New International Version They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst. New Living Translation But instead, they give me poison for food; they offer me sour wine for my thirst. English Standard Version They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink. Berean Standard Bible They poisoned my food with gall and gave me vinegar to quench my thirst. Berean Literal Bible And they gave gall for my food, and for my thirst they made me drink vinegar. King James Bible They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. New King James Version They also gave me gall for my food, And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. New American Standard Bible They also gave me a bitter herb in my food, And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. NASB 1995 They also gave me gall for my food And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. NASB 1977 They also gave me gall for my food, And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. Legacy Standard Bible They also gave me gall for my food And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. Amplified Bible They (self-righteous hypocrites) also gave me gall [poisonous and bitter] for my food, And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. Berean Annotated Bible They poisoned my food with gall and gave me vinegar to quench my thirst. Christian Standard Bible Instead, they gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. Holman Christian Standard Bible Instead, they gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. American Standard Version They gave me also gall for my food; And in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. Contemporary English Version Enemies poisoned my food, and when I was thirsty, they gave me vinegar. English Revised Version They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. GOD'S WORD® Translation They poisoned my food, and when I was thirsty, they gave me vinegar to drink. Good News Translation When I was hungry, they gave me poison; when I was thirsty, they offered me vinegar. International Standard Version They put poison in my food, in my thirst they forced me to drink vinegar. NET Bible They put bitter poison into my food, and to quench my thirst they give me vinegar to drink. New Heart English Bible They also gave me gall for my food. In my thirst, they gave me vinegar to drink. Webster's Bible Translation They gave me also gall for my food; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. Majority Text Translations Majority Standard BibleThey poisoned my food with gall and gave me vinegar to quench my thirst. World English Bible They also gave me poison for my food. In my thirst, they gave me vinegar to drink. Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionAnd they give gall for my food, "" And cause me to drink vinegar for my thirst. Berean Literal Bible And they gave gall for my food, and for my thirst they made me drink vinegar. Young's Literal Translation And they give for my food gall, And for my thirst cause me to drink vinegar. Smith's Literal Translation And they will give my food poison, and for my thirst they will give me vinegar to drink. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleAnd they gave me gall for my food, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. Catholic Public Domain Version New American Bible Instead they gave me poison for my food; and for my thirst they gave me vinegar. New Revised Standard Version They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleThey gave me bitter herbs for my food; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. Peshitta Holy Bible Translated They put bitter herbs in my food and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917Yea, they put poison into my food; And in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. Brenton Septuagint Translation They gave me also gall for my food, and made me drink vinegar for my thirst. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible (Voice ▾ Musical ▾) Context The Waters Are Up to My Neck…20Insults have broken my heart, and I am in despair. I looked for sympathy, but there was none, for comforters, but I found no one. 21They poisoned my food with gall and gave me vinegar to quench my thirst. 22May their table become a snare; may it be a retribution and a trap.… Cross References They poisoned my food with gall Matthew 27:34 they offered Him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, He refused to drink it. Mark 15:23 There they offered Him wine mixed with myrrh, but He did not take it. Jeremiah 8:14 Why are we just sitting here? Gather together, let us flee to the fortified cities and perish there, for the LORD our God has doomed us. He has given us poisoned water to drink, because we have sinned against the LORD. and gave me vinegar to quench my thirst. 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. 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 to take Him down.” John 19:28-30 After this, knowing that everything had now been accomplished, and to fulfill the Scripture, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” / 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. / When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished.” And bowing His head, He yielded up His spirit. Luke 23:36 The soldiers also mocked Him and came up to offer Him sour wine. John 19:29 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. Isaiah 53:3-4 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. Like one from whom men hide their faces, He was despised, and we esteemed Him not. / Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows; yet we considered Him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. Lamentations 3:15 He has filled me with bitterness; He has intoxicated me with wormwood. Lamentations 3:19 Remember my affliction and wandering, the wormwood and the gall. Jeremiah 9:15 Therefore this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “Behold, I will feed this people wormwood and give them poisoned water to drink. Jeremiah 23:15 Therefore this is what the LORD of Hosts says concerning the prophets: “I will feed them wormwood and give them poisoned water to drink, for from the prophets of Jerusalem ungodliness has spread throughout the land.” Proverbs 25:20 Like one who removes a garment on a cold day or vinegar poured on a wound is one who sings songs to a heavy heart. Job 6:6-7 Is tasteless food eaten without salt, or is there flavor in the white of an egg? / My soul refuses to touch them; they are loathsome food to me. Zechariah 12:10 Then I will pour out on the house of David and on the people of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and prayer, and they will look on Me, the One they have pierced. They will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for Him as one grieves for a firstborn son. Treasury of Scripture They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. gall for my meat. John 