Psalms 22:12 · Bible study
Psalms 22:12 Commentary: Who Are the 'Bulls of Bashan' in ?
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Explore the meaning of 'bulls of Bashan' in Psalm 22:12, its historical context, and its connection to Christ's crucifixion.
Research Summary
- Meaning: 'Bulls of Bashan' symbolizes powerful, ferocious enemies who surround the sufferer, historically David's adversaries and prophetically Christ's persecutors.
- Key words: bulls (strength, rage), Bashan (fertile region, famous for large cattle), surrounded/encircled (no escape).
- Main debate: Whether the psalm is primarily about David's historical experience or exclusively prophetic of Christ; most see a double referent.
- Theological theme: God allows His anointed to be hemmed in by hostile powers, yet He hears the cry of the afflicted and ultimately delivers.
- Best use: As a lament for times of intimidation; as a messianic prophecy that deepens our understanding of Christ's suffering; as a call to trust God when surrounding forces seem overwhelming.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
WEB World English Bible 2000
Many bulls have surrounded me. Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me.
KJV King James Version 1769
Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Many bulls have compassed me; Strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Many bulls have surrounded me, Mighty ones of Bashan have compassed me,
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Many bulls have encompassed me; Bashan's strong ones have beset me round.
Translations in other languages (9 available)
Hanme rodeado muchos toros; fuertes toros de Basán me han cercado.
Muitos touros me cercaram; fortes de Basã me rodearam.
Ne t’ éloigne pas de moi quand la détresse est proche,
Große Farren haben mich umgeben, gewaltige Stiere haben mich umringt.
Zo wees niet verre van mij, want benauwdheid is nabij; want er is geen helper.
Grandi tori m’han circondato; potenti tori di Basan m’hanno attorniato;
Nie oddalajże się odemnie; albowiem utrapienie bliskie jest, a niemasz, ktoby ratował.
有許多 公牛 圍繞我，巴珊 大力的公牛 四面困住我。
A great herd of oxen is round me: I am shut in by the strong oxen of Bashan.
Verse in Context
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that the 'bulls of Bashan' in this verse are a vivid metaphor for powerful, ferocious enemies. Adam Clarke notes that the bull is 'the emblem of brutal strength, that gores and tramples down all before it.' Barnes adds that Bashan, a region east of the Jordan known for its rich pastures, produced cattle 'remarkable for their size, their strength, and their fierceness.' This image is applied both to David's historical foes, Clarke specifically names Absalom and Ahithophel, and to the enemies of Christ. Matthew Henry insists that 'many of the particulars here specified are such as were never true of David, and therefore must be appropriated to Christ in the depth of his humiliation.' Gill identifies the bulls with the chief priests, elders, Scribes, Pharisees, Herod and Pontius Pilate. Thus, the consensus anchors the phrase in concrete geography, Bashan's famous livestock, while affirming its prophetic extension to the crucifixion, where Christ was surrounded by violent authorities.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- David’s historical enemies: The psalm’s superscription and the events of David’s life (Absalom’s rebellion) provide a direct context; Clarke and Calvin support this as the plain meaning.
- Prophetic of Christ’s persecutors: The explicit New Testament quotations and details like pierced hands (v.16) lead Matthew Henry, Gill, and many others to see the crucifixion as the primary referent.
- Typological double reference: Most modern commentators (Barnes, Keil & Delitzsch) hold both meanings as true: David’s experience is a type, and Christ fulfills the pattern more fully.
- Archetypal forces of evil: The animal metaphors suggest a spiritual dimension; Lange’s commentary connects the bulls to demonic powers that operate through human institutions.
What is clear: The bulls of Bashan represent powerful, violent enemies who surround the sufferer; the verse describes a situation of extreme danger and isolation, from which only God can deliver.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Messianic interpretation of Psalm 22 | The psalm is quoted in the New Testament with reference to Christ (Matthew 27:35, 46; Mark 15:34; John 19:24). Christians agree it contains prophetic elements fulfilled in Jesus. | Some traditions read the psalm as strictly prophetic, with David as a foreshadowing. Others maintain David's own experience is the primary meaning, and Christian interpretation adds a secondary, typological layer. |
| Identity of the 'bulls' | The bulls represent powerful enemies, political and religious leaders who oppose the sufferer violently. | A narrower debate: are they specifically the Jewish authorities (Gill), or do they include Roman officials (Matthew Henry, Clarke)? Some see them as archetypal forces of evil, not limited to one historical group. |
| Historical referent: David vs. Christ | Both David and Christ suffered at the hands of those who abused power. The imagery fits both contexts. | How much of the detail (e.g., pierced hands and feet) applies to David literally? Many commentators (Matthew Henry, Poole) argue those details force a primary reference to Christ, while others (Calvin) see David's suffering as the plain sense. |
| Bashan as a symbol | Bashan was a fertile region known for strong cattle; its bulls stand for robust, prideful strength used for evil. | Is the stress on the vitality and abundance of the region (so Keil & Delitzsch), or on the fatness and luxury that leads to oppression (Amos 4:1)? Both ideas appear in the sources. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Bashan lay east of the Jordan River, a territory that stretched from the Jabbok River north to the slopes of Mount Hermon. It was given to the half-tribe of Manasseh after the conquest (Joshua 12:4-6). The region was celebrated in Scripture for its oak forests (Isaiah 2:13, Zechariah 11:2) and its exceptional pasture land. Deuteronomy 32:14 speaks of 'rams of the breed of Bashan' as among the finest of the land. The cattle raised there were large, strong, and well-fed, Amos 4:1 calls the wealthy, oppressive women of Samaria 'cows of Bashan,' and Ezekiel 39:18 says the 'fatlings of Bashan' will be eaten in a sacrificial feast. So 'bulls of Bashan' would immediately evoke for an ancient reader the idea of the strongest, most aggressive beasts.
