The Text of Psalm 22:17b

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Introduction

The Masoretic Text of Psalm 22:17 reads as follows:

כִּ֥י סְבָב֗וּנִי כְּלָ֫בִ֥ים

עֲדַ֣ת מְ֭רֵעִים הִקִּיפ֑וּנִי

כָּ֝אֲרִ֗י יָדַ֥י וְרַגְלָֽי׃

The text of the third line of Psalm 22:17 has caused interpreters problems throughout the centuries and the number of proposed solutions runs well into double figures—some more creative than others. We will limit our discussion to the most plausible solutions as reflected in both ancient and modern translations.

• "Dogs are all around me, a pack of villains closes in on me like a lion [at] my hands and feet" (CJB)
• "Yes, wild dogs surround me - a gang of evil men crowd around me; like a lion they pin my hands and feet" (NET)
• "For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet" (ESV)

The CJB strictly follows the MT's adverbial כָּ֝אֲרִ֗י "like a lion" and does not supply any finite verb in this adverbial phrase, while the NET also reads כָּ֝אֲרִ֗י, but supplies the supposed elided verb "they pin" to create a verbal clause. The ESV, on the other hand, reads a finite verb for the MT's כָּ֝אֲרִ֗י, most likely reflecting the vocalization כָּאֲרוּ. The differences between the CJB and NET, on the one hand, and the ESV, on the other, are due to this textual issue between כָּאֲרִי and כָּאֲרוּ—the mere difference between a final yod and final waw. We consider these two textual possibilities in the argument maps below.

Argument Maps

Adverbial כָּאֲרִי

A number of translations and scholars favor following the MT's כָּ֝אֲרִ֗י, as illustrated by the CJB: "Dogs are all around me, a pack of villains closes in on me like a lion [at] my hands and feet."

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<כארי>: The proto-MT text read כארי (Rashi :C:; Ibn Ezra :C:; Radak :C:; Hengstenberg 1863-64, 383-387 :C:; Barthélemey et al. 2005, "B" :M:; Jacobson & Tanner 2014, 235 :C:). #dispreferred
 + <Co-text of Ps 22>: Lions are mentioned in vv. 14 and 22, so it is no surprise to find one here in v. 17 (Postell and Justiss 2025 :A:). #dispreferred
 + <MT>: The MT reads כָּאֲרִי. #dispreferred
  - <Harmonization>: The Masoretes misread a verb appearing like כארי in harmony with the other lion references in the psalm (vv. 14, 22).
 - <Late witness>: The earliest appearance of the reading "like a lion" is Targum Psalms and the Cairo Geniza palimpsest of the Hexapla (ὡς λέων, 6th C; Flowers 2021, 51 :A:).
 - <Poetic lines>: Lines A and B have a verb, so we expect one here in line C.
  - <Bicolon>: The lines of v. 17 should be divided between כִּ֥י סְבָב֗וּנִי כְּלָ֫בִ֥ים עֲדַ֣ת מְ֭רֵעִים and הִקִּיפ֑וּנִי כָּ֝אֲרִ֗י יָדַ֥י וְרַגְלָֽי׃, so no verb is lacking (Swenson 2004 :A:). #dispreferred
   - <Masoretic Accents>: The suggestion that the verse be divided into two lines instead of three disregards the placement of the accents and the clear symmetry in the word order between lines A and B. 
   - <Other mss traditions>: The Babylonian manuscript Berlin Qu. 680, Sinaiticus (LXX) and the oldest text of Jerome's translation all reflect a tricolon. 
  - <Linguistic iconicity>: The verb obviously has to do with attacking/mauling, but has been elided to iconically reflect the urgency of the situation and swiftness of attack (Rendsburg 2002: 26 :A:). #dispreferred
  - <Elision>: The verb has been elided (Ḥakham 1979, 119 :C:; Böhler 2021, 387–388 :C:), as common in BH poetry and in five other occasions of this Psalm (vv. 3c, 7c-d, 14b, 21b, 29b). #dispreferred
   - <Line structure of Ps 22>: In no other part of Ps 22 do we find a tricolon with the third line's verb elided (the line of v. 9c-d involves two clauses). 
   - <Verbal semantics>: The semantics of the elided נפק makes no sense of hands and feet and "the mention of lion here does not fit the context" (Malul 1996, 102 :C:; איכור הארי פה אינו מתאים להקשר).
    - <Lion encircled>: A lion's hands and feet would be encircled if it were hunted ("like a lion") refers to the psalmist; Ḥakham 1979, 119 :C:). #dispreferred
     <_ <Lions in Ps 22>: The other two appearances of lions in Ps 22 refer to the enemies, not the psalmist.
    - <Lions circling>: Lions encircle their prey to instill fear in them (Radak :C:), so that they cannot defend themselves with their hands, or run with their feet (Ibn Ezra :C:). #dispreferred
     - <Not reality>: Zoologically, a single lion circling their prey is nonsense, and arguing that "hands and feet" serve as a merism for a being's ability to defend itself or flee, is a stretch (Strawn 2000 :A:; Flowers 2021: 51 :A:). Also, lionesses do the hunting, while אֲרִי is masculine (cf. "lioness" in TgPs ms Ee 5.9 & ms Héb. 17). 
      - <Metaphoric language>: The psalmist uses imagery throughout this section; zoological accuracy should not be expected. #dispreferred
       - <Figurative accuracy>: Imagery only works when the figurative language is analogous to reality.

