Psalms 22:6
But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.
Study Note
Study Note
'But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people' — the psalmist's descent from the divine king of verse 3 to sub-human self-description traces the depth of humiliation experienced by the one abandoned by God yet mocked by spectators. The worm-image ('tola'at') is in some contexts associated with the crimson/scarlet dye extracted from certain insects, but here functions as a symbol of crushedness and worthlessness. The verse is one of the most direct parallels to the passion narrative: Matthew 27:39–44 closely follows the mocking-pattern of Psalm 22:7–8, and Christian reflection from the earliest period has read verse 6 as a portrait of the Incarnate Lord's humiliation.
Other Translations
But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised of the people.
And I <FI>am<Fi> a worm, and no man, A reproach of man, and despised of the people.
But I am a worm and not a man; cursed by men, and looked down on by the people.
Cross References
Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy redeemer, …
Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom …
He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it …
And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and …
He giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him: he is filled full with reproach.
The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend …
But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince …
But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus.
And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be …
Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.