Psalms 22:24 Commentary: God Heard the Cry, Not Hidden Forever

Psalm 22 is a lament that follows a well‑known pattern in Israel’s worship: a desperate complaint (vv.1, 21) gives way to an assurance of being heard (v.24) and a hymn of praise (vv.22, 31). The sufferer describes himself as “a worm and no man” (v.6), scorned by people and apparently abandoned by God. Yet embedded in the prayer is the confidence that the Lord has not ultimately hidden His face, the same God who seemed absent in v.1 has bent low to hear.

The phrase “afflicted” (related to the Hebrew word for “poor” or “humble”) echoes a central theme in Israel’s worship: God hears the cry of the lowly (compare Psalm 34:6). The “hiding of the face” is language used elsewhere for divine anger or withdrawal (Psalm 13:1; 69:17; Isaiah 54:8). In Psalm 22, it is the deepest terror, sensed acutely in the opening verses, and yet the poet insists that even this hiding is temporary. The psalmist invites the whole congregation to praise: “You who fear Yahweh, praise him!” (v.23). The reason is not merely personal relief; it is a public testimony that God keeps His covenant promises even in the darkness.

From the earliest Christian reading, this psalm became a lens for understanding the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. The Gospels record Christ quoting the opening line from the cross (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34). The church heard Psalm 22:24 as vindication: the Father did not despise the Son’s suffering, but answered his cry with resurrection. The psalm’s movement from forsakenness to deliverance shaped how believers understood the passion: the silence of Good Friday was not the last word.

The supplied commentaries note no significant manuscript variants for this verse. However, Keil and Delitzsch observe that the Septuagint, Vulgate, and Targum render the Hebrew word for “affliction” (anaw/onah) as “cry,” connecting it to the cry of the next line. This interpretive tradition influenced some ancient translations but does not represent a textual variant in the Hebrew. The Masoretic Text consistently reads “affliction,” as reflected in modern English versions.

Early Christian writers read Psalm 22 as a prophecy of Christ’s passion. The opening cry appears in the Gospels; the broader psalm shaped meditations on Good Friday. Verse 24 was seen as the Father’s answer to the Son’s prayer from the cross, an affirmation that the sacrifice was accepted. In the medieval church, the psalm was sung in Tenebrae services, with the shift at v.24 marking the turn from darkness to light. Reformers like Calvin understood David’s experience as a pattern for Christ and for every believer who feels abandoned but is ultimately heard. Modern interpreters in both Jewish and Christian traditions emphasize the psalm’s honesty about suffering and its confidence in God’s faithfulness. The verse continues to comfort those who wonder if God sees their pain.

Three‑point outline

1. The reality of divine hiddenness. The psalmist does not deny the experience of being forsaken. Verse 1 is honest: God seems to hide His face. This is not a sin; it is a cry that Scripture invites.
2. The temporary nature of that hiddenness. Verse 24 stakes everything on the claim that God has not despised or abhorred the affliction. The hiding was real but not permanent. As Barnes notes, it was “for a time only.”
3. The certainty of God’s response. The shift from “why have you forsaken me” to “he heard” is the heartbeat of the psalm. The answer comes, not always when or how we expect, but it comes.

Five‑point outline

1. Contrast with human rejection. The psalm begins with the sufferer being “despised by the people” (v.6). Verse 24 declares that God never joins that chorus.
2. Affliction and atonement. Gill and Clarke read this verse through Christ’s work. God accepted the affliction of His Son as the full payment for sin. The Father did not turn away from the cross; He received it.
3. From lament to praise. The verse provides the theological foundation for the praise that follows (vv.25, 31). Because God heard, the congregation can eat, worship, and hope.
4. Universal scope. The psalm expands beyond one sufferer. Verse 27 pictures “all the ends of the earth” turning to Yahweh. The heard cry becomes the seed of global worship.
5. Assurance for the afflicted. The verse speaks to anyone who has wondered if God sees their pain. He does not hide His face forever.

Illustration hooks

• A child crying for a parent in the dark. The parent is silent for a moment, but finally answers, not because they didn’t care, but so the child learns to trust even when they can’t see.
• A long wait for medical test results. The waiting is agonizing. The answer, when it comes, does not erase the waiting but makes sense of it.
• Reading a story with a dark middle chapter. The tension is real, but the ending changes how you read every page before it.

Questions your congregation is asking

• Does God ever really hide His face? Or does it just feel that way?
• If the verse says God heard “when he cried,” does that mean my prayers aren’t heard until I reach a certain level of desperation?
• How does this verse apply to Christ on the cross? Did the Father actually forsake Jesus, or does v.24 overrule that impression?

Psalm 22:24 sits at the hinge of one of Scripture’s most intense laments. The same psalm that opens with a question we have all asked, “My God, why have you forsaken me?”, closes with the certain claim that God heard the cry. This passage invites small groups to sit with the tension between felt abandonment and declared faithfulness. Use the questions below to explore how the psalmist holds both together.

Discussion questions

1. Read Psalm 22:1, 2 and then v.24. What stands out when you hold these verses side by side? Do they contradict each other?
2. The psalmist says God has not “hidden his face.” But earlier he felt forsaken (v.1). How do you explain the change? What might have happened between verses 21 and 24?
3. Barnes says the hiding was “for a time only.” Is it possible to experience God’s hiddenness and still trust that He hears? When have you experienced that?
4. The verse uses two strong verbs: “despised” and “abhorred.” God does not feel disgust toward the sufferer. How does that change the way you picture God’s response to human pain?
5. Christians have always read this psalm as pointing to Jesus. How does knowing Jesus quoted verse 1 from the cross affect how you understand verse 24? Did the Father hear the Son’s cry?
6. Verse 24 says “when he cried to him, he heard.” Does God always hear? Are there conditions to being heard?
7. How does this verse encourage you to pray when you feel unheard? What would it look like to “trust the turning point” even before you see the answer?