Psalm 42:5

Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments - Psalms 42:1-11

Psalms 42:3 . Tears have been my meat. I abstained from food to indulge in grief: my sorrows have superseded the desire of food. Psalms 42:6 . The hill Mizar; the little hill on which Zoar was built, to which Lot and his daughters fled. Psalms 42:7 . Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts. Waterspouts at sea are very analogous to whirlwinds on land. They are never noticed but in dark and rainy weather. They are seen from the deck of a ship to arise in the midst of a... read more

Joseph Exell

The Biblical Illustrator - Psalms 42:1-11

Psalms 42:1-11As the heart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after Thee, O God.The Korachite psalmsThe second book of the Psalter, characterized by the use of the Divine name “Elohim” instead of “Jehovah,” begins with a cluster of seven psalms (reckoning Psalms 43:1-5, as one), of which the superscription is most probably regarded as ascribing their authorship to “the sons of Korach.” These were Levites, and (1 Chronicles 9:19, etc.) the office of keepers of the door of the... read more

Joseph Exell

The Biblical Illustrator - Psalms 42:5

Psalms 42:5Why art thou cast down, O my soul?and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God. A prescription for a downcast soulI. Inquiry. “Why art thou cast down?” Many a man is in great spiritual darkness, without knowing, or being able to discover the reason. He has been trying to live rightly, so far as he knows. He has not neglected prayer nor the house of God, and yet God seems to have hidden His face; his peace is gone; his soul is full of harrowing doubts. Christians sometimes... read more

John Trapp

John Trapp Complete Commentary - Psalms 42:5

Psa 42:5 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. Ver. 5. Why art thou cast down, O my soul? ] Here David seemeth to be Homo divisus in duas partes, saith Vatablus, a man divided into two parts, as indeed every new man is two men; and what is to be seen in the Shulamite but as it were the company of two armies? Song of Solomon 6:13 . David chideth David out of his dumps. So did Alice... read more

Samuel Bagster

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge - Psalms 42:5

Why art thou cast down: Heb. Why art thou bowed down, Psalms 42:11, Psalms 35:14, Psalms 43:5, Psalms 55:4, Psalms 55:5, Psalms 61:2, Psalms 142:2, Psalms 142:3, Psalms 143:3, Psalms 143:4, 1 Samuel 30:6, Mark 14:33, Mark 14:34 hope: Psalms 27:13, Psalms 27:14, Psalms 37:7, Psalms 56:3, Psalms 56:11, Psalms 71:14, Job 13:15, Isaiah 50:10, Lamentations 3:24-Ezekiel :, Romans 4:18-Proverbs :, Hebrews 10:36, Hebrews 10:37 praise him: or, give thanks for the help: etc. or, his presence is... read more

John Wesley

Wesley's Explanatory Notes - Psalms 42:5

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.For — Heb. for the salvations of his face, for those supports, deliverances and comforts which I doubt not I shall enjoy both in his presence and sanctuary, and from his presence, and the light of his countenance. read more

Daniel Whedon

Whedon's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 42:5

5. The apostrophic address of this verse shows the highly impassioned state of the author. Cast down Calvin says, “David here presents himself divided into two parts.” “It is the struggle,” says Perowne, “between the spirit of faith and the spirit of dejection between the higher nature and the lower.” “It is the spirit, mighty in God, which here meets the trembling soul.” Hengstenberg. For the help of his countenance Hebrew, The deliverance, or salvation, of his face; that is,... read more