In Psalm 22, these bulls 'surround' and 'encircle' the speaker. The Hebrew verbs (translated 'compassed' and 'beset round' in older versions) create a picture of being hemmed in with no escape. This matches the larger context: the psalmist feels abandoned (v.1), mocked (v.8), with no helper (v.11). The bulls are the human agents of that pressure. Historically, David may have faced rebellious leaders during Absalom's revolt, men who wielded power and influence against him. But the psalm's later details, pierced hands and feet (v.16), dividing garments (v.18), point beyond David to Christ. In the gospel accounts, Jesus was surrounded by a crowd of armed men in Gethsemane, then by the Sanhedrin and Pilate. The bulls of Bashan thus stand for all earthly power that sets itself against God's anointed.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note no significant textual variants for Psalm 22:12 in the Hebrew manuscripts. The Web, KJV, ASV, BSB, YLT, and Darby translations all render the verse with the same two images: 'many bulls' and 'strong bulls of Bashan.' The consistency across versions reflects a stable text. For the broader chapter, some ancient fragments (e.g., from the Dead Sea Scrolls) confirm the wording.
Reception History
From the early church onward, Psalm 22 was recognized as a messianic psalm. The Gospels quote its opening words and the dividing of garments, so Christians read v.12 as describing the enemies of Christ. Augustine and other church fathers allegorized the bulls as the proud and powerful who crucified the Lord. Medieval interpreters often moralized the passage, seeing the bulls as demonic temptations or worldly persecutors. The Reformation brought a renewed emphasis on the historical David: Calvin argued that David ‘set before us, in his own person, a type of Christ’ and that the details point to Christ’s abasement. In later Protestant hymnody, the verse inspired reflections on Christ’s isolation, ‘Bulls of Bashan’ became a shorthand for hostile strength. Modern scholarship continues to debate the balance between David’s own trouble and the Christian reading, but the verse remains a touchstone for anyone who feels overwhelmed by powerful adversaries.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Enemies without pity. The bulls represent people who use strength cruelly, caring nothing for the sufferer. In David's day, they were powerful courtiers and rebels; in Jesus' day, they were the religious and political establishment. Christians today face such opposition when they are targeted by slander, intimidation, or injustice.
- Strength that opposes God. Bashan's cattle were prized for their size, but here their vigor is turned to evil. Abundance and power can become tools of cruelty. The enemies exercise might without mercy.
- God’s response through the sufferer. The psalmist cries out (v.11), and though the bulls encircle him, God eventually delivers. In Christ, the cross was the moment of being surrounded, but it led to resurrection. Suffering under hostile powers is not the final word.
Five-point outline
- The setting: surrounded. The verbs 'compassed' and 'beset round' show isolation. No one is coming to help.
- The attackers: bulls. Strong, dangerous, mindlessly destructive. They do not reason; they trample.
- The place: Bashan. A region of plenty, turned into a symbol of oppressive strength. Even good gifts can be perverted.
- The identity: David and Christ. The psalm works on two levels. David's experience foreshadows Christ's. We see both a historical king and the King of kings.
- The hope: God hears. The psalm moves from complaint to praise (v.22-24). Being encircled does not mean being forgotten.
Illustration hooks
- A student surrounded by a group of bullies at school who threaten him and block his way. He feels helpless and alone, like the psalmist.
- A driver stuck in a traffic circle with aggressive trucks boxing him in on all sides, unable to exit. The pressure builds.
- An employee facing a hostile committee at work, each member more powerful than the last, all determined to see him fail. It echoes 'strong bulls of Bashan.'
Questions your congregation is asking
- When I am surrounded by enemies, people who outnumber and overpower me, does God still see?
- Why did God allow Jesus to be encircled by such violent men if He had the power to stop it?
- How can I keep from becoming like the bulls of Bashan when I hold power, resources, or influence?
Leading a Discussion
Begin by reading Psalm 22:11-18 aloud. Ask the group to picture the scene: the speaker is alone, surrounded by enemies described as bulls from Bashan. Powerful, aggressive, closing in. This image is meant to stir both fear and recognition. The psalm does not hide the reality of suffering under hostile forces. But it also opens a path to trust.
