Psalm 22:12

Psalm 22:12, in plain English

The psalmist is surrounded by powerful enemies—'bulls of Bashan' likely refers to the strongest, most dangerous cattle, suggesting overwhelming hostile force.

Why it's here

The image is terrifying: not a few opponents, but many, and they're powerful. Bashan was known for its cattle, so this would conjure the picture of being trapped by multiple massive, aggressive forces closing in.

Who's speaking

The psalmist, describing the enemies surrounding him.

Where it sits in the story

This metaphor of hostile encirclement becomes literal for Jesus, surrounded by soldiers and crowds demanding His execution.

The scholarly reading

The psalmist describes hostile forces surrounding him—powerful bulls, specifically bulls of Bashan, encircle him in what appears to be a metaphor for military or social enemies.

Language and setting

The *bulls* (פָּרִים, parim) and specifically *bulls of Bashan* (אַבִּירֵי בָשָׁן, abbire bashan) evoke both literal livestock and, more crucially, military power. Bashan, a region east of the Jordan renowned for fertile pastureland and powerful cattle, became in biblical symbolism a metaphor for abundance coupled with hostility (see Amos 4:1). The verb *surround* (סְבָבוּנִי, sevavuni) appears multiple times in the psalm, emphasizing encirclement—the psalmist is trapped, surrounded by hostile force with no avenue of escape. Some scholars, following Gunkel, read these animal metaphors as representing demonic or supernatural enemies; others, following Dahood's Ugaritic comparative approach, interpret them as encoded references to specific human antagonists.

Voice

The psalmist, shifting from direct address to God toward vivid description of his peril.

Significance

In Christian interpretation, these bulls become emblematic of hostile powers—both the literal forces that executed Christ (the Roman soldiers and their violence) and the spiritual powers operative behind them, as Pauline theology would later conceptualize (Ephesians 6:12).

10From birth I was cast upon You; from my mother’s womb You have been my God.

11Be not far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help.

12Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.

13They open their jaws against me like lions that roar and maul.

14I am poured out like water, and all my bones are disjointed. My heart is like wax; it melts away within me.

Read all of Psalm 22 — Begins with a cry Jesus echoes on the cross. The anguish is real — but so is the turn toward praise that comes at the end.