Bible Strands
Psalms 42:9
I say to God my Rock, “Why have You forgotten me? Why must I walk in sorrow because of the enemy’s oppression?”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist speaks to God, questioning divine silence while facing enemy oppression. This declaration follows a reminder of God's daytime faithfulness and nighttime song, and precedes the enemies' daily taunt about God's absence.
The words — The Hebrew קֹדֵר (ko.Der) denotes mourning or gloom, and אֵלֵ֗ךְ ('e.Lekh) means to walk, together forming the literal phrase "walk in mourning." The psalmist uses this combination to describe the sustained posture of enduring hardship.
The thread — The image of walking in mourning all day appears in Psalms 38:6 alongside descriptions of being bent and brought low. The exact complaint about walking in sorrow because of enemy oppression is repeated in Psalms 43:2.
Why it lands — The text requires a direct address to God amid unexplained delay, refusing to replace the question with false certainty. It asks the reader to maintain faithful inquiry while enduring prolonged distress.
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
I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?
Cross-references
- Psalms 38:6 I am bent and brought low; all day long I go about mourning.
- Psalms 18:2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
- Psalms 43:2 For You are the God of my refuge. Why have You rejected me? Why must I walk in sorrow because of the enemy’s oppression?
- Psalms 28:1 Of David. To You, O LORD, I call; be not deaf to me, O my Rock. For if You remain silent, I will be like those descending to the Pit.
- Psalms 44:23 Wake up, O Lord! Why are You sleeping? Arise! Do not reject us forever.
- Psalms 62:2 He alone is my rock and my salvation. He is my fortress; I will never be shaken.
- Isaiah 40:27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and why do you assert, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD, and my claim is ignored by my God”?
- Lamentations 5:1 Remember, O LORD, what has happened to us. Look and see our disgrace!
- Job 30:26 But when I hoped for good, evil came; when I looked for light, darkness fell.
- Psalms 13:1 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?