Psalms 69:21
in Psalms 69They poisoned my food with gall and gave me vinegar to quench my thirst.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
They gave me also gall for my food; And in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
KJV
They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
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This verse in Psalms 69
Commentary
17 notes on this verseHowever, we must know that Psalm 68 [LXX], which contains the statement, "The zeal of your house has devoured me," and a little later "They gave me gall for my food, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink," both having been recorded in the Gospels, is placed in the mouth of Christ, indicating no change in the person of the speaker.
This site's exposition
poisoned my food with gall
Verse 21 puts gall in the food and vinegar to quench the thirst. Matthew 27:34 has wine mixed with gall, refused after a taste, and John 19:29 has sour wine lifted on a sponge. Delitzsch notes that food and drink both came back poisoned.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers5 voices
For it was proclaimed beforehand by the very same prophets that they [Jews] would not understand, because it was necessary for other things to be fulfilled, and by a hidden and just decree of God, for due punishment to be paid in accordance with their merits. For, indeed, he whom they crucified, he to whom they gave gall and vinegar—although he was hanging on the cross—he said to the Father, for the sake of those whom he would have led from the darkness into the light, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." But, for the sake of the others whom he was to abandon for more hidden causes, he said long before through the prophet, "And they gave me gall for my food, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. Let their table become as a snare before them, and a recompense and a stumbling block. Let their eyes be darkened that they see not; and their back you always bend down." Therefore, they roam about anywhere and everywhere, their darkened eyes a most remarkable proof for our cause, so that through them our arguments are upheld at the very time that this same people is rejected.
A commentator
Augustine of HippoTRACTATES ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 119:4 · Written in the 5th century.
proposed
Then [the Evangelist] continues: "Afterwards Jesus, knowing that all things were accomplished, that Scripture might be accomplished, says, 'I thirst.' Now there was a vessel set here full of vinegar, and putting a sponge full of vinegar around [a stalk of] hyssop, they raised it to his lips. When therefore Jesus had taken the vinegar, he said, 'It is finished.' And, bowing his head, he delivered over his spirit." Who can so organize what he does as this man organized what he suffered? But the man, the Mediator of God and man, the man about whom one reads that it was foretold: "And he is a man and who can know him?" For the men through whom these things happened did know the man [to be] God. For he who was hidden as God was apparent as man; he who was apparent suffered these things and he who was hidden, the very same One, organized all these things. Therefore he saw that all the things were finished that were necessary to be done before he took the vinegar and delivered over his spirit; and that this too might be accomplished that Scripture had foretold, "And in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink," he said, "I thirst," as though he were to say, "In doing this you have fallen short; give what you are." For indeed the Jews themselves were the vinegar, deteriorating from the wine of the patriarchs and prophets, and, as it were, filled from a full vessel, from the iniquity of this world, having their heart like a sponge, deceitful, so to speak, in its cavernous and tortuous hiding places. But the hyssop around which they put the sponge full of vinegar, because it is a lowly herb and cleanses the breast, we take appropriately as the lowliness of Christ that they surrounded and thought they had come round to thwarting. […]
A second time, in fact, let us show that Christ has already come, [as foretold] through the prophets, and has suffered, and has already been received back in the heavens and will come from there according to the predictions prophesied. For, after his advent, we read, according to Daniel, that the city itself had to be destroyed; and we recognize that it has indeed happened. For the Scripture says that "the city and the holy place are simultaneously destroyed together with the leader"—undoubtedly [that Leader] who was to come "from Bethlehem" and from the tribe of "Judah." Whence, again, it is manifest that "the city must simultaneously be destroyed" at the time when its "Leader" had to suffer in it, [as foretold] through the Scriptures of the prophets, who say, "I have outstretched my hands the whole day to a rebellious people who contradict me, who walk in a way that is not good, but after their own sins." And in the Psalms, David says, "They pierced my hands and feet: they counted all my bones; they themselves, moreover, stare and gloat over me, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink." David did not suffer these things so as to seem to have spoken properly of himself but of Christ who was crucified.
Christ did not speak deceitfully but displayed all justice and humility. He did not suffer that kind of death [crucifixion] for anything he had done but so that those things that the prophets had predicted would happen to him through you as the very Spirit of Christ already foretold in the Psalms, saying, "They repaid me evil instead of good"; "What I had not taken, I repaid"; "They pierced my hands and feet"; "They put gall in my drink, and they satisfied my thirst with vinegar"; and "They cast lots for my clothing." The other things that you would commit against him have also been foretold. He patiently endured and suffered all those things not for anything he had done but so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled that were spoken by the prophets.
