only. The providences of God concerning David were so very extraordinary that we may suppose there were some wise and good men who then could not but look upon him as a figure of him that was to come. But the composition of his psalms especially, in which he found himself wonderfully carried out by the spirit of prophecy far beyond his own thought and intention, was (we may suppose) an abundant satisfaction to himself that he was not only a father of the Messiah, but a figure of him. In this psalm he speaks, I. Of the humiliation of Christ (v. 1-21), where David, as a type of Christ, complains of the very calamitous condition he was in upon many accounts. 1. He complains, and mixes comforts with his complaints; he complains (Psa 22:1, Psa 22:2), but comforts himself (Psa 22:3-5), complains again (Psa 22:6-8), but comforts himself again, (Psa 22:9, Psa 22:10). 2. He complains, and mixes prayers with his complaints; he complains of the power and rage of his enemies (Psa 22:12, Psa 22:13, Psa 22:16, Psa 22:18), of his own bodily weakness and decay (Psa 22:14, Psa 22:15, Psa 22:17); but prays that God would not be far from him (Psa 22:11, Psa 22:19), that he would save and deliver him (Psa 22:19-21). II. Of the exaltation of Christ, that his undertaking should be for the glory of God (Psa 22:22-25), for the salvation and joy of his people (Psa 22:26-29), and for the perpetuating of his own kingdom (Psa 22:30, Psa 22:31). In singing this psalm we must keep our thoughts fixed upon Christ, and be so affected with his sufferings as to experience the fellowship of them, and so affected with his grace as to experience the power and influence of it. To the chief musician upon Aijeleth Shahar. A psalm of David.

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 22 To the chief Musician upon Aijeleth Shahar, a Psalm of David. The only thing observable in the title of this psalm is the sense of the words "Aijeleth Shahar", left untranslated; which, according to some of the Jewish (g) interpreters, is the name of a musical instrument; to which our version inclines; and a learned Jew (h) says, it is the instrument which the mourning women used on account of distress which was sudden, not known till it came, as a man does not think of the morning till he sees it. "Aijeleth" with him has the signification of mourning, as "Eli" in Joe 1:8; and "Shahar", as in Isa 47:11; so and are used in the Misnah (i) for a mourning woman; and with others it is the beginning of a song to the tune of which the psalm was set (k) but I rather think the words express the subject matter of the psalm, and that they may be rendered, concerning "Aijeleth Shahar"; which signify, either according to the Chaldee paraphrase, "the daily morning sacrifice"; or, as some Jewish writers (l) observe, the "morning star"; or, according to the Septuagint, "the morning help" (m); or rather "the morning hind"; or "hind of the morning": but who should be designed hereby is the question. The Jews would have any rather than the Messiah; some say Esther (n), who so seasonably and readily appeared for the Jews in distress, and was the means of their deliverance; but there is not one word in the psalm that agrees with her; and there are some things which were manifestly spoken of a man, and not a woman, Psa 22:8; others say David (o), when he fled from Saul, or, as others, from Absalom: but the disjointing the bones of this person, the piercing his hands and feet, parting his garments, and casting lots on his vesture, mentioned in Psa 22:14; were never fulfilled in him. Others (p) would have the congregation of Israel in captivity intended; but it is plain that a single person is spoken of throughout; and he is manifestly distinguished from others, from his brethren, from the congregation, from the seed of Jacob and Israel, Psa 22:22; and, indeed, no other than the Messiah can be meant: and of this there ought to be no doubt with Christians, when Psa 22:1 is compared with Mat 27:46; Psa 22:8 with Mat 27:43; Psa 22:18 with Mat 27:35; Psa 22:22 with Heb 2:12; and the Jews themselves sometimes say, that by "Aijeleth Shahar" is meant the Shechinah (q), or the divine Majesty; and in what way soever these words are rendered, they agree with Christ: he is the antitype of "the daily morning sacrifice", the Lamb of God, who continually takes away the sin of the world; and very fitly is he so called in the title of a psalm which speaks so much of his sufferings and death, which are a propitiatory sacrifice for the sins of his people; he is "the bright and morning star", Rev 22:16; the dayspring from on high, the sun of righteousness, and light of the world: he had "morning help" in his very infancy, when his life was sought for by Herod; and had early and seasonable help and assistance in the acceptable time, and in the day of salvation, and early in the morning was he raised from the dead, and had glory given him: but as the words are better rendered "the morning hind", this suits with Christ, who is frequently compared to a roe or a young hart, Sol 2:9; and he may be compared to a "hind" for its lovingness to its mate and young, Pro 5:19; the love of Christ to his church and people being very strong and affectionate, and passing knowledge; and also for its loveliness and goodliness, Gen 49:21; Christ being exceeding amiable and lovely, and fairer than the children of men; likewise for its gentleness and harmlessness, Christ being meek and lowly, holy and harmless; and for its antipathy to serpents, there being an enmity between Christ, the seed of the woman, and the serpent and his seed; for its being hunted by dogs, as Christ was by Herod, by the Scribes and Pharisees, by Judas, and the band of soldiers; see Psa 22:16; for its being fit for food, Deu 14:5; and as it is said to be the fitter for being hunted, Christ's flesh being meat indeed, and the more suitable to faith, as being sacrificed for us; and for its long life it is said to have, Christ, though once dead, being alive again, and living for evermore; to which may be added its great swiftness, expressive of the readiness of Christ to comply with his Father's proposals and do his will; to come into this world in the fulness of time, and set about the work he came to do; to deliver up himself into the hands of his enemies, and lay down his life for his people; and of his haste to help them in distress, and visit them with his gracious presence, and to appear a second time to them unto salvation. He may be called the hind of "the morning", looking lovely and beautiful as the morning, and swift and cheerful as the hind when it rises from its rest, and runs its course; or because of his being hunted in the morning of his infancy by Herod; or because it was early in the morning the chief priests consulted to take away his life; and as early also he rose from the dead, when God made his feet like hinds feet, and set him on his high places, Psa 18:33. The ancient Christian writers generally understood it of Christ wholly. Justin Martyr (r) says, the whole psalm is spoken of Christ; and Tertullian observes (s), that it contains the whole passion, or all the sufferings of Christ. The late Mons. Fourmont (t), the elder, professor of the Oriental languages in the university of Paris, has a very singular notion, that this psalm was written by Jeremiah, when he was drawn up from the dungeon, and is a history of his life and sufferings, in which he was a type of Christ. (g) Jarchi, Kimchi, & Abendana in loc. (h) Leo Mutinens. Shilte Hagibborim, fol. 5. 1. (i) Misn. Celim, c. 15. 6. & 16. 7. & Maimon. & Bartenora in ib. (k) Aben Ezra in loc. (l) Vide Kimchium & Abendauam in loc. (m) So Menachem in Jarchi, and others in Kimchi & Abendana in loc. (n) R. R. in Jarchi in loc. (o) In Kimchi in loc. (p) Kimchi & Ben Melech in loc. (q) Zohar in Lev. fol. 5. 4. & Imre Binah in ib. (r) Dialog cum Tryphone, p. 325. (s) Adv. Judaeos, c. 10. (t) In hunc Psalm. M. S. penes me, fol. 8. 9.

