He Quoted One Psalm From the Cross
Of all the psalms Jesus knew, only one made it into his final recorded words — and it begins with abandonment.
In Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34, Jesus cries out 'My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?' — a direct quotation of Psalm 22:1. This is the only instance in all four gospels where Jesus quotes a psalm while speaking in the first person as a cry of his own experience. The quotation is remarkable on several levels as a speech act. First, Jesus renders it in Aramaic ('Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani' in Matthew; 'Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani' in Mark), making it the longest Aramaic utterance attributed to him in the gospels — and the only red-letter Aramaic phrase that is simultaneously a scriptural quotation. Second, it is one of the very few direct quotations from scripture in his speech that he applies explicitly to himself in the first person ('my God... forsaken me'), rather than citing scripture to instruct others or to answer a challenge. Third, across John's gospel — where Jesus speaks at greatest length — this quotation does not appear at all. The cross-gospel asymmetry is total: Matthew and Mark preserve it; Luke and John do not. Luke instead records 'Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit' (23:46), a quotation from Psalm 31:5, while John records no psalm quotation at the cross. The two Synoptics that preserve the Psalm 22 cry render the Aramaic differently, suggesting independent transmission of the same underlying utterance.
Red Letter Sources
Matthew 27:46Mark 15:34Luke 23:46
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.
Evidence Notes
Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34 both contain the Psalm 22:1 quotation with transliterated Aramaic followed by Greek translation. Luke 23:46 contains the Psalm 31:5 quotation in Greek. John records no psalm quotation from the cross. The Aramaic differs slightly between Matthew ('Eli') and Mark ('Eloi'), confirming independent transmission. All three source verses are direct red-letter speech.
Greek Note
Matthew's 'Eli' (אֵלִי) reflects Hebrew vocalization; Mark's 'Eloi' (Ελωί) reflects Aramaic. The Greek translation provided in both gospels — 'ἱνατί με ἐγκατέλιπες' (why hast thou forsaken me) — is identical, suggesting a shared Greek rendering of different Aramaic/Hebrew originals. Luke's cross quotation uses 'παρατίθεμαι' (I commend/entrust), from Psalm 31:5 LXX.
