As the Deer Pants
Psalm 42 summary: what it means
Psalm 42 is a psalm of thirst. It opens with a deer panting for water, which is how the speaker says his soul longs for God. He cries day and night, while people keep asking him, where is your God? He remembers leading crowds to God's house on holy days, with joy and praise. Now he feels swept over by waves, and he talks to his own soul.
The psalm does not resolve the trouble. Instead it repeats a refrain in verses 5 and 11: why are you in despair, my soul? Hope in God, for I shall still praise him. Between the two, the speaker still asks God why he has been forgotten. The hope is spoken in the middle of the sadness, not after it.
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Psalm 42: As the Deer Pants
World English Bible, public domain. allpsalms.com/psalm-42
Psalm 42 commentary: explained verse by verse
As the deer pants for the water brooks,so my soul pants after you, God.
As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.
The psalm opens with an image from nature. A deer pants for the water brooks, and the speaker's soul pants for God in the same way. The longing is pictured as urgent, like thirst.
Also read 1 Chronicles 6:33-37, Psalm 46:1, Numbers 16:1, Psalm 45:1
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.When shall I come and appear before God?
My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?
The image becomes plain speech. The speaker's soul thirsts for the living God, and he asks when he will come and appear before God. The question shows he is waiting to be in God's presence again.
Also read Psalm 84:2, John 7:37, Daniel 6:26, 1 Thessalonians 1:9
My tears have been my food day and night,while they continually ask me, “Where is your God?”
My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?
His tears have been his food day and night. People around him keep asking where his God is. The same taunt returns in verse 10.
Also read Micah 7:10, Psalm 22:8, Psalm 80:5, Psalm 3:2
These 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.
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, with a multitude that kept holyday.
The speaker remembers better days. He used to go with the crowd and lead them to God's house, with the voice of joy and praise, on a holy day. The memory makes his present state sharper.
Also read Lamentations 4:1, Luke 16:25, Isaiah 30:29, Deuteronomy 16:11
Why 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.
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 for the help of his countenance.
This is the first time the refrain appears. The speaker questions his own soul: why are you in despair, why are you disturbed? Then he tells it to hope in God, because he will still praise him.
Also read Mark 14:33-34, 1 Samuel 30:6, Hebrews 10:36-37, Psalm 37:7
My 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.
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.
Straight after the refrain, the despair returns. The speaker says his soul is in despair, so he remembers God from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon and the hill Mizar. He names the places he is remembering from.
Also read Psalm 43:4, Matthew 27:46, Psalm 22:1, Psalm 133:3
Deep calls to deep at the noise of your waterfalls.All your waves and your billows have swept over me.
Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.
The image shifts from thirst to flood. Deep calls to deep at the noise of God's waterfalls, and all his waves and billows have swept over the speaker. Too little water in verse 1 has become too much.
Also read Psalm 69:14-15, Jeremiah 4:20, Psalm 88:7, Lamentations 3:53-55
The LORD 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.
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.
In the middle of the flood comes a statement of trust. By day the LORD commands his loving kindness, and at night his song is with the speaker, a prayer to the God of his life. It is the calmest verse in the psalm.
Also read Psalm 57:3, Psalm 44:4, Psalm 149:5, Job 35:10
I will ask God, my rock, “Why have you forgotten me?Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”
I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?
The speaker calls God his rock and still asks him hard questions. Why have you forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?
Also read Ecclesiastes 4:1, Psalm 88:9, Psalm 77:9, Psalm 62:2
As with a sword in my bones, my adversaries reproach me,while they continually ask me, “Where is your God?”
As with a sword in my bones, mine enemies reproach me; while they say daily unto me, Where is thy God?
The taunt from verse 3 returns, now described as a sword in the speaker's bones. His adversaries keep asking, where is your God? The words wound like a physical injury.
Also read Psalm 42:3, Proverbs 12:18, Micah 7:10, Luke 2:35
Why 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.
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 comes back to close the psalm, almost word for word as in verse 5. The speaker again tells his soul to hope in God. This time he calls God the saving help of his countenance, and my God.
Also read Jeremiah 30:17, Jeremiah 33:6, Psalm 42:5, Matthew 9:12
A prayer from Psalm 42
God, as the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants after you. My soul thirsts for you, the living God. My tears have been my food day and night, while others ask, Where is your God? I remember the days of joy and praise in your house. Why am I in despair? I will hope in you, for I shall still praise you. Your waves and your billows have swept over me. Command your loving kindness in the daytime, and let your song be with me in the night. You are my rock. You are the saving help of my countenance, and my God. Amen.
Psalm 42 Bible study questions
- In verses 3 and 10, what question do others keep asking the speaker, and how does he describe its effect?
- In verse 4, what does the speaker remember about the past?
- In verses 5 and 11 the speaker questions his own soul; what might be gained by speaking to yourself this way?
- Verse 8 speaks of God's loving kindness in the daytime and his song in the night; what does that pairing suggest to you?
