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Psalm 22:18

They divide my garments among them. They cast lots for my clothing.

16For dogs have surrounded me. A company of evildoers have enclosed me. They have pierced my hands and feet.
17I can count all of my bones. They look and stare at me.
18They divide my garments among them. They cast lots for my clothing.
19But don’t be far off, LORD. You are my help. Hurry to help me!
20Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog.
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← Psalm 22:17Psalm 22:19 →
Notice

The divided garments expose the cruelty of treating a suffering person's belongings as prizes while he remains there to see it.

Questions to write on. Each one opens a new entry with this verse already attached.

What does the focus on clothing reveal about the humiliation described in this lament?

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What do you notice when John names the soldiers' actions as the fulfillment of these words?

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Connect

Where else Scripture says this

7 passages readers most often link with this verse, and the thread each one shares with it.

This verse's connections, by chapterThe Bible's strongest chapter linksHover or tap a book to trace it
John 19:24Then they said to one another, “Let’s not tear it, but cast lots for it to decide whose it will be,” that the Scripture might be fulfilled, which says, “They …John quotes the words about dividing garments and casting lots, naming the soldiers' actions as their fulfillment.
Luke 23:34Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” Dividing his garments among them, they cast lots.Both describe garments divided by casting lots, with Luke recording Jesus' plea for forgiveness during the same scene.
Matthew 27:35When they had crucified him, they divided his clothing among them, casting lots,The division of clothing by casting lots appears in both texts; Matthew records it at Jesus' crucifixion.
John 19:23–24Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also the tunic. Now the tunic was without …Both describe a sufferer's garments being divided among others; John identifies the soldiers taking Jesus' garments and making four parts.
Mark 15:24Crucifying him, they parted his garments among them, casting lots on them, what each should take.Both describe casting lots to distribute garments; Mark specifies that the lots determined what each person would take.
Jonah 1:7They all said to each other, “Come! Let’s cast lots, that we may know who is responsible for this evil that is on us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on …Both mention casting lots, though Jonah's companions seek the person responsible for their trouble rather than a share of clothing.
Genesis 37:23When Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the tunic of many colors that was on him;Both depict someone deprived of clothing by others: Joseph's brothers strip off his tunic, while the psalm describes garments being divided.
Where this verse fits

Injustice and anger. sermon or Bible study notes.

What the Bible says about anger →
One step

Something small to carry out of this verse

Read Psalm 22:18 alongside John 19:24

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Encouragement

The lament continues with a plea for God's help. Such cruelty belongs in prayer; the sufferer speaks of what was taken and asks God to come near.

Now put it in your words.

Start an entry on Psalm 22:18. Write what it stirs. Psalmlog sets your words beside Scripture and gives you one next step. Your first entry is free, no account needed.

Keep goingPsalm 22 · the whole chapter with its connection mapPsalms · every chapterBuild a reading plan through Psalms

Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).