Psalms 43:2

2 For you are the God of my strength; why have you thrust me aside? Why must I go about mourning, under pressure by the enemy?

Psalms 43:2 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 43:2

For thou [art] the God of my strength
Who being the strong and mighty God was able to deliver and save him, as well as to plead his cause; and was the author and giver of strength, natural and spiritual, to him; and was the strength of his heart, life and salvation; and is a good reason why he committed his cause unto him;

why doest thou cast me off?
this is the language of unbelief: it being what was not in reality, only in appearance: the psalmist was ready to conclude he was cast off and rejected of God, because he was afflicted and left in a desolate condition by him, and he did not immediately arise to his help and deliverance, and had withdrawn the light of his countenance from him; but God does not cast off or reject any of his people; they always continue in his love, and in his covenant, and in the hands of his Son; they are always in his sight and family, and shall never perish eternally; and whoever casts them off, or casts them out, he will not;

why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?
(See Gill on Psalms 42:9).

Psalms 43:2 In-Context

1 Judge me, God, and plead my cause against a faithless nation. Rescue me from those who deceive and from those who are unjust.
2 For you are the God of my strength; why have you thrust me aside? Why must I go about mourning, under pressure by the enemy?
3 Send out your light and your truth; let them be my guide; let them lead me to your holy mountain, to the places where you live.
4 Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and delight; I will praise you on the lyre, God, my God.
5 My soul, why are you so downcast? Why are you groaning inside me? Hope in God, since I will praise him again for being my Savior and God.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.