Finite verb כָּאֲרוּ (preferred)

A number of translations and scholars favor the interpretation of a finite verb כָּאֲרוּ, as illustrated by the ESV: "For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet."

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<Verb כָּאֲרוּ>: The proto-MT read כארו (Kirkpatrick 1891, 119; Baethgen 1904, 64-65 :C:; Briggs and Briggs 1906-7, 196 :C:; Kittel 1922, 80 :C:; Kraus 1993, 297 :C:; Craigie 2004, 196 :C:; Barthélemy 2005, "C" :M:).
 + <Textual evidence>: The earliest Hebrew evidence and a number of medieval manuscripts read כארו.
  + [Textual evidence]: 5/6ḤevPs, Plate 891, frag. 6; Kennicott mss 39, 267, 270, 277(?), 288, 660.
 + <Ancient translations>: All of the ancient translations have a third-person plural verb compatible with the letters כארו. 
  + [Ancient translations]: LXX: "the gouged"; Aquila: "they bound"; Symmachus: "as those seeking to bind"; Peshitta: "they have pierced"; Gall: "they have dug"; Jerome: "they tied"; Targum: "they bite."
   _ <Interdependency>: The Latin translations and Greek Revisers are all dependent on the LXX so provide no new evidence. #dispreferred
    - <Variation>: The variation of Jerome, Aquila and Symmachus show there was an early, yet unclear, verbal tradition. 
 + <Discourse structure>: The discourse position of v. 17c leads one to expect reference to a sword, rather than lion, according to the chiasm of enemies.
  + [Discourse structure]: A. bulls (v. 13), B. lions (v. 14), C. dogs (v. 17a), **D. piercing** (v. 17c); D'. sword (v. 21a), C' dogs (v. 21b), B'. lions (v. 22a), A'. bulls (v. 22b).
   <_ <Artificial>: A chiastic structure seems slightly artificial, the supposed elements of the first half being much more spread out (vv. 13–17) than the second (vv.21–22). #dispreferred
   + <Consistent Definiteness>: The consistency in grammatical indefiniteness across the eight constituents of the suggested chiasm indicates their "equivalence" (Berlin 2008 :M:) 
 - <Root כאר>: The verb כארו would be from the root כאר, which does not exist in Biblical Hebrew. #dispreferred
  <_ <Roots כרה or כור>: The middle א in the earliest manuscripts represents a mater lectionis for a qameṣ vowel (Alonso Schökel 1992, 368 :C:; Tov 2012, 208–18 :M:), which would result the form kārû, precisely the vocalization of a 3mp qatal verb of either כרה or כור.
   + <Manuscript evidence>: Kennicott ms 242 reads כרו, indicative of either root כרה or כור.
   + [Aleph for qameṣ]: Psalm 58:8 reads יִמָּאֲס֣וּ for ימָסו; Psalm 116:6 reads פְּתָאיִ֣ם for פְּתָיִים (see, e.g., Ps 119:130); Proverbs 24:7 reads רָאמ֣וֹת for רָמות; Zechariah 14:10 reads רָאֲמָה֩ for רָמָה.
 + <Appropriate Semantics>: The semantic possibilities of כרה is appropriate for this context.
   - <Semantics>: The semantics of 'digging' is unlikely in the current context of a dog-like enemy attacking hands and feet. #dispreferred
    - <Lexica>: The verb כרה appears elsewhere for digging and excavating a well (Gen 26:25; Num 21:18), a pit (Exod 21:33; Pss 7:16; 57:7; 119:85; Prov 40:7; Jer 18:20), a grave (Gen 50:5), but is extended to the opening of ears in Psalm 40:7, and thus traversing/perforating. 
     + [Psalm 40:7]: "you open my ears to listen" (CSB; אָ֭זְנַיִם כָּרִ֣יתָ לִּ֑י).
    - <Peshitta>: The Syriac renders כארו as ܒܙܥ, which can mean "penetrate" in other contexts.
     + [2 Samuel 23:16]: ܘܒܙܥܘ ܬܠܬܐ ܓܒܪ̈ܝܢ ܡܫܪ̈ܝܬܗܘܢ ܕܦܠܫܬ̈ܝܐ "So three men broke into the Philistines' camp" (Walter and Greenberg 2015, 357).
    - <Semantic development>: The semantics of the verb כרה extended from "digging" to "piercing."
     - <Verbs for piercing>: דקר, נקב, חלל and טען would be more natural choices for "piercing." #dispreferred
      <_ <Word play>: It is possible that the psalmist chose this verb due to its phonological similarity to "lion," as appearing elsewhere in the psalm (vv. 14, 22; see Postell and Justiss 2025 :A:).
     + <Crucifixion>: While crucifixion (from earlier impaling) was a common form of execution (known as early as the Persian period (Herodotus Hist. 7:33)), early Christian apologists read this text as prophetically speaking of Jesus' crucifixion, without any reference to alternate readings of the text, which, if existing in their period, they would most likely have addressed.
      + [Early Christian Apologists]: Justin 1 Apol. 35; Justin Dial. Trypho 97; Tertullian, Against Marcion 3-19; Cyprian, Testimony 2.20; Lactantius, Institutes, 46; Athanasius, On the Incarnation, 35; Augustine, Expositions on the Psalms; Cassiodorus, Exposition on the Psalms; see examples in Appendix).

