The Eastern Cross/Bible/Psalms/Psalm 21
The Book of Psalms · the Psalter
Psalm 22 in the KJV and most English Bibles
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For the end, concerning the morning aid, a Psalm of David.
Εἰς τὸ τέλος, ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀντιλήψεως τῆς ἑωθινῆς, ψαλμὸς τῷ Δαυίδ.
O God, my God, attend to me: why hast thou forsaken me? The account of my transgressions is far from my salvation.
Ὁ Θεός ὁ Θεός μου, πρόσχες μοι, ἱνατί ἐγκατέλιπές με; μακρὰν ἀπὸ τῆς σωτηρίας μου οἱ λόγοι τῶν παραπτωμάτων μου.
"O God, my God, look upon me, why have You forsaken me far from my salvation?". Far removed from my salvation: for "salvation is far from sinners." "The words of my sins." For these are not the words of righteousness, but of my sins. For it is the old man nailed to the Cross that speaks, ignorant even of the reason…
O my God, I will cry to thee by day, but thou wilt not hear: And by night, and it shall not be accounted for folly to me.
Ο Θεός μου, κεκράξομαι ἡμέρας πρὸς σὲ καὶ οὐκ εἰσακούσῃ, καὶ νυκτὸς καὶ οὐκ εἰς ἄνοιαν ἐμοί.
My God, I will cry unto You in the daytime, and You will not hear. My God, I will cry unto You in the prosperous circumstances of this life, that they be not changed; and You will not hear, because I shall cry unto You in the words of my sins. "And in the night-season, and not to my folly." And so in the adversities…
But thou, the praise of Israel, dwellest in a sanctuary.
Σὺ δὲ ἐν ἁγίῳ κατοικεῖς, ὁ ἔπαινος τοῦ Ἰσραήλ.
"But You dwell in the holy place, O Thou praise of Israel". But You dwell in the holy place, and therefore will not hear the unclean words of sins. The "praise" of him that sees You; not of him who has sought his own praise in tasting of the forbidden fruit, that on the opening of his bodily eyes he should endeavour…
Our fathers hoped in thee; They hoped, and thou didst deliver them.
Ἐπὶ σοὶ ἤλπισαν οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν, ἤλπισαν καὶ ἐῤῥύσω αὐτούς.
"Our Fathers hoped in You." All the righteous, namely, who sought not their own praise, but Yours. "They hoped in You, and You delivered them".
They cried to thee, and were saved: They hoped in thee, and were not ashamed.
Πρὸς σὲ ἐκέκραξαν καὶ ἐσώθησαν, ἐπὶ σοὶ ἤλπισαν καὶ οὐ κατῃσχύνθησαν.
"They cried unto You, and were saved." They cried unto You, not in the words of sins, from which salvation is far; and therefore were they saved. "They hoped in You, and were not confounded". "They hoped in You," and their hope did not deceive them. For they placed it not in themselves.
But I am a worm, and not a man; A reproach of men, and scorn of the people.
Ἐγὼ δέ εἰμι σκώληξ καὶ οὐκ ἄνθρωπος, ὄνειδος ἀνθρώπων καὶ ἐξουδένημα λαοῦ.
"But I am a worm, and no man". But I, speaking now not in the person of Adam, but I in My own person, Jesus Christ, was born without human generation in the flesh, that I might be as man beyond men; that so at least human pride might deign to imitate My humility. "The scorn of men, and outcast of the people." In which…
All that saw me mocked me: They spoke with their lips, they shook the head, saying,
Πάντες οἱ θεωροῦντές με ἐξεμυκτήρισάν με, ἐλάλησαν ἐν χείλεσιν, ἐκίνησαν κεφαλὴν,
"All that saw Me laughed Me to scorn". All that saw Me derided Me. "And spoke with the lips, and shook the head." [Matthew 27:39] And they spoke, not with the heart, but with the lips.
He hoped in the Lord: let him deliver him, Let him save him, because he takes pleasure in him.
ἤλπισεν ἐπὶ Κύριον, ῥυσάσθω αὐτὸν, σωσάτω αὐτὸν, ὅτι θέλει αὐτόν.
For they shook their head in derision, saying, "He trusted in the Lord let Him deliver Him: let Him save Him, since He desireth Him" (ver. 8). These were their words; but they were spoken "with the lips."
For thou art he that drew me out of the womb; My hope from my mother’s breasts.
Ὅτι σὺ εἶ ὁ ἐκσπάσας με ἐκ γαστρὸς, ἡ ἐλπίς μου ἀπὸ μαστῶν τῆς μητρός μου,
"Since You are He who drew Me out of the womb". Since You are He who drew Me, not only out of that Virgin womb (for this is the law of all men's birth, that they be drawn out of the womb), but also out of the womb of the Jewish nation; by the darkness whereof he is covered, and not yet born into the light of Christ,…
I was cast on thee from the womb: Thou art my God from my mother’s belly.
ἐπὶ σὲ ἐπεῤῥίφην ἐκ μήτρας· ἐκ κοιλίας μητρός μου Θεός μου εἶ σύ.
"I have been strengthened in You from the womb". It is the womb of the Synagogue, which did not carry Me, but threw Me out: but I fell not, for Thou heldest me. "From My mother's womb You are My God." From My mother's womb: My mother's womb did not cause that, as a babe, I should be forgetful of You.
Stand not aloof from me; for affliction is near; For there is no helper.
