Bible Quiz – Psalm 22 (Subjective Questions)

 

Bible Quiz – Psalm 22 (Subjective Questions) 

Psalm 22 stands among the most theologically dense and emotionally charged passages in all of Scripture. It is a psalm of lament that dares to question, a confession of faith spoken through agony, and a text that echoes powerfully across both the Old and New Testaments. This quiz is designed not merely to test memory, but to sharpen interpretation, expose assumptions, and deepen biblical literacy. Whether you approach Psalm 22 devotionally, academically, or christologically, these questions will challenge you to read more closely, think more carefully, and engage the text on its own terms before drawing conclusions.

 

Quiz Instructions (Read Before You Begin)

This quiz is divided into multiple sections, each with a distinct purpose and difficulty level.

 

General Guidelines

Read each question slowly and carefully.

Answer before scrolling to the answers section.

Rely on the biblical text itself, not sermons, tradition, or memory.

Some questions are intentionally designed to feel familiar but be incorrect.

Scripture references are primarily from the KJV unless otherwise noted.

Honest engagement will yield far more insight than quick answers.

 

Section 1: Subjective & Interpretive Questions

Purpose:

To assess comprehension, theological reflection, and literary sensitivity.

How to Approach:

Use complete sentences.

Focus on meaning, movement, and tone.

Support answers with Scripture where possible.

There may be more than one defensible answer, but weak textual support will not hold.

Difficulty Level: Intermediate → Advanced

 

Section 2: EXTREME Scholar-Level Questions

Purpose:

To test advanced exegetical skill, theological reasoning, and canonical awareness.

How to Approach:

Think in terms of structure, genre, ancient context, and theology.

Pay attention to tension, paradox, and unresolved questions in the text.

Avoid devotional shortcuts—precision matters here.

Difficulty Level: Advanced → Academic / Seminary-Level

 

Section 3: New Testament Cross-Reference Traps

Purpose:

To expose common misquotations, assumed fulfillments, and interpretive shortcuts.

How to Approach:

Distinguish between direct quotation, allusion, and thematic parallel.

Identify which New Testament author says what—and who does not.

Beware of verses that are frequently preached together but not textually connected.

Difficulty Level: Advanced → Expert

 

⚠️ Many answers will surprise even experienced readers.

 

Important Reminder

This quiz is not about proving how much you know—it is about learning how carefully you read. Scripture rewards patience, humility, and attentiveness more than speed.

 

Bible Quiz – Psalm 22 (Subjective Questions)

(Write your answers before scrolling. These are reflective, Scripture-based, and interpretation-focused questions.)

 

1. How does Psalm 22:1 express both abandonment and faith at the same time?

 

2. What contrast does the psalmist make between God’s past faithfulness to Israel and his present suffering?

 

3. Why is the imagery of “worms” and “reproach of men” significant in Psalm 22:6?

 

4. How does Psalm 22 portray the reaction of onlookers to the suffering individual?

 

5. In what ways does Psalm 22 describe physical suffering in vivid detail?

 

6. How does Psalm 22 move from despair to confidence in God? Identify the turning point.

 

7. What prophetic elements in Psalm 22 are later reflected in the New Testament crucifixion narratives?

 

8. How does Psalm 22 portray God as both distant and near?

 

9. What role does praise play at the end of Psalm 22 despite the earlier suffering?

 

10. How does Psalm 22 expand from a personal lament to a universal declaration of God’s rule?

 

Answers, Complete Reference Verses & Explanation

 

Answer 1

Reference Verse – Psalm 22:1 (KJV)

“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?”

Explanation:

Though the psalmist cries out in abandonment, he still addresses God as “My God.” This shows a relationship rooted in faith even in extreme anguish.

 

Answer 2

Reference Verse – Psalm 22:4–5 (KJV)

“Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.

They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.”

Explanation:

The psalmist contrasts Israel’s history of deliverance with his present suffering, deepening the emotional tension of the lament.

 

Answer 3

Reference Verse – Psalm 22:6 (KJV)

“But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.”

