Psalmen 42:4

4 Mijn tranen zijn mij tot spijs dag en nacht; omdat zij den gansen dag tot mij zeggen: Waar is uw God?

Psalmen 42:4 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 42:4

When I remember these [things]
Either the reproaches of his enemies; or rather his past enjoyments of God in his house, he after makes mention of;

I pour out my soul in me,
that is, he had no life nor spirit in him, but was quite overwhelmed with distress and anguish; or he poured out his soul in prayer to God, that it might be with him as in times past;

for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of
God;
the place of public worship, whither he had often gone, with great pleasure and delight; and, which added thereto, there were many that went along with him; or whom he had "caused to go" F7, had brought along with him; which is the sense of the word, only used here and in ( Isaiah 38:15 ) ; as Dr. Hammond from R. Tanchum and Aben Walid, has shown: a good man will not only attend divine worship himself, but will bring others with him: but now, he could neither go alone, nor in company, the remembrance of which greatly affected his mind; see ( Psalms 137:1 ) ;

with the voice of joy and praise:
the people singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs;

with a multitude that kept holy day;
as especially on the three great festivals in the year, the feasts of passover, pentecost, and tabernacles, when all the males of Israel appeared before God together, and which was a large multitude; and a delightful sight it was to behold them, when they were all engaged in religious worship at once.


FOOTNOTES:

F7 (Mrda) "deduceham", Tigurine version; "assumebum mihi iilos", Michaelis; "efficiebam eos in societatem collectos socios esse mihi", Gussetius, p. 180.

Psalmen 42:4 In-Context

2 Gelijk een hert schreeuwt naar de waterstromen, alzo schreeuwt mijn ziel tot U, o God!
3 Mijn ziel dorst naar God, naar den levenden God; wanneer zal ik ingaan, en voor Gods aangezicht verschijnen?
4 Mijn tranen zijn mij tot spijs dag en nacht; omdat zij den gansen dag tot mij zeggen: Waar is uw God?
5 Ik gedenk daaraan, en stort mijn ziel uit in mij, omdat ik placht heen te gaan onder de schare, en met hen te treden naar Gods huis, met een stem van vreugdegezang en lof, onder de feesthoudende menigte.
6 Wat buigt gij u neder, o mijn ziel! en zijt onrustig in mij? Hoop op God, want ik zal Hem nog loven voor de verlossingen Zijns aangezichts.
The Dutch Staten Vertaling translation is in the public domain.