You have truly and in very many places read something that pertains to the detestable wickedness of your crime and to the voluntary suffering of the Lord. He himself speaks through Isaiah: "I gave my back to the scourges, my cheeks to striking hands; my face I did not shield from the insult of spittle." He says through David, "They put gall in my food, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink." On yet another occasion, he says through David, "Many dogs surround me, a pack of evildoers closes in on me. They have pierced my hands and my feet, they have numbered all my bones. They watched me carefully and examined me. They divided my garments among them and cast lots for my clothes." Lest only the kind of your crime might seem to be predicted and the power of the crucified one not foretold, you certainly did not read that the Lord descended from the cross. You did, however, read, "The Lord has reigned from the cross."
10 more voices on this verse
The Church Fathers3 voices
A commentator
John ChrysostomHomily on the Gospel of Matthew 87 · Written in the 5th century.
proposed
And they gave Him gall to drink, and this to insult Him, but He would not. But another saith, that having tasted it, He said, "It is finished." And what meaneth, "It is finished?" The prophecy was fulfilled concerning Him. "For they gave me," it is said, "gall for my meat, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink." But neither doth that evangelist indicate that He drank, for merely to taste differs not from not drinking, but hath one and the same signification.
And furthermore David said concerning his passion, "For my food they gave gall, and for my thirst they did give me vinegar to drink."
Psalm 68 [LXX] also includes in its title the words "for the things that will be entirely changed." This psalm sings of the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, assuming to himself even certain words of his members, that is, of his faithful. For he himself did not have any sin, but he carried our sins; thus the psalm says "and my offenses are not hidden from you." Here is written and foretold what we read in the Gospel as having happened: "And they gave me gall for my food, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink." In him, therefore, the old events have been changed that the title of the psalm predicted were to be changed.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
They gave me also gall for my meat,.... Either some bitter herb mentioned with wormwood and hemlock, Deu 29:18; or the gall of some animal The Targum renders it, "the gall of the heads of serpents:'' the poison of some serpents is in their heads, and the word that is here used signifies the head; see Deu 32:
): They gave me gall for my meat (the word signifies a bitter herb, and is often joined with wormwood) and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. This was literally fulfilled in Christ, and did so directly point to him that he would not say It is finished till this was fulfilled; and, in order that his enemies might have occasion to fulfil it, he said, I thirst, John xix.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
The Nineteenth Century5 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Instead of such, his enemies increase his pain by giving him most distasteful food and drink. The Psalmist may have thus described by figure what Christ found in reality (compare Joh 19:29, 30). With unimportant verbal changes, this language is used by Paul to describe the rejection of the Jews who refused to receive the Saviour (Ro 11:9, 10).
They gave me also gall for my meat. This was the sole refreshment cruelty had prepared for him. Others find pleasure in their food, but his taste was made to be an additional path of pain to him. And in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. A criminal's draught was offered to our innocent Lord, a bitter portion to our dying Master. Sorry entertainment had earth for her King and Saviour. How often have our sins filled the gall cup for our Redeemer? While we blame the Jews, let us not excuse ourselves. From this point David and our Lord for awhile part company, if we accept the rendering of our version. The severe spirit of the law breathes out imprecations, while the tender heart of Jesus offers prayers for his murderers. The whole of these verses, however, may be viewed as predictions, and then they certainly refer to our Lord, for we find portions of them quoted in that manner by the apostle in Ro 11:9-10, and by Christ himself in Mt 23:38.
They gave me also gall for my meat. This was the sole refreshment cruelty had prepared for him. Others find pleasure in their food, but his taste was made to be an additional path of pain to him. And in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. A criminal's draught was offered to our innocent Lord, a bitter portion to our dying Master. Sorry entertainment had earth for her King and Saviour. How often have our sins filled the gall cup for our Redeemer? While we blame the Jews, let us not excuse ourselves.
