My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse isn't just a cry of despair; it's a wrestling match between faith and doubt. The repetition of "My God, my God" shows that even in the depths of feeling forsaken, the Psalmist still clings to God as his own, a profound act of faith amidst the agony. The phrase "words of my groaning" isn't simply about noise; it suggests that even his deepest cries are directed towards God, hoping for rescue.
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This psalm begins with a desperate cry from someone in extreme suffering, feeling utterly abandoned by God amidst overwhelming distress. The speaker is experiencing intense anguish, so severe that their cries are compared to a lion's roar, and they question why God seems so distant and unresponsive to their pleas for help. This raw expression of pain and confusion sets the stage for the psalm's journey through suffering towards ultimate deliverance and praise.
Have you ever felt so alone that you questioned God's very presence? This verse captures that raw, gut-wrenching cry, yet it holds a profound secret.
King David, facing immense suffering, cries out in what sounds like utter despair: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" But notice the profound paradox he expresses.
A Cry of Anguish
The words "Why have you forsaken me?" reveal a deep sense of abandonment. He feels God's absence acutely, as if all divine help and comfort have vanished.
An Anchor of Faith
Yet, immediately before this cry of distress, David declares, "My God, my God." This repetition isn't just emotional; it's an act of faith. Even in the darkest moment, when God feels distant, David still claims Him as his God. This demonstrates that true faith isn't the absence of doubt or pain, but the persistent holding onto God, even when He seems silent.
This tension between feeling abandoned and clinging to God's identity as 'my God' is a hallmark of genuine spiritual struggle and perseverance.
What does it mean to groan or roar in distress? This verse uses powerful imagery to convey the depth of suffering.
The phrase "the words of my groaning" or "my roaring" isn't just a mild complaint. The original Hebrew word carries the force of a lion's roar or a deep, guttural cry of extreme anguish.
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Beyond Mere Words
This imagery suggests a suffering so profound that it transcends ordinary speech. It's the sound of pain that erupts from the very core of one's being, a sound that speaks of desperation and intense physical or emotional torment.
A Plea for Divine Intervention
This isn't just noise; it's a plea. David is saying his cries are so overwhelming, so desperate, that they are "far from helping me" – not because God can't help, but because the intensity of his suffering makes him feel as if his cries themselves can't possibly bridge the distance to God's saving power.
This highlights the overwhelming nature of the suffering described, a suffering that feels so vast it almost eclipses the hope of rescue.
These words, cried out by David in his pain, echo through centuries and point to an even greater Sufferer.
One of the most striking aspects of Psalm 22:1 is its prophetic nature. While David experienced deep suffering, the language here is so intense and specific that many scholars and the New Testament itself point to Jesus Christ as the ultimate fulfillment of this cry.
Jesus' Own Words
On the cross, Jesus cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46). He used these exact words, adapted into Aramaic, demonstrating that David's psalm was not just a personal lament but a foretelling of the Messiah's suffering.
Deeper Than Human Suffering
Commentators suggest that Jesus' cry on the cross involved more than physical pain. It represented a profound spiritual separation, bearing the weight of the world's sin and experiencing a darkness that human suffering alone cannot capture. David's words, in this light, become a prophetic glimpse into the atoning work of Christ.
This connection reveals that God, in His wisdom, even anticipated and recorded the deepest cries of His Son, showing that our suffering, even in its most extreme forms, is understood and shared by Christ.
Understand the original words
Eli · Hebrew Noun
In Hebrew, God (Elohim) refers to the Supreme Being, the Creator and Judge. It conveys His power, authority, and sovereignty over all creation, and when used in personal possessive, signifies a covenant relationship.
azavtani · Hebrew Verb
To leave, abandon, or desert. Biblically, it signifies a sense of being left without aid, protection, or the manifest presence of God, often felt by the believer during extreme suffering.
sha'agati · Hebrew Noun
An inarticulate cry of pain or distress. It represents the raw, internal lament of one suffering deeply and longing for God's intervention.
dumiyah · Hebrew Noun
A state of quiet, stillness, or pause. It represents both the physical need for relief from labor/suffering and the spiritual need for peace in the soul.
