Psalm 22

Some scholars say people sang this psalm to a tune called “Morning Deer” And some speculate that tune was originally intended for worship of a sun god, such as Sahar, reported in Ugaritic documents found in Syria. The subtitle of the psalm wasn’t part of the original psalm. And the possible byline “of David,” isn’t necessarily a byline. The vague phrase could mean the song was written by David, about David, or was inspired by David. Almost half of the psalms are attributed to David in this way, 73 of 150. Ancient Jewish history tells of David playing a lyre and writing songs. For one, he wrote a song of mourning at the battlefield death of King Saul and his sons: “How have the mighty fallen!” (2 Samuel 1:19-27 New American Standard Bible). An ancient Jewish scroll from about the time of Jesus, discovered among the famous Dead Sea Scrolls, reports that David wrote 3,600 songs.

Bashan was a land of pastures in Syria. Herders of Bashan were famous for raising some of the biggest and best cattle in the ancient Middle East. The prophet Amos called the rich women of Israel, “fat cows of Bashan” (Amos 4:1 New Living Translation).

This is a hotly debated word. Bible translators go in a lot of different directions: “they pierced my hands and my feet” (King James Version); “They have bitten my arms and legs” (New Century Version); “like a pack of dogs, tearing at my hands” (Contemporary English Version), “they have hacked off my hands and my feet” (New English Bible). Scholars didn’t know what to do with the Hebrew word sometimes translated as “pierced,” a word Christians later said foreshadowed the crucifixion of Jesus. The debate changed in 1997. That’s when the oldest fragment of that verse was published from the famous Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered in caves near the Dead Sea. Those scrolls were written up to 300 years before Jesus. The fragment uses a word that can mean either “pierce” or “dug.” Given the other words in the verse, most scholars seem to be sticking with “pierce” as the best choice.

Jacob is considered a father of the Jewish nation because his dozen sons produced extended families that became the 12 tribes of Israel. Each tribe was assigned a plot of land in what is now Israel, Palestinian Territory, and parts of Jordan and Syria.