Psalm 42:1
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul longs after You, O God.
As the deer
The imagery of a deer is significant in biblical literature, often symbolizing grace, beauty, and gentleness. In the Hebrew text, the word used is "אַיָּל" (ayyal), which refers to a hart or a male deer. This animal is known for its swiftness and its need for water, especially in arid regions. The deer’s instinctive search for water reflects a natural, intense need, setting the stage for the psalmist's deep spiritual longing.

pants for streams of water
The verb "pants" (תַּעֲרֹג, ta'arog) conveys a sense of desperate yearning and thirst. This is not a casual desire but an urgent need for sustenance and refreshment. The "streams of water" (אֲפִיקֵי מָיִם, afikei mayim) are life-giving sources, essential for survival in the dry, rugged terrain of the ancient Near East. Water is a recurring symbol in Scripture, representing life, purity, and the sustenance provided by God. The psalmist uses this vivid imagery to express a profound spiritual thirst.

so my soul longs after You
The soul (נֶפֶשׁ, nephesh) in Hebrew thought encompasses the entire being—mind, will, and emotions. It is the essence of a person, indicating that this longing is not superficial but deeply rooted in the psalmist's entire existence. The verb "longs" (תַּעֲרֹג, ta'arog) is the same as "pants," emphasizing the intensity and urgency of the desire. This longing is directed "after You," indicating a personal relationship with God, a yearning for His presence, and a desire for communion with the Divine.

O God
The term used here is "אֱלֹהִים" (Elohim), a plural form that denotes majesty and power. It is a common name for God in the Hebrew Bible, emphasizing His sovereignty and might. The use of Elohim here underscores the psalmist's recognition of God's supreme authority and the deep, personal relationship he seeks with the Creator. This invocation of God highlights the psalmist's faith and trust in God's ability to satisfy the deepest needs of the human soul.

Persons / Places / Events
1. The Sons of Korah
Traditionally attributed as the authors of Psalm 42, the Sons of Korah were a group of Levitical singers in the temple. Their psalms often express deep longing and worship.

2. The Deer
Used metaphorically in this verse, the deer represents a soul in desperate need of God, illustrating a natural and intense longing for sustenance and refreshment.

3. Streams of Water
Symbolic of spiritual nourishment and life, streams of water represent the presence and sustenance provided by God.

4. The Psalmist's Soul
The soul of the psalmist is depicted as longing and thirsting for God, indicating a deep spiritual need and desire for communion with the Divine.

5. God
The ultimate source of spiritual fulfillment and refreshment, God is the object of the psalmist's longing and desire.
Teaching Points
Spiritual Longing
Just as the deer instinctively seeks water, our souls are created to long for God. This longing is a natural part of our spiritual makeup and should be nurtured.

Dependence on God
Recognize that true fulfillment and satisfaction come only from God. Earthly pursuits may temporarily satisfy, but only God can quench our deepest spiritual thirst.

Pursuit of God
Actively seek God through prayer, worship, and the study of His Word. Like the deer that searches for water, we must diligently pursue a relationship with God.

Recognizing Spiritual Dryness
Be aware of times when your soul feels dry or distant from God. Use these moments as opportunities to draw closer to Him and seek His presence.

Community Worship
Engage with fellow believers in worship and fellowship. The Sons of Korah were part of a community of worshippers, reminding us of the importance of communal spiritual practices.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the metaphor of the deer panting for water help you understand your own spiritual needs?

2. In what ways can you actively pursue God when you feel spiritually dry or distant?

3. How do other scriptures, such as John 4:14, enhance your understanding of spiritual thirst and fulfillment?

4. What practical steps can you take to ensure that your soul is regularly nourished by God's presence?

5. How can being part of a community of believers, like the Sons of Korah, support your spiritual journey and longing for God?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Psalm 63:1
This verse also expresses a deep thirst for God, similar to Psalm 42:1, highlighting the psalmist's longing for God's presence in a dry and weary land.

John 4:14
Jesus speaks of the living water that He provides, which quenches spiritual thirst eternally, connecting to the imagery of streams of water in Psalm 42:1.