Explanation:

Calling himself a “worm” symbolizes utter humiliation, rejection, and loss of dignity—highlighting the depth of suffering.

 

Answer 4

Reference Verse – Psalm 22:7–8 (KJV)

“All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,

He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.”

Explanation:

The crowd mocks the sufferer’s faith, turning trust in God into an object of ridicule.

 

Answer 5

Reference Verse – Psalm 22:14–15 (KJV)

“I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.

My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death.”

Explanation:

The psalm uses intense physical imagery to portray exhaustion, dehydration, and bodily collapse.

 

Answer 6

Reference Verse – Psalm 22:22 (KJV)

“I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.”

Explanation:

This verse marks a shift from lament to praise, showing renewed confidence in God’s deliverance.

 

Answer 7

Reference Verse – Psalm 22:16 (KJV)

“For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.”

Explanation:

This verse closely parallels the crucifixion of Jesus, making Psalm 22 one of the most clearly messianic psalms.

 

Answer 8

Reference Verse – Psalm 22:11 (KJV)

“Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.”

Explanation:

While God feels distant, the psalmist still calls upon Him as the only source of help, showing spiritual closeness amid emotional distance.

 

Answer 9

Reference Verse – Psalm 22:26 (KJV)

“The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.”

Explanation:

Praise becomes the response to deliverance, transforming suffering into testimony.

 

Answer 10

Reference Verse – Psalm 22:27–28 (KJV)

“All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.

For the kingdom is the LORD’S: and he is the governor among the nations.”

Explanation:

The psalm expands from personal pain to a global vision of God’s eternal kingdom and universal worship.

 

Psalm 22 teaches that faith can cry, suffer, question—and still trust. It begins in anguish but ends in worship, reminding believers that God’s purposes extend far beyond present pain.

 

EXTREME / Scholar-Level Bible Quiz on Psalm 22.

These questions are designed to test advanced exegetical skill, Hebrew nuance, intertextual awareness, and theological depth.

⚠️ Not devotional-level. This is academic, analytical, and intentionally difficult.

(These questions assume close reading of the Hebrew text, canonical theology, and Second-Temple interpretive context.)

 

1. How does the double invocation “My God, my God” in Psalm 22:1 function rhetorically in Hebrew lament tradition, and why is it significant that covenant language is retained?

 

2. Analyze the semantic tension between divine silence (vv. 1–2) and divine holiness (v. 3). How does the psalmist resolve—or intentionally leave unresolved—this theological paradox?

 

3. In Psalm 22:6, how does the metaphor “worm” (tôla‘at) operate both literarily and culturally within the Ancient Near Eastern honor-shame framework?

 

4. Examine the mockery in Psalm 22:7–8. How does the psalmist transform public ridicule into theological accusation, and what does this reveal about communal faith ethics?

 

5. Psalm 22:12–13 employs animal imagery (bulls, lions). How does this imagery align with chaos-combat motifs found elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible?

 

6. Discuss the textual-critical debate surrounding Psalm 22:16 (“they pierced my hands and my feet”). How do manuscript traditions influence messianic interpretation?

 

7. How does Psalm 22 utilize embodied suffering (vv. 14–15) to collapse the boundary between physical death and theological abandonment?

 

8. Identify the structural turning point of Psalm 22. Is it psychological, liturgical, or theological—and how can this be defended from the text itself?

 

9. Analyze Psalm 22:22 in light of later canonical usage. How does the shift from individual lament to communal praise reshape the psalm’s original function?

 

10. How does Psalm 22:27–28 anticipate a universal theology of kingship that transcends ethnic Israel without negating covenant particularity?

 

11. What role does memory (ancestral trust, vv. 4–5) play as an argumentative device rather than merely a devotional recollection?

 

12. How does Psalm 22 challenge simplistic theologies of retribution prevalent in wisdom literature such as Proverbs?

 

Answers, Complete Reference Verses & Scholarly Explanation

 

Answer 1

Reference Verse – Psalm 22:1 (KJV)

“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?”

