Psalm 22: From Trial To Triumph -- By: Richard D. Patterson

Journal: Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
Volume: JETS 47:2 (Jun 2004)
Article: Psalm 22: From Trial To Triumph
Author: Richard D. Patterson


Psalm 22: From Trial To Triumph

Richard D. Patterson

[Richard Patterson is distinguished professor emeritus at Liberty University, 1971 University Blvd., Lynchburg, VA 24502.]

1 Introduction

It has long been this writer’s contention that the application of the Scriptures should be based upon careful exegetical procedures, which wherever possible consist in properly balanced grammatical, historical/cultural, literary, and theological data. Elsewhere I have termed this fourfold approach “the chair of (biblical) hermeneutics.”1 Admittedly, not every biblical passage yields equal or sufficient information in all four categories. Thus prose texts most readily lend themselves to such a full-orbed approach, while the inherent qualities of poetry pose more of a challenge.2 Moreover, each literary genre exercises its own constraints.

Psalm 22 has received the attention of able Jewish and Christian expositors through the centuries.3 Yet few have considered the third “leg” of the

“chair of hermeneutics.” Nevertheless, the literary approach is an indispensable tool for exegesis. As Michael Travers points out, “Indeed, exegesis is incomplete without proper attention being paid to the literary features of the Biblical passage in question...before a reader can judge a Biblical text authoritatively, he must pay adequate attention to matters of genre and form as well as matters of theology and history.”4

Mindful of the above-mentioned difficulties, the following study shall undertake an examination of Psalm 22 in an effort to gather and use the available data for all four “legs” of the “hermeneutical chair” in order to gain the psalm’s full impact. In so doing it is hoped that the result will prove to be a contribution to the ongoing study of this crucial psalm.

1. Historical context. The attempt to locate Psalm 22 in its historical context is difficult at best. Delitzsch suggests a possible but not exhaustive background in Saul’s persecution of David in the Desert of Maon (1 Sam 23:25–26).5 One might just as plausibly suggest the earlier days when David was alone and suffering incessantly at the hands of Saul (e. g.

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