Tyndale Open Study Notes on Psalms 42:1

A historical reference excerpt for this verse. Read it alongside the biblical text and other available sources.

Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Modern study notes
Source: BibleWord.ai's local reference edition of this named work.

Pss 42–43 These psalms, like Pss 9 and 10, form a unit comprising a lament with a bittersweet refrain of hope (42:5, 11; 43:5). In many Hebrew manuscripts these two psalms are combined as one. The historical context is uncertain; these psalms might be the voice of God’s people in exile, confessing their loyalty to God as he punishes them for their prevailing apostasy. The psalmist longs for fellowship with God such as he enjoyed in Jerusalem (42:4); his memories only make him more discouraged. As the psalmist cries out to God, he recalls God’s love and faithfulness (42:8), which moves him to plead for vindication (43:1-4). 42:title The descendants of Korah were members of a Levitical choir appointed by David to serve as Temple singers (see 1 Chr 6:22-38; 9:19-34; 2 Chr 20:19). Their ancestor Korah was the apostate who had rebelled against Moses and whom the earth swallowed up (Exod 6:24; Num 16). 42:1-4 The psalmist’s longing for God comes from being geographically distant from the Temple as he remembers the past. • The verb translated longs is found only here and in Joel 1:20 (“cry out”); in both cases it refers to extreme thirst in a waterless desert (see Pss 63:1; 143:6; see also 84:2).

Read Psalms 42:1 →Read the full chapter →John Gill's Exposition →Jamieson, Fausset & Brown →Barnes' Notes →Wesley's Explanatory Notes →Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge →Keil & Delitzsch →

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