They have pierced my hands and my feet
Encyclopedia
They have pierced my hands and my feet is a phrase that occurs in English translations of Psalm 22:16.
, reads כארי ידי ורגלי ("like a lion my hands and my feet") in the Masoretic Text
. The syntactical form of the Hebrew phrase appears to be lacking a verb, and this is supplied in the Aramaic targum
which reads "they bite like a lion my hands and my feet". The Septuagint has ωρυξαν χειράς μου και πόδας ("they have dug/pierced my hands and feet"), evidently taking the Hebrew to be based on the root כרה, supported by the Dead Sea Scrolls, Hahal Hever (5/6Hev1b f8_9:12) כר[ו ]ידי . 'Dig' has been understood in the sense of 'pierced' (as in Psalm 40:7/6), hence the rendering in the Syriac
("they have pierced my hands and feet"). Aquila
, a convert to Judaism, undertook two translations of the Psalms from Hebrew to Greek. In the first, he renders the verse "they disfigured my hands and feet"; in the second he revised this to "they have bound my hands and feet". Jerome
, translating the Psalms for the Latin Vulgate
also made two versions. The earlier, from the Hexapla
r Greek, reads "they have dug my hands and feet"; the later, made directly from pre-Masoretic Hebrew texts, reads with Aquila "they have bound my hands and feet".
Wyclif's Bible of 1395 adopts a literal translation of Latin Vulgate term foderunt (from Jerome's Hexaplar Psalms). Miles Coverdale in 1535, most likely influenced by Luther's German translation as durchgraben (dig through, penetrate) chooses the English word pierce; and this has been retained in the majority of subsequent English versions.
follows the Masoretic Text
and paraphrases the phrase as "like lions (they maul) my hands and my feet." The MT reading presents the word ארי . A different word for lion ( אריה ) occurs twice in Psalm 22, to wit, in verses 13/14 and 21/22. To admit that "like a lion" is the true reading in verse 16/17, is to admit an abrupt expression, difficult to fit into the context, naturally translated in context as: "my hands and feet are like a lion." Moreover, the reader wonders why a different word for lion was used in verse 16/17.
Gregory Vall noted that is possible that the LXX translators were faced with כארו; i.e. as in the Masoretic text, but ending with the longer letter vav (ו), rather than the shorter yod (י). This word is not otherwise known in Biblical Hebrew, but could be an alternative spelling derived from the root כרה, "to dig". Vall proceeds to note nineteen conjectural emendations, while Brent Strawn appeals to iconographical data in support of the MT
reading. A Psalms scroll was uncovered at Qumran
, but is damaged at this point. However the editors of a psalms fragment from Nahal Hever do find in that text the word in question written as כארו, as Vall had previously speculated, and hence they support the reading "they dug at my hands and my feet".
While it is true that an interpretation of "they have pierced" was preferable to many Christian commentators on account of its christological implications, there is no evidence that either the Jews or the Christians tampered with the text. The phrase is not quoted anywhere in the New Testament
, despite the Septuagint reading being of a form that might be thought to prefigure the piercing of Jesus' hands and feet.
Text of Psalm 22:16
This verse, which is Psalm 22:17 in the Hebrew verse numberingChapters and verses of the Bible
The Bible is a compilation of many shorter books written at different times and later assembled into the Biblical canon. All but the shortest of these books have been divided into chapters, generally a page or so in length, since the early 13th century. Since the mid-16th century, each chapter has...
, reads כארי ידי ורגלי ("like a lion my hands and my feet") in the Masoretic Text
Masoretic Text
The Masoretic Text is the authoritative Hebrew text of the Jewish Bible and is regarded as Judaism's official version of the Tanakh. While the Masoretic Text defines the books of the Jewish canon, it also defines the precise letter-text of these biblical books, with their vocalization and...
. The syntactical form of the Hebrew phrase appears to be lacking a verb, and this is supplied in the Aramaic targum
Targum
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...
which reads "they bite like a lion my hands and my feet". The Septuagint has ωρυξαν χειράς μου και πόδας ("they have dug/pierced my hands and feet"), evidently taking the Hebrew to be based on the root כרה, supported by the Dead Sea Scrolls, Hahal Hever (5/6Hev1b f8_9:12) כר[ו ]ידי . 'Dig' has been understood in the sense of 'pierced' (as in Psalm 40:7/6), hence the rendering in the Syriac
Peshitta
The Peshitta is the standard version of the Bible for churches in the Syriac tradition.The Old Testament of the Peshitta was translated into Syriac from the Hebrew, probably in the 2nd century AD...
("they have pierced my hands and feet"). Aquila
Aquila of Sinope
Aquila of Sinope was a 2nd Century CE native of Pontus in Anatolia known for producing an exceedingly literal translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek around 130 CE. He was a proselyte to Judaism and a disciple of Rabbi Akiba...
