Psalm 42

The Psalms are divided into five books. Psalm 42 begins Book II (Psalms 42–72), immediately following Psalm 41, which closes Book I with a doxology (a concluding word of praise to God). The superscription introduces the psalm as a "Maschil" of the sons of Korah. Maschil is variously interpreted as "a psalm of instruction" or "a contemplative song," but its precise meaning is uncertain.

Outline

• Verses 1–3 The psalmist longs for the living God as a deer seeks streams of water. People taunt him, "Where is thy God?" and he weeps day and night.
• Verse 4 He grieves as he recalls how he once went up to the house of God with the multitude that kept holyday, singing praise.
• Verse 5 Refrain: "Why art thou cast down, O my soul?… hope thou in God."
• Verses 6–7 He remembers the Lord from the land of Jordan, from Hermon, and from the hill Mizar. He confesses that God's waterspouts, waves, and billows have gone over him.
• Verse 8 By day he holds to the lovingkindness of the LORD, and by night to song and prayer.
• Verses 9–10 He asks God his rock, "Why hast thou forgotten me?" The reproach of his enemies is like a sword in his bones.
• Verse 11 He repeats the refrain and resolves to praise God.

Key Verses

• Psalm 42:1 "As the hart panteth after the water brooks" — a classic image of longing for God.
• Psalm 42:5 "Hope thou in God" — the refrain, repeated in verse 11, that forms the framework of the whole psalm.
• Psalm 42:3 "Where is thy God?" — a taunt that recurs in verse 10 and reveals the heart of the psalmist's suffering.

People and Places

• Sons of Korah: A family of temple singers named in the superscription, descendants of the Korah of Numbers 16. Their name appears in the superscriptions of several psalms.
• Land of Jordan: Generally understood to be the region of the upper Jordan River.
• Hermon: A high mountain at the northern edge of Israel.
• Hill Mizar: Presumed to be a small mountain near Hermon, though its location is unknown.

Points for Reflection

• Psalm 42 and Psalm 43 share the same refrain, and Psalm 43 has no superscription. For this reason, the view that the two were originally a single poem is widely accepted.
• The author and circumstances are not stated in the text. Some interpret the psalm as composed by David when he fled east of the Jordan during Absalom's rebellion. This, however, is a conjecture of later commentators; the superscription names only the sons of Korah.
• The Hebrew Bible counts the superscription as verse 1, so its verse numbers run one higher than those in Korean and most English Bibles.
• Some interpreters see a resemblance between the psalm's refrain and Jesus' words in Gethsemane, "My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death" (Mark 14:34). These words are treated in the article Prayer in Gethsemane.

In the Korean Church

Verse 1 is frequently cited in sermons and devotions on spiritual longing. The English worship song "As the Deer," based on this verse, has been translated into Korean as a gospel song under the title "Mongmareun Saseum" ("The Thirsting Deer") and is widely sung.