I am poured out like water,.... This may refer to Christ's sweat in the garden, when through his agony or conflict with Satan, and his vehemency in prayer, and the pressure on his mind, in a view of his people's sins, and the wrath of God for, them, and the accursed death he was about to undergo on that account, sweat in great abundance came from all parts of his body, and not only stood in large drops, but fell to the ground like great drops of blood; so that his body was all covered with water, or rather seemed to be dissolving into water, or else to the quantity of tears he shed both there and elsewhere; his sorrow was great even unto death, which vented itself in floods of tears; his prayers were offered up with strong crying and tears; his head was, as Jeremiah wished his might be, as waters, and his eyes a fountain of tears, yea, his whole body seemed to be bathed with them: or else to the shedding of his blood, and the pouring out his soul unto death for his people, which was voluntarily done by himself, or by his enemies; which they shed like water, and made no account of it, Psa 79:3. Some have thought this respects the opinion some had of him, even some of his own disciples, when he was dead; all their hopes of his being their Redeemer and Saviour being gone, he was as water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up; see Sa2 14:14; but rather the phrase intends his being quite dispirited, his heart failing, his soul sorrowful unto death, his hands feeble, his knees weak like water, and he just ready to faint and die; see Jos 7:5, Eze 7:17; and all my bones are out of joint; not through the stretching of his body on the cross, which seems to be designed in Psa 22:17; but as it is with persons in a panic, their joints seem to be loosed, and their bones parting asunder, their legs tremble, no member can perform its office, but as if everyone was dislocated and out of its place; see Psa 6:2; my heart is like wax, it is melted in the midst of my bowels; as wax melts before the fire, so did the heart of Christ at the wrath and fury of God, which was poured forth like fire upon him; and which he had a sense of, when in the garden and on the cross, bearing the sins of his people, and sustaining the punishment due unto them for it was not because of his enemies, nor merely at the presence of God, and his righteous judgments, which is sometimes the case; see Sa2 17:10; but at the apprehension of divine wrath, and feeling the same, as the surety of his people; and what an idea does this give of the wrath of God! for if the heart of Christ, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, melted at it, what heart can endure, or hands be strong, when God deals with them in his wrath? Eze 22:14.

[We know] that even if … all the bones of Christ appear to be scattered in persecutions and afflictions by the plots of those who wage war against the unity of the temple by persecutions, the temple will be raised up and the body will arise on the third day.