19:29 Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth. Jeremiah 8:14 Why do we sit still? assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the defenced cities, and let us be silent there: for the LORD our God hath put us to silence, and given us water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against the LORD. Jeremiah 9:15 Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink. vinegar Mark 15:23,36 And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not… Luke 23:36 And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar, John 19:29,30 Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth… Jump to Previous Bitter Cause Drink Food Gall Meat Poison Thirst Vinegar WineJump to Next Bitter Cause Drink Food Gall Meat Poison Thirst Vinegar WinePsalm 69 1. David complains of his affliction13. He prays for deliverance 22. He devotes his enemies to destruction 30. He praises God with thanksgiving They poisoned my food with gall Enemies answered the psalmist’s hunger with cruelty, giving him what was bitter and harmful rather than what would sustain him. His suffering came not only from physical need but from deliberate rejection and hostility. The scene anticipates Christ’s rejection and suffering at His crucifixion. Mat 27:34 they offered Him wine to drink, mixed with gall;… and gave me vinegar to quench my thirst. Instead of relief, he received a sour drink that intensified his distress. The act portrays contempt toward one in desperate need and finds its ultimate fulfillment when Jesus was given vinegar while suffering on the cross. Mat 27:48 One of them quickly ran and brought a sponge.… Persons / Places / Events 1. DavidTraditionally attributed as the author of Psalm 69, David is expressing his deep distress and suffering, which is often seen as a foreshadowing of Christ's own suffering. 2. Enemies of David The individuals who caused David's suffering by giving him gall and vinegar, symbolizing betrayal and cruelty. 3. Jesus Christ In the New Testament, this verse is seen as prophetic of Jesus' crucifixion, where He was offered vinegar to drink. 4. Golgotha The place of Jesus' crucifixion, where the prophecy of Psalm 69:21 is fulfilled. 5. Roman Soldiers The ones who offered Jesus vinegar during His crucifixion, fulfilling the prophecy. Teaching Points Prophetic FulfillmentPsalm 69:21 is a clear example of how Old Testament prophecies are fulfilled in the New Testament, specifically in the life and crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Endurance in Suffering Just as David and ultimately Jesus endured suffering and betrayal, believers are called to endure hardships with faith, trusting in God's ultimate plan. Recognizing Betrayal The offering of gall and vinegar symbolizes betrayal and cruelty. Believers should be aware of the reality of betrayal in a fallen world and seek God's strength to respond with grace. Christ's Sacrifice Reflect on the depth of Christ's suffering and His willingness to endure it for our salvation. This should inspire gratitude and a deeper commitment to live for Him. Spiritual Nourishment Unlike the bitter gall and vinegar, Jesus offers us the living water and the bread of life. Believers should seek spiritual nourishment in Christ rather than the empty offerings of the world. Bible Study Questions and Answers 1. What is the meaning of Psalm 69:21?2. How does Psalm 69:21 foreshadow Christ's suffering on the cross? 3. What emotions are expressed in Psalm 69:21, and how can we relate today? 4. How does Psalm 69:21 connect with Matthew 27:34 and John 19:28-30? 5. How can we respond to betrayal and suffering as seen in Psalm 69:21? 6. What lessons from Psalm 69:21 can strengthen our faith during trials? 7. How does Psalm 69:21 foreshadow the crucifixion of Jesus Christ? 8. What is the historical context of Psalm 69:21? 9. How does Psalm 69:21 relate to the theme of suffering in the Bible? 10. What are the top 10 Lessons from Psalm 69? (21) Gall.--Heb., rosh, i.e., head. (Comp. poppy heads. See Deuteronomy 32:32.) In Hosea 10:4 it is translated hemlock, but is most probably the poppy (papaver arenarium), which grows everywhere in Palestine, and answers all the conditions. The rendering, gall, comes from the LXX. Vinegar.--Sour wine would not be rejected as unpalatable (see Note Ruth 2:14). It was forbidden to Nazarites as a luxury (Numbers 6:3). Was the author of the psalm possibly a Nazarite? or are the expressions in the psalm merely figurative. Comp. "The banquet where the meats became As wormwood." . . . Verse 21. - They gave me also gall for my meat. Here, at any rate, the psalmist is inspired to be Messianic, i.e. to use words which, while they can only be applied to himself metaphorically and loosely, are in the strictest and most literal sense applicable to Christ. Gall was actually mingled with the drink which was given to Christ just before he was crucified, and which he tasted, but would not swallow (Matthew 27:34). And in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink. Similarly, when upon the cress Christ uttered the words, "I thirst," those who stood by "filled a sponge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his month. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished; and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost" (John 19:29, 30); comp. Psalm 22:16-18, where little facts, not true of David, but true of Christ, are recorded of an afflicted one, who partly represents David, partly his great Descendant. Psalm 69:21 captures a moment when enemies swap nourishment for poison and mercy for mockery. David reports literal abuse; by the Spirit, he also previews the Messiah’s sufferings. Gall and vinegar expose human sin’s bitterness and emptiness, while the crucified Christ absorbs that bitterness and offers living water instead. The verse therefore stands as both a record of injustice endured and a signpost to the cross, assuring believers that God foresaw, permitted, and answered every cruelty through the redemptive work of His Son.Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew They poisonedוַיִּתְּנ֣וּ (way·yit·tə·nū) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural Strong's 5414: To give, put, set my food בְּבָרוּתִ֣י (bə·ḇā·rū·ṯî) Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular Strong's 1267: Food with gall רֹ֑אשׁ (rōš) Noun - masculine singular Strong's 7219: A poisonous plant, the poppy, poison and gave me vinegar חֹֽמֶץ׃ (ḥō·meṣ) Noun - masculine singular Strong's 2558: Vinegar to quench יַשְׁק֥וּנִי (yaš·qū·nî) Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine plural | first person common singular Strong's 8248: To quaff, to irrigate, furnish a, potion to my thirst. וְ֝לִצְמָאִ֗י (wə·liṣ·mā·’î) Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular Strong's 6772: Thirst Additonal Resources Psalm 69:21 Blue Letter BiblePsalm 69:21 Bible Gateway Psalm 69:21 Bible.com Psalm 69:21 NIV |
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