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Wisdom & Poetry · WORLD ENGLISH BIBLE

Psalm 42

Psalm 42 is read especially through the theme of praise, within Book II (Psalms 42–72). Its language invites attentive prayer before quick application.

PraiseLament
Old Testament

Psalm 42

1For the Chief Musician. A contemplation by the sons of Korah. As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants after you, God.

2My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?

3My tears have been my food day and night, while they continually ask me, “Where is your God?”

4These 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.

5Why 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.

6My 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.

7Deep calls to deep at the noise of your waterfalls. All your waves and your billows have swept over me.

8The 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.

9I will ask God, my rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”

10As with a sword in my bones, my adversaries reproach me, while they continually ask me, “Where is your God?”

11Why 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.

READ IN CONTEXT

Understanding Psalm 42

Psalm 42 is read especially through the theme of praise, within Book II (Psalms 42–72). Its language invites attentive prayer before quick application. Read it within the complete five-book Psalms collection, then compare its prayer language with the types of prayer found across Scripture. Classification is a reading aid rather than a replacement for the Psalm's own movement and tension.

Collection

Book II (Psalms 42–72). The five-book shape of the Psalter helps readers hear individual prayers within a deliberately arranged collection.

Themes detected

Praise, Lament. Read for these themes while remaining open to tension and secondary movements.

TEXT-DERIVED READING NOTES

What to notice in Psalm 42

Psalm 42 contains 11 verses and about 263 words in this translation. These observations come from the chapter itself; they are prompts for close reading, not claims about its only possible meaning.

The opening movement

Verse 1 begins: “For the Chief Musician. A contemplation by the sons of Korah. As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants after you, God.” Ask what situation, voice, image, or argument this opening establishes for everything that follows.

The closing movement

Verse 11 closes: “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.” Compare the ending with the opening and note what changed, resolved, intensified, or remained open.

Vocabulary worth tracing

Recurring or prominent content words include soul, within, praise, despair, pants, night. Follow where each word appears and whether its meaning shifts with the speaker or setting.

COMMON QUESTIONS

About Psalm 42

Which Bible translation is shown here?+

This page reproduces the World English Bible Protestant edition (WEBP), a modern-English translation dedicated to the public domain.

How should I cite a specific verse?+

Use the book, chapter, and verse—for example, Psalms 42:1—and name the World English Bible if the wording matters. Each verse number above is a direct anchor link.

Does the chapter number define the complete literary unit?+

Not always. Chapter and verse numbers were added for navigation. Check the paragraphs, scenes, poetic stanzas, or argument before and after this chapter.

What kind of Psalm is this?+

Our reading profile emphasizes praise, with related themes of Praise, Lament. Many Psalms blend genres or move between moods, so this label is a guide rather than a rigid classification.

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