Psalm 22:16 – Does the phrase “they have pierced my hands and my feet” reflect a later Christian interpretation rather than the original Hebrew text? Historical and Textual Background Psalm 22:16 in the Berean Standard Bible reads: “For dogs surround me; a band of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and my feet.” A common question revolves around whether this wording—“they have pierced my hands and my feet”—is a distinctively Christian interpretation or whether it reflects an ancient Hebrew reading. For centuries, scholars have examined the underlying Hebrew scripts, early Greek translations, and related manuscripts to determine the most accurate original text. Below is a comprehensive look at the historical and textual considerations surrounding Psalm 22:16. Masoretic Text and “Like a Lion” Traditional printed Hebrew Bibles often reflect what is called the Masoretic Text (MT), finalized by Hebrew scribes (the Masoretes) roughly between the 7th and 10th centuries AD. In many later MT manuscripts, the Hebrew of Psalm 22:16 can be read as “like a lion my hands and my feet” (Hebrew: כארי ידי ורגלי, ka’ari yaday veraglay). • Some interpreters read ka’ari (כָּאֲרִי) as “like a lion,” which lacks a clear verb. • This reading, if taken literally, does not flow well in Hebrew. It would be an incomplete phrase: “Like a lion my hands and feet.” Hence, even in Jewish commentaries, discussions arose about how to interpret or correct this text, because the phrase “like a lion” followed by references to hands and feet remained ambiguous without an accompanying verb. Dead Sea Scrolls and Early Hebrew Evidence Among the most important manuscript discoveries for verifying readings of the Hebrew Scriptures are the Dead Sea Scrolls, which date from about the 3rd century BC to the 1st century AD. • A fragment of the Psalms found at Nahal Hever (often cataloged as 5/6HevPs) shows a word more closely matching the Hebrew verb meaning “to dig” or “to bore through” (כָּרוּ, karu). • This indicates that at least one ancient Hebrew textual tradition reads “they have pierced” rather than “like a lion.” Because these scrolls predate the standard Masoretic tradition by centuries, they carry substantial weight in reconstructing the earliest form of the Hebrew text. Greek Septuagint (LXX) Translation Long before the time of the Masoretes, Jewish scholars in Alexandria translated the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek (the Septuagint, or LXX), around the 3rd to 2nd centuries BC. • The Septuagint of Psalm 22(21):16 in most surviving manuscripts has a Greek verb that means “they have pierced” (ὢρυξαν in some versions, which literally means “they dug” or “bored through”). • Since this translation was made by Jewish scribes well before the rise of Christianity, this lends credence to the argument that “pierced” was recognized in some Hebrew manuscripts far earlier than later MT copies. Targum and Other Early Witnesses Ancient Aramaic paraphrases of Scripture, referred to as Targums, also shed light on interpretive traditions in Jewish communities. • While Targum Jonathan on the Psalms is less explicit in this verse, certain Aramaic renderings reflect an idea that the hands and feet were harmed or fixed in place, aligning more with the notion of piercing or binding than with “like a lion.” • Early rabbis debated the meaning of Psalm 22:16, showing that there was recognized ambiguity or variant readings in the source texts. Textual Variant Explanation The difference between כארי (ka’ari, “like a lion”) and כרו (ka’ru, “they have dug/pierced”) can come down to small differences in Hebrew letters: • The letter י (yod) is very short and can sometimes appear similar to the letter ו (vav) in handwritten manuscripts. • A small misreading in the course of copying manuscripts over centuries could lead to different readings. The earlier evidence (Dead Sea Scrolls, the Septuagint, and certain early rabbinic discussions) points to a verb form that means “pierced” or “dug through.” Contextual Flow of Psalm 22 Psalm 22 is a psalm of lament that sketches intense suffering, ridicule, and physical distress. The mention of “dogs,” “evildoers,” and severe bodily harm in verses such as 16–18 sets a context where a verb describing violent action against the speaker’s hands and feet makes logical sense. • Psalm 22:16 continues with the vivid imagery: “For dogs surround me; a band of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and my feet.” • This depiction of physical torment fits more coherently with “pierced” or “bored through.” Early Christian Use It is true that from earliest times, Christians have pointed out Psalm 22:16 as a foreshadowing of crucifixion. However, this focus does not necessarily originate as a “later Christian invention.” • The Septuagint translators—pre-Christian Jewish scholars—had already chosen a Greek verb meaning “pierced.” • The Dead Sea Scroll fragment shows that at least some Hebrew copies contained “pierced” before the New Testament was written. Thus, the claim that “they have pierced my hands and my feet” is strictly a Christian redaction does not align with the older Hebrew and Greek manuscript evidence. Archaeological and Manuscript Corroboration • The Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered in the mid-20th century in the Qumran area and surrounding sites like Nahal Hever, have consistently reaffirmed that variants can be older than the MT. • Ongoing research and advanced photographic techniques continue to shed new light on faint letters in these ancient texts, which often confirm that the reading “pierced” has a legitimate claim to antiquity. • The Septuagint, being so ancient, is a major resource when evaluating textual variants. Its reading of “pierced” for Psalm 22:16 reinforces the probability of that being an original reading. Theological and Interpretive Implications Within a framework that sees Psalm 22 as prophetic and consistent throughout Scripture: • “Pierced my hands and my feet” resonates strongly with accounts of crucifixion in the New Testament (e.g., Matthew 27:35; John 20:25). • The continuity of this theme, supported by early Jewish translation (LXX) and Hebrew manuscripts (e.g., at Nahal Hever), suggests that the phrase is not merely retrofitted by a later Christian worldview but may indeed stem from the original text. From a purely textual standpoint, the reading “pierced” stands on strong manuscript evidence. Combined with the broader context, it offers a coherent reading that best fits the psalmist’s lament. Conclusion Psalm 22:16’s phrase “they have pierced my hands and my feet” does not derive solely from a later Christian perspective. Ancient manuscript witnesses such as the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Greek Septuagint, which long predate the emergence of Christianity, contain a form of the text that supports the reading “pierced.” While the Masoretic Text as preserved centuries later often reads “like a lion,” the older evidence indicates a textual variant in the Hebrew tradition that speaks of personal violation and harm done to the psalmist’s hands and feet. Thus, far from being an anachronistic Christian interpretation, “they have pierced my hands and my feet” is grounded in a demonstrable ancient textual tradition with solid corroboration from multiple sources. |
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