Psalms 22:23-26

22:23 You loyal followers of the Lord, ¹  praise him!

All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!

All you descendants of Israel, stand in awe of him! ² 

22:24 For he did not despise or detest the suffering ³  of the oppressed; ⁴ 

he did not ignore him; ⁵ 

when he cried out to him, he responded. ⁶ 

22:25 You are the reason I offer praise ⁷  in the great assembly;

I will fulfill my promises before the Lord’s loyal followers. ⁸ 

22:26 Let the oppressed eat and be filled! ⁹ 

Let those who seek his help praise the Lord!

May you ¹⁰  live forever!

[22:23]  ¹ tn Heb “[you] fearers of the Lord.” See Ps 15:4.

[22:23]  ² tn Heb “fear him.”

[22:24]  ³ tn Or “affliction”; or “need.”

[22:24]  ⁴ sn In this verse the psalmist refers to himself in the third person and characterizes himself as oppressed.

[22:24]  ⁵ tn Heb “he did not hide his face from him.” For other uses of the idiom “hide the face” meaning “ignore,” see Pss 10:11; 13:1; 51:9. Sometimes the idiom carries the stronger idea of “reject” (see Pss 27:9; 88:14).

[22:24]  ⁶ tn Heb “heard.”

[22:25]  ⁷ tn Heb “from with you [is] my praise.”

[22:25]  ⁸ tn Heb “my vows I will fulfill before those who fear him.” When asking the Lord for help, the psalmists would typically promise to praise the Lord publicly if he intervened and delivered them.

[22:26]  ⁹ sn Eat and be filled. In addition to praising the Lord, the psalmist also offers a thank offering to the Lord and invites others to share in a communal meal.

[22:26]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “may your heart[s].”