Conclusion (C)

Barthélemy et al. have given the MT a {B} rating and the verbal derivation of כארו a {C} rating. However, it seems plausible that כארו was more likely to be emended to כארי than vice versa. There are two other mentions of lions in the psalm, which would have encouraged the reading כארי, while the medial aleph in the form כארו may not have been immediately obvious (see the variation among the ancient versions), so an intentional scribal shift towards כארו seems unlikely. It is also clear that the LXX's Vorlage most probably read either כרו or כארו,, while the earliest Hebrew evidence (5/6ḤevPs) reflects the verbal reading. So, despite the somewhat unclear semantics of כרה/כור in the context, this verbal root provides the most plausible reconstruction of the proto-MT text of Psalm 22:17b.

Research

Translations

Ancient

• LXX: ὅτι ἐκύκλωσάν με κύνες πολλοί, συναγωγὴ πονηρευομένων περιέσχον με, ὤρυξαν χεῖράς μου καὶ πόδας.
  • "because many dogs encircled me, a gathering of evildoers surrounded me. They gouged my hands and feet."
• Aquila: ...ἐπέδησαν χεῖράς μου καὶ πόδας μου.
  • "...they bound my hands and my feet."
• Symmachus: ... ὡς ζητοῦντες δῆσαι χεῖράς μου καὶ πόδας μου
  • "...as those seeking to bind my hands and my feet."
• Gallican Psalter: quoniam circumdederunt me canes multi concilium malignantium obsedit me foderunt manus meas et pedes meos
  • "For many dogs have encompassed me: the council of the malignant hath besieged me. They have dug my hands and feet."
• Jerome (Iuxta Hebraeos): circumdederunt me venatores, concilium pessimorum vallavit me; vinxerunt manus meas et pedes meos
  • "hunters surrounded me, a council of wicked surround me; they tied my hands and my feet."
• Peshitta: ܡܛܠ ܕܚܕܪܘܢܝ ܟܠܒ̈ܐ܂ ܘܟܢܘܫܬܐ ܕܒܝܫ̈ܐ ܟܪܟܘܢܝ܂ ܒܙܥܘ ܐ̈ܝܕܝ ܘܪ̈ܓܠܝ
  • "For dogs have surrounded me; an assembly of evil men has encircled me. They have pierced my hands and my feet."
• Targum: מְטוּל דְאַחֲזַרוּ עֲלָי רַשִׁיעֵי דִמְתִילִין לְכַלְבַיָא סַגִיעִין כְּנִישַׁת מַבְאִישִׁין אַקְפוּנִי נָכְתִין הֵיךְ כְּאַרְיָא אַיְדַי וְרִגְלָי
  • "For the wicked, who may be compared to many dogs, have surrounded me; an assembly of evildoers has encircled me; they bite my hands and feet like a lion."

