The Anointed One's Dying Inquiry

by Br. Clif Addison III

The One named Y'shua was still hanging on the upright pole made from the trunk of a tree. He was soon to die, but He was about to loudly put to the people who had rejected and betrayed Him a question which would live on, though obscured from the eyes of the unknowing throughout the ages. Countless believers had received the inquiry thus:

"Eli! Eli! L'mah Sh'vaktani?" (MattitYaHU 27:46) In English it was "My Mighty [One]! My Mighty [One]! Why have you deserted me?" or alternatively "My strength/power/might! My strength/power/might! Why have you failed/left/deserted me?"

In what are arguably the most reliable of the Good News Accounts, MattitYaHU and Markon, the tortured One says nothing else until He dies. However, the people reply with curious comments:

"He's calling for EliYaHU" and "Wait! Let's see if EliYaHU comes and rescues Him." (vss. 47, 49)

Where did the people get the idea that He was calling out to EliYaHU the prophet? Indeed, "Eli" constitutes part of the name of the prophet, but as is given in the English, it has a meaning distinct from that of the prophet's name, the complete meaning of his name being, "My Mighty [One] is YHWH" or "My strength/power/might is YHWH." (Strong's Hebrew Dictionary #452) What if we replace the second "Eli" with the remainder of the prophet's name? What do we get?

"Eli YaHU! L'mah Sh'vaktani?" (MattitYaHU 27:46) In English it was "My Mighty [One] is YHWH! Why have you deserted me?" or alternatively "My strength/power/might is YHWH! Why have you failed/left/deserted me?"

The people who were looking for the coming of EliYaHU assumed that the condemned man was calling out to EliYaHU for help.

If the Anointed One quoted verbatim from Psalms 22:1 (which in Hebrew ends with the word "Azavtani") there would have been no reason for the people to think that He had called out to EliYaHU. The context suggests that the Anointed One quoted the passage ALMOST verbatim, whether with "Eli YaHU!" or with "Eli YaHU! Eli YaHU!"

This would leave the traditional Jews and Messianic Jewish apostates of then and now with a very pointed and moving inquisition: "My Mighty [One] is YHWH! Why have YOU deserted/failed/forsaken/left me?" Contrary to popular traditional Jewish propaganda, Y'shua did not come to promote Himself as an object of worship, but rather to point to the One who was His Mighty [One]. Furthermore, He taught and obeyed the commands of His Mighty [One]. Consequently, the people of Y'hudah largely share the confession of their apostolic namesake, "I sinned in betraying an innocent man to death." (MattitYaHU 27:4)

Who was that man? Psalms 22:1, the quoted passage, gives us the Name:

"My Mighty [One]! My Mighty [One]! Why have you forsaken me, and are far from my deliverance (Strong's Hebrew Dictionary #3444: "y'shuah") ?"

=A9 1998 Br. Beaufort Clifton Addison III