Psalms 42:1

Book 2
(Psalms 42-72)

Psalm 42 ¹ 

For the music director; a well-written song ²  by the Korahites.

42:1 As a deer ³  longs ⁴  for streams of water,

so I long ⁵  for you, O God!

Psalms 119:81-83

כ (Kaf)

119:81 I desperately long for ⁶  your deliverance.

I find hope in your word.

119:82 My eyes grow tired as I wait for your promise to be fulfilled. ⁷ 

I say, ⁸  “When will you comfort me?”

119:83 For ⁹  I am like a wineskin ¹⁰  dried up in smoke. ¹¹ 

I do not forget your statutes.

Psalms 143:4-7

143:4 My strength leaves me; ¹² 

I am absolutely shocked. ¹³ 

143:5 I recall the old days; ¹⁴ 

I meditate on all you have done;

I reflect on your accomplishments. ¹⁵ 

143:6 I spread my hands out to you in prayer; ¹⁶ 

my soul thirsts for you in a parched ¹⁷  land. ¹⁸ 

143:7 Answer me quickly, Lord!

My strength is fading. ¹⁹ 

Do not reject me, ²⁰ 

or I will join ²¹  those descending into the grave. ²² 

Isaiah 21:4

21:4 My heart palpitates, ²³ 

I shake in fear; ²⁴ 

the twilight I desired

has brought me terror.

[42:1]  ¹ sn Psalm 42. The psalmist recalls how he once worshiped in the Lord’s temple, but laments that he is now oppressed by enemies in a foreign land. Some medieval Hebrew mss combine Psalms 42 and 43 into a single psalm.

[42:1]  ² tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7.

[42:1]  ³ tn Since the accompanying verb is feminine in form, the noun אָיִּל (’ayyil, “male deer”) should be emended to אַיֶּלֶת (’ayyelet, “female deer”). Haplography of the letter tav has occurred; note that the following verb begins with tav.

[42:1]  ⁴ tn Or “pants [with thirst].”

[42:1]  ⁵ tn Or “my soul pants [with thirst].” The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) with a pronominal suffix is often equivalent to a pronoun, especially in poetry (see BDB 660 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ 4.a).

[119:81]  ⁶ tn Heb “my soul pines for.” See Ps 84:2.

[119:82]  ⁷ tn Heb “my eyes fail for your word.” The psalmist has intently kept his eyes open, looking for God to intervene, but now his eyes are watery and bloodshot, impairing his vision. See Ps 69:3.

[119:82]  ⁸ tn Heb “saying.”

[119:83]  ⁹ tn Or “even though.”

[119:83]  ¹⁰ tn The Hebrew word נֹאד (no’d, “leather container”) refers to a container made from animal skin which is used to hold wine or milk (see Josh 9:4, 13; Judg 4:19; 1 Sam 16:20).

[119:83]  ¹¹ tn Heb “in the smoke.”

[143:4]  ¹² tn Heb “my spirit grows faint.”

[143:4]  ¹³ tn Heb “in my midst my heart is shocked.” For a similar use of the Hitpolel of שָׁמֵם (shamem), see Isa 59:16; 63:5.

[143:5]  ¹⁴ tn Or “ancient times”; Heb “days from before.”

[143:5]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “the work of your hands.”

[143:6]  ¹⁶ tn The words “in prayer” are supplied in the translation to clarify that the psalmist is referring to a posture of prayer.

[143:6]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “faint” or “weary.” See Ps 63:1.

[143:6]  ¹⁸ tc Heb “my soul like a faint land for you.” A verb (perhaps “thirsts”) is implied (see Ps 63:1). The translation assumes an emendation of the preposition -כְּ (kÿ, “like”) to -בְּ (bÿ, “in,” see Ps 63:1; cf. NEB “athirst for thee in a thirsty land”). If the MT is retained, one might translate, “my soul thirsts for you, as a parched land does for water/rain” (cf. NIV, NRSV).

[143:7]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “my spirit is failing.”

[143:7]  ²⁰ tn Heb “do not hide your face from me.” The idiom “hide the face” (1) can mean “ignore” (see Pss 10:11; 13:1; 51:9) or (2) can carry the stronger idea of “reject” (see Pss 30:7; 88:14).

[143:7]  ²¹ tn Heb “I will be equal with.”

[143:7]  ²² tn Heb “the pit.” The Hebrew noun בּוֹר (bor, “pit; cistern”) is sometimes used of the grave and/or the realm of the dead. See Ps 28:1.

[21:4]  ²³ tn Heb “wanders,” perhaps here, “is confused.”

[21:4]  ²⁴ tn Heb “shuddering terrifies me.”