What is a Lachrymatory?

An Old Word From an Old Time Points the Way

A Message in a Bottle

There is an old word used to describe Psalm 22—a word nearly lost to time but perfectly fitted to the weight of this psalm: Lachrymatory.

A lachrymatory is a small bottle, often found in ancient tombs, used to collect tears as a sign of mourning. The word comes from the Latin lacrima (tear) and the suffix -atory, meaning “pertaining to.”

This word comes from the ancient world—and most recently, from the Victorian era—where small vials were used to collect the tears of the grieving. Mourners would weep into these delicate bottles, sealing them as a testimony of their sorrow. Some were placed in tombs as symbols of love and loss, a way of saying:

You were not forgotten.
Your suffering was seen.

This is what David meant when he wrote of God.

“You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. —Psalm 56:8

Psalm 22 is a Lachrymatory

Charles Spurgeon, the great Baptist Victorian preacher, called Psalm 22 the lachrymatory of Christ’s last tears.

The vessel that holds His sorrow.
The psalm that carries His agony.

Come with me, and you will see what I mean.

Invitation

I invite you to walk with me through this psalm. Beginning March 3, we will prepare our hearts for the journey ahead. We will get ready for the journey.

Then, on Ash Wednesday, we will fully enter the psalm Jesus prayed from the Cross. Each weekday, we will take a verse, a thought, a glimpse into His suffering—and follow it until we reach its final words: “He has done it.”

Will you join us? You must be a paid subscriber to receive emails.

I will email all PAID subscribers every weekday morning at 6:12 AM (Central). In the email, you will find a few sentences for context and then a deep dive into the meaning and a reflection or application of the Psalm to your life and mine.

I wrote a book on the Psalm. It was very well received, and I’d love for you to have it as a background book. (The Psalm on the Cross) But this Lent will be a deeper cut, so to speak. I’ll share things I discovered when I did my research—insights I couldn’t share or didn’t have the skill to write then.

But I am thinking about the great themes of the psalm and how they apply to our lives, families, life, work, and faith.

✝️ Join me this Lent on The Anglican. Ash Wednesday is March 5th, but we will begin on Monday, March 3rd, to prepare for our weekday devotionals.

Become a Paid Subscriber to read everything, leave comments as you wish, read my responses, and grow in our online community.✝️

Grace and Peace,

David Roseberry

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