King David was not just a king, but prophesied as well. He wrote many messianic Psalms about the coming Messiah.
One messianic Psalm that has been the source of much debate in the Jewish world is Tehillim/Psalm 22. Messianic Jews believe it describes the inner turmoil of Yeshua as He is being crucified. Rabbinic Judaism teaches that the chapter is simply another one of King David's laments.
It's verse 17 that draws the line between the two sides.
"For dogs have surrounded Me;
The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me.
They pierced My hands and My feet."
Rabbinic scholars believe the word for "pierce" has been improperly translated in order to be deemed a messianic prophecy by pointing to the hands and feet of Yeshua on the cross.
The Hebrew word in question is כארי (ka'ari). The word has been translated in Messianic and Christian texts as "dug or pierced."
The Hebrew word "ari" by itself, without the kaf (כ) which makes the "k" sound, means lion. "Ari" (ארי) in Biblical Hebrew or "aryeh" in modern Hebrew mean "lion."
The prefix כ which makes the "k" sound means, "like." There are Jewish scholars who argue against the text pointing to a crucifixion prophecy believe the verse should be translated:
"Like a lion are my hands and feet." If you read many Tanakh, Jewish Bible/Old Testament, it will read like the following:
"My hands are like a lions."
The Masoretic Hebrew text, ie. the rabbinic translated text which was established between 7-10 AD, has agreed a yud should be placed "י" at the end of the word כארי (ka'ari) making the word mean "like a lion." However, in the Dead Sea Scrolls, which are 1,000 years older than the Masoretic text the markings for vav ו and yud י are nearly identical. The "yud" or lion translation was simply chosen.
The difference between them are two different words: ka'aru (כארו) for pierce and ka'ari (כארי) for lion.
So is the final marking at the end of the word a yud or a vav?
Is it:
"They pierced my hands and feet" or "My hands and feet are like lions"?
To break the tie we go to the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Tanakh/Old Testament produced between 280 and 150 B.C. It's named after the approximately seventy Jewish scholars who translated the text into Greek.
It's almost 1,000 years older than the Masoretic Hebrew translation and reads: ωρυξαν χειράς μου και πόδας which says, “they have dug my hands and feet."
Interestingly enough, although you will find a "vav" in nearly all Hebrew translations, even prominent Jewish Bibles translate the word to "pierce." Below is from the Jewish Virtual Library's collection of the Psalms.
Furthermore, the context of chapter sheds clear light for translation of the word. Psalm 22 speaks of a person who is being tortured. Why would their hand and feet be that of lions?
My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning? O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; And in the night season, and am not silent.
But You are holy, Enthroned in the praises of Israel. Our fathers trusted in You; They trusted, and You delivered them. They cried to You, and were delivered; They trusted in You, and were not ashamed.
Psalm 22:1-5
At Golgatha, the place of crucifixion, Yeshua spoke the same words.
"From noon until three o’clock in the afternoon, all the Land was covered with darkness. At about three, Yeshua uttered a loud cry, “Eli! Eli! L’mah sh’vaktani? (My God! My God! Why have you forsaken me?)"
Mattityahu/Matthew 27:45
Reading of the Psalm in its entirely sheds light on the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual torment the Person whose heart is poured out in the Psalm. Many of the sentiments directly correlate to the crucifixion accounts in Mattiyahu. Reading them side by side there is no doubt that this is indeed a prophetic account of Yeshua's final hours on the cross.
There seems to have been a clear decision to lead the Jewish people away knowing the identity of their Messiah. Perhaps those in authority were dissatisfied being represented by a Savior who was willing to die a criminal's death rather than bring worldwide power and strength to a people who have suffered and been hated, and continue to be, for centuries. Perhaps they were hoping for a hero who would conquer our earthly enemies and not sin and death.
As terrible as it is to mistranslate a piece of text, perhaps there is an element of truth in the twisted words as indeed His hands and feet are that of a lion: the Lion of Judah who lives.
"So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it. But one of the elders said to me, 'Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.'"
Revelation 5:5
Yeshua is the One who was prophesied of in Isaiah 53.
"If you confess with your mouth the Messiah Yeshua and believe in your heart that G-d has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9
If Psalm 22 is talking about David who was appointed king over ISRA'EL and David committed a sin unto death he should have been crucified but as it is WRITTEN in the scriptures David died at a good old age.
Let it be known Psalm 22, is a prophecy talking about how our ADONAI YESHUA would die which HE did. For our redemption by the shedding of HIS blood and ALL was done to fulfill the Torah and the Prophets.
On that day ALL will see our ADONAI YESHUA ha'MASHIYAKH as HE is.
Shalom🤍🔥🕊🔥💖Shalom💜