O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest.
English Standard Version (ESV)
What's easily missed is that the reason God doesn't answer isn't a lack of care, but a withholding of intervention, which the psalmist acknowledges even as he cries out. The verse highlights a deep paradox: intense prayer and perceived silence, a tension that reveals both the depth of suffering and the persistent faith that continues to cry out even when no immediate relief appears.
O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Psalmist is in deep distress, crying out to God both day and night, feeling ignored and without rest. This desperate plea for help, which opens Psalm 22, sets the stage for a profound expression of suffering and abandonment, famously echoed by Jesus on the cross. The verses immediately following will detail the Psalmist's anguish and his wrestling with faith in the face of apparent divine silence.
Ever felt like your prayers hit a ceiling? This verse plunges us into that raw, desperate feeling, where even day and night offer no relief.
A Cry That Doesn't Cease
The psalmist paints a vivid picture of intense suffering. He's not just sad; he's crying out, day and night.
This isn't about a lack of trying; it's about the agonizing experience when help doesn't seem to come, no matter how loudly or how long you call out. It highlights the deep human need for an answer and the profound pain when it’s absent.
How can you call out to God, yet feel utterly abandoned by Him? This verse reveals a profound tension many faithful hearts have known.
Clinging to God When He Seems Distant
Even in this cry of deep distress, there's a remarkable act of faith. The psalmist begins by addressing God directly: 'O my God.'
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This concept reminds us that faith isn't the absence of doubt or pain, but the decision to trust God even when our feelings and circumstances scream otherwise.
Understand the original words
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 reflects profound personal suffering, resonating deeply with times of national crisis like the exiles, and is powerfully seen as a prophecy of Christ's ultimate suffering and abandonment on the cross.
c. 1000 BC— this verse
David's Reign as King
Psalms are traditionally attributed to David, a time of significant monarchy, conflict, and spiritual development in ancient Israel.
c. 970 BC
Solomon's Temple Construction
Following David, Solomon built the First Temple, centralizing worship and offering a focal point for Israel's relationship with God.
c. 722 BC
Assyrian Exile of Northern Kingdom
The northern kingdom of Israel was conquered by Assyria, leading to the exile of its people and a period of deep national distress.
c. 586 BC
Babylonian Exile of Southern Kingdom
The Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and the First Temple, exiling much of the southern kingdom of Judah, a profound crisis of faith.
c. 539 BC
Return from Babylonian Exile
The Persian Empire allowed the exiled Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple, marking a new era of restoration.
c. 30 BC - AD 33
Jesus' Ministry, Crucifixion, and Resurrection
Christian tradition identifies the suffering described in Psalm 22, particularly the cry of abandonment, with Jesus' experience on the cross.
This passage mirrors the raw anguish of Job as he cries out in his suffering, questioning his existence, much like the Psalmist questions God's silence.
Psalms 42:3This verse expresses a deep yearning for God's presence amidst sorrow, with the lament 'my tears have been my food day and night,' echoing the Psalmist's sleepless distress.
Matthew 27:46This verse is the direct quote from Jesus on the cross, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?' which directly parallels the opening lament of Psalm 22, highlighting a profound sense of abandonment.
Lamentations 3:8This verse speaks of God's apparent silence and inaccessibility, stating, 'Though I cry and call for help, he shuts out my prayer,' reflecting the Psalmist's experience of unanswered cries.
pulpitPsalms 22:2: "O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent."
Verse 2. - O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; rather, thou answerest not; i.e. thou dost not interpose to deliver me. And in the night season, and am not silent (see Matthew 26:36-44; Mark 14:34-39; Luke 22:41-44).
ellicottPsalms 22:2: "O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent."
(2) And am not silent. —This misses the parallelism, which evidently requires “O my God, I cry in the daytime, and thou answerest not; in the night, and find no repose.”
What's easily missed is that the reason God doesn't answer isn't a lack of care, but a withholding of intervention, which the psalmist acknowledges even as he cries out. The verse highlights a deep paradox: intense prayer and perceived silence, a tension that reveals both the depth of suffering and the persistent faith that continues to cry out even when no immediate relief appears.
The Psalmist is in deep distress, crying out to God both day and night, feeling ignored and without rest. This desperate plea for help, which opens Psalm 22, sets the stage for a profound expression of suffering and abandonment, famously echoed by Jesus on the cross. The verses immediately following will detail the Psalmist's anguish and his wrestling with faith in the face of apparent divine silence.
The Psalmist is in deep distress, crying out to God both day and night, feeling ignored and without rest. This desperate plea for help, which opens Psalm 22, sets the stage for a profound expression of suffering and abandonment, famously echoed by Jesus on the cross. The verses immediately following will detail the Psalmist's anguish and his wrestling with faith in the face of apparent divine silence.
"O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest." — What's easily missed is that the reason God doesn't answer isn't a lack of care, but a withholding of intervention, which the psalmist acknowledges even as he cries out. The verse highlights a deep…
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Last reviewed October 2026