Psalms — Chapter 42

Loading ESV text...

1For the choirmaster. A Maskil of the sons of Korah. As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul longs after You, O God.

2My soul thirsts for God, the living God. When shall I come and appear in God’s presence?

3My tears have been my food both day and night, while men ask me all day long, “Where is your God?”

4These things come to mind as I pour out my soul: how I walked with the multitude, leading the festive procession to the house of God with shouts of joy and praise.

5Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why the unease within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him for the salvation of His presence.

6O my God, my soul despairs within me. Therefore I remember You from the land of Jordan and the peaks of Hermon—even from Mount Mizar.

7Deep calls to deep in the roar of Your waterfalls; all Your breakers and waves have rolled over me.

8The LORD decrees His loving devotion by day, and at night His song is with me as a prayer to the God of my life.

9I say to God my Rock, “Why have You forgotten me? Why must I walk in sorrow because of the enemy’s oppression?”

10Like the crushing of my bones, my enemies taunt me, while they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”

11Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why the unease within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.

1As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.

2My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?

3My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?

4When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday.

5Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.

6O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar.

7Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.

8Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.

9I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?

10As with a sword in my bones, mine enemies reproach me; while they say daily unto me, Where is thy God?

11Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

1As the hart panteth after the water brooks, So panteth my soul after thee, O God.

2My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: When shall I come and appear before God?

3My tears have been my food day and night, While they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?

4These things I remember, and pour out my soul within me, How I went with the throng, and led them to the house of God, With the voice of joy and praise, a multitude keeping holyday.

5Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And [why] art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God; for I shall yet praise him [For] the help of his countenance.

6O my God, my soul is cast down within me: Therefore do I remember thee from the land of the Jordan, And the Hermons, from the hill Mizar.

7Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterfalls: All thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.

8[Yet] Jehovah will command his lovingkindness in the day-time; And in the night his song shall be with me, [Even] a prayer unto the God of my life.

9I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? Why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?

10As with a sword in my bones, mine adversaries reproach me, While they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?

11Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God; for I shall yet praise him, [Who is] the help of my countenance, and my God. Psalm 43

1For the music director, a well-written song by the Korahites. As a deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God!

2I thirst for God, for the living God. I say, “When will I be able to go and appear in God’s presence?”

3I cannot eat; I weep day and night. All day long they say to me, “Where is your God?”

4I will remember and weep. For I was once walking along with the great throng to the temple of God, shouting and giving thanks along with the crowd as we celebrated the holy festival.

5Why are you depressed, O my soul? Why are you upset? Wait for God! For I will again give thanks to my God for his saving intervention.

6I am depressed, so I will pray to you while in the region of the upper Jordan, from Hermon, from Mount Mizar.

7One deep stream calls out to another at the sound of your waterfalls; all your billows and waves overwhelm me.

8By day the Lord decrees his loyal love, and by night he gives me a song, a prayer to the God of my life.

9I will pray to God, my high ridge: “Why do you ignore me? Why must I walk around mourning because my enemies oppress me?”

10My enemies’ taunts cut me to the bone, as they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”

11Why are you depressed, O my soul? Why are you upset? Wait for God! For I will again give thanks to my God for his saving intervention.

1As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants after you, God.

2My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?

3My tears have been my food day and night, while they continually ask me, “Where is your God?”

4These things I remember, and pour out my soul within me, how I used to go with the crowd, and led them to God’s house, with the voice of joy and praise, a multitude keeping a holy day.

5Why are you in despair, my soul? Why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God! For I shall still praise him for the saving help of his presence.

6My God, my soul is in despair within me. Therefore I remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon, from the hill Mizar.

7Deep calls to deep at the noise of your waterfalls. All your waves and your billows have swept over me.

8Yahweh will command his loving kindness in the daytime. In the night his song shall be with me: a prayer to the God of my life.

9I will ask God, my rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”

10As with a sword in my bones, my adversaries reproach me, while they continually ask me, “Where is your God?”

11Why are you in despair, my soul? Why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God! For I shall still praise him, the saving help of my countenance, and my God.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Commentary
Videos
Articles
Reflection

Summary

A lament expressing deep longing for God, likely from a worshiper exiled far from the temple, sharing a refrain with Psalm 43. The psalmist compares his soul's thirst for God to a deer panting for water, remembering how he once led festive worship processions to God's house, and now weeps day and night while others taunt him asking where his God is (vv. 1-4). He addresses his own soul directly, asking why it is downcast, and urges it to hope in God, who will again be praised (v. 5). From a distant region near the Jordan and Hermon, he recalls being overwhelmed like one caught in crashing waves, yet still trusts that the LORD commands his steadfast love by day and gives him a song by night (vv. 6-8). He asks God why he seems forgotten and mourns under the enemy's oppression, closing again with the refrain urging his soul to hope in God despite its distress (vv. 9-11).

