What was the Psalmist's Problem in Psalm 42:3-4?

 

WHAT WAS THE PSALMIST’S PROBLEM IN PSALM 42:3-4?

By Ezekiel Kimosop

What was the psalmist's problem in Psalm 42:3-4?

Psalm 42:1-4 says "As the deer pants for the water brooks,

So pants my soul for You, O God.

2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.

When shall I come and appear before God?

3 My tears have been my food day and night,

While they continually say to me,

“Where is your God?”

4 When I remember these things,

I pour out my soul within me.

For I used to go with the multitude;

I went with them to the house of God,

With the voice of joy and praise,

With a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast." (NKJV).

To appreciate the psalmist's predicament, the Bible reader should read through the entire psalm.

The psalmist exudes hope in v.5b, saying "... Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him

For the help of His countenance."

Was the psalmist possibly in exile at this point? The NKJV aptly titles the psalm "Yearning for God in the Midst of Distresses." The psalmist was suffering some heavy distress whose details are not disclosed in Scripture. He was longing for an opportunity to appear before God in the temple. There is a hint in v.44 that the psalmist used to worship God in the gathering of His people. It appears that this experience was curtailed under unclear circumstances. The psalmist admits in v.9b that he was under the oppression of an undisclosed enemy. He had possibly been captured by enemy forces and detained or imprisoned.

The ridicule in v.11 provides a second hint. He was under a humiliating experience. The psalmist's enemies mock him all day long, saying "Where is your God?”. This could be an indication that he was under enemy captivity, far away from Israel. The mention of the territory in v.6 suggests that he was in a heathen location outside the territory of Israel:

"Therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan,

And from the heights of Hermon,

From the Hill Mizar."

While we may not fully understand the circumstances behind the experience of the writer at this point, Psalm 42 reveals that the psalmist as most likely a downcast covenant Jew who was possibly held by enemy captors outside the territory of Israel for an undefined period of time. His liberty was apparently curtailed and this could explain his distress. He longed for the communal temple worship which had previously shaped his religious life. 

The imagery employed by the psalmist in 

 Psalm 42:1-2 is compelling. His longing

 for an opportunity to appear before God

portrays the consuming depth of his 

covenant life with God. 

Some Bible scholars suppose that the writer may have been a victim of a Canaanite raid into territories of Israel. This raid could be similar to the Amalekite raid on David's camp at Ziglag in the Negev which is described in 1 Samuel 30. 

This psalm teaches us that no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in, our covenant relationship with God will be preserved and God's loving grace will be extended to us. God will never leave or forsake His covenant people. He preserved the children of Israel in Gentile territories, including Egypt, Babylon, and Persia.

We should therefore be encouraged that God is still with us in those difficult moments. We can commune with God and make petitions to Him and, more importantly, keep our hope on Him. At His appointed time, He will rescue us from our distress and affliction. 

Job suffered horrendous affliction under the Chaldeans. His devastation is recorded in Job 1:6-19. Job endured the painful affliction with compelling courage. Job 1:20-22 says:

"Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. ²¹ And he said:

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
And naked shall I return there.2)
The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away;
Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

²² In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong." (NKJV). 

God came to Job's rescue in the end (Job 41-4. We serve a faithful God who stands with us even in the worst storms of life. You could be navigating difficult terrains in life, not sure about how things would come out in the end. Place your hope in God and wait upon Him. Psalm 121:7-8 says:

"The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.
⁸ The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore." (NKJV). 

Shalom

 

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This article was originally posted on ebible.com on 13^th February 2026. It was revised and posted on Listening & Doing Biblical Forum on 4th March 2026. You can access this website through ezekielkimosop.blogspot.com. 

 

© Ezekiel Kimosop 2026