Explanation:

The doubled address intensifies lament while preserving covenant identity. The psalmist does not abandon faith; rather, he protests within it. Covenant language becomes the grounds for complaint, not disbelief.

 

Answer 2

Reference Verse – Psalm 22:3 (KJV)

“But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.”

Explanation:

The psalm deliberately juxtaposes divine silence with divine holiness. No rational resolution is offered—forcing the reader to confront a faith that trusts God’s character despite experiential contradiction.

 

Answer 3

Reference Verse – Psalm 22:6 (KJV)

“But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.”

Explanation:

Tôla‘at implies insignificance and vulnerability. In an honor-shame culture, this metaphor signals total social annihilation, not mere sadness.

 

Answer 4

Reference Verse – Psalm 22:8 (KJV)

“He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.”

Explanation:

Mockery becomes theological assault. Faith itself is weaponized against the sufferer, exposing communal hypocrisy and distorted piety.

 

Answer 5

Reference Verse – Psalm 22:13 (KJV)

“They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion.”

Explanation:

The imagery evokes chaos forces opposing divine order. The psalmist casts suffering as cosmic conflict, not random misfortune.

 

Answer 6

Reference Verse – Psalm 22:16 (KJV)

“They pierced my hands and my feet.”

Explanation:

The Masoretic Text and Septuagint diverge here. The LXX’s reading strongly influenced early Christian messianic interpretation, demonstrating how textual tradition shapes theology.

 

Answer 7

Reference Verse – Psalm 22:14 (KJV)

“My heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.”

Explanation:

Physical disintegration mirrors theological abandonment. The body becomes a site of spiritual crisis.

 

Answer 8

Reference Verse – Psalm 22:21–22 (KJV)

“…thou hast heard me… I will declare thy name unto my brethren…”

Explanation:

The turning point is theological. Deliverance is confessed before circumstances change, indicating faith’s triumph over perception.

 

Answer 9

Reference Verse – Psalm 22:22 (KJV)

“I will declare thy name unto my brethren…”

Explanation:

The lament becomes liturgy. Personal suffering is transformed into communal testimony.

 

Answer 10

Reference Verse – Psalm 22:28 (KJV)

“For the kingdom is the LORD’S: and he is the governor among the nations.”

Explanation:

God’s kingship expands globally while remaining rooted in Israel’s worship, anticipating later biblical universalism.

 

Answer 11

Reference Verse – Psalm 22:4–5 (KJV)

“Our fathers trusted in thee…”

Explanation:

Memory functions polemically. If God acted before, divine consistency demands action now.

 

Answer 12

Reference Verse – Psalm 22:24 (KJV)

“For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted…”

Explanation:

Psalm 22 dismantles retribution theology by affirming innocence amid suffering, paving the way for Job-like theological depth.

 

Psalm 22 refuses shallow answers. It legitimizes protest, sanctifies suffering, and ultimately locates hope not in explanation—but in God’s faithfulness beyond understanding.

 

EXTREME Scholar-Level “New Testament Cross-Reference Trap”

 

⚠️ These questions are designed to catch surface-level familiarity, expose misattributed quotations, and test precise textual awareness between Psalm 22 and the New Testament.

 

Instructions (Read Carefully)

Each question contains a trap:

A misquoted verse

A misplaced Gospel reference

A theological assumption not explicitly stated

A quotation that feels right but is wrong

Answer only from the text, not tradition.

 

1. Jesus quotes Psalm 22:1 on the cross. Which Gospel preserves the quotation in Aramaic, and which does NOT include it at all?

Trap: Assuming all four Gospels record it.

 

2. Psalm 22:7–8 is echoed during the crucifixion mockery. Which Gospel alludes to this psalm without quoting it directly?

Trap: Confusing verbal quotation with narrative imitation.

 

3. “They pierced my hands and my feet” (Psalm 22:16). Which New Testament writer explicitly quotes this phrase verbatim?

Trap: Assuming quotation equals fulfillment.

 

4. Psalm 22:18 (“They part my garments among them…”) appears in multiple Gospels. Which Gospel connects it explicitly to fulfilled Scripture rather than narrative description?

