Psalm 42 explained: Thirsty for God, Far from Home

Thirsty like a deer (vv. 1-2)

The writer pictures a deer in dry country desperate for a stream, and says his longing for God is that strong. The phrase translated "meet with God" or "appear before God" was the usual way of describing going to worship at the temple, especially at the yearly festivals.

Tears and mocking (vv. 3-4)

He cries instead of eating, while people keep asking him where his God is, implying God has abandoned him. He remembers walking with joyful festival crowds to the house of God, and that memory makes the present hurt even more.

Arguing with himself (v. 5)

He talks to his own discouraged heart and tells it to keep hoping, because a day of praise will come again. This line returns in verse 11 and again in Psalm 43, which is one reason many scholars think the two psalms were first a single poem.

Far from Jerusalem (v. 6)

He names the land of the Jordan, the Hermon mountains and a hill called Mizar, places far from the temple. Some read this as the far north near the Jordan's sources and others as the country east of the Jordan, and no one knows where Mizar was, though the name may simply mean "little hill."

Drowning in grief (v. 7)

Roaring waterfalls and crashing waves become a picture of sorrow pouring over him again and again. The man who thirsted for water now feels he is drowning in it.

Holding on, still asking why (vv. 8-11)

He clings to the belief that God's love is with him day and night, yet in the same breath asks why God seems to have forgotten him, and says the repeated mocking question cuts into his very bones. The psalm ends by repeating its call to hope, without saying the trouble is over.

Key verse: Psalm 42:5

Something to think about

Have you ever argued with your own discouragement the way this writer does, and what did you find yourself saying back to it?