Psalms 69:21 (KJV)

What does Psalms 69:21 mean?

Psalms 69:21 describes a suffering speaker who receives cruel treatment when he needs food and drink. The people around him make his distress worse instead of meeting basic needs. The verse gives a concrete picture of how completely he has been denied care.

The speaker addresses God about what others have done to him. After saying in verse 20 that he looked for comforters and found none, he describes what he received at the table. The ordinary acts of eating and drinking become pictures of his mistreatment.

The Hebrew behind Psalms 69:21

• “gall” — רֹאשׁ (rosh): The word can refer to a poisonous or bitter plant. The exact plant is uncertain, but the word suggests something harmful or unpleasant given as food.
• “meat” — בָּרוּת (barut): The word refers to food. In the KJV, “meat” can mean food generally, not necessarily animal flesh.
• “vinegar” — חֹמֶץ (ḥomets): The word refers to a sour liquid, often understood as sour wine or vinegar. A sour drink could be consumed, so the word alone does not tell us how the drink was offered or received.

Why Psalms 69:21 matters

• The verse makes the lack of comfort in verse 20 concrete. The speaker names food and drink as the places where he experienced that lack.
• The two halves of the verse cover both hunger and thirst. Together, “for my meat” and “in my thirst” show that the speaker’s most basic needs are part of his complaint.
• The image appears again in the accounts of Jesus’ death. Matthew 27:34 describes wine mixed with gall, while John 19:28–30 describes sour wine offered when Jesus said he was thirsty.