Trap: Assuming all Gospel mentions function the same way.

 

5. Psalm 22:22 is quoted directly in the New Testament. Where does it appear, and in what theological context?

Trap: Expecting a Gospel citation instead of an epistle.

 

6. Which detail from Psalm 22 is not applied to Jesus in any explicit New Testament crucifixion account, despite strong thematic parallels?

A. Mockery

B. Casting lots

C. Pierced body

D. Deliverance from death before dying

Trap: Confusing resurrection theology with crucifixion narrative.

 

7. Psalm 22 begins in abandonment but ends in praise. Which New Testament writer reflects this structural movement rather than quoting any verse directly?

Trap: Looking only for quotations instead of literary theology.

 

8. Which phrase commonly attributed to Psalm 22 during Good Friday sermons does not appear in the psalm at all?

Trap: Liturgical memory vs biblical text.

 

9. Psalm 22:8 (“He trusted in the LORD…”) is echoed in crucifixion mockery. Which Gospel places these words specifically in the mouths of religious leaders rather than the crowd?

Trap: Collapsing crowd, soldiers, and leaders into one group.

 

10. Which New Testament passage reinterprets Psalm 22 not as prediction fulfilled but as shared suffering between Messiah and believers?

Trap: Reducing messianic reading to prophecy alone.

 

ANSWERS, REFERENCES & TRAP EXPLANATIONS

 

Answer 1

Correct:

Includes Aramaic: Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34

Does NOT include it: Luke; John

📖 Psalm 22:1

“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”

Trap Explained:

Many assume all four Gospels record this cry. Luke replaces it with trust (“Father, into thy hands…”), and John emphasizes completion.

 

Answer 2

Correct: Luke

📖 Psalm 22:7–8

“All they that see me laugh me to scorn…”

Trap Explained:

Luke mirrors the idea of mockery but avoids direct quotation—an intentional theological choice.

 

Answer 3

Correct: None

📖 Psalm 22:16

Trap Explained:

No New Testament writer directly quotes “they pierced my hands and my feet.” Fulfillment is theological, not citation-based.

 

Answer 4

Correct: John

📖 John 19:24

“That the scripture might be fulfilled…”

📖 Psalm 22:18

“They part my garments among them…”

Trap Explained:

Matthew, Mark, and Luke narrate the event; John explicitly frames it as Scripture fulfillment.

 

Answer 5

Correct: Hebrews 2:12

📖 Psalm 22:22

“I will declare thy name unto my brethren…”

Trap Explained:

Most expect a Gospel reference. Hebrews uses Psalm 22 christologically to argue Jesus’ solidarity with humanity.

 

Answer 6

Correct: D. Deliverance from death before dying

Trap Explained:

Psalm 22 anticipates deliverance through suffering, not rescue from death. Resurrection theology comes later.

 

Answer 7

Correct: Paul (Philippians 2:6–11)

Trap Explained:

Paul mirrors Psalm 22’s descent → exaltation pattern without quoting it. Theology, not citation.

 

Answer 8

Correct Phrase:

“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Trap Explained:

This is Luke 23:34 — not Psalm 22. Often misattributed due to thematic overlap.

 

Answer 9

Correct: Matthew 27:43

📖 Psalm 22:8

“He trusted on the LORD…”

Trap Explained:

Matthew specifies chief priests and scribes. Others generalize mockers.

 

Answer 10

Correct: Hebrews 2:10–18

Trap Explained:

Hebrews reframes Psalm 22 as shared suffering theology, not merely fulfilled prediction.

 

Psalm 22 is not merely quoted by the New Testament—it is absorbed, reframed, and lived.

The greatest interpretive trap is assuming quotation equals meaning.

 

If this quiz challenged you, sharpened your reading, or revealed assumptions you didn’t realize you held, share it with another serious Bible student and compare answers.

For more high-depth Bible quizzes, scholar-level traps, and Scripture-first studies, bookmark our blog and return often—because God’s Word deserves more than surface-level reading.