"I was poured out like water, and all My bones were scattered" [Psalm 22:14]. "I was poured out like water," when My persecutors fell: and through fear, the stays of My body, that is, the Church, My disciples were scattered from Me. [Matthew 26:56] "My heart became as melting wax, in the midst of my belly." My wisdom, which was written of Me in the sacred books, was, as if hard and shut up, not understood: but after that the fire of My Passion was applied, it was, as if melted, manifested, and entertained in the memory of My Church.

You have often heard also the words of the psalm: “To the dust of death you have brought me down.” Think also of the prophecy of Jacob in the Scriptures: “He lay down and couched as a lion, and as a lion’s whelp; who will disturb him?” Similarly in Numbers: “Lying down he has slept as a lion, and as a lion’s whelp.”

He mentions what is typical of people worried and distressed: since all worry affects the heart, he did well to add “my heart was melted like wax,” my mind having no stability or composure or sound hope; instead, under pressure from the threats and depressing expectations my thoughts dissolved like wax. Next, as happens also with those in distress, “my strength was dried up like a potsherd”: all my condition left me, depression reducing me to great dryness.

As much as his brokenness seems without cure, so much more praiseworthy then is his recovery. And, likewise, the more the work of the potter is fired, the better and more solid will the work be found.

"Like." Next he sets forth the effect of the persecution. And first he proposes this effect. Second, he expounds it, at "Scattered." He says therefore: they persecute me and harm me, because as regards bodily health they have entirely prevailed. And therefore he says, "I am poured out like water." If oil is poured out, something remains in the vessel; if wine is poured out, at least the scent remains in the vessel; but of water nothing remains. As if to say: I am entirely poured out, according to their opinion: 2 Sam. 14: "We are like waters spilled out, which do not return upon the earth." Water is easily poured out and cast away; so I was poured out. Just as the Jews not only tried to destroy him from the earth, but also wanted to destroy his fame. Or Christ is likened to water because water washes; so the passion of Christ washes away all sins and all filth: Rev. 1: "He loved us and washed us from our sins in his blood." Likewise water irrigates and makes fruitful; so the passion of Christ: Sir. 24: "I said, I will water my garden," etc. And it bears the fruit of eternal life: Sir. 24: "My flowers" (that is, of my passion) "are the fruit of honor and uprightness." Likewise it makes the way slippery; so the passion of Christ disposes the Jews to fall: 1 Cor. 1: "We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews, and foolishness to the Gentiles; but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." Next he expounds this effect, and therefore he says, "Scattered are," etc. As if to say: whatever seemed strong in me has been dissolved; whatever was beautiful has withered. And therefore he says, "Scattered," etc. In a person there is a twofold strength. One is bodily strength, and this consists in the bones and sinews; and regarding this he says, "All my bones are scattered." As if to say: all my bodily strength has failed. Yet of Christ it is said spiritually: for the apostles, who are the bones of Christ, were scattered: Zech. 13: "I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered." The other is the strength of the soul, which consists in the heart; hence he says, "My heart has become like melting wax." Augustine asks how this can be true of Christ as head, because this seems to come from excessive fear, which must not be said of Christ -- because even though there was natural fear in him, it was not so great that his heart would melt. And so it is understood of Christ not in himself, but with respect to his members, who are indeed the heart of Christ, whom he especially loves: Phil. 1: "Because I hold you in my heart." And it follows, "God is my witness, how I long for you all in the heart of Jesus Christ." These were the apostles, who were bones for sustaining the weak in the Church, just as bones sustain the flesh: Rom. 15: "We who are stronger ought to bear the weakness of the infirm." And their hearts were like melting wax. First by an evil melting through fear, as in the flight of the disciples: Mt. 26: "Then all of them, leaving him, fled." And in the denial of Peter: Lk. 22: "But he denied it, saying, 'Man, I do not know what you are saying.'" Second by a good melting, as in the conversion of the disciples, as is evident in Peter and Andrew. Or it must be said that melting is also characteristic of love. Song 5: "My soul melted." A thing before it melts is hard and contained within itself; if it melts, it spreads out and tends from itself toward something else. Fear also sometimes hardens, namely when it is not great; and so it is also with love, because when love comes upon one, then the person tends toward another thing who before was contained in himself. And regarding this melting, it can be expounded even of Christ as head: for this melting is both from the Holy Spirit and is in the midst of the belly, that is, of the affections. Or by the heart of Christ is understood Sacred Scripture, which manifests the heart of Christ. This, however, was closed before the passion, because it was obscure; but it was opened after the passion, because those who now understand it consider and discern how the prophecies are to be expounded.

