Psalm 22:12
New International Version
Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.

New Living Translation
My enemies surround me like a herd of bulls; fierce bulls of Bashan have hemmed me in!

English Standard Version
Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me;

Berean Standard Bible
Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.

King James Bible
Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.

New King James Version
Many bulls have surrounded Me; Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me.

New American Standard Bible
Many bulls have surrounded me; Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me.

NASB 1995
Many bulls have surrounded me; Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me.

NASB 1977
Many bulls have surrounded me; Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me.

Legacy Standard Bible
Many bulls have surrounded me; Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me.

Amplified Bible
Many [enemies like] bulls have surrounded me; Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me.

Christian Standard Bible
Many bulls surround me; strong ones of Bashan encircle me.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Many bulls surround me; strong ones of Bashan encircle me.

American Standard Version
Many bulls have compassed me; Strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.

Contemporary English Version
Enemies are all around like a herd of wild bulls. Powerful bulls from Bashan are everywhere.

English Revised Version
Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Many bulls have surrounded me. Strong bulls from Bashan have encircled me.

Good News Translation
Many enemies surround me like bulls; they are all around me, like fierce bulls from the land of Bashan.

International Standard Version
Many bulls have surrounded me; the vicious bulls of Bashan have encircled me.

Majority Standard Bible
Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.

NET Bible
Many bulls surround me; powerful bulls of Bashan hem me in.

New Heart English Bible
Many bulls have surrounded me. Mighty ones of Bashan have encircled me.

Webster's Bible Translation
Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.

World English Bible
Many bulls have surrounded me. Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Many bulls have surrounded Me, "" Mighty ones of Bashan have surrounded Me,

Young's Literal Translation
Many bulls have surrounded me, Mighty ones of Bashan have compassed me,

Smith's Literal Translation
Many bulls surrounded me: the strong of Bashan surrounded me.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Many calves have surrounded me: fat bulls have besieged me.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Many calves have surrounded me; fat bulls have besieged me.

New American Bible
Many bulls surround me; fierce bulls of Bashan encircle me.

New Revised Standard Version
Many bulls encircle me, strong bulls of Bashan surround me;
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Many bulls have surrounded me: strong bulls of Bashan have besieged me.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Many bulls have surrounded me and young bulls of Bayshan encircled me.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Many bulls have encompassed me; Strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Many bullocks have compassed me: fat bulls have beset me round.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Psalm of the Cross
11Be not far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help. 12Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me. 13They open their jaws against me like lions that roar and maul.…

Cross References
Matthew 27:39-43
And those who passed by heaped abuse on Him, shaking their heads / and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross!” / In the same way, the chief priests, scribes, and elders mocked Him, saying, ...

Mark 15:29-32
And those who passed by heaped abuse on Him, shaking their heads and saying, “Aha! You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, / come down from the cross and save Yourself!” / In the same way, the chief priests and scribes mocked Him among themselves, saying, “He saved others, but He cannot save Himself! ...

Luke 23:35-37
The people stood watching, and the rulers sneered at Him, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.” / The soldiers also mocked Him and came up to offer Him sour wine. / “If You are the King of the Jews,” they said, “save Yourself!”

John 19:28-30
After this, knowing that everything had now been accomplished, and to fulfill the Scripture, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” / A jar of sour wine was sitting there. So they soaked a sponge in the wine, put it on a stalk of hyssop, and lifted it to His mouth. / When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished.” And bowing His head, He yielded up His spirit.

Hebrews 12:2
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Philippians 2:7-8
but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness. / And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross.

Isaiah 53:3-7
He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. Like one from whom men hide their faces, He was despised, and we esteemed Him not. / Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows; yet we considered Him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. / But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. ...

Zechariah 12:10
Then I will pour out on the house of David and on the people of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and prayer, and they will look on Me, the One they have pierced. They will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for Him as one grieves for a firstborn son.

John 1:29
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

1 Peter 2:23-24
When they heaped abuse on Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats, but entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly. / He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. “By His stripes you are healed.”

Matthew 26:67-68
Then they spit in His face and struck Him. Others slapped Him / and said, “Prophesy to us, Christ! Who hit You?”

Mark 14:65
Then some of them began to spit on Him. They blindfolded Him, struck Him with their fists, and said to Him, “Prophesy!” And the officers received Him with slaps in His face.

Luke 22:63-65
The men who were holding Jesus began to mock Him and beat Him. / They blindfolded Him and kept demanding, “Prophesy! Who hit You?” / And they said many other blasphemous things against Him.

John 18:22-23
When Jesus had said this, one of the officers standing nearby slapped Him in the face and said, “Is this how You answer the high priest?” / Jesus replied, “If I said something wrong, testify as to what was wrong. But if I spoke correctly, why did you strike Me?”

