They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.
Parallel translations
- WEB They divide my garments among them. They cast lots for my clothing.
- BSB They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.
- NKJV They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.
- NASB They divide my garments among them, And they cast lots for my clothing.
- NLT They divide my garments among themselves and throw dice for my clothing.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Enemies divide the sufferer's clothing and gamble for it, treating him as already dead. This is fulfilled at the cross.
Overview
The dividing of garments and casting of lots is one of the most striking details in this psalm, quoted by all four Gospels as fulfilled when soldiers gambled for Jesus' clothing at Golgotha (John 19:23-24). David's words, written centuries earlier, point beyond his own experience to the suffering of the Messiah. It shows the precision of God's redemptive plan and the trustworthiness of Scripture's witness to Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Fulfillment
- John 19:24They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did.
Cross-references · 4
- Matt 27:35And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.
- Luke 23:34Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.
- Mark 15:24And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take.
- John 19:23–24Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 22:18 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.