Fathers

Psalms 42

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As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants after you, God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, while they continually ask me, “Where is your God?” These things I remember, and pour out my soul within me, how I used to go with the crowd, and led them to God’s house, with the voice of joy and praise, a multitude keeping a holy day. Why are you in despair, my soul? Why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God! For I shall still praise him for the saving help of his presence. My God, my soul is in despair within me. Therefore I remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon, from the hill Mizar. Deep calls to deep at the noise of your waterfalls. All your waves and your billows have swept over me. Yahweh will command his loving kindness in the daytime. In the night his song shall be with me: a prayer to the God of my life. I will ask God, my rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?” As with a sword in my bones, my adversaries reproach me, while they continually ask me, “Where is your God?” Why are you in despair, my soul? Why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God! For I shall still praise him, the saving help of my countenance, and my God.

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What the Fathers say

Psalms 42:7

Western Saints

Augustine of Hippo

"Deep calleth unto deep with the voice of thy water-spouts." I may perhaps finish the Psalm, aided as I am by your attention, whose fervour I perceive. As for your fatigue in hearing, I am not greatly solicitous, since you see me also, who speak, toiling in the heat of these exertions. Assuredly it is from your seeing me labouring, that you labour with me: for I am labouring not for myself, but for you. …

On the Psalms, Psalm 42 ↗

Ambrose of Milan

Listen to this: "Deep calls on deep at the voice of your floodgates." Scripture of the Old Testament calls on Scripture of the New Testament for the consummation of holiness and the fullness of grace; it calls with the voice of grace and the outflowing of spiritual abundance.

Commentary On Twelve Psalms 36:18 ↗

Thomas Aquinas

"Deep calls to deep." He explains the remedy with respect to two things said: namely, with respect to the disturbance he has in himself, and with respect to the remembrance of God, at "In the day he commanded." As to the first he proposes a likeness and explains its cause. "Deep" in Scripture signifies a multitude of waters. Gen. 1: "Darkness was upon the face of the deep, and the Spirit of the Lord," etc. It also happens that when waters are generated in great quantity in the air, they can be called a deep. …

Exposition on the Psalms of David ↗