This psalm vividly expresses the profound anguish of a sufferer who feels abandoned by God. Its prophetic nature is highlighted by Jesus' cry from the cross, echoing these very words, revealing a deeper suffering that points towards redemption.
c. 1000 BC
Davidic Kingdom Flourishes
David, king of Israel, establishes Jerusalem as his capital, ushering in a period of relative peace and prosperity, and composing many psalms.
c. 970 BC
Solomon's Reign Begins
David's son Solomon inherits the throne, known for his wisdom and the construction of the First Temple in Jerusalem.
c. 722 BC
Fall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel
The Assyrian Empire conquers the northern kingdom of Israel, scattering its people and leading to the loss of the Ten Tribes.
c. 605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, conquers Judah and begins deporting its elite, including young men like Daniel, to Babylon.
586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem and the First Temple
Babylonian forces destroy Jerusalem and the First Temple, leading to a second, larger deportation of the Jewish people into exile.
c. 539 BC
Cyrus the Great Conquers Babylon
The Persian king Cyrus the Great overthrows the Babylonian Empire, allowing the Jewish exiles to return to their homeland.
c. 30 BC - AD 33— this verse
Life and Ministry of Jesus Christ
Jesus of Nazareth lives, teaches, heals, and is eventually crucified. His followers attest that his suffering and death fulfill prophetic scriptures, including Psalm 22.
This passage directly quotes Jesus on the cross, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?' showing the profound fulfillment of this Psalm in the suffering of Christ.
Isaiah 53:3This prophetic passage describes the Suffering Servant as 'despised and rejected by mankind,' mirroring the deep sense of abandonment and isolation expressed in the Psalm.
Job 7:11-21Like the Psalmist, Job grapples with God's apparent silence and distance during intense suffering, questioning God's actions and feeling forsaken.
Lamentations 1:12The prophet laments Jerusalem's suffering by asking a similar question, 'Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by?' highlighting the pain of feeling overlooked in times of distress.
Psalm 88:1This parallel Psalm also begins with a cry to God, 'O LORD, God of my salvation, I cry out by day; I cry out by night before you,' expressing a similar persistent plea amidst despair.
ellicottPsalms 22:1: "To the chief Musician upon Aijeleth Shahar, A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?"
(1) My God, my God. —Heb., Eli, Eli, lama azavtanî, where the Targum paraphrases sabbacthani, the form used by our Saviour on the cross. (See Notes, N. T. Comm., Matthew 27:46 ; Mark 15:34 .) The LXX. and Vulgate insert “look upon me.” (Comp. English Prayer Book version.) For the despairing tone comp. Psalm…
calvinPsalms 22:1-2: "<> My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?"
My God! my God! why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou far from my help, and from the words of my roaring? 2. O my God! I cry in the day-time, [498] but thou hearest not: and in the night-season, and there is no silence to me.
My God! The first verse contains two remarkable sentences, which, although apparently contrary to each other, are yet ever enterin…
This verse isn't just a cry of despair; it's a wrestling match between faith and doubt. The repetition of "My God, my God" shows that even in the depths of feeling forsaken, the Psalmist still clings to God as his own, a profound act of faith amidst the agony. The phrase "words of my groaning" isn't simply about noise; it suggests that even his deepest cries are directed towards God, hoping for rescue.
This psalm begins with a desperate cry from someone in extreme suffering, feeling utterly abandoned by God amidst overwhelming distress. The speaker is experiencing intense anguish, so severe that their cries are compared to a lion's roar, and they question why God seems so distant and unresponsive to their pleas for help. This raw expression of pain and confusion sets the stage for the psalm's journey through suffering towards ultimate deliverance and praise.
This psalm begins with a desperate cry from someone in extreme suffering, feeling utterly abandoned by God amidst overwhelming distress. The speaker is experiencing intense anguish, so severe that their cries are compared to a lion's roar, and they question why God seems so distant and unresponsive to their pleas for help. This raw expression of pain and confusion sets the stage for the psalm's journey through suffering towards ultimate deliverance and praise.
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest." — This verse isn't just a cry of despair; it's a wrestling match between faith and doubt. The repetition of "My God, my God" shows that even in the depths of feeling forsaken, the Psalmist still clings…
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Last reviewed October 2026