But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts.

PSALMS 22:9KJV
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Psalms 22:9 (KJV)

What does Psalms 22:9 mean?

Psalms 22:9 describes how the speaker, traditionally understood as David, recognizes that God has cared for him since birth and inspired trust in him even as a nursing infant. The verse expresses a deep sense of lifelong dependence on God, beginning from the very start of life.

In this verse, David is speaking directly to God, reflecting on his own vulnerability as a newborn and how God was present and active even then. The language highlights a personal relationship with God that predates conscious memory, emphasizing that trust in God was instilled from the earliest possible moment.

The Hebrew behind Psalms 22:9

  • "took" (גּוֹחִי, gochi): This word often means to bring out or deliver, and here it pictures God as the one who brought David safely out of the womb, emphasizing God's active role in his earliest moments.
  • "womb" (בֶּטֶן, beten): This term refers to the mother's womb, underscoring the idea that God's care began before David had any ability to act or choose for himself.
  • "hope" (בָּטַח, batach): This word is often translated as "trust" or "be confident." The verse suggests that God caused David to trust even as a nursing infant, which highlights the idea of trust being something given or inspired by God, not just a personal decision.
  • "mother's" (אֵם, em): This simply means "mother," but its use here personalizes the relationship, reminding the reader that this trust and care happened in the context of David's own family.
  • "breasts" (שַׁד, shad): This refers to a mother's breasts, pointing to the time of infancy and dependence, reinforcing the image of complete reliance on God from the very beginning.

Why Psalms 22:9 matters

  • Psalms 22:9 clears up the idea that trust in God is only a conscious, adult decision; the verse shows that God's involvement and the sense of trust can begin even before a person is aware.
  • The verse emphasizes the continuity of God's care, linking the helplessness of infancy with the later struggles described elsewhere in the psalm.
  • By highlighting God's role from birth, Psalms 22:9 connects personal experience to a larger theme in the psalm: God’s faithfulness in every stage of life, even in times of suffering or abandonment.

Where else these words appear

“took” Hebrew H1518 · used in 6 verses

  • Judges 20:33 And all the men of Israel rose up out of their place, and put themselves in array at Baaltamar: and the liers in wait of Israel came forth out of their places, even out of the meadows of Gibeah.
  • Job 38:8 Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb?
  • Ezekiel 32:2 Son of man, take up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say unto him, Thou art like a young lion of the nations, and thou art as a whale in the seas: and thou camest forth with thy rivers, and troubledst the waters with thy feet, and fouledst their rivers.

“breasts” Hebrew H7699 · used in 24 verses

  • Genesis 49:25 Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:
  • Song of Solomon 7:8 I said, I will go up to the palm tree, I will take hold of the boughs thereof: now also thy breasts shall be as clusters of the vine, and the smell of thy nose like apples;
  • Lamentations 4:3 Even the sea monsters draw out the breast, they give suck to their young ones: the daughter of my people is become cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness.

“womb” Hebrew H990 · used in 72 verses

  • Genesis 25:23 And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.
  • Job 15:2 Should a wise man utter vain knowledge, and fill his belly with the east wind?
  • Proverbs 20:27 The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly.

“hope” Hebrew H982 · used in 117 verses

  • Deuteronomy 28:52 And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land: and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the LORD thy God hath given thee.
  • Psalms 44:6 For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me.
  • Isaiah 30:12 Wherefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel, Because ye despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stay thereon: