Bible Strands
Psalms 42:1
For the choirmaster. A Maskil of the sons of Korah. As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul longs after You, O God.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — A son of Korah (or the Korahite guild) speaks directly to God from a position of absence, asking when he will stand in God's presence (v. 2). The superscript designates this as a Maskil, a teaching psalm, for the choirmaster.
The words — The verb תַעֲרֹג (ta.'a.Rog, H6165) appears twice, meaning "pants" — the open-mouthed, labored breathing of an animal in physical distress. It is the hinge that binds the deer's need to the soul's need.
The thread — The same panting/thirsting language recurs in Psalms 63:1 (soul thirsts for God in the wilderness), Psalms 143:6 (soul thirsts like parched land), and Psalms 119:131 (mouth pants for commandments).
Why it lands — The verse reduces the absence of God to a bodily deprivation, not a moral failing or a theological abstraction. It asks the reader to locate their own longing in the body, where it cannot be reasoned away.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
To the chief Musician, Maschil, for the sons of Korah. As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.
Cross-references
- Psalms 63:1 A Psalm of David, when he was in the Wilderness of Judah. O God, You are my God. Earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You. My body yearns for You in a dry and weary land without water.
- Psalms 143:6 I stretch out my hands to You; my soul thirsts for You like a parched land. Selah
- Psalms 119:131 I open my mouth and pant, longing for Your commandments.
- Isaiah 26:8 Yes, we wait for You, O LORD; we walk in the path of Your judgments. Your name and renown are the desire of our souls.
- Psalms 84:1 For the choirmaster. According to Gittith. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. How lovely is Your dwelling place, O LORD of Hosts!
- Psalms 48:1 A song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, His holy mountain.
- Psalms 46:1 For the choirmaster. Of the sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A song. God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble.
- Psalms 85:1 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. You showed favor to Your land, O LORD; You restored Jacob from captivity.
- Psalms 45:1 For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Lilies.” A Maskil of the sons of Korah. A love song. My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses to the king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.
- Psalms 44:1 For the choirmaster. A Maskil of the sons of Korah. We have heard with our ears, O God; our fathers have told us the work You did in their days, in the days of old.