Authorship & Background

Author: Multiple authors — primarily David (73 psalms attributed), plus Asaph (12), Sons of Korah (11), Solomon (2), Moses (1), Heman (1), Ethan (1), and anonymous. The Psalter was compiled over approximately 1000 years and served as Israel's hymnal and prayer book. The book is divided into five 'books' (1-41, 42-72, 73-89, 90-106, 107-150), paralleling the five books of Moses.
Classification: Individual Lament
Attributed Author: Sons of Korah (To the chief Musician, Maschil, for the sons of Korah)
Key Themes: Spiritual thirst, longing for God's presence, despair and hope, memory of worship, self-counsel
Historical Context: Psalm 42 opens Book II of the Psalter (Psalms 42-72) and is the first psalm attributed to the Sons of Korah — a Levitical family of temple musicians descended from the rebel Korah (Numbers 16), whose sons were spared by God's grace. This psalm is universally recognized as paired with Psalm 43, likely originally a single composition sharing the same refrain (42:5, 42:11, 43:5).
As the Hart Panteth (vv.1-2): As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. The comparison is with an animal in drought rather than with ordinary thirst, so what is described is need rather than preference. And the question that follows names what is actually missing, when shall I come and appear before God, which is about access to the sanctuary. This psalm opens Book II of the psalter and is attributed to the sons of Korah rather than to David.
Where Is Thy God (v.3): My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God. One verse, and the taunt in it is the same one Psalm 3:2 reports: not a denial that God exists but a claim that he has not turned up. It is the question the whole psalm is answering, and the answer it gives is a refrain rather than an argument.
I Went with the Multitude (v.4): When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me, for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise. The grief here is specifically the memory of having been in the crowd, which is worse than never having been. And the phrase with a multitude that kept holyday dates it to a festival he is now missing.
The First Refrain (v.5): Why art thou cast down, O my soul, and why art thou disquieted in me, hope thou in God, for I shall yet praise him. The verse is spoken by the singer to himself, which is unusual in the psalter and is the device this psalm is known for. It appears three times, here, at 42:11 and at 43:5, which is one of the reasons Psalms 42 and 43 are widely read as a single poem split in two.
Deep Calleth unto Deep (vv.6-7): O my God, my soul is cast down within me, therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar. The geography puts him in the far north, away from Jerusalem, which explains the whole complaint. Then the image the section is remembered for, and it is drawn from that landscape of gorges and waterfalls, deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts, all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.
The LORD Will Command His Lovingkindness (v.8): Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life. One verse of confidence in the middle of the complaint, divided between day and night, and the psalm does not stay there: the next section goes back to the question.
Why Hast Thou Forgotten Me (vv.9-10): I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me. The complaint is addressed to the title, which is the sharpest thing about it: a rock that has forgotten. And the taunt of verse 3 is quoted again word for word, mine enemies reproach me, while they say daily unto me, Where is thy God. The psalm is circling rather than progressing, which is what its refrain is for.
The Second Refrain (v.11): Why art thou cast down, O my soul, and why art thou disquieted within me, hope thou in God, for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God. The refrain returns unchanged except for one addition at the end, my God, which is the first time in the psalm the possessive is used without a question attached to it.

Map & Geography

Places on this map

  • Jordan RiverIsrael / Jordan borderRuns about 65 miles as the crow flies from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea, dropping from 700 to 1,400 feet below sea level. Narrow enough to wade at most fords, it was still the boundary that divided wilderness from inheritance. Wikipedia
  • Sea of GalileeLake Kinneret, IsraelA freshwater lake 13 miles by 8, sunk 700 feet below sea level in a bowl of hills. Cold air spilling over the rim onto warm water is what produces the sudden violent squalls the Gospels keep describing. Wikipedia
  • Dead SeaIsrael / JordanThe lowest exposed ground on earth, about 1,400 feet below sea level, and roughly ten times saltier than the ocean because water leaves only by evaporation. Nothing lives in it, which is the image Ezekiel 47 overturns when he has it filled with fish. Wikipedia

Towns sit on their excavated or traditional site. Regions, rivers and seas are ringed rather than dotted, because for those a single point is only an anchor. Coastlines from Natural Earth.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Verse-by-verse commentary on this chapter, written for the everyday reader and freely available online.
  • Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
  • Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.

Videos

What does it mean that deep calls to deep in Psalm 42:7? | GotQuestions.org
Got Questions Ministries

Psalm 42-43 | Why Are You Downcast, O My Soul? | Bible Study
Spoken Gospel

Psalm 42 - Honest Prayer from a Discouraged Saint
David Guzik

Articles

  • GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of Psalms -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.

Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.

Reflection

  • A Soul That Thirsts for God (vv.1-2) — The psalmist compares his longing for God to a deer desperately searching for water. Does your own hunger for God feel that urgent, or has it gone quiet?
  • Weeping and Taunted, Yet Still Facing God (v.3) — Even as he cries day and night and enemies mock him with "where is your God," the psalmist keeps addressing God directly rather than walking away. When you're mocked or discouraged in your faith, do you bring that pain to God or bury it?
  • Remembering Past Worship (v.4) — In his darkest moment, the psalmist deliberately recalls what it was like to lead others in worship before. What memory of God's presence in your life can you return to when things feel dry right now?
  • Preaching Hope to Your Own Soul (v.5) — Rather than just feeling his despair, the psalmist questions his own soul and commands it to hope in God. Do you know how to talk back to your own discouragement instead of just absorbing it?
  • Deep Calling to Deep (vv.6-7) — Even as he feels overwhelmed like crashing waves, the psalmist still names God by His covenant name and turns his mind toward Him. In your own overwhelming seasons, are you still consciously turning your thoughts toward God?