Modern

Adverbial "like a lion"

• Dogs are all around me, a pack of villains closes in on me like a lion [at] my hands and feet. (CJB)

Adverbial and finite verb

• Yes, wild dogs surround me - a gang of evil men crowd around me; like a lion they pin my hands and feet (NET; cf. RJPS)

Finite verb

• For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet (ESV; cf. CEV, CSB, GNT, NABRE, NASB, NIV, REB)
• An evil gang is around me; like a pack of dogs they close in on me; they tear at my hands and feet. (GNT)
• For dogs have surrounded me; a gang of those who practice evil has encircled me. They gouged my hands and my feet. (ISV)
• Denn Hunde haben mich umgeben, eine Rotte von Übeltätern hat mich umzingelt. Sie haben meine Hände und meine Füße durchgraben (ELB; cf. LUT)
• Eine Meute böswilliger Menschen umkreist mich, gierig wie wildernde Hunde. Hände und Füße haben sie mir durchbohrt (HFA; cf. EÜ)
• Um mich sind Hunde, eine Rotte von Übeltätern umzingelt mich, sie binden mir Hände und Füsse (ZÜR)
• Como perros, una banda de malvados me ha rodeado por completo; me han desgarrado las manos y los pies. (DHH)
• Me ha cercado una banda de malvados; ¡me tienen rodeado, como perros! ¡Han taladrado mis manos y mis pies! (RVC)
• Oui, des chiens m’environnent, une bande de scélérats rôdent autour de moi; ils ont percé mes mains et mes pieds. (SG21; cf. PDV, TOB)
• Une bande de malfaiteurs m'encercle, ces chiens ne me laissent aucune issue; ils m'ont lié les pieds et les mains. (NFC)

Secondary Literature

Alonso Schökel, Luis. 1992. Salmos I (Salmos 1–72): Traducción, Introducciones y Comentario. Navarra: Verbo Divino.

Baethgen, Friedrich. 1904. Die Psalmen. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck und Ruprecht.

Barthélemy, Dominique. 2005. Critique Textuelle de l'Ancien Testament: Tome 4. Psaumes. Fribourg/Göttingen: Vandenhoeck Ruprecht.

Berlin, Adele. 2008. The Dynamics of Biblical Parallelism: Revised + Expanded. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.

Böhler, Dieter. 2021. Psalmen 1–50. Freiburg, Basel, Wien: Herder Verlag.

Briggs, Charles A. & Briggs, Emilie G. 1906–7. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Psalms, International Critical Commentary. New York: C. Scribner’s Sons.

Craigie, Peter C. 2004. Psalms 1–50. Second edition. Nashville, TN: Nelson.

Flowers, Michael V. 2021. "What Did the Psalmist Say about His Hands and Feet in Psalm 22:17?" in Vetus Testamentum 71: 48–75.

Malul, Meir. 1996. "Chapter 22" (in Hebrew). Pages 94–105 in Psalms: Volume 1. Olam HaTaNaKh (Hebrew; תהלים א׳ עולם התנ׳׳ך). Tel Aviv: דודזון–עתי.

Ḥakham, Amos. 1979. The Book of Psalms: Books 1–2 (in Hebrew). Jerusalem: Mossad Harav Kook.

Hengstenberg, Ernst W. 1863–4. Commentary on the Psalms. Vol. 1. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark.

Ibn Ezra. Ibn Ezra on Psalms.

Jacobson, Rolf A. & Tanner, Beth. 2014. “Book One of the Psalter: Psalms 1–41,” in The Book of Psalms (NICOT). Grand Rapids, MI; William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

Kirkpatrick, Alexander, F. 1891. Psalms with Introduction and Notes. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Kittel, Rudolf. 1922. Die Psalmen. Leipzig: A. Deichertsche Verlagsbuchhandlung Dr. Werner Scholl.

Kraus, Hans-Joachim, 1993. A Continental Commentary: Psalms 1–59. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press.