- Psalm 43:5 repeats the refrain of Psalm 42:5 and 11; what do you notice when you read the two psalms together?
Questions about Psalm 42
What is Psalm 42 about?
It is a prayer of longing from someone who feels far from God and from God's house, and who is mocked by people asking where his God is. It keeps returning to a refrain in which the speaker tells his own soul to hope in God.
Who wrote Psalm 42?
The heading attributes it to the sons of Korah. It calls the psalm a contemplation and marks it for the Chief Musician.
What does Psalm 42:1 say in the KJV?
The King James Version reads "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God." A hart is a male deer.
What does Psalm 42:11 mean?
It is the psalm's refrain, first heard in verse 5. The speaker asks his soul why it is in despair and tells it to hope in God, because he will still praise him. The King James Version begins "Why art thou cast down, O my soul?"
What does Psalm 42:7 mean?
Deep calls to deep at the noise of God's waterfalls, and all his waves have swept over the speaker. It pictures being overwhelmed, as if under water.
Psalm 42 KJV: the King James Version
As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.1
My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?2
My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?3
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, with a multitude that kept holyday.4
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 for the help of his countenance.5
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.6
Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.7
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.8
I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?9
As with a sword in my bones, mine enemies reproach me; while they say daily unto me, Where is thy God?10
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.11
Psalm 42 in Hebrew
The Hebrew text from the Westminster Leningrad Codex, public domain. Verse numbers follow the Hebrew Bible, which counts a psalm's heading as verse 1, so they can run one ahead of English Bibles.
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1 לַמְנַצֵּ֗חַ מַשְׂכִּ֥יל לִבְנֵי־קֹֽרַח׃
2 כְּאַיָּ֗ל תַּעֲרֹ֥ג עַל־אֲפִֽיקֵי־מָ֑יִם כֵּ֤ן נַפְשִׁ֨י תַעֲרֹ֖ג אֵלֶ֣יךָ אֱלֹהִֽים׃
3 צָמְאָ֬ה נַפְשִׁ֨י ׀ לֵאלֹהִים֮ לְאֵ֪ל חָ֥י מָתַ֥י אָב֑וֹא וְ֝אֵרָאֶ֗ה פְּנֵ֣י אֱלֹהִֽים׃
4 הָֽיְתָה־לִּ֬י דִמְעָתִ֣י לֶ֭חֶם יוֹמָ֣ם וָלָ֑יְלָה בֶּאֱמֹ֥ר אֵלַ֥י כָּל־הַ֝יּ֗וֹם אַיֵּ֥ה אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ׃
5 אֵ֤לֶּה אֶזְכְּרָ֨ה ׀ וְאֶשְׁפְּכָ֬ה עָלַ֨י ׀ נַפְשִׁ֗י כִּ֤י אֶֽעֱבֹ֨ר ׀ בַּסָּךְ֮ אֶדַּדֵּ֗ם עַד־בֵּ֥ית אֱלֹ֫הִ֥ים בְּקוֹל־רִנָּ֥ה וְתוֹדָ֗ה הָמ֥וֹן חוֹגֵֽג׃
6 מַה־תִּשְׁתּ֬וֹחֲחִ֨י ׀ נַפְשִׁי֮ וַתֶּהֱמִ֪י עָ֫לָ֥י הוֹחִ֣ילִי לֵֽ֭אלֹהִים כִּי־ע֥וֹד אוֹדֶ֗נּוּ יְשׁוּע֥וֹת פָּנָֽיו׃
7 אֱֽלֹהַ֗י עָלַי֮ נַפְשִׁ֪י תִשְׁתּ֫וֹחָ֥ח עַל־כֵּ֗ן אֶ֭זְכָּרְךָ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ יַרְדֵּ֑ן וְ֝חֶרְמוֹנִ֗ים מֵהַ֥ר מִצְעָֽר׃
8 תְּהֽוֹם־אֶל־תְּה֣וֹם ק֭וֹרֵא לְק֣וֹל צִנּוֹרֶ֑יךָ כָּֽל־מִשְׁבָּרֶ֥יךָ וְ֝גַלֶּ֗יךָ עָלַ֥י עָבָֽרוּ׃
9 יוֹמָ֤ם ׀ יְצַוֶּ֬ה יְהוָ֨ה ׀ חַסְדּ֗וֹ וּ֭בַלַּיְלָה שירה עִמִּ֑י תְּ֝פִלָּ֗ה לְאֵ֣ל חַיָּֽי׃
10 אוֹמְרָ֤ה ׀ לְאֵ֥ל סַלְעִי֮ לָמָ֪ה שְׁכַ֫חְתָּ֥נִי לָֽמָּה־קֹדֵ֥ר אֵלֵ֗ךְ בְּלַ֣חַץ אוֹיֵֽב׃
11 בְּרֶ֤צַח ׀ בְּֽעַצְמוֹתַ֗י חֵרְפ֥וּנִי צוֹרְרָ֑י בְּאָמְרָ֥ם אֵלַ֥י כָּל־הַ֝יּ֗וֹם אַיֵּ֥ה אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ׃
12 מַה־תִּשְׁתּ֬וֹחֲחִ֨י ׀ נַפְשִׁי֮ וּֽמַה־תֶּהֱמִ֪י עָ֫לָ֥י הוֹחִ֣ילִי לֵֽ֭אלֹהִים כִּי־ע֣וֹד אוֹדֶ֑נּוּ יְשׁוּעֹ֥ת פָּ֝נַ֗י וֵֽאלֹהָֽי׃
Psalm 42 in the Catholic Douay-Rheims Bible
The Douay-Rheims Bible, 1899 edition, public domain. It follows the Greek and Latin numbering, so this psalm is Psalm 41 there.
