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Psalms 42:2

The Pulpit Commentary on Psalms 42:2

The Pulpit Commentary · Joseph S. Exell and contributors · Public domain

My soul thirsteth for God (comp. ; ; ). The devout soul is always athirst for God. David felt his severance from the tabernacle and its services as a sort of severance from God himself, whom he was accustomed to approach through the services of the sanctuary (see , ).

For the living God. This title of God occurs only in one other psalm (); but it was a title familiar to David (). It is first used in ; and, later, in ; , ; , ; ; ; ; .

It expresses that essential attribute of God that he is "the eternal Life" (), the Source and Origin of all life, whether angelic, human, or animal. When shall I come and appear before God?

Appearance in the tabernacle must here be specially meant, but with this David connects his return to God's favour and to the light of his countenance ().

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Matthew Henry on Psalms 42:1-5Psalms 42:1-5 · Matthew Henry Concise CommentaryThe psalmist looked to the Lord as his chief good, and set his heart upon him accordingly; casting anchor thus at first, he rides out the storm. A gracious soul can take little satisfaction in God's courts, if it do not…The Pulpit Commentary on Psalms 42:1-11Psalms 42:1-11 · The Pulpit CommentaryEXPOSITION THIS psalm, committed (like so many others) to the precentor, or. chief musician, for its musical setting, is entitled "Maschil of the sous of Korah"—i.e. an "instruction," or didactic psalm, composed by the…The Pulpit Commentary on Psalms 42:1-11Psalms 42:1-11 · The Pulpit CommentaryA thirst for God. This is one of the most touching, pathetic, and beautiful of the Psalms. It is not possible to decide either its author or the time of its composition. Its tones are very much like the plaintive sounds…The Pulpit Commentary on Psalms 42:1-11Psalms 42:1-11 · The Pulpit CommentarySpiritual depression. The scene of this psalm seems to have been on the other side of Jordan, near the shining heights of Hermon. Here we may imagine the writer, probably a Hebrew exile, straining his eyes to catch a gl…
commentaryMatthew Henry on Psalms 42:1-5The psalmist looked to the Lord as his chief good, and set his heart upon him accordingly; casting anchor thus at first, he rides out the storm. A gracious soul can take little satisfaction in God's courts, if it do not…Matthew HenrycommentaryThe Pulpit Commentary on Psalms 42:1-11A thirst for God. This is one of the most touching, pathetic, and beautiful of the Psalms. It is not possible to decide either its author or the time of its composition. Its tones are very much like the plaintive sounds…Joseph S. Exell and contributorscommentaryThe Pulpit Commentary on Psalms 42:1-11EXPOSITION THIS psalm, committed (like so many others) to the precentor, or. chief musician, for its musical setting, is entitled "Maschil of the sous of Korah"—i.e. an "instruction," or didactic psalm, composed by the…Joseph S. Exell and contributorscommentaryThe Pulpit Commentary on Psalms 42:1-11Spiritual depression. The scene of this psalm seems to have been on the other side of Jordan, near the shining heights of Hermon. Here we may imagine the writer, probably a Hebrew exile, straining his eyes to catch a gl…Joseph S. Exell and contributors