Analysis Of Psalm 42

Introduction to Psalm 42—Genre, Dating, Parallels

Psalm 42-43 was originally one poem they are located in Book II of the Psalter (Psalms 42-72) as a Korahite psalm. The author of Psalm 42 is unknown; however it is believed by some to have been written by one of the descents of Korah. Many of the psalms open with a heading before the main text. In many instances the headings have the name of the person that was believed to have authored the psalm attached to it. There are some scholars who totally dismiss the heading because of the difference in the Septuagint and Masoretic text. The superscription for psalms 42 reads “To the leader. A Maskil of Korahite.” The word “of” in the superscription may prove to be problematic due to the various meanings of the word “of” in Hebrew. The word of could mean “dedicated to,” “associated with,” “concerning,” “to,” or “of”. The psalmist expresses a desire to be reconnected to God based upon the language of verses 1-3. This psalm falls into the category of a lament because the psalmist expresses feelings of abandonment by God (based on the reference of being forgotten in verse 9). The psalmist recounts the intimacy of God’s presence from the land of the Jordan and of Herman and Mount Mizar. The psalmist is being taunted by enemies but tries not to lose hope in God. There were moments the psalmist questions the soul. In verse 5 the psalmist asked, “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted in within me?” The psalmist struggled with depression and hope in verse 5, but in verse 6 the psalmist stops wrestling and admits to having a casted down soul. This psalm expresses the pain and anger the psalmist felt because of the absence of God. It is obvious that the psalmist attempted to ...

... middle of paper ...

...ful or potential songs and it could have been used to refer to “an artfully crafted song” (Chavalas, 517).

Psalms is divided into different genres. The genres are: royal psalms, wisdom psalms, psalms of remembrance, psalms of confidence, psalms of thanksgiving, hymns and laments. Laments are songs of “disorientation, of abandonment, distress, pain, and suffering” (Dillard, 221). The palmist sang as a result of experiencing suffering, heart break, disappointment, discouragement, or feelings or abandonment just to name a few. The source of the palmist problems could have happened as a result of self, God, or an enemy. In psalms 42 the psalmist is force to deal with self, the enemy and God. The 42nd palm’s anatomy fits the profile of an individual lament because the language describes an individual who is struggling with being disconnected from God.