Acts 8:32-35
The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so He did not open His mouth. / In His humiliation He was deprived of justice. Who can recount His descendants? For His life was removed from the earth.” / “Tell me,” said the eunuch, “who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” ...


Treasury of Scripture

Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.

Many

Psalm 68:30
Rebuke the company of spearmen, the multitude of the bulls, with the calves of the people, till every one submit himself with pieces of silver: scatter thou the people that delight in war.

Jeremiah 50:11
Because ye were glad, because ye rejoiced, O ye destroyers of mine heritage, because ye are grown fat as the heifer at grass, and bellow as bulls;

strong

Deuteronomy 32:14,15
Butter of kine, and milk of sheep, with fat of lambs, and rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, with the fat of kidneys of wheat; and thou didst drink the pure blood of the grape…

Isaiah 34:7
And the unicorns shall come down with them, and the bullocks with the bulls; and their land shall be soaked with blood, and their dust made fat with fatness.

Ezekiel 39:18
Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan.

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Bashan Beset Bulls Compassed Encircle Encircled Encompass Encompassed Great Herd Mighty Ones Oxen Round Shut Strong Surround Surrounded
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Bashan Beset Bulls Compassed Encircle Encircled Encompass Encompassed Great Herd Mighty Ones Oxen Round Shut Strong Surround Surrounded
Psalm 22
1. David complains in great discouragement
9. He prays in great distress
23. He praises God














Many bulls have surrounded me
The phrase "Many bulls have surrounded me" uses the imagery of bulls to convey a sense of overwhelming opposition and danger. In the Hebrew context, bulls often symbolize strength and power. The psalmist, traditionally understood to be David, feels encircled by powerful enemies. Historically, this could reflect David's experiences of being pursued by adversaries, such as King Saul or other hostile forces. Spiritually, this imagery foreshadows the intense opposition faced by Jesus during His crucifixion, as the New Testament often sees Psalm 22 as a messianic prophecy.

strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me
The "strong bulls of Bashan" refers to the well-fed, robust cattle from the region of Bashan, known for its fertile land and strong livestock. Bashan was a territory east of the Jordan River, famous for its rich pastures. The mention of these bulls emphasizes the formidable and intimidating nature of the psalmist's adversaries. In a broader scriptural context, this phrase can be seen as a metaphor for the spiritual and physical forces that opposed Christ, highlighting the intensity of His suffering and the fulfillment of prophecy. The use of "encircled" suggests being trapped or besieged, evoking a sense of vulnerability and desperation, yet also pointing to the ultimate victory and deliverance that God provides.

(12) Bulls of Bashan.--For "Bashan" see Numbers 21:33; for its pastures and cattle, comp. Deuteronomy 32:14, and for the figures, Amos 4:1. Instead of "fat bulls," the LXX. and Vulgate paraphrase "strong ones of Bashan." The point of the comparison lies in the wantonness and insolence of pampered pride, displayed by the minions of fortune.

Verse 12. - Many bulls have compassed me. The Sufferer represents the adversaries who crowd around him under the figure of "bulls" - fierce animals in all parts of the world, and in Palestine particularly' wild and ferocious. "Bulls,, and buffaloes are very numerous, says Canon Tristram, "in Southern Judaea; they are in the habit of gathering in a circle around any novel or unaccustomed object, and may be easily instigated into charging with their horns" ('Natural History of the Bible,' p. 71). Strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round. Bashan, the richest pasture-g"round of Palestine, produces the largest and strongest animals (Ezekiel 39:18). Hence "the kine of Bashan" became an expression for powerful oppressors (Amos 4:1).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Many
רַבִּ֑ים (rab·bîm)
Adjective - masculine plural
Strong's 7227: Much, many, great

bulls
פָּרִ֣ים (pā·rîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 6499: Young bull, steer

surround me;
סְ֭בָבוּנִי (sə·ḇā·ḇū·nî)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural | first person common singular
Strong's 5437: To turn about, go around, surround

strong
אַבִּירֵ֖י (’ab·bî·rê)
Adjective - masculine plural construct
Strong's 47: Mighty, valiant

[bulls] of Bashan
בָשָׁ֣ן (ḇā·šān)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 1316: Bashan -- 'smooth', a region East of the Jordan

encircle me.
כִּתְּרֽוּנִי׃ (kit·tə·rū·nî)
Verb - Piel - Perfect - third person common plural | first person common singular
Strong's 3803: To enclose, to crown, to besiege, to wait


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OT Poetry: Psalm 22:12 Many bulls have surrounded me (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 22:11
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