They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse doesn't just describe physical suffering; it highlights the cruel irony of enemies replacing basic sustenance with what causes more pain. This isn't just food and drink gone bad, but a deliberate perversion of what should bring relief, turning necessities into instruments of torture.
They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Psalmist finds himself utterly abandoned and in desperate straits, lamenting the deep sorrow and shame he experiences because his enemies have not only inflicted pain but have actively denied him any comfort or relief. This verse describes the ultimate cruelty of his persecutors, who, instead of offering sustenance, provided poisonous food and sour drink, a stark picture of profound suffering and betrayal. The Holy Spirit inspired David to use these words, which would find their most direct and literal fulfillment in the suffering of Jesus Christ.
Imagine being at your lowest, starving and parched, and instead of relief, you're offered something worse than nothing. This verse paints a stark picture of suffering amplified by malice.
The Ultimate Insult
The Psalmist describes a deep betrayal: his enemies, instead of offering sustenance and drink, provided substances that would only increase his misery.
This wasn't just about physical deprivation; it was about the calculated cruelty of those who should have shown compassion.
This wasn't just an ancient lament; it's a prophetic glimpse into the heart of the Gospel. Many see these words pointing directly to Jesus' final moments.
The Messianic Connection
Biblical scholars and the New Testament itself point to Jesus fulfilling this psalm in the most literal and agonizing way:
Ask a follow-up
The Holy Spirit, guiding David's pen, used these powerful images to foreshadow the unique and complete suffering of Christ, showing that even in the deepest despair, God's plan was unfolding.
Understand the original words
ro'sh · Hebrew Noun
Often refers to a poisonous or bitter substance, metaphorically representing the cruelty or malicious intent shown toward the psalmist by his enemies. It symbolizes the bitter hostility of those who reject God’s anointed.
chomets · Hebrew Noun
A sour, fermented drink, often associated with the dregs of wine, used here to depict the mockery and lack of compassion the psalmist receives in his time of need. It carries strong messianic implications in the New Testament as the drink offered to Jesus on the cross.
While this verse powerfully describes the bitter suffering King David endured, the New Testament writers and church tradition emphasize its ultimate and literal fulfillment in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, seeing it as a divine prophecy of His agony.
c. 1000 BC
David's Reign as King of Israel
King David faces numerous enemies and intense suffering, enduring betrayal and hardship throughout his life. The psalm reflects his personal anguish and trials.
c. 586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem and Babylonian Exile
The Babylonian conquest resulted in widespread suffering, loss, and bitter experiences for the Jewish people. This period provides a backdrop for understanding intense national anguish and divine judgment.
c. 400 BC
Prophetic Writings and Messianic Expectation
The later prophets, like Hosea and Jeremiah, used vivid language to describe bitterness and suffering, often with a prophetic lens pointing towards future hope and judgment.
c. AD 27-30— this verse
Jesus' Crucifixion
During Jesus' crucifixion, soldiers offered him sour wine mixed with gall or vinegar on a sponge. This event is seen as the literal, prophetic fulfillment of the psalm's words.
This passage directly quotes and applies Psalm 69:21 to Jesus' crucifixion, showing the bitter mixture offered to Him as a fulfillment of the Psalmist's words.
John 19:29This verse describes the soldiers giving Jesus sour wine (vinegar) on a sponge at the cross, directly mirroring the second part of the prophetic statement in Psalm 69:21.
Lamentations 3:15Jeremiah describes his suffering by saying God has filled him with bitterness and given him 'wormwood for food and the gall of asps for drink,' echoing the theme of bitter, harmful sustenance.
Matthew 27:48Jesus' request for a drink ('I thirst') immediately before being given vinegar again highlights the deliberate infliction of suffering and the denial of relief, tying into the verse's theme.
clarkePsalms 69:21: "They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink."
They gave me also gall for my meat - Even the food, necessary to preserve us in their slavery, was frequently mingled with what rendered it unpleasant and disgusting, though not absolutely unwholesome. And vinegar, sour small wines, was given us for our beverage. This is applied to our Lord, Matthew 27:34 , where the reader is requested to consult the notes.
jfbPsalms 69:21: "They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink."
- Instead of such, his enemies increase his pain by giving him most distasteful food and drink. The Psalmist may have thus described by figure what Christ found in reality (compare Joh 19:29, 30).
The verse doesn't just describe physical suffering; it highlights the cruel irony of enemies replacing basic sustenance with what causes more pain. This isn't just food and drink gone bad, but a deliberate perversion of what should bring relief, turning necessities into instruments of torture.
The Psalmist finds himself utterly abandoned and in desperate straits, lamenting the deep sorrow and shame he experiences because his enemies have not only inflicted pain but have actively denied him any comfort or relief. This verse describes the ultimate cruelty of his persecutors, who, instead of offering sustenance, provided poisonous food and sour drink, a stark picture of profound suffering and betrayal. The Holy Spirit inspired David to use these words, which would find their most direct and literal fulfillment in the suffering of Jesus Christ.
The Psalmist finds himself utterly abandoned and in desperate straits, lamenting the deep sorrow and shame he experiences because his enemies have not only inflicted pain but have actively denied him any comfort or relief. This verse describes the ultimate cruelty of his persecutors, who, instead of offering sustenance, provided poisonous food and sour drink, a stark picture of profound suffering and betrayal. The Holy Spirit inspired David to use these words, which would find their most direct and literal fulfillment in the suffering of Jesus Christ.
"They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink." — The verse doesn't just describe physical suffering; it highlights the cruel irony of enemies replacing basic sustenance with what causes more pain. This isn't just food and drink gone bad, but a deli…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026