, a convert to Judaism, undertook two translations of the Psalms from Hebrew to Greek. In the first, he renders the verse "they disfigured my hands and feet"; in the second he revised this to "they have bound my hands and feet". Jerome
Jerome
Saint Jerome was a Roman Christian priest, confessor, theologian and historian, and who became a Doctor of the Church. He was the son of Eusebius, of the city of Stridon, which was on the border of Dalmatia and Pannonia...
, translating the Psalms for the Latin Vulgate
Vulgate
The Vulgate is a late 4th-century Latin translation of the Bible. It was largely the work of St. Jerome, who was commissioned by Pope Damasus I in 382 to make a revision of the old Latin translations...
also made two versions. The earlier, from the Hexapla
Hexapla
Hexapla is the term for an edition of the Bible in six versions. Especially it applies to the edition of the Old Testament compiled by Origen of Alexandria, which placed side by side:#Hebrew...
r Greek, reads "they have dug my hands and feet"; the later, made directly from pre-Masoretic Hebrew texts, reads with Aquila "they have bound my hands and feet".
English translations
| Translation | Text |
|---|---|
| Wyclif Wyclif's Bible Wycliffe's Bible is the name now given to a group of Bible translations into Middle English that were made under the direction of, or at the instigation of, John Wycliffe. They appeared over a period from approximately 1382 to 1395... |
"they delved mine hands and my feet" |
| Coverdale Coverdale Bible The Coverdale Bible, compiled by Myles Coverdale and published in 1535, was the first complete Modern English translation of the Bible , and the first complete printed translation into English . The later editions published in 1539 were the first complete Bibles printed in England... |
"they pierced my hands and my feet" |
| KJV | "they pierced my hands and my feet" |
| NIV New International Version The New International Version is an English translation of the Christian Bible. Published by Zondervan in the United States and by Hodder & Stoughton in the UK, it has become one of the most popular modern translations in history.-History:... |
"they have pierced my hands and my feet" |
| ESV English Standard Version The English Standard Version is an English translation of the Christian Bible. It is a revision of the 1971 edition of the Revised Standard Version... |
"they have pierced my hands and feet" |
Wyclif's Bible of 1395 adopts a literal translation of Latin Vulgate term foderunt (from Jerome's Hexaplar Psalms). Miles Coverdale in 1535, most likely influenced by Luther's German translation as durchgraben (dig through, penetrate) chooses the English word pierce; and this has been retained in the majority of subsequent English versions.
Explanations and interpretations
RashiRashi
Shlomo Yitzhaki , or in Latin Salomon Isaacides, and today generally known by the acronym Rashi , was a medieval French rabbi famed as the author of a comprehensive commentary on the Talmud, as well as a comprehensive commentary on the Tanakh...
follows the Masoretic Text
Masoretic Text
The Masoretic Text is the authoritative Hebrew text of the Jewish Bible and is regarded as Judaism's official version of the Tanakh. While the Masoretic Text defines the books of the Jewish canon, it also defines the precise letter-text of these biblical books, with their vocalization and...
and paraphrases the phrase as "like lions (they maul) my hands and my feet." The MT reading presents the word ארי . A different word for lion ( אריה ) occurs twice in Psalm 22, to wit, in verses 13/14 and 21/22. To admit that "like a lion" is the true reading in verse 16/17, is to admit an abrupt expression, difficult to fit into the context, naturally translated in context as: "my hands and feet are like a lion." Moreover, the reader wonders why a different word for lion was used in verse 16/17.
Gregory Vall noted that is possible that the LXX translators were faced with כארו; i.e. as in the Masoretic text, but ending with the longer letter vav (ו), rather than the shorter yod (י). This word is not otherwise known in Biblical Hebrew, but could be an alternative spelling derived from the root כרה, "to dig". Vall proceeds to note nineteen conjectural emendations, while Brent Strawn appeals to iconographical data in support of the MT
Masoretic Text
The Masoretic Text is the authoritative Hebrew text of the Jewish Bible and is regarded as Judaism's official version of the Tanakh. While the Masoretic Text defines the books of the Jewish canon, it also defines the precise letter-text of these biblical books, with their vocalization and...
reading. A Psalms scroll was uncovered at Qumran
Qumran
Qumran is an archaeological site in the West Bank. It is located on a dry plateau about a mile inland from the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea, near the Israeli settlement and kibbutz of Kalia...
, but is damaged at this point. However the editors of a psalms fragment from Nahal Hever do find in that text the word in question written as כארו, as Vall had previously speculated, and hence they support the reading "they dug at my hands and my feet".
While it is true that an interpretation of "they have pierced" was preferable to many Christian commentators on account of its christological implications, there is no evidence that either the Jews or the Christians tampered with the text. The phrase is not quoted anywhere in the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
, despite the Septuagint reading being of a form that might be thought to prefigure the piercing of Jesus' hands and feet.