Discussion questions
- What details in the verse (bulls, strong, encircled) stand out to you most? Why do you think the poet chose these words?
- Based on the supplied cross-references (Deuteronomy 32:14, Ezekiel 39:18, Amos 4:1), what did Bashan represent to the original audience? How does that shape your understanding of the metaphor?
- David wrote this psalm about his own trials. Yet the Gospels show Jesus praying the opening line (Mark 15:34) and fulfilling the piercing of hands and feet. How do you hold together the Davidic and the messianic meanings?
- Matthew Henry wrote that some details 'could not be applied to David without an uncouth and strained metaphor.' Do you agree? What does that tell us about how the early church read the Psalms?
- The bulls represent powerful institutions or individuals who oppose God's purposes. Can you name places in the world today where such 'bulls of Bashan' are active? How should Christians respond?
- If you have ever felt surrounded by people with more power than you, in a workplace, family, or community, how did you experience God's presence (or absence) in that situation?
- The psalm ends with praise and a declaration that God has heard (v.24). How does the certainty of God's hearing change the way you face opposition? What practices help you hold onto that trust when you are still encircled?
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Deuteronomy 32:14 | butter from the herd, and milk from the flock, with fat of lambs, rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, with the finest of the wheat. From the blood of the grape, you drank wine. |
| Deuteronomy 32:15 | But Jeshurun grew fat, and kicked. You have grown fat. You have grown thick. You have become sleek. Then he abandoned God who made him, and rejected the Rock of his salvation. |
| Psalms 68:30 | Rebuke the wild animal of the reeds, the multitude of the bulls with the calves of the peoples. Trample under foot the bars of silver. Scatter the nations who delight in war. |
| Isaiah 34:7 | The wild oxen will come down with them, and the young bulls with the mighty bulls; and their land will be drunken with blood, and their dust made greasy with fat. |
| Jeremiah 50:11 | “Because you are glad, because you rejoice, O you who plunder my heritage, because you are wanton as a heifer that treads out the grain, and neigh as strong horses, |
| Ezekiel 39:18 | You shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bulls, all of them fatlings of Bashan. |
| Amos 4:1 | Listen to this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who tell their husbands, “Bring us drinks!” |
| Amos 4:3 | You will go out at the breaks in the wall, everyone straight before her; and you will cast yourselves into Harmon,” says Yahweh. |
Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke sees the bulls as a symbol of brutal strength, pointing to the powerful enemies who surrounded David and later conspired against Christ. The strong bulls of Bashan refer to the largest, fattest cattle from a fertile region, representing the most influential and well-fed leaders united against God's anointed.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes highlights the geographical and cultural background of Bashan, a region famed for its rich pastures and powerful cattle. The bulls of Bashan symbolize enemies who are not just hostile but exceptionally fierce, strong, and savage. He directly applies this to Christ’s persecutors, seeing the image as fitting their violent cruelty.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin reads this psalm as David's personal complaint that serves as a prophetic type of Christ, showing the pattern of abasement before exaltation. He is notably dismissive of elaborate mystical interpretations of the title "hind of the morning," insisting interpreters have needlessly sought hidden meaning in a minor detail.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note identifies the "bulls of Bashan" as a vivid image of powerful, savage enemies surrounding the psalmist. These beasts, known for their strength and fierceness, represent the cruel and mighty persecutors who press in on him from every side.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill identifies the bulls and strong bulls of Bashan as the powerful leaders who surrounded Christ: chief priests, elders, scribes, Pharisees, Herod, and Pilate. He stresses the contrast between their many fierce, wealthy opponents and the single figure of Jesus.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB notes that the psalmist describes his enemies with the vigor of bulls and the rapacity of lions, but without any word of comparison such as "like" or "as." This direct use of metaphor, he argues, makes both images more forceful than a simile would.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch sees the enemies described as strong bulls from Bashan, a land of rich pastures, as a deliberate contrast: their power is brutish and animal-like, not properly human. The animal imagery runs deeper, reflecting the biblical view that since the fall, Satan and the animal realm both hold sway over fallen humanity.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange argues that David composed this psalm not simply about his own suffering nor directly as the Messiah, but as a type who, speaking in the Spirit, prophesied through his own experience in a way that finds its full and final realization only in Christ. The psalm is therefore typical-prophetical, not merely historical or exclusively Messianic.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Matthew Henry insists the graphic details of this passage—poured out like water, pierced hands and feet, enemies like roaring bulls and dogs—cannot describe David's own experience. They point uniquely to Christ's crucifixion, where he was deserted by every friend and surrounded by ferocious opponents, treading the winepress alone.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley identifies the bulls as a metaphor for wicked, violent, and powerful enemies. He notes that Scripture uses this same image elsewhere, while the added phrase "of Bashan" highlights the particular fierceness and fury of cattle bred in that region.