Psalm 43

Psalm 43 is the second psalm in Book Two of the Psalms (Psalms 42–72) and has no superscription (the heading that precedes many psalms). It uses the same refrain as the preceding Psalm 42 (42:5, 42:11, 43:5) and continues its theme: the lament of a psalmist far from the temple. For this reason, many scholars hold that the two psalms were originally a single poem. Some Hebrew manuscripts are also reported to present the two as one continuous text.

Structure

• Verses 1–2: The psalmist calls on God to act as judge and plead his cause, delivering him from an ungodly nation and from the deceitful and unjust man. He then asks why "the God of my strength" has cast him off and why he must go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy.
• Verses 3–4: He asks God to send out His light and truth to lead him to His holy hill and His tabernacles. Once there, he resolves to go to the altar of God and praise Him upon the harp.
• Verse 5: He urges his own downcast and disquieted soul to hope in God and declares that he will yet praise Him.

Key Verses

• Psalm 43:3, "O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me": The psalmist pictures light and truth as guides sent by God. In this verse the lament turns into petition.
• Psalm 43:4, "God my exceeding joy": The Korean Revised Version renders this phrase with geungnak, a word meaning "utmost joy." The New Korean Revised Version translates it as "God my great joy."
• Psalm 43:5, "hope thou in God": This is the refrain that binds Psalms 42 and 43 together. It is one of the Psalter's best-known examples of a person in despair addressing his own soul.

People and Places

• The psalmist: He is not named. Because the superscription of Psalm 42 reads "Maschil, for the sons of Korah," reading the two psalms as one would associate this psalm with the descendants of Korah, a Levite.
• The enemy and the ungodly nation: These are the psalmist's oppressors. The text does not identify them specifically.
• The holy hill and the tabernacles: These denote the place where God dwells and are commonly understood to refer to Zion and the Jerusalem temple.
• The altar of God: The altar of the temple, where the psalmist intends to offer praise.

Interpretive Considerations

• One psalm or two: Commentators differ on whether Psalms 42 and 43 should be read as one psalm or two. Most translations, including the Korean Revised Version and the New Korean Revised Version, follow tradition and present them as two separate psalms.
• The meaning of "Judge me": This phrase in verse 1 is not a request for condemnation. It is courtroom language asking God to try the case fairly and vindicate the psalmist.
• Numbering and liturgical tradition: In the Septuagint and the Vulgate, the numbering of the Psalms is shifted by one, so this psalm appears as Psalm 42. A day in the church year takes its name from the psalm's Latin opening words, Judica me, Deus ("Judge me, O God"): in the older liturgical calendar, the fifth Sunday of Lent was called Judica Sunday. In the old Latin Mass, the priest recited this psalm before the altar at the beginning of Mass.
• Connection with the New Testament: Jesus' words in Gethsemane, "My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death" (Matthew 26:38), resemble the Septuagint wording of the refrain of Psalms 42–43. For this reason, the psalm is often read together with the prayer in Gethsemane.

In the Korean Church

Together with Psalm 42, this psalm is frequently used as a sermon text to comfort discouraged believers. Verse 5 is often quoted during pastoral visitation and on other occasions of consolation.