Μὴ ἀποστῇς ἀπʼ ἐμοῦ· ὅτι θλίψις ἐγγὺς, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ βοηθῶν.
"You are My God," "depart not from Me; for trouble is hard at hand". You are, therefore, My God, depart not from Me; for trouble is near unto Me; for it is in My body. "For there is none to help." For who helps, if Thou helpest not?
Many bullocks have compassed me: Fat bulls have beset me round.
Περιεκύκλωσάν με μόσχοι πολλοί, ταῦροι πίονες περιέσχον με.
"Many calves came about Me." The multitude of the wanton populace came about Me. "Fat bulls closed Me in" (ver. 12). And their leaders, glad at My oppression, "closed Me in."
They have opened their mouth against me, As a ravening and roaring lion.
Ἤνοιξαν ἐπʼ ἐμὲ τὸ στόμα αὐτῶν, ὡς λέων ὁ ἁρπάζων καὶ ὠρυόμενος.
"They opened their mouth upon Me" (ver. 13). They opened their mouth upon Me, not out of Thy Scripture, but of their own lusts. "As a ravening and roaring lion." As a lion, whose ravening is, that I was taken and led; and whose roaring, "Crucify, Crucify."
"I was poured out like water, and all My bones were scattered". "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…
"My strength dried up as a potsherd". My strength dried up by My Passion; not as hay, but a potsherd, which is made stronger by fire. "And My tongue cleaved to My jaws." And they, through whom I was soon to speak, kept My precepts in their hearts. "And You brought Me down to the dust of death." And to the ungodly…
"For many dogs came about Me". For many came about Me barking, not for truth, but for custom. "The council of the malignant came about Me." The council of the malignant besieged Me. "They pierced My hands and feet." They pierced with nails My hands and feet.
"They numbered distinctly all My bones". They numbered distinctly all My bones, while extended on the wood of the Cross. "Yea, these same regarded, and beheld Me." Yea, these same, that is, unchanged, regarded and beheld Me.
"They divided My garments for themselves, and cast the lot upon My vesture".
"But You, O Lord, withhold not Your help far from Me". But You, O Lord, raise Me up again, not as the rest of men, at the end of the world, but immediately. "Look to My defence." "Look," that they in no wise hurt Me.
"Deliver My soul from the sword." "Deliver My soul" from the tongue of dissension. "And My only One from the hand of the dog". And from the power of the people, barking after their custom, deliver My Church.
"Save Me from the lion's mouth:" save Me from the mouth of the kingdom of this world: "and my humility from the horns of the unicorns". And from the loftiness of the proud, exalting themselves to special pre-eminence, and enduring no partakers, save My humility.
"I will declare Your name to My brethren". I will declare Your name to the humble, and to My Brethren that love one another as they have been beloved by Me. [John 17:6, 21] "In the midst of the Church will I sing of You." In the midst of the Church will I with rejoicing preach You.
"You that fear the Lord, praise Him." "You that fear the Lord," seek not your own praise, but "praise Him." "All you seed of Jacob, magnify Him". All you seed of him whom the elder shall serve, magnify Him.
"Let all the seed of Israel fear Him." Let all who have been born to a new life, and restored to the vision of God "fear Him." "Since He hath not despised, nor disregarded the prayer of the poor man" (ver. 24). Since He hath not despised the prayer, not of him who, crying unto God in the words of sins was loath to…
"With You is My praise". For I seek not My own praise, [John 8:50] for You are My praise, who dwellest in the holy place; and, praise of Israel, You hear The Holy One now beseeching You. "In the great Church I will confess You." In the Church of the whole world "I will confess You." "I will offer My vows in the sight…
"The poor shall eat, and be filled". The humble and the despisers of the world shall eat, and imitate Me. For so they will neither desire this world's abundance, nor fear its want. "And they shall praise the Lord, who seek Him." For the praise of the Lord is the pouring out of that fullness. "Their hearts shall live…
"All the borders of the earth shall remember themselves, and be turned to the Lord". They shall remember themselves: for, by the Gentiles, born in death and bent on outward things, God had been forgotten; and then shall all the borders of the earth be turned to the Lord. "And all the kindreds of the nations shall…
"For the kingdom is the Lord's, and He shall rule over the nations". For the kingdom is the Lord's, not proud men's: and He shall rule over the nations.
"All the rich of the earth have eaten, and worshipped". The rich of the earth too have eaten the Body of their Lord's humiliation, and though they have not, as the poor, been filled even to imitation, yet they have worshipped. "In His sight shall fall all that descend to earth." For He alone sees how all they fall,…
"And My Soul shall live to Him." And My Soul, which in the contempt of this world seems to men as it were to die, shall live, not to itself, but to Him. "And My seed shall serve Him". And My deeds, or they who through Me believe in Him, shall serve Him.
"The generation to come shall be declared to the Lord". The generation of the New Testament shall be declared to the honour of the Lord. "And the heavens shall declare His righteousness." And the Evangelists shall declare His righteousness. "To a people that shall be born, whom the Lord has made." To a people that…
Every note is a real passage, quoted word for word from a published English translation, with its source. Nothing here is summarised or written by us. Some verses have many notes and some have none, because the Fathers wrote more on some passages than others.
All of these translations are in the public domain. The passages were matched to their verses by the Historical Christian Commentaries project, which also hosts the full texts we link to. The Fathers are a treasury of the Church's mind, and they are best read alongside the life of the Church: if a passage raises a question, bring it to your priest.