The following is a passage from the book of Psalms that was penned many hundreds of years before the Christian era, and even hundreds of years before crucifixion was ever even invented. Embedded links go to the fulfillment in New Testament verses.
(KJV) Psalms 22:1
My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? [why art thou so] far from helping me, [and from] the words of my roaring? 2 O my God, I
cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent. 3 But thou [art] holy, [O thou] that inhabitest the praises of Israel. 4 Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them. 5 They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded. 6 But I [am] a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and
despised of the people. 7 All they that see me
laugh me to scorn: they
shoot out the lip, they
shake the head, [saying], 8 He trusted on the LORD [that]
he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing
he delighted in him. 9 But thou [art] he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope [when I was] upon my mother's breasts. 10
I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou [art] my God from my mother's belly. 11 Be not far from me;
for trouble [is] near; for [there is] none to help. {none...: Heb. not a helper} 12 Many bulls have compassed me: strong [bulls] of Bashan have beset me round. 13 They
gaped upon me [with] their mouths, [as] a ravening and a roaring lion. 14
I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. 15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and
my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou
hast brought me into the dust of death. 16 For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me:
they pierced my hands and my feet. 17
I may tell all my bones: they look [and] stare upon me. 18
They part my garments among them, and
cast lots upon my vesture. 19 But be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength,
haste thee to help me. 20 Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog. 21
Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the
unicorns. 22
I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will
I praise thee. 23 Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the
seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel. 24 For he hath
not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard. 25 My praise [shall be] of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him. 26 The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever. 27 All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and
all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. 28 For
the kingdom [is]
the LORD'S: and
he [is] the governor among the nations. 29 All [they that be] fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul. 30 A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation. 31 They shall come, and
shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done [this].
Psalms 34:18 The LORD [is] nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. 19 Many [are] the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all. 20 He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken. 21 Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate. 22 The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.
John 19:30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. 31 The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and [that] they might be taken away. 32 Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. 33 But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: 34 But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. 35 And he that saw [it] bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe. 3636 For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken. 37 And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced.
They broke the legs of the other two that were crucified to expedite their death, but when they came to Jesus they saw He was already dead and didn't break His legs, fulfilling the prophecy. Also uncustomary was their piercing of His side, providing a double header of fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy in two consecutive verses in the Gospel of John.
Zechariah 12:9 And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. 10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for [his] only [son], and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for [his] firstborn.
More on the Passover Lamb of God and the not breaking of bones at this forum link.
http://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/16243Tehillim - Psalms - Chapter 22
1. For the conductor, on the ayeleth hashachar, a song of David.
2.
My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? [You are] far from my salvation [and] from the words of my moaning.
3. My God, I call out by day and You do not reply, and at night I do not keep silent.
4. But You are holy; You await the praises of Israel.
5. Our ancestors trusted in You; they trusted and You rescued them.
6. They cried out to You and they escaped; they trusted in You and they were not shamed.
7. But I am a worm and not a man; a reproach of man, despised by peoples.
8.
All who see me will mock me; they will open their lips, they will shake their head.
9. One should cast his trust upon the Lord, and He will rescue him; He will save him because He delights in him.
10. For You drew me from the womb; You made me secure on my mother's breasts.
11.
Upon You, I was cast from birth; from my mother's womb You are my God.
12. Do not distance Yourself from me, for distress is near; for there is none to help.
13. Great bulls have surrounded me; the mighty ones of Bashan encompassed me.
14. They
opened their mouth against me [like] a tearing, roaring lion.
15.
I was spilled like water, and all my bones were separated; my heart was like wax, melting within my innards.
16. My strength became dried out like a potsherd, and
my tongue cleaves to my palate; and You set me down in the dust of death.
17. For dogs have surrounded me; a band of evildoers has encompassed me,
like a lion, my hands and feet.18. I tell about
all my bones. They look and
gloat over me.
19. They
share my garments among themselves and
cast lots for my raiment.20. But You, O Lord, do not distance Yourself; my strength, hasten to my assistance.
21. Save my soul from the sword, my only one from the grip of the dog.
22. Save me from the lion's mouth, as from the horns of the wild oxen You answered me.
23. I will tell Your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise You.
24. You who fear the Lord, praise Him; all the seed of Jacob, honor Him, and fear Him, all the seed of Israel.
25. For He has neither despised nor abhorred the cry of the poor, neither has He hidden His countenance from him; and when he cried out to Him, He hearkened.
26. Because of You is my praise in the great congregation; I pay my vows in the presence of those who fear Him.
27. The humble shall eat and be sated; they shall praise the Lord, those who seek him; your hearts shall live forever.
28. All the ends of the earth shall remember and return to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall prostrate themselves before You.
29. For the kingship is the Lord's, and He rules over the nations.
30. They shall eat all the best of the earth and prostrate themselves; before Him shall all those who descend to the dust kneel, and He will not quicken his soul.
31. The seed that worships Him; it shall be told to the generation concerning the Lord.
32. They shall come and tell His righteousness to the newborn people, that which He has done.
