to revolve · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person common plural + pronominal suffix
assembly
עֲדַ֣ת'a.Dat
H5712
a stated assemblage (specifically · noun, common feminine singular construct
wicked
מְ֭רֵעִיםMe.re.'im
H7489
properly · verb, hiphil active participle, masculine plural absolute
inclosed
הִקִּיפ֑וּנִיhi.ki.Fu.ni
H5362
to strike with more or less violence (beat · verb, hiphil perfect, 3rd person common plural + pronominal suffix
pierced
כָּרָהkârâh
H3738
properly
hands
יָדַ֥יya.Dai
H3027
a hand (the open one (indicating power · noun, common both genders dual construct + pronominal suffix
feet
וְרַגְלָֽיve.rag.Lai
H7272
a foot (as used in walking) · conjunction + noun, common feminine dual construct + pronominal suffix
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
John 19:37 And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced.
Zechariah 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall loo…
Matthew 27:35 And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my ga…
John 20:25 The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the…
John 19:23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now th…
John 19:34 But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.
Mark 15:24 And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take.
Luke 23:33 And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Psalms 22:11-21
In these verses we have Christ suffering and Christ praying, by which we are directed to look for crosses and to look up to God under them.
I. Here is Christ suffering. David indeed was often in trouble, and beset with enemies; but many of the particulars here specified are such as were never true of David, and therefore must be appropriated to Christ in the depth of his humiliation.
1. He is here deserted by his friends: Trouble and distress are near, and there is none to help, none to uphold, Psa 22:11. He trod the wine-press alone; for all his disciples forsook him and fled. It is God's honour to help when all other helps and succours fail.
2. He is here insulted and surrounded by his ene…
Evildoers are well described as dogs, which, in the East, herding together, wild and rapacious, are justly objects of great abhorrence. The last clause has been a subject of much discussion (involving questions as to the genuineness of the Hebrew word translated "pierce)" which cannot be made intelligible to the English reader. Though not quoted in the New Testament, the remarkable aptness of the description to the facts of the Saviour's history, together with difficulties attending any other mode of explaining the clause in the Hebrew, justify an adherence to the terms of our version and their obvious meaning.
John Gill on Psalms 22:16
For dogs have compassed me,.... By whom are meant wicked men, as the following clause shows; and so the Chaldee paraphrase renders it, "the wicked who are like to many dogs"; and to these such are often compared in Scripture, Matthew 7:6; and it may be the Roman soldiers, who were Gentiles, may be chiefly intended, whom the Jews used to call dogs, Matthew 15:26; these assembled together in Pilate's hall and surrounded Christ, and made sport with him; to these were committed the execution of him, they crucified him, and sat around him watching him while on the cross, as they also did when in the grave: some have thought the dregs of the Jewish people are designed, the common people, such as J…
"For many dogs came about Me" [Psalm 22:16]. 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.
After the passion those former "dogs" took on the status of children through faith, whereas those who once had enjoyed the care shown to children received the name of dogs for raging against the Lord.… Blessed Paul cries out about them, "Beware of the dogs, beware of the evildoers. Beware of mutilation."
This is what happened with the body of the Lord Savior: it was fastened with nails and pierced with a spear and thereby brought us a fruit which remains forever. For this reason, we are now not afraid to say that God suffered in the flesh, that God died for the salvation of all. So Father Augustine says admirably in his usual way: "It was an accustomed matter for humankind to die. But in order that this might not always hold sway among humankind, something new happened in that God died." So also the Apostle says: "But we preach Christ, and him crucified." So that you may not think that the Virgin's Son was somehow some other one, as some of those who are without reason do, he added: Christ, who is surely "the power of God and the wisdom of God. For God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength." For what seems so foolish or so weak to unbelievers as when they hear that God, the Son of God, was both crucified and buried? "But it pleased God through the foolishness of the proclamation to save believers." For the Lord's incarnation is the marvelous height of his mercy, an unimaginable gift, an incomprehensible mystery. From the same source, either salvation issues forth for those of the right mind or destruction is begotten for corrupted minds.
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Aijeleth Shahar — Hind of the dawn, a name found in the title of Ps. 22. 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…
Beast — This word is used of flocks or herds of grazing animals (Ex. 22:5; Num. 20:4, 8, 11; Ps. 78:48); of beasts of burden (Gen. 45:17); of eatable beasts (Prov. 9:2); and of swift beasts or dromedaries…
Dog — Frequently mentioned both in the Old and New Testaments. Dogs were used by the Hebrews as a watch for their houses (Isa. 56:10), and for guarding their flocks (Job 30:1). There were also then as now…
Hind — Heb. ‘ayalah (2 Sam. 22:34; Ps. 18:33, etc.) and ‘ayeleth (Ps. 22, title), the female of the hart or stag. It is referred to as an emblem of activity (Gen. 49:21), gentleness (Prov. 5:19), feminine…
Dog, The · Described as: Dangerous and destructive — Described as: Dangerous and destructive
Human Nature Of Christ, The · Is proved by his: Being nailed to the cross — Is proved by his: Being nailed to the cross
Persecution · OF JESUS — OF JESUS
Prophecies Respecting Christ · His hands and feet being nailed to the cross — His hands and feet being nailed to the cross
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
John Calvin on Psalms 22:12-16
Psalm 22:12-16
12. Strong bulls have encompassed me; the bulls of Bashan have beset me round. 13. They have opened their mouth against me, as a ravening and a roaring lion. 14. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are disjointed: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. 15. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me to the dust of death. 16. For dogs have encompassed me; the assembly of the wicked have surrounded me: they have pierced my hands and my feet.
12. Strong bulls have encompassed me. The Psalmist now complains of the cruelty and barbarous rage of his enemies; and he compares them first to bulls…
(Heb.: 22:17-19)A continuation, referring back to Psa 22:12, of the complaint of him who is dying and is already as it were dead. In the animal name כּלבים, figuratively descriptive of character, beside shamelessness and meanness, special prominence is given to the propensity for biting and worrying, i.e., for persecuting; hence Symmachus and Theodotion render it θηράται κυνηγέται. In Psa 22:17 עדת מרעים takes the place of כלבים; and this again is followed by הקּיף in the plur. (to do anything in a circle, to surround by forming a circle round, a climactic synonym, like כּתּר to סבב) either per attractionem (cf. Psa 140:10; Sa1 2:4), or on account of the collective עדה. Tertullian renders…
The wild pack of dogs represents fierce and unscrupulous people.
Spurgeon's Treasury of David on Psalms 22:16
For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.
We are to understand every item of this sad description as being urged by the Lord Jesus as a plea for divine help; and this will give us a high idea of his perseverance in prayer. "For dogs have compassed me." Here he marks the more ignoble crowd, who, while less strong than their brutal leaders, were not less ferocious, for there they were howling and barking like unclean and hungry dogs. Hunters frequently surround their game with a circle, and gradually encompass them with an ever-narrowing ring of dogs and men. Such a picture is before us. In the centre stands, not a panting stag…