Isaiah 55:1
An invitation to come to the waters and receive freely, paralleling the longing for spiritual sustenance found in Psalm 42:1.
Thirst SatisfiedGrenville KleiserPsalm 42:1
A Thirst for GodC. Clemance Psalm 42:1-11
Desire After GodPsalm 42:1-11
GodHomilistPsalm 42:1-11
Living ThirstJ. Cumming, D. D.Psalm 42:1-11
Man's Craving for GodSamuel Cox, D. D.Psalm 42:1-11
Over the Aqueducts of WaterJames Nell, M. A.Psalm 42:1-11
Panting After GodBishop Armstrong.Psalm 42:1-11
Panting After GodJ. Kirkwood.Psalm 42:1-11
Religious Affections Attended with Increase of Spiritual LongingLewis O. Thompson.Psalm 42:1-11
Religious DepressionF. W. Robertson, M. A.Psalm 42:1-11
Spiritual DepressionW. Forsyth Psalm 42:1-11
The Feelings and Sentiments of a Renewed SoulT. Gordon.Psalm 42:1-11
The Korachite PsalmsA. Maclaren, D. D.Psalm 42:1-11
The Longing for GodCanon Morse.Psalm 42:1-11
The Panting HartPsalm 42:1-11
The Religious Aspects of a Soul in EarnestHomilistPsalm 42:1-11
The Soul Compared to a HindA. Maclaren, D. D.Psalm 42:1-11
The Soul of Man has no Resource Independent of GodPsalm 42:1-11
The Soul's Thirst for GodBishop Harvey Goodwin.Psalm 42:1-11
Thirsting for GodG. Thacker.Psalm 42:1-11
Thirsting for GodC. Bradley, M. A.Psalm 42:1-11
Thirsting for GodG. Hunsworth, M. A.Psalm 42:1-11
Thirsting for GodJ. Parker, D. D.Psalm 42:1-11
Remonstrance of the Spiritual Man Against the Natural ManC. Short Psalm 42:1-Psalm 43:5
People
Hermonites, Korah, Psalmist
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Brooks, 42, Chief, Choirmaster, Contemplation, Deer, Desire, Flowing, Gt, Hart, Instruction, Korah, Leader, Longs, Lt, Maschil, Maskil, Music, Musician, Music-maker, O, Overseer, Pant, Panteth, Pants, Roe, Sons, Soul, Soul's, Streams, Water-brooks, Water-streams
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Psalm 42:1

     8225   devotion

Psalm 42:

     5420   music

Psalm 42:1-2

     4817   drought, spiritual
     5580   thirst
     5832   desire
     5840   eagerness
     8150   revival, personal
     8603   prayer, relationship with God

Psalm 42:1-3

     8792   oppression, God's attitude

Psalm 42:1-4

     8618   prayerfulness

Psalm 42:1-11

     5831   depression

Library
July 16. "As the Hart Panteth after the Waterbrooks, So Panteth My Soul after Thee, O God" (Ps. Xlii. 1).
"As the hart panteth after the waterbrooks, so panteth my soul after Thee, O God" (Ps. xlii. 1). First in order to a consecrated life there must be a sense of need, the need of purity, of power, and of a greater nearness to the Lord. There often comes in Christian life a second conviction. It is not now a sense of guilt and God's wrath so much as of the power and evil of inward sin, and the unsatisfactoriness of the life the soul is living. It usually comes from the deeper revelation of God's truth,
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

The Alarum
That is not, however, the topic upon which I now desire to speak to you. I come at this time, not so much to plead for the early as for the awakening. The hour we may speak of at another time--the fact is our subject now. It is bad to awake late, but what shall be said of those who never awake at all? Better late than never: but with many it is to be feared it will be never. I would take down the trumpet and give a blast, or ring the alarm-bell till all the faculties of the sluggard's manhood are
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 17: 1871

Knox Little -- Thirst Satisfied
William John Knox Little, English preacher, was born 1839 and educated at Cambridge University. He has filled many parochial cures, and in 1881 was appointed canon of Worcester, and sub-dean in 1902. He also holds the vicarage of Hoar Cross (1885). He is of high repute as a preacher and is in much request all over England. He belongs to the High Church school and has printed, besides his sermons, many works of educational character, such as the "Treasury of Meditation," "Manual of Devotion for Lent,"
Grenville Kleiser—The world's great sermons, Volume 8

Be not Far from Me, O My Strength,
"Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of Thy waterspouts; all Thy waves and Thy billows are gone over me. Yet the Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life." -- Psalm 42:7,8. Be not far from me, O my strength, Whom all my times obey; Take from me anything Thou wilt; But go not Thou away, -- And let the storm that does Thy work Deal with me as it may. On Thy compassion I repose, In weakness and distress:
Miss A. L. Waring—Hymns and Meditations

Longing for the Courts of the Lord's House. --Ps. Xlii.
Longing for the Courts of the Lord's House.--Ps. xlii. As the hart, with eager looks, Panteth for the water-brooks, So my soul, athirst for Thee, Pants the loving God to see: When, O when, with filial fear, Lord, shall I to Thee draw near? Tears my food by night, by day, Grief consumes my strength away; While his craft the Tempter plies, "Where is now Thy God?" he cries; This would sink me to despair But I pour my soul in prayer. For, in happier times, I went, Where the multitudes frequent; I,
James Montgomery—Sacred Poems and Hymns