Postell, Seth D. and Justiss, Joseph L. 2025. "The Crux of Psalm 22:17: At the Crossroads of Textual and Literary Criticism," in A Journal of Biblical Textual Criticism 30: 57–89.

Radak. Radak on Psalms.

Rashi. Rashi on Psalms.

Rendsburg, Gary A. 2002. "Hebrew Philological Notes (III)," in Hebrew Studies 43: 21–30.

Saadia = Qafaḥ, Yosef. 1965. The Psalms with Translation and Commentary of Saadia Gaon (in Hebrew: תהלים עם תרגום פוירוש הגאון). Jerusalem: The American Academy for Jewish Research (האקדימיה האמריקאנית למדעי היהדות).

Strawn, Brent A. 2000. "Psalm 22:17b: More Guessing," in Journal of Biblical Literature 119(3): 439–451.

Swenson, Kristin M. 2004. "Psalm 22:17: Circling around the Problem Again," in Journal of Biblical Literature 123(4): 637–648.

Tov, Emanuel. 2012. Textual Criticism of the Hebrew Bible. Third Edition. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press.

Vall, Gregory. 1997. "Psalm 22:17B: 'The Old Guess'," in Journal of Biblical Literature 116(1): 45–56.

Walter, Donald and Greenberg, Gillian. 2015. Samuel: the Syriac Peshitta with English Translation. Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press.

Appendix: Some early Christian uses of Psalm 22:17b as referring to the crucifixion

• Justin Martyr, 1st Apology Sec. 35: And again in other words, through another prophet, He says, “They pierced My hands and My feet, and for My vesture they cast lots.” And indeed David, the king and prophet, who uttered these things, suffered none of them; but Jesus Christ stretched forth His hands, being crucified by the Jews speaking against Him, and denying that He was the Christ. And as the prophet spoke, they tormented Him, and set Him on the judgment-seat, and said, Judge us. And the expression, “They pierced my hands and my feet,” was used in reference to the nails of the cross which were fixed in His hands and feet. And after He was crucified they cast lots upon His vesture, and they that crucified Him parted it among them. (https://ccel.org/ccel/justin_martyr/first_apology/anf01.viii.ii.xxxv.html)
• Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho, Sec. 95: And again, in other words, David in the twenty-first Psalm thus refers to the suffering and to the cross in a parable of mystery: ‘They pierced my hands and my feet; they counted all my bones. They considered and gazed on me; they parted my garments among themselves, and cast lots upon my vesture.’ For when they crucified Him, driving in the nails, they pierced His hands and feet; and those who crucified Him parted His garments among themselves, each casting lots for what he chose to have, and receiving according to the decision of the lot. And this very Psalm you maintain does not refer to Christ; for you are in all respects blind, and do not understand that no one in your nation who has been called King or Christ has ever had his hands or feet pierced while alive, or has died in this mysterious fashion—to wit, by the cross—save this Jesus alone. (https://ccel.org/ccel/justin_martyr/dialog_with_trypho/anf01.viii.iv.xcvii.html)
• Athanasius, On the Incarnation, Sec. 35: You have heard the prophecy of His death, and now, perhaps, you want to know what indications there are about the cross. Even this is not passed over in silence: on the contrary, the sacred writers proclaim it with the utmost plainness. Moses foretells it first, and that right loudly, when he says, "You shall see your Life hanging before your eyes, and shall not believe."47 After him the prophets also give their witness, saying, "But I as an innocent lamb brought to be offered was yet ignorant of it. They plotted evil against Me, saying, 'Come, let us cast wood into His bread, and wipe Him out from the land of the living."48 And, again, "They pierced My hands and My feet, they counted all My bones, they divided My garments for themselves and cast lots for My clothing."49 Now a death lifted up and that takes place on wood can be none other than the death of the cross; moreover, it is only in that death that the hands and feet are pierced. Besides this, since the Savior dwelt among men, all nations everywhere have begun to know God; and this too Holy Writ expressly mentions. "There shall be the Root of Jesse," it says, "and he who rises up to rule the nations, on Him nations shall set their hope." (https://ccel.org/ccel/athanasius/incarnation/incarnation.vii.html)
• Augustine, Expositions on the Book of Psalms: “For many dogs came about Me” (ver. 16). For many came about Me barking, not for truth, but for custom. “The council of the malignant came about Me.” The council of the malignant besieged Me.607 “They pierced My hands and feet.” They pierced with nails My hands and feet. (https://ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf108/npnf108.ii.XXII.html)

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