Bible Strands
Psalms 22:17
I can count all my bones; they stare and gloat over me.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The psalmist speaks in the first person to God during a moment of acute physical exposure and hostile scrutiny. The speaker describes a state of suffering where the body is reduced to visible remains while adversaries maintain an unbroken, mocking gaze.
The words — The verb אֲסַפֵּר ('a.sa.Per) literally means "I count," applied directly to עַצְמוֹתַי (atz.mo.Ta/i) "my bones." The paired verbs יַבִּיטוּ and יִרְאוּ (ya.Bi.tu/yir.'u) both carry the literal sense of "they look" or "they stare."
The thread — The pattern of wasted flesh revealing protruding bones appears in Job 33:21. The New Testament applies this motif of public scrutiny and mockery to Jesus in Luke 23:35 and Matthew 27:39, while the immediate context of Psalms 22:16 and 22:18 establishes the surrounding actions of piercing and garment division.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to acknowledge physical devastation as a documented, unhidden reality. It demands an accounting of how suffering is measured and observed by hostile witnesses without softening the severity of the description.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.
Cross-references
- Luke 23:35 The people stood watching, and the rulers sneered at Him, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.”
- Job 33:21 His flesh wastes away from sight, and his hidden bones protrude.
- Matthew 27:39 And those who passed by heaped abuse on Him, shaking their heads
- Isaiah 52:14 Just as many were appalled at Him—His appearance was disfigured beyond that of any man, and His form was marred beyond human likeness—
- Luke 23:27 A great number of people followed Him, including women who kept mourning and wailing for Him.
- Mark 15:29 And those who passed by heaped abuse on Him, shaking their heads and saying, “Aha! You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days,
- Psalms 102:3 For my days vanish like smoke, and my bones burn like glowing embers.
- Matthew 27:36 And sitting down, they kept watch over Him there.