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1 Unto the end, understanding for the sons of Core.
2 As the hart panteth after the fountains of water; so my soul panteth after thee, O God.
3 My soul hath thirsted after the strong living God; when shall I come and appear before the face of God?
4 My tears have been any bread day and night, whilst it is said to me daily: Where is thy God?
5 These things I remembered, and poured out my soul in me: for I shall go over into the place of the wonderful tabernacle, even to the house of God: With the voice of joy and praise; the noise of one feasting.
6 Why art thou sad, O my soul? and why dost thou trouble me? Hope in God, for I will still give praise to him: the salvation of my countenance,
7 And my God. My soul is troubled within myself: therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan and Hermoniim, from the little hill.
8 Deep calleth on deep, at the noise of thy flood-gates. All thy heights and thy billows have passed over me.
9 In the daytime the Lord hath commanded his mercy; and a canticle to him in the night. With me is prayer to the God of my life.
10 I will say to God: Thou art my support. Why hast thou forgotten me? and why go I mourning, whilst my enemy afflicteth me?
11 Whilst my bones are broken, my enemies who trouble me have reproached me; Whilst they say to me day be day: Where is thy God?
12 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why dost thou disquiet me? Hope thou in God, for I will still give praise to him: the salvation of my countenance, and my God.
Psalm 42 in Latin
The Clementine Vulgate, public domain, where this psalm is Psalm 41.
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1 In finem. Intellectus filiis Core.
2 Quemadmodum desiderat cervus ad fontes aquarum, ita desiderat anima mea ad te, Deus.
3 Sitivit anima mea ad Deum fortem, vivum; quando veniam, et apparebo ante faciem Dei?
4 Fuerunt mihi lacrimæ meæ panes die ac nocte, dum dicitur mihi quotidie: Ubi est Deus tuus?
5 Hæc recordatus sum, et effudi in me animam meam, quoniam transibo in locum tabernaculi admirabilis, usque ad domum Dei, in voce exsultationis et confessionis, sonus epulantis.
6 Quare tristis es, anima mea? et quare conturbas me? Spera in Deo, quoniam adhuc confitebor illi, salutare vultus mei,
7 et Deus meus. Ad meipsum anima mea conturbata est: propterea memor ero tui de terra Jordanis et Hermoniim a monte modico.
8 Abyssus abyssum invocat, in voce cataractarum tuarum; omnia excelsa tua, et fluctus tui super me transierunt.
9 In die mandavit Dominus misericordiam suam, et nocte canticum ejus; apud me oratio Deo vitæ meæ.
10 Dicam Deo: Susceptor meus es; quare oblitus es mei? et quare contristatus incedo, dum affligit me inimicus?
11 Dum confringuntur ossa mea, exprobraverunt mihi qui tribulant me inimici mei, dum dicunt mihi per singulos dies: Ubi est Deus tuus?
12 Quare tristis es, anima mea? et quare conturbas me? Spera in Deo, quoniam adhuc confitebor illi, salutare vultus mei, et Deus meus.
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Psalm 42 at a glance
| Verses | 11 |
| Heading in the text | For the Chief Musician. A contemplation by the sons of Korah. |
| Attributed to | The heading attributes it to the sons of Korah, calls it a contemplation, and marks it for the Chief Musician. |
| Type | Lament |
| Number in Greek and Latin Bibles | Psalm 41 |
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Psalm 42 in other translations
This page prints the World English Bible and the King James Version because both are public domain. The NIV, ESV, NKJV, NLT and NASB are under copyright, so they cannot be printed in full here. You can read Psalm 42 in those translations at Bible Gateway.
Where Psalm 42 belongs
Psalms of the sons of KorahBook 2 of the Psalms
How this page was made
The psalm text comes from public domain translations and is not edited. The summary, the verse notes and the answers are written for this page from the text of the psalm itself. Where a claim goes beyond the text, it is sourced below.
Sources
- Text: World English Bible and King James Version, both public domain, from ebible.org source
- Hebrew text: Westminster Leningrad Codex, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Douay-Rheims: Douay-Rheims Bible, 1899 edition, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Latin text: Clementine Vulgate, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Numbering: Greek and Latin psalm numbering, Wikipedia, Psalms source