Psalm 22:16
From Textus Receptus
Psalm 22:16 For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.
Corruptions
The piercing of the hands and feet never occurred to king David, but was prophetic of Christ on the cross.
Some Hebrew manuscripts have deliberately been corrupted in this place, since it so clearly speaks of the crucifixion of the Son of God. The Jewish translations have a nonsensical reading in this place. Instead of "they pierced my hands and my feet", they say: " LIKE A LION, my hands and my feet." This is also the reading found in the Jehovah Witness New World Translation. It may surprise some to hear that Daniel Wallace, of Dallas Theological Seminary, in his NET version, also makes up a similar reading, saying: "LIKE A LION THEY PIN my hands and feet."
However there are some Hebrew manuscripts, including the recently discovered Dead Sea Scrolls, that read "they pierced my hands and my feet". In their book, The Dead Sea Scrolls Bible, translated by Martin Abegg Jr., Peter Flint and Eugene Ulrich, on page 519 they tell us that the Hebrew Psalms scroll found at Hahal Hever (abbreviated 5/6HevPs) reads: "They have pierced my hands and my feet". This is also the reading of the alleged Greek Septuagint, Lamsa's 1936 translation of the Syriac Peshitta, and almost all English and foreign translations, including Coverdale 1535, Bishops' Bible 1568, the Geneva Bible 1599, NKJV, NIV, NASB, RSV, RV, ASV, ESV, the Spanish Reina Valera of 1909 and 1960, French Louis Segond, and the Italian Diodati.
However the NRSV of 1989 which reads: "My hands and my feet ARE SHRIVELED." Then in a footnote, the NRSV tells us that the Hebrew reading is uncertain.
New English Bible 1970, New Jerusalem Bible - "they have HACKED OFF my hands and my feet."
Douay 1950- "they have DUG my hands and my feet."
Jerusalem Bible 1968 - "they TIE my hands and my feet"
New Jerusalem Bible 1985 - "as if to HACK OFF my hands and my feet"
Today's English Version (put out by the United Bible Society) 1992 "they TEAR AT my hands and my feet."
New Life Version 1997 - "They HAVE CUT THROUGH my hands and my feet."
Contemporary English Version 1995 (put out by the American Bible Society) - "TEARING AT my hands and my feet."
The Message 2002- "They PIN ME DOWN hand and foot."
New Century Version 1991 (put out by Thomas Nelson, Inc.) - "THEY HAVE BITTEN my ARMS and MY LEG."!!!
