Psalms

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PSALM 42^*

Longing for God’s Presence in the Temple

1For the leader. A maskil of the Korahites.^*

I

2As the deer longs for streams of water,^a

so my soul longs for you, O God.

3My soul thirsts for God, the living God.

When can I enter and see the face of God?^*^b

4My tears have been my bread day and night,^c

as they ask me every day, “Where is your God?”^d

5Those times I recall

as I pour out my soul,^e

When I would cross over to the shrine of the Mighty One,^*

to the house of God,

Amid loud cries of thanksgiving,

with the multitude keeping festival.^f

6Why are you downcast, my soul;

why do you groan within me?

Wait for God, for I shall again praise him,

my savior and my God.

II

7My soul is downcast within me;

therefore I remember you

From the land of the Jordan^* and Hermon,

from Mount Mizar,^g

8^*Deep calls to deep

in the roar of your torrents,

and all your waves and breakers

sweep over me.^h

9By day may the LORD send his mercy,

and by night may his righteousness be with me!

I will pray^* to the God of my life,

10I will say to God, my rock:

“Why do you forget me?ⁱ

Why must I go about mourning

with the enemy oppressing me?”

11It shatters my bones, when my adversaries reproach me,

when they say to me every day: “Where is your God?”

12Why are you downcast, my soul,

why do you groan within me?

Wait for God, for I shall again praise him,

my savior and my God.

* [Psalms 42–43] Ps 42–43 form a single lament of three sections, each section ending in an identical refrain (Ps 42:6, 12; 43:5). The psalmist is far from Jerusalem, and longs for the divine presence that Israel experienced in the Temple liturgy. Despite sadness, the psalmist hopes once again to join the worshiping crowds.

* [42:1] The Korahites: a major guild of Temple singers (2 Chr 20:19) whose name appears in the superscriptions of Ps 42; 44–49; 84–85; 87–88.

* [42:3] See the face of God: “face” designates a personal presence (Gn 33:10; Ex 10:28–29; 2 Sm 17:11). The expressions “see God/God’s face” occur elsewhere (Ps 11:7; 17:15; cf. Ex 24:10; 33:7–11; Jb 33:26) for the presence of God in the Temple.

* [42:5] The shrine of the Mighty One: this reading follows the tradition of the Septuagint and the Vulgate.

* [42:7] From the land of the Jordan: the sources of the Jordan are in the foothills of Mount Hermon in present-day southern Lebanon. Mount Mizar is presumed to be a mountain in the same range.

* [42:8] Deep calls to deep: to the psalmist, the waters arising in the north are overwhelming and far from God’s presence, like the waters of chaos (Ps 18:5; 69:2–3, 15; Jon 2:3–6).

* [42:9–10] I will prayâ€¦I will say: in the midst of his depression the psalmist turns to prayer. Despite his situation he trusts the Lord to deliver him from his sorrow so that he may enter the Temple precincts and praise him once again (Ps 43:3–4, 5b).

a. [42:2–3] Ps 63:2; 84:3; 143:6; Is 26:9.

b. [42:3] Ps 27:4.

c. [42:4] Ps 80:6; 102:10.

d. [42:4] Ps 79:10; Jl 2:17.

e. [42:5] Lam 3:20.

f. [42:5] Ps 122:5.

g. [42:7] Ps 43:3.

h. [42:8] Ps 18:5; 32:6; 69:2; 88:8; Jon 2:4.

i. [42:10] Ps 18:2; 31:3–4.