Log inSign up

Psalm 42 · a question people ask

"Why are you in despair, my soul?" (42:5). Is it wrong for someone who trusts God to feel like this?

In the text

The psalm doesn't say whether it is wrong or right. What it shows is this. The despair is spoken to God and about God: "My soul thirsts for God" (42:2), and "My God, my soul is in despair within me" (42:6). The psalmist doesn't hide it. The refrain asks the soul why, and tells it where to look: "Hope in God! For I shall still praise him" (42:5). The same call comes again at the end (42:11), after "Why have you forgotten me?" (42:9), so the question and the hope stand side by side, and the psalm ends without saying the despair has gone. Other psalms speak the same way: "I am in pain and bowed down greatly. I go mourning all day long" (Psalm 38:6), where bowed down is the Hebrew verb of despair in Psalm 42 (tap despair).

The verses

“My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?”
Psalm 42:2 · World English Bible
“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.”
Psalm 42:5-6 · World English Bible
“I will ask God, my rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?””
Psalm 42:9 · World English Bible
“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.”
Psalm 42:11 · World English Bible

From Favor's study of Psalm 42

Psalm 42: As the deer pants

Psalm 42's pants is a word the Hebrew Bible has only here and in Joel 1:20, where the animals pant at water brooks that have dried up. And its refrain, "Hope in God!" (42:5), comes three times across Psalms 42 and 43: in Hebrew 42:11 and 43:5 are the same, letter for letter, though the WEB words their endings differently.

In Favor, questions like this come up right where they arise as you read, with the Hebrew and Greek behind the words and how the chapter leads to Jesus.

Start your free weekPsalm 42 Bible study

First week free, then $10 a month per person

More questions about Psalm 42

All questions about Psalms →

The best way to learn the Bible

Favor opens up every chapter as you read.

Favor is a Bible study app for your phone or computer. It takes you through the Bible one chapter at a time, a few minutes a day, and shows you what's really there: the words behind the words, the moments most people miss, and how the whole story fits together. For you. For everyone.

  • Every chapter explains itself

    As you read, short notes open up what's really going on, the details most readers walk past, and the honest questions people ask.

  • The Hebrew and Greek behind it

    Tap a highlighted word to see the original, how to say it, and what it means, checked against the original-language texts.

  • Every page leads to Jesus

    Watch promises made in Genesis kept in Jesus. Each line lights up on your map as you read.

  • Better together

    Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together.

  1. 1

    Start your free week

    Sign up in a minute with your email.

  2. 2

    Read a few minutes a day

    Each chapter opens itself up as you go. Tap what you're curious about.

  3. 3

    Bring your people, if you like

    Send one link. Everyone reads the same chapter, then meets to talk.

The best way to study the Bible.

Your small group or your church can use Favor for Bible study, or you can read by yourself.

First week free, then $10 a month per person

Questions like this, in every chapter

The best way to learn the Bible. For you. For everyone.

There's a seat for you at the table.

Start your free week

First week free, then $10 a month per person · Log in

Last reviewed September 28, 2026. Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Every answer cites the verses it rests on. What we believe · All Bible questions