Psalm 22 (21):11Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

It is important to revise from the original Latin. You have been my support since my birth; the synagogue, which did not accept me, cast me aside, yet I did not falter because You sustained me. You have been my God from my mother's womb. Being in my mother's womb did not make me forget You as a child.

Once more, He offers prayers as though representing humanity, for He finds Himself abandoned by His group of followers. Subsequently, He predicts the various forms of suffering that are to come.

The statements of humanity When Christ refers to the Father as His God, He does this on behalf of humankind, as Scripture reveals: O God, my God, why have You abandoned me? (Psalm 21:2). In another verse, it is written, ‘From my mother's womb Thou art my God.’ In the first instance, He experiences suffering as a human, while in the second, He identifies Himself as a man born of His mother. By declaring, ‘From my mother's womb Thou art my God,’ Christ illustrates that He who has eternally been the Father comes to regard Him as His God from the very moment of His birth.

The esteemed prophet Isaiah made this prophecy known. He declared, “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and give birth to a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” and he elaborated, “Before she knows to choose good or evil, she will eat curds and honey; she will reject the wicked and embrace the righteous” (Isaiah 7:14-16). Similarly, the revered David, reflecting on the presence of the Lord Christ, proclaims, “You formed me in my mother's womb, and later brought me forth; as I was still nourished with milk and clung to my mother's breasts, I entrusted my hopes to Your care.”

I am devoted to You from the very beginning. To You, my Father, I offer my commitment, for I had no earthly father. You have been my God from the moment I was conceived. Even from my conception, I recognized You, my God, having been instructed by the divine essence that is united with me. The phrase "from the womb" signifies either while I was still in the womb or from the moment I entered this world at birth.

In this passage, David seeks solace for himself, arming himself against the schemes of the adversary. He recalls the blessings of God, from whom he learned long ago that He has always been his Father. Even before David’s birth, he experienced the depth of divine paternal love, giving him hope for life despite the surrounding shadows of death. This understanding is imparted to the faithful by the Holy Spirit, ensuring that in challenging times, they can turn to the evidence of God's goodness, thereby fortifying their faith. Just as God's generosity is unwavering, so too are the depths of His grace unfading; thus, we discover Him as a compassionate Father in our youth and similarly in our elder years.

For this reason, Christ the Lord remained united with the Father, and it is also the reason for His conception in the Most Holy Virgin, as through the Holy Spirit's action, He brought together humanity and the divine nature within a single person.