Psalms 22:20

¹⁹But You, O LORD, be not far off; O my Strength, come quickly to help me. ²⁰Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of wild dogs. ²¹Save me from the mouth of the lion; at the horns of the wild oxen You have answered me!

Summary

In this verse, the psalmist cries out to God for deliverance from the enemy's power and protection from the threat of death. The psalmist's plea is heartfelt and urgent, expressing a deep sense of distress and need for divine intervention. This verse reflects the human experience of feeling overwhelmed by adversaries and the desire for God's rescue and salvation. It serves as a reminder of the psalmist's unwavering faith in God's ability to provide refuge and deliverance in times of trouble.

Commentary

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
John Gill
Tyndale

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

my soul--or self (compare Psa 3:2; Psa 16:10). my darling--literally, "my only one," or, "solitary one," as desolate and afflicted (Psa 25:16; Psa 35:17).

John Gill Bible Commentary

Deliver my soul from the sword,.... Wicked men, whose tongues were as a sharp sword, reproaching and blaspheming him, and bearing false witness against him; and crying out, "Crucify him, crucify him", Luk 23:21; see Psa 17:12; or any instrument of violence, as the iron bar with which the legs of the malefactors crucified with him were broken, which he escaped; and the spear which pierced his side, after he had commended his soul or spirit into the hands of his Father; or a violent death; for though his death had the appearance of one, he was taken in a violent manner, and condemned to be put to death, and was crucified, yet his life was not taken away by men; he laid it down, and gave up his breath himself; my darling from the power of the dog, or "my only one" (i); meaning his life or soul, as before; so called, not because there is but one soul in the body, but because it was dear and valuable to him; and hence we render it "darling", an only one being usually the darling of its parents; so a man's life is dear to him, all that he has will he give for it, Job 2:4. Christ's life was a more precious life than any man's, and peculiarly his own, in such sense as another man's, is not his own; and his soul also was an only one, it was not polluted with original sin, as the souls of other men are; it was pure and holy: the word here used is sometimes rendered "desolate" and "solitary"; see Psa 25:16; and it may have this sense here, and be translated "my lonely" or "solitary one" (k); he being forsaken by God, and deserted by his disciples; his soul was in darkness, sorrow, and distress, wherefore he prays it might be delivered "from the power of the dog"; either Satan is so called for his malice and envy, who had put it into the heart of Judas to betray him, and had filled the Pharisees with envy at him, and who through it delivered him to Pilate; or the impure, cruel, and wicked Roman soldiers, and in short all his crucifiers; called in the plural number "dogs"; see Gill on Psa 22:16. (i) "unicam meam", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus, Tiguriue version, Cocceius, Junius & Tremellius. (k) "Solitariam meam", Piscator, Gejerus, Michaelis; so Ainsworth.

Psalms 22:20

The Psalm of the Cross

Scripture
Sermons
Commentary

Berean Standard Bible

Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of wild dogs.

American Standard Version (1901)

Deliver my soul from the sword, My darling from the power of the dog.

Bible in Basic English

Make my soul safe from the sword, my life from the power of the dog.

Free Bible Version

Save me from death by the sword! Save my life—the only one I have—from the dogs!

Geneva Bible 1599

Deliuer my soule from the sword: my desolate soule from the power of the dogge.

King James (Authorized) Version

Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.

One Unity Resource Bible

Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog.

Translation for Translators

Rescue me from those who want to kill me with their swords. Save me from those who are like wild/fierce dogs [MET].

Unlocked Literal Bible

Rescue my soul from the sword, my only life from the claws of wild dogs.

Noah Webster Bible

Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog.

World English Bible

Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog.

Young's Literal Translation

Deliver from the sword my soul, From the paw of a dog mine only one.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
John Gill
Tyndale

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

my soul--or self (compare Psa 3:2; Psa 16:10). my darling--literally, "my only one," or, "solitary one," as desolate and afflicted (Psa 25:16; Psa 35:17).

John Gill Bible Commentary

Psalms 22:20

Verse

Context

The Psalm of the Cross

Summary

Commentary

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

John Gill Bible Commentary

Tyndale Open Study Notes

Psalms 22:20

The Psalm of the Cross

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

John Gill Bible Commentary

Tyndale Open Study Notes