The obscure words Aijeleth Shahar in this title have various explanations. Most interpreters agree in translating them by "hind of the morning." But great difference exists as to the meaning of these words. By some they are supposed (compare Psa 9:1) to be the name of the tune to which the words of the Psalm were set; by others, the name of a musical instrument. Perhaps the best view is to regard the phrase as enigmatically expressive of the subject--the sufferer being likened to a hind pursued by hunters in the early morning (literally, "the dawn of day")--or that, while hind suggests the idea of a meek, innocent sufferer, the addition of morning denotes relief obtained. The feelings of a pious sufferer in sorrow and deliverance are vividly portrayed. He earnestly pleads for divine aid on the ground of his relation to God, whose past goodness to His people encourages hope, and then on account of the imminent danger by which he is threatened. The language of complaint is turned to that of rejoicing in the assured prospect of relief from suffering and triumph over his enemies. The use of the words of the first clause of Psa 22:1 by our Saviour on the cross, and the quotation of Psa 22:18 by John (Joh 19:24), and of Psa 22:22 by Paul (Heb 2:12), as fulfilled in His history, clearly intimate the prophetical and Messianic purport of the Psalm. The intensity of the grief, and the completeness and glory of the deliverance and triumph, alike appear to be unsuitable representations of the fortunes of any less personage. In a general and modified sense (see on Psa 16:1), the experience here detailed may be adapted to the case of all Christians suffering from spiritual foes, and delivered by divine aid, inasmuch as Christ in His human nature was their head and representative. (Psa. 22:1-31) A summary of the complaint. Desertion by God, when overwhelmed by distress, is the climax of the sufferer's misery. words of my roaring--shows that the complaint is expressed intelligently, though the term "roaring" is figurative, taken from the conduct of irrational creatures in pain.

Utter exhaustion and hopeless weakness, in these circumstances of pressing danger, are set forth by the most expressive figures; the solidity of the body is destroyed, and it becomes like water; the bones are parted; the heart, the very seat of vitality, melts like wax; all the juices of the system are dried up; the tongue can no longer perform its office, but lies parched and stiffened (compare Gen 49:4; Sa2 14:14; Psa 58:8). In this, God is regarded as the ultimate source, and men as the instruments.

(Heb.: 22:15-16)Now he described, how, thus encompassed round, he is still just living, but already as it were dead. The being poured out like water reminds us of the ignominious abandonment of the Crucified One to a condition of weakness, in which His life, deprived of its natural support, is in the act of dissolution, and its powers dried up (Sa2 14:14); the bones being stretched out, of the forcible stretching out of His body (חתפּרד, from פּרד to separate, cf. Arab. frd, according to its radical signification, which has been preserved in the common Arabic dialect: so to spread out or apart that the thing has no bends or folds, (Note: Vid., Bocthor, Dict. fran.-arabe, s. v. Etendre and Dployer.) Greek ἐξαπλοῦν); the heart being melted, recalls His burning anguish, the inflammation of the wounds, and the pressure of blood on the head and heart, the characteristic cause of death by crucifixion. נמס, in pause נמס, is 3 praet.; wax, דּונג, receives its name from its melting (דנג, root דג, τηκ). In Psa 22:16 the comparison כּחרשׂ has reference to the issue of result (vid., Psa 18:43): my strength is dried up, so that it is become like a potsherd. חכּי (Saadia) instead of כּחי commends itself, unless, כּח perhaps, like the Talmudic כּיח cidumlaT eht eki, also had the signification "spittle" (as a more dignified word for רק). לשׁון, with the exception perhaps of Pro 26:28, is uniformly feminine; here the predicate has the masculine ground-form without respect to the subject. The part. pass. has a tendency generally to be used without reference to gender, under the influence of the construction laid down in Ges. 143, 1, b, according to which לשׁני may be treated as an accusative of the object; מלקוחי, however, is acc. loci (cf. ל Psa 137:6; Job 29:10; אל Lam 4:4; Eze 3:26): my tongue is made to cleave to my jaws, fauces meas. Such is his state in consequence of outward distresses. His enemies, however, would not have power to do all this, if God had not given it to them. Thus it is, so to speak, God Himself who lays him low in death. שׁפת to put anywhere, to lay, with the accompanying idea of firmness and duration, Arab. ṯbât, Isa 26:12; the future is used of that which is just taking place. Just in like manner, in Isa 53:1-12, the death of the Servant of God is spoken of not merely as happening thus, but as decreed; and not merely as permitted by God, but as being in accordance with the divine will. David is persecuted by Saul, the king of His people, almost to the death; Jesus, however, is delivered over by the Sanhedrim, the authority of His people, to the heathen, under whose hands He actually dies the death of the cross: it is a judicial murder put into execution according to the conditions and circumstances of the age; viewed, however, as to its final cause, it is a gracious dispensation of the holy God, in whose hands all the paths of the world's history run parallel, and who in this instance makes sin subservient to its own expiation.