Perhaps a reference to a melody common at that time. The hind of the dawn here signifies Christ in His resurrection, which took place at early dawn (Luke 24:1). A hind is a deer known for its leaping and jumping. Christ in resurrection is the leaping One (S.S. 2:8-9).

Psa. 3 title

Psalms 22—24 are a group of psalms revealing Christ from His crucifixion to His kingship in the coming age. Psa. 22 concerns Christ’s death, His resurrection, and His many brothers produced in His resurrection to form His church. Psa. 23 concerns Christ as the Shepherd in His resurrection. Psa. 24 concerns Christ as the coming King in God’s kingdom.

The subject of Psa. 22 is the Christ who passed through the redeeming death and entered into the church-producing resurrection. Verses 1-21 give a detailed picture of Christ in His suffering of death (cf. Isa. 53), as typified by David in his suffering, and vv. 22-31 refer to Christ in His resurrection, as typified by Solomon in his kingly reign.

The question at the beginning of this psalm was spoken by David in his suffering, but it became a prophecy concerning Christ in His suffering of His redeeming death. While Christ was on the earth, God the Father was with Him all the time (John 8:29), but at a certain point in His crucifixion, God left Him (Matt. 27:45-46). God’s leaving Him was economical, not essential. God could never leave Christ essentially, but economically God forsook Him for a time. Nevertheless, Christ died as the Son of God, a God-man; hence, in His death there is a divine and eternal element (Acts 20:28; 1 John 1:7; Heb. 9:12). See note Luke 3:22^1a, note Matt. 27:45¹, note Matt. 27:46², and note 1 John 1:7⁴, par. 1.

Or, So far from my salvation are the words of my groaning.

Verses 6-8 display Christ’s suffering unto death through men’s reproach, despising, deriding, sneering, head-shaking, and mocking (Heb. 13:13b; Isa. 53:3; Luke 23:11; Mark 15:29-32; Matt. 27:39-44). To deride is to make fun of or laugh at in contempt. To sneer is to smile or laugh with facial expressions that show scorn or contempt. When Christ was on the cross, the ridiculers also shook, or wagged, their heads in scorn. To mock is to hold up to scorn or contempt and to imitate or mimic in derision. All these things were suffered by the Lord Jesus Christ while He was nailed on the cross.

Others read, Commit yourself.

Verses 9-11 show that while people were mocking Him and deriding Him, Christ trusted in God for deliverance, that is, for resurrection. He intended definitely to die and expected to be delivered from death, that is, to be resurrected from the dead (Luke 18:31-33; Heb. 5:7).

Verses 12-18 depict in vivid detail how Christ passed through His suffering of crucifixion (cf. Mark 15:16-37). While Christ was being crucified on the cross, many fierce men, signified by mighty bulls, encompassed Him (v. 12). They opened their mouth at Him like a ravening and roaring lion (v. 13). Evil men, signified by dogs (cf. Phil. 3:2a), surrounded Him, and a congregation of evildoers enclosed Him (v. 16a-b). They pierced His hands and feet (v. 16c). They divided His garments to themselves, and for His clothing they cast lots (v. 18). They also looked, stared at Him with contempt and hatred (v. 17b). On the cross He was poured out like water (v. 14a; Isa. 53:12). All His bones were out of joint (v. 14b) because He could not hold up the weight of His body as it hung on the cross. This caused Him great agony and pain. Also, He counted all His bones (v. 17a). His heart was like wax melted within Him (v. 14c-d). His strength was dried up like a shard (v. 15a), a piece of broken pottery. His tongue was stuck to His jaws (v. 15b). God had put Him in the dust of death (v. 15c).

Lit., my inward parts. See note Exo. 27:4¹, par. 2.

Referring to God. On one hand, man crucified the Lord Jesus; on the other hand, God killed Him. If Jesus had been killed only by man, He would have been merely a martyr and not our Redeemer. But God judged Him and put Him into death for our redemption (Isa. 53:10a). All the sin of the world was laid on Christ as the Lamb of God (Isa. 53:6b; 1 Pet. 2:24a; John 1:29). On the cross He died a vicarious death for us (2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 3:18) to redeem us from our sins, from God’s judgment, and from eternal perdition (1 Cor. 15:3; John 3:16-17; 5:24).

Following the Septuagint and other ancient versions; the Hebrew text reads, Like a lion, my hands and feet.

In vv. 19-21 Christ asked God to deliver Him from death, i.e., to raise Him up from death (Heb. 5:7 and note Heb. 5:7¹).

Lit., My only one; a reference to a person’s most prized possession, his life.

Lit., from the horns.

After passing through His redeeming death, Christ entered into the church-producing resurrection. It was in His resurrection that Christ called His disciples His brothers (John 20:17; Matt. 28:10; Heb. 2:11), for in God’s eternal view His disciples were regenerated and became God’s sons in Christ’s resurrection (1 Pet. 1:3). In His resurrection Christ Himself was begotten to be God’s firstborn Son (Psa. 2:7; Acts 13:33) and became the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45b), and all God’s chosen and redeemed people were regenerated to be the many sons of God, the many brothers of Christ (Heb. 2:10-12; Rom. 8:29).

The assembly here signifies the church, indicating that the Lord’s brothers constitute the church (Heb. 2:11-12). Thus, His resurrection is the church-producing resurrection.

You and Your in this verse refer to the Father. In resurrection Christ declared the Father’s name to His brothers and praised the Father in the church (Heb. 2:12 and note Heb. 2:12³).

Following his praise to God in the assembly, David advised God’s people to praise Jehovah and all the earth to worship Him (vv. 23-26, 29-31). Christ took the lead in praising God in the church, and the church follows Him to praise God. Now Israel should follow Christ and the church. Thus far, Israel has not followed, but when Christ comes back, all Israel will repent and be saved (Zech. 12:10; Rom. 11:26-27). Then they will join the church to praise God.

The church ushers in Christ’s kingdom for Christ to rule over the nations (vv. 27-28). The church, produced by Christ’s resurrection, is the reality of the kingdom (Matt. 16:18-19; Rom. 14:17) and a precursor to the manifestation of the kingdom in the millennium.

Jehovah as Christ will rule over the nations in the millennial kingdom (Psa. 2:8-9; Rev. 19:15; 20:4, 6).

The believers are the seed of Christ, and their declaring the Lord’s righteousness (justification, salvation) to a coming generation (vv. 30-31) refers to the preaching of the gospel.