Psalm 22:16
“For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.”
King James Version
More of Psalm 22 on this sitePsalm 22:1 · Psalm 22:6-8 · Psalm 22:9-10 · Psalm 22:11-21 · Psalm 22:18 · Psalm 22:22-31
Psalm 22's description of hands and feet pierced, directly prefiguring the wounds of crucifixion.
Study this passage in depth Psalm 22 — the Crucifixion Psalm →
Fulfillment References
John 20:25 Luke 24:39 Zechariah 12:10
How Traditions Read This Prophecy
Apostolic (Oneness) PentecostalWritten a thousand years before crucifixion existed as a Roman penalty: 'they pierced my hands and my feet.' Fulfilled exactly in the Lord Jesus, whose hands and feet were nailed (John 20:25; Luke 24:39). The pierced One is the LORD Himself (Zech. 12:10) — God in flesh, bearing in His body the wounds of our redemption.
JewishThe Masoretic 'like a lion (ka'ari) my hands and feet' differs from the Septuagint and a Dead Sea reading 'they pierced (ka'aru)'; traditional Jewish interpretation takes the psalm of David's distress, not a crucified Messiah.
CatholicA precise prophecy of the crucifixion — the pierced hands and feet of Christ, central to the Passion reading of Psalm 22.
ProtestantA striking prediction of crucifixion's piercing centuries before the practice, fulfilled in Jesus (John 20:25-27).
AcademicThe textual crux ('pierced' vs. 'like a lion') is among the most debated in the Hebrew Bible; the LXX and a Qumran fragment support a verb of piercing/binding.
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Audio narration (listen to this prophecy read aloud), cross-references, Hebrew/Greek, Dead Sea Scrolls notes, a prophetic timeline, network maps, study tools and multi-tradition analysis in the interactive explorer.
Bible Prophecy Explorer · based on J. Barton Payne’s Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy catalogue · an openly Apostolic (Oneness) Pentecostal study resource — all traditions presented fairly. Pastor: C. Myles Young, D.Min. · Bishop: Nathaniel J. Wilson, Ed.D.