As Pants the Wearied Hart for Cooling Springs
[1190]Pax Dei: John Bacchus Dykes, 1868 Psalm 42 Latin Version by Robert Lowth, 1753; Tr. George Gregory, 1787 DOXOLOGY As pants the wearied hart for cooling springs, That sinks exhausted in the summer's chase, So pants my soul for thee, great King of kings, So thirsts to reach thy sacred dwelling place. Lord, thy sure mercies, ever in my sight, My heart shall gladden through the tedious day; And midst the dark and gloomy shades of night, To thee, my God, I'll tune the grateful lay. Why faint,
Various—The Hymnal of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the USA

Questions which Ought to be Asked
ELIHU PERCEIVED the great ones of the earth oppressing the needy, and he traced their domineering tyranny to their forgetfulness of God: "None saith, Where is God my Maker?" Surely, had they thought of God they could not have acted so unjustly. Worse still, if I understand Elihu aright, he complained that even among the oppressed there was the same departure in heart from the Lord: they cried out by reason of the arm of the mighty, but unhappily they did not cry unto God their Maker, though he waits
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 26: 1880

1 to Pray Does not Imply that Without Prayer God Would not Give us Anything...
1. To pray does not imply that without prayer God would not give us anything or that He would be unaware of our needs, but it has this great advantage, that in the attitude of prayer the soul is best fitted to receive the Giver of blessing as well as those blessings He desires to bestow. Thus it was that the fullness of the Spirit was not poured out upon the Apostles on the first day, but after ten days of special preparation. If a blessing were conferred upon one without a special readiness for
Sadhu Sundar Singh—At The Master's Feet

The Kingdom Divided
THE PROPHETICAL BOOKS: Jonah Page Amos Page Isaiah Page OUTLINE FOR STUDY OF PROPHETICAL BOOKS 1. Class. 2. Commission of Prophet. 3. Biographical Description of Prophet. 4. Title of Prophet. 5. Historical Place. (a) Name of Kingdom. (b) Names of Kings. 6. Outline of Contents. 7. Prophecies of Earthly Kings or Kingdoms. 8. Prophecies of Christ. 9. Prophecies of Christ's Kingdom. 10. Leading Phrases. 11. Leading Chapters. 12. Leading Teachings. 13. Questions. 14. Items of Special Interest.
Frank Nelson Palmer—A Bird's-Eye View of the Bible

The Holy War,
MADE BY SHADDAI UPON DIABOLUS, FOR THE REGAINING OF THE METROPOLIS OF THE WORLD; OR, THE LOSING AND TAKING AGAIN OF THE TOWN OF MANSOUL. THE AUTHOR OF 'THE PILGRIM'S PROGRESS.' 'I have used similitudes.'--Hosea 12:10. London: Printed for Dorman Newman, at the King's Arms in the Poultry; and Benjamin Alsop, at the Angel and Bible in the Poultry, 1682. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. Bunyan's account of the Holy War is indeed an extraordinary book, manifesting a degree of genius, research, and spiritual
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

His Past Work.
His past work was accomplished by Him when he became incarnate. It was finished when He died on Calvary's cross. We have therefore to consider first of all these fundamentals of our faith. I. The Work of the Son of God is foreshadowed and predicted in the Old Testament Scriptures. II. The incarnation of the Son of God. III. His Work on the cross and what has been accomplished by it. I. Through the Old Testament Scriptures, God announced beforehand the work of His Son. This is a great theme and one
A. C. Gaebelein—The Work Of Christ

Dialogue ii. --The Unconfounded.
Eranistes and Orthodoxus. Eran.--I am come as I promised. 'Tis yours to adopt one of two alternatives, and either furnish a solution of my difficulties, or assent to what I and my friends lay down. Orth.--I accept your challenge, for I think it right and fair. But we must first recall to mind at what point we left off our discourse yesterday, and what was the conclusion of our argument. Eran.--I will remind you of the end. I remember our agreeing that the divine Word remained immutable, and took
Theodoret—The Ecclesiastical History of Theodoret

The Exile.
David's first years at the court of Saul in Gibeah do not appear to have produced any psalms which still survive. "The sweetest songs are those Which tell of saddest thought." It was natural, then, that a period full of novelty and of prosperous activity, very unlike the quiet days at Bethlehem, should rather accumulate materials for future use than be fruitful in actual production. The old life shut to behind him for ever, like some enchanted door in a hill-side, and an unexplored land lay beckoning
Alexander Maclaren—The Life of David

