"Psalm 22 says like a lion, not pierced"
The claim, stated fairly
The Masoretic text of Psalm 22:17 reads ka'ari, "like a lion", so the psalm says nothing about pierced hands and feet.
The oldest witnesses to the verse read a verb, and the psalm's whole scene matches a crucifixion.
The Greek Septuagint, translated by Jews before Jesus, reads "they dug my hands and my feet". The Hebrew psalms scroll from Nahal Hever (5/6HevPs, 1st century CE) reads ka'aru, a verb, not ka'ari.
Even on the "lion" reading the scene stays: surrounded by mockers, "they part my garments among them, and for my vesture do they cast lots" (22:19), opening with "My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?" (22:2), which Yeshua cried from the cross.
The text
17כִּ֥י סְבָב֗וּנִי כְּלָ֫בִ֥ים עֲדַ֣ת מְ֭רֵעִים הִקִּיפ֑וּנִי כָּ֝אֲרִ֗י יָדַ֥י וְרַגְלָֽי׃
17For dogs have encompassed me; a company of evil-doers have inclosed me; like a lion, they are at my hands and my feet.
WEB/WMB: For dogs have surrounded me. A company of evildoers have enclosed me. They have pierced my hands and feet.
Psalms 22:17 (Hebrew, JPS 1917, WMB) · English Bibles: Psalms 22:16
19יְחַלְּק֣וּ בְגָדַ֣י לָהֶ֑ם וְעַל־לְ֝בוּשִׁ֗י יַפִּ֥ילוּ גוֹרָֽל׃
19They part my garments among them, and for my vesture do they cast lots.
WEB/WMB: They divide my garments among them. They cast lots for my clothing.
Psalms 22:19 (Hebrew, JPS 1917, WMB) · English Bibles: Psalms 22:18
2אֵלִ֣י אֵ֭לִי לָמָ֣ה עֲזַבְתָּ֑נִי רָח֥וֹק מִֽ֝ישׁוּעָתִ֗י דִּבְרֵ֥י שַׁאֲגָתִֽי׃
2My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me, and art far from my help at the words of my cry?
WEB/WMB: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning?
Psalms 22:2 (Hebrew, JPS 1917, WMB) · English Bibles: Psalms 22:1
In the New Covenant
23Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Yeshua, took his garments and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top throughout. 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 parted my garments among them. They cast lots for my clothing.” Therefore the soldiers did these things.
John 19:23-24 (WMB)
46About the ninth hour Yeshua cried with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lima sabachthani?” That is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Matthew 27:46 (WMB)
Where scholars disagree
Scholars still debate the original wording and how ka'aru should be translated ("dug", "bound", "pierced"). We note the dispute and rest on the oldest manuscripts and the rest of the psalm.
Sources
- Masoretic text (Westminster Leningrad Codex), Psalm 22:17
- Septuagint, Psalm 21:17
- 5/6HevPs, Discoveries in the Judaean Desert XXXVIII (2000)
- Hebrew: Westminster Leningrad Codex. English: JPS 1917; World Messianic Bible (public domain).