1 As the hart pants after the water brooks, so my soul pants after thee, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?
3 My tears have been my food day and night, while they continually say to me, Where is thy God?
4 These things I remember, and pour out my soul within me, how I went with the throng, and led them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, a multitude keeping holyday.
5 Why are thou cast down, O my soul? And why are thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God, for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.
6 O my God, my soul is cast down within me. Therefore I remember thee from the land of the Jordan, and the Hermons, from the hill Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deep at the noise of thy waterfalls. All thy waves and thy billows have gone over me.
8 Yet Jehovah will command his loving kindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, even a prayer to the God of my life.
9 I will say to God my rock, Why have thou forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?
10 As with a sword in my bones, my adversaries reproach me; while they continually say to me, Where is thy God?
11 Why are thou cast down, O my soul? And why are thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God, for I shall yet praise him, the help of my countenance, and my God.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Psalm 42 express?
What does the refrain 'Why art thou cast down, O my soul?' mean?
What does verse 1 compare the soul's thirst to?
Today's Verse
So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest was sitting upon his seat by the door-post of the temple of Jehovah.
Verse Of The DayTwice the psalmist questions his own despair, asking "why art thou cast down, O my soul?" before choosing to hope in God despite waves and billows going over him. That same yearning reappears in Psalms 63:1-2; step back to Psalms 41 or forward to Psalms 43.