"But it is Good for Me to Draw Near to God: I have Put My Trust in the Lord God, that I May Declare all Thy
Psal. lxxiii. 28.--"But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works." After man's first transgression, he was shut out from the tree of life, and cast out of the garden, by which was signified his seclusion and sequestration from the presence of God, and communion with him: and this was in a manner the extermination of all mankind in one, when Adam was driven out of paradise. Now, this had been an eternal separation for any thing that
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Love
The rule of obedience being the moral law, comprehended in the Ten Commandments, the next question is: What is the sum of the Ten Commandments? The sum of the Ten Commandments is, to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength, and with all our mind, and our neighbour as ourselves. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.' Deut 6: 5. The duty called for is love, yea, the strength of love, with all
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

The Poetical Books (Including Also Ecclesiastes and Canticles).
1. The Hebrews reckon but three books as poetical, namely: Job, Psalms, and Proverbs, which are distinguished from the rest by a stricter rhythm--the rhythm not of feet, but of clauses (see below, No. 3)--and a peculiar system of accentuation. It is obvious to every reader that the poetry of the Old Testament, in the usual sense of the word, is not restricted to these three books. But they are called poetical in a special and technical sense. In any natural classification of the books of the
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible

The Nature of Spiritual Hunger
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness Matthew 5:6 We are now come to the fourth step of blessedness: Blessed are they that hunger'. The words fall into two parts: a duty implied; a promise annexed. A duty implied: Blessed are they that hunger'. Spiritual hunger is a blessed hunger. What is meant by hunger? Hunger is put for desire (Isaiah 26:9). Spiritual hunger is the rational appetite whereby the soul pants after that which it apprehends most suitable and proportional
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12

Motives to Holy Mourning
Let me exhort Christians to holy mourning. I now persuade to such a mourning as will prepare the soul for blessedness. Oh that our hearts were spiritual limbecs, distilling the water of holy tears! Christ's doves weep. They that escape shall be like doves of the valleys, all of them mourning, every one for his iniquity' (Ezekiel 7:16). There are several divine motives to holy mourning: 1 Tears cannot be put to a better use. If you weep for outward losses, you lose your tears. It is like a shower
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12

Of Faith. The Definition of It. Its Peculiar Properties.
1. A brief recapitulation of the leading points of the whole discussion. The scope of this chapter. The necessity of the doctrine of faith. This doctrine obscured by the Schoolmen, who make God the object of faith, without referring to Christ. The Schoolmen refuted by various passages. 2. The dogma of implicit faith refuted. It destroys faith, which consists in a knowledge of the divine will. What this will is, and how necessary the knowledge of it. 3. Many things are and will continue to be implicitly
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners:
A BRIEF AND FAITHFUL RELATION OF THE EXCEEDING MERCY OF GOD IN CHRIST TO HIS POOR SERVANT, JOHN BUNYAN; WHEREIN IS PARTICULARLY SHOWED THE MANNER OF HIS CONVERSION, HIS SIGHT AND TROUBLE FOR SIN, HIS DREADFUL TEMPTATIONS, ALSO HOW HE DESPAIRED OF GOD'S MERCY, AND HOW THE LORD AT LENGTH THROUGH CHRIST DID DELIVER HIM FROM ALL THE GUILT AND TERROR THAT LAY UPON HIM. Whereunto is added a brief relation of his call to the work of the ministry, of his temptations therein, as also what he hath met with
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Rules to be Observed in Singing of Psalms.
1. Beware of singing divine psalms for an ordinary recreation, as do men of impure spirits, who sing holy psalms intermingled with profane ballads: They are God's word: take them not in thy mouth in vain. 2. Remember to sing David's psalms with David's spirit (Matt. xxii. 43.) 3. Practise St. Paul's rule--"I will sing with the spirit, but I will sing with the understanding also." (1 Cor. xiv. 15.) 4. As you sing uncover your heads (1 Cor. xi. 4), and behave yourselves in comely reverence as in the
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

Letter Xl to Thomas, Prior of Beverley
To Thomas, Prior of Beverley This Thomas had taken the vows of the Cistercian Order at Clairvaux. As he showed hesitation, Bernard urges his tardy spirit to fulfil them. But the following letter will prove that it was a warning to deaf ears, where it relates the unhappy end of Thomas. In this letter Bernard sketches with a master's hand the whole scheme of salvation. Bernard to his beloved son Thomas, as being his son. 1. What is the good of words? An ardent spirit and a strong desire cannot express
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux

Psalms
The piety of the Old Testament Church is reflected with more clearness and variety in the Psalter than in any other book of the Old Testament. It constitutes the response of the Church to the divine demands of prophecy, and, in a less degree, of law; or, rather, it expresses those emotions and aspirations of the universal heart which lie deeper than any formal demand. It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. Its words are as simple and unaffected as human words can be, for it is the genius
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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