They gave me also gall for my meat - Even the food, necessary to preserve us in their slavery, was frequently mingled with what rendered it unpleasant and disgusting, though not absolutely unwholesome. And vinegar, sour small wines, was given us for our beverage. This is applied to our Lord, Mat 27:34, where the reader is requested to consult the notes.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
They gave me also - My enemies; all persons around me. No one would show me even so much kindness as to give me food when I was hungry, or drink when I was thirsty. They utterly forsook me; they left me to die unpitied. Nay, they did more than this. When I was perishing with hunger, they not only refused to give me wholesome food, but they mocked my sufferings by giving me a bitter and poisonous herb for food, and vinegar for my drink. Gall for my meat - For my food. Or, they gave me this “instead” of wholesome food. The word here rendered “gall” - ראשׁ rô'sh - is the same “in form” which is commonly rendered “head,” and occurs in this sense very often in the Scriptures. It is also used to denote a “poisonous plant,” perhaps from the idea that the plant referred to was distinguished for, or remarkable for its “head” - as the poppy; and “then” the name may have been given also to some other similar plants. The word then comes to denote poison; venom; anything poisonous; and then, anything very bad-tasted; “bitter.” It is rendered “gall,” as here, in Deu 29:18; Jer 8:14; Jer 9:15; Jer 23:15; Lam 3:5, Lam 3:19; Amo 6:12; “venom” in Deu 32:33; “poison,” in Job 20:16; and “hemlock,” in Hos 10:4. In Deu 29:18, it is rendered, in the margin, “rosh,” or “a poisonful herb.” It does not occur elsewhere with any such signification. It may not be possible to determine precisely what is denoted here by the word, but it undoubtedly refers to some poisonous, bitter, deadly, stupefying substance given to a sufferer, “instead” of that which would be wholesome food, or suited to sustain life. And in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink - Instead of giving me pure water, they gave me sour wine - vinegar - that which would not slake my thirst, or which would not answer the purpose of drink. […]
The words behind it
6 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּתְּנ֣וּ | vaiyitenu | and they put | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| בְּבָרוּתִ֣י | bevaruti | in food my | H1267 → | |
| רֹ֑אשׁ | rosh | poison | H7219 → | |
| וְ֝לִצְמָאִ֗י | velitzmai | and for thirst my | H6772 → | |
| יַשְׁק֥וּנִי | yashkuni | they gave to drink me | H8248 → | 61 times |
| חֹֽמֶץ׃ | chometz | vinegar | H2558 → |
וַיִּתְּנ֣וּand they put
vaiyitenuH5414 →2011 times
בְּבָרוּתִ֣יin food my
bevarutiH1267 →
רֹ֑אשׁpoison
roshH7219 →
וְ֝לִצְמָאִ֗יand for thirst my
velitzmaiH6772 →
יַשְׁק֥וּנִיthey gave to drink me
yashkuniH8248 →61 times
חֹֽמֶץ׃vinegar
chometzH2558 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Matthew 27:34they offered Him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, He refused to drink it.
it leads to
- John 19:28–30
After this, knowing that everything had now been accomplished, and to fulfill the Scripture, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.”
Reached by 4 separate paths from here.
- Mark 15:23
There they offered Him wine mixed with myrrh, but He did not take it.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Matthew 27:48
One of them quickly ran and brought a sponge. He filled it with sour wine, put it on a reed, and held it up for Jesus to drink.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- John 19:28–30
Through
Matthew 27:48One of them quickly ran and brought a sponge. He filled it with sour wine, put it on a reed, and held it up for Jesus to drink.
it leads to
- Luke 23:36
The soldiers also mocked Him and came up to offer Him sour wine.
Reached by 3 separate paths from here.
- Matthew 27:34
they offered Him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, He refused to drink it.
Reached by 3 separate paths from here.
- John 19:29–30
A jar of sour wine was sitting there. So they soaked a sponge in the wine, put it on a stalk of hyssop, and lifted it to His mouth.
- Luke 23:36
Through
Luke 23:36The soldiers also mocked Him and came up to offer Him sour wine.
it leads to
- Mark 15:36
And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine. He put it on a reed and held it up for Jesus to drink, saying, “Leave Him alone. Let us see if Elijah comes…
- Mark 15:36
Through
Mark 15:23There they offered Him wine mixed with myrrh, but He did not take it.
it leads to
- Luke 22:18
For I tell you that I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes.”
- Luke 22:18
Where this verse is studied
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About Psalms
This page draws on 17 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Psalms; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Aphrahat the Persian Sage, DEMONSTRATIONS 17:10; Augustine of Hippo, ON FAITH IN THINGS UNSEEN 6:9; Augustine of Hippo, TRACTATES ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 119:4; Augustine of Hippo, IN ANSWER TO THE JEWS 5:6; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 3; Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Psalms; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Chrysostom, Homily on the Gospel of Matthew 87; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Leo the Great, SERMON 55:2; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Origen of Alexandria, COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 10:222; Tertullian, AN ANSWER TO THE JEWS 12 and Tertullian, AN ANSWER TO THE JEWS 10.