“Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.”
My Notes
What Does Psalms 22:23 Mean?
This verse marks a dramatic shift in Psalm 22—from the anguished cry of "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" to a call for communal praise. The one who felt utterly abandoned by God now calls on all Israel to glorify Him. The shift isn't explained—it simply happens, as if in the middle of the deepest suffering, something broke through.
The threefold structure—praise Him, glorify Him, fear Him—addressed to those who fear the LORD, the seed of Jacob, and the seed of Israel, creates a cascading call to worship that encompasses the entire covenant community. The sufferer doesn't just recover privately. He turns outward and calls the community to respond to what God has done.
In its messianic reading, this verse anticipates Christ's post-resurrection declaration to His "brethren." Hebrews 2:12 quotes the surrounding verse to describe Jesus praising God among the congregation. The one who cried out in abandonment on the cross is the same one who, after resurrection, calls His people to worship. The movement from Psalm 22's opening cry to this verse mirrors the movement from crucifixion to resurrection—from forsaken to worshiping.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Have you experienced the shift from feeling forsaken to being able to praise—even without understanding why the pain happened?
- 2.How does your experience of suffering shape the way you worship? Is your praise different after you've been through something hard?
- 3.The psalmist's response to deliverance was to call others to praise. How do you share your testimony of God's faithfulness with your community?
- 4.Are you currently in the 'first half' of Psalm 22 or the second half? What do you need to hear right now?
Devotional
Psalm 22 begins in the darkest possible place: "My God, why hast thou forsaken me?" And somehow it arrives here—a call to praise, to glorify, to fear the LORD. The psalm doesn't explain the transition. It doesn't give you a neat resolution. It simply shows you that the same person who felt utterly abandoned is now leading worship. Both experiences were real.
This matters because it mirrors how faith actually works. You don't always get a tidy explanation for why the suffering happened or how you got through it. Sometimes you just find yourself on the other side, and the only response that makes sense is praise. Not because the pain wasn't real—it was. But because somehow, improbably, you're still here and God is still God.
The call isn't just to praise privately. It's communal: "ye that fear the LORD... all ye the seed of Jacob... all ye the seed of Israel." The sufferer's response to deliverance is to bring others in. Your testimony of survival isn't just for you. It's fuel for other people's faith. When you can stand up after devastation and say "praise Him," you give permission to everyone watching to believe that their darkness might also end in worship.
If you're still in the first half of Psalm 22—the crying out, the feeling forsaken, the why—hold on. The psalm doesn't stay there. And neither will you. The same voice that cries "why" is the voice that eventually says "praise Him." Both are honest. Both are you. And God is present in both.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Ye that fear the Lord, praise him,.... By whom are meant, not the proselytes among the Gentiles, as distinct from the…
Ye that fear the Lord - A phrase denoting those who are pious. Praise him - This is language which may be supposed to be…
The same that began the psalm complaining, who was no other than Christ in his humiliation, ends it here triumphing, and…
Already he can imagine himself standing -in the great congregation." These are the words in which he summons them to…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture