Psalm 22:17
New International Version
All my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over me.

New Living Translation
I can count all my bones. My enemies stare at me and gloat.

English Standard Version
I can count all my bones— they stare and gloat over me;

Berean Standard Bible
I can count all my bones; they stare and gloat over me.

King James Bible
I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me.

New King James Version
I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me.

New American Standard Bible
I can count all my bones. They look, they stare at me;

NASB 1995
I can count all my bones. They look, they stare at me;

NASB 1977
I can count all my bones. They look, they stare at me;

Legacy Standard Bible
I count all my bones. They look, they stare at me;

Amplified Bible
I can count all my bones; They look, they stare at me.

Christian Standard Bible
I can count all my bones; people look and stare at me.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
I can count all my bones; people look and stare at me.

American Standard Version
I may count all my bones. They look and stare upon me;

Contemporary English Version
I can count all my bones, and my enemies just stare and sneer at me.

English Revised Version
I may tell all my bones; they look and stare upon me:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
I can count all my bones. People stare. They gloat over me.

Good News Translation
All my bones can be seen. My enemies look at me and stare.

International Standard Version
I can count all my bones. They look at me; they stare at me.

Majority Standard Bible
I can count all my bones; they stare and gloat over me.

NET Bible
I can count all my bones; my enemies are gloating over me in triumph.

New Heart English Bible
I can count all of my bones. They look and stare at me.

Webster's Bible Translation
I may number all my bones: they look and stare upon me.

World English Bible
I can count all of my bones. They look and stare at me.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
I count all My bones—they look expectingly, "" They look on Me,

Young's Literal Translation
I count all my bones -- they look expectingly, They look upon me,

Smith's Literal Translation
I shall number all my bones: they will behold and look upon me.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
They have numbered all my bones. And they have looked and stared upon me.

Catholic Public Domain Version
They have numbered all my bones. And they have examined me and stared at me.

New American Bible
I can count all my bones. They stare at me and gloat;

New Revised Standard Version
I can count all my bones. They stare and gloat over me;
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
My bones ached with pain; they looked and stared upon me.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
All of my bones wail & wail; they stare and look at me!
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
I may count all my bones; They look and gloat over me.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
They counted all my bones; and they observed and looked upon me.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Psalm of the Cross
16For dogs surround me; a band of evil men encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet. 17I can count all my bones; they stare and gloat over me. 18They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.…

Cross References
Isaiah 53:5
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.

John 19:37
And, as another Scripture says: “They will look on the One they have pierced.”

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.

Matthew 27:35
When they had crucified Him, they divided up His garments by casting lots.

Mark 15:24
And they crucified Him. They also divided His garments by casting lots to decide what each of them would take.

Luke 23:33
When they came to the place called The Skull, they crucified Him there, along with the criminals, one on His right and the other on His left.

John 19:23-24
When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they divided His garments into four parts, one for each soldier, with the tunic remaining. It was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. / So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it. Instead, let us cast lots to see who will get it.” This was to fulfill the Scripture: “They divided My garments among them, and cast lots for My clothing.” So that is what the soldiers did.

John 20:25
So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “Unless I see the nail marks in His hands, and put my finger where the nails have been, and put my hand into His side, I will never believe.”

Revelation 1:7
Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him—even those who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen.

Isaiah 52:14
Just as many were appalled at Him—His appearance was disfigured beyond that of any man, and His form was marred beyond human likeness—

Lamentations 3:11
He forced me off my path and tore me to pieces; He left me without help.

Job 30:17
Night pierces my bones, and my gnawing pains never rest.

Job 16:10
They open their mouths against me and strike my cheeks with contempt; they join together against me.

Psalm 69:21
They poisoned my food with gall and gave me vinegar to quench my thirst.

Psalm 109:25
I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they shake their heads.


Treasury of Scripture

I may tell all my bones: they look and stare on me.

I may

Psalm 102:3-5
For my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned as an hearth…

Job 33:21
His flesh is consumed away, that it cannot be seen; and his bones that were not seen stick out.

Isaiah 52:14
As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:

look

Matthew 27:36,39-41
And sitting down they watched him there; …

Mark 15:29-32
And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, …

Luke 23:27,35
And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him…

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Psalm 22
1. David complains in great discouragement
9. He prays in great distress
23. He praises God














I can count all my bones
This phrase reflects a vivid image of suffering and vulnerability. The Hebrew root for "count" is "סָפַר" (saphar), which means to recount or to number. This suggests a meticulous awareness of one's own physical state, emphasizing the extremity of the psalmist's affliction. Historically, this could be seen as a reference to the physical torment experienced during crucifixion, where the body is stretched and exposed, making the bones more prominent. In a broader scriptural context, this phrase prophetically points to the suffering of Christ on the cross, where His bones were not broken, fulfilling the prophecy in John 19:36.

they stare and gloat over me
The words "stare" and "gloat" convey a sense of malicious observation and delight in the psalmist's distress. The Hebrew word for "stare" is "רָאָה" (ra'ah), meaning to see or look intently. This indicates not just a passing glance but a focused, almost predatory attention. "Gloat" comes from the Hebrew "בָּטַח" (batach), which can imply a sense of confidence or security, but in this context, it suggests a perverse satisfaction in another's suffering. Historically, this reflects the mocking and scorn Jesus faced from onlookers during His crucifixion, as recorded in the Gospels. This phrase underscores the depth of human cruelty and the fulfillment of messianic prophecy, reminding believers of the cost of redemption and the triumph of Christ over such scorn.

Verse 17. - I may tell all my bones. Our Lord's active life and simple habits would give him a spare frame, while the strain of crucifixion would accentuate and bring into relief every point of his anatomy. He might thus, if so minded, "tell all his bones." They look and stare upon me (comp. Luke 23:35, "And the people stood beholding").

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
I can count
אֲסַפֵּ֥ר (’ă·sap·pêr)
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 5608: To count, recount, relate

all
כָּל־ (kāl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

my bones;
עַצְמוֹתָ֑י (‘aṣ·mō·w·ṯāy)
Noun - feminine plural construct | first person common singular
Strong's 6106: A bone, the body, the substance, selfsame

they
הֵ֥מָּה (hêm·māh)
Pronoun - third person masculine plural
Strong's 1992: They

stare
יַ֝בִּ֗יטוּ (yab·bî·ṭū)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 5027: To scan, look intently at, to regard

and gloat over me.
יִרְאוּ־ (yir·’ū-)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 7200: To see


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OT Poetry: Psalm 22:17 I can count all of my bones (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 22:16
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