Psalm 42 (41):7Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Similarly, when we consistently focus our thoughts on God and keep Him ever in our hearts, everything becomes manageable for us; we can endure all circumstances with grace and rise above challenges. Just as the sight or memory of a cherished person uplifts our spirit and brings us joy, the one who holds in their thoughts the Lord, who has blessed us with genuine affection, cannot be overcome by sorrow or fear of any daunting peril. Such a person will never succumb to cowardice. Much of our struggles arise because we fail to remember God as we should, letting Him slip from our minds. He could justly remind us, "You have forgotten Me, so I will forget you." This creates a dual tragedy: our forgetfulness of Him, and His resultant forgetfulness of us.

The humbling of the soul: Is it not perplexed regarding God? It finds itself in confusion over me. In the presence of the Eternal, it finds restoration, yet it is distressed by the transient... Thus, since my strength does not lie within me, I can find no hope in myself; my soul is anxious about me. Do you wish for it to cease this turmoil? Then it must not dwell within you. Do not place your trust in your own abilities but instead rely on your God. For when you trust in yourself, your soul will find no peace regarding you, as it will fail to encounter what can provide solace. Therefore, since my soul experiences distress concerning me, what is left but to adopt a posture of humility, ensuring that the soul does not preoccupy itself with its own well-being? What remains, then, is to consider itself the least of all and to humble itself as much as it seeks to elevate itself. Let it claim nothing for itself—so that God may grant it what is truly beneficial.

In moments of distress for my soul, I find comfort in recalling the wonders You revealed at both the Jordan River and on Mount Hermon. It is as if I say that when I arrive at the Jordan, meaning when I am ready to receive the sacred baptism, I will reflect upon You, uttering my confessions. I will also think of Hermonim, which translates to ‘the path of illumination’; for through holy baptism, this path to enlightenment is made accessible.

From the region of Jordan, the river where the Lord was baptized, and from Hermon, symbolizing the curse of this age (since 'Hermon' translates to 'anathema'), as well as from the lowly heights of this world (for even the holiest among us, while residing here, is not upon a great mountain but remains on a humble incline), let us lift up our voices to the Lord and seek to understand the profound truths of His Scriptures through the witness of other biblical texts. What we cannot grasp in the mysteries of the Old Testament, we clarify through the revelations of the New Testament, conveyed by the voices of God's prophets and apostles. All the exalted things of the Lord, the very stream and its flow that nourishes the city of God, run through us.

In this passage, the soul engages in a dialogue with itself. It is instructed to find relief from its distress, having listened to the assurances of future blessings. The soul responds, stating that its grief is not without purpose; it surrenders to tears as the memory of its homeland evokes profound sorrow. The Prophet refers to the region of Jordan as the land of promise and acknowledges Mount Hermon as a significant location. Simmachus offers a translation noting, "My soul is refreshed when I reflect upon you from the land of Jordan and the lesser mountain of Hermonim."

Within my soul, I experience deep turmoil. The phrase refers to the inner state of my being. He expresses that my soul is distressed or mournful, unrecognized by those around me amidst this sorrow and confusion. This distress arises from contemplations of our Jewish transgressions, leading to our subjugation by the Babylonians, and the prolonged absence from our cherished homeland, Jerusalem. Thus, we recalled You from the regions of Jordan and Hermonim, from the lesser mountain. He states that the source of this grief in my heart compels me to remember Your divine Providence and care bestowed upon our people, the Jews, through the blessings we received in the promised land.

The pinnacle of humility is illustrated in the statement, ‘from the lowly mountain’: God is not discovered in the heights of arrogance, but is acknowledged from the modest peaks of humility.

These reflections capture the essence of David's sorrowful state: whenever he turned his inner gaze toward God's holy place from the banks of the Jordan, where he sought refuge as a wayfarer, his heartache intensified. He expresses, almost in solitude, that his concerns do not lie with his spouse, his home, or his worldly goods—these matters do not trouble him. Instead, he suffers deeply over one particular issue: his exclusion from the presence of the Lord. It becomes clear that David's lament is not primarily about his banishment, but rather about his longing for God and His dwelling, not to amplify his grief, but to find solace in it.

This Psalm, inspired by the Holy Spirit, was composed by David, who fervently expresses his profound love for God and his longing to witness the Lord's covenant, which was unattainable for him due to persecution. He prophetically encourages the faithful to love unconditionally to the very end through Christ, the Lord and God of humanity. Directed to the sons of Korah, the chiefs of the temple singers, he instructed them to sing with intention, so that as they sing, they might also listen and lead others to grasp the mystery within this psalm regarding the divine gifts that Christ the Lord has bestowed upon all of humanity at the culmination of the ages.