Psalm 42 9

Psalm 42:9 kjv

I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?

Psalm 42:9 nkjv

I will say to God my Rock, "Why have You forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?"

Psalm 42:9 niv

I say to God my Rock, "Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?"

Psalm 42:9 esv

I say to God, my rock: "Why have you forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?"

Psalm 42:9 nlt

"O God my rock," I cry,
"Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I wander around in grief,
oppressed by my enemies?"

Psalm 42 verses

Psalm 42 9 Meaning

Psalm 42:9 expresses a profound and poignant lament from the psalmist, directed at God, whom he steadfastly refers to as his "Rock." The verse articulates a desperate plea stemming from a felt sense of abandonment and enduring suffering. The psalmist questions God as to why he has been seemingly forgotten and why he must continue in deep sorrow, facing severe oppression from his adversaries. It captures the paradox of trusting in God's unchanging nature ("my Rock") while experiencing His apparent absence in times of extreme distress, characteristic of a faith that boldly grapples with suffering through honest prayer.

Psalm 42 9 Context

Psalm 42, which together with Psalm 43 forms a single lament (evidenced by the shared refrain), captures the deeply personal anguish of a Levite, a son of Korah, who is separated from Jerusalem and the Temple, yearning for the presence of God found in communal worship. The psalmist expresses an intense spiritual thirst for God (Ps 42:1-2) and contrasts his current despair with past joyful worship (Ps 42:4). His enemies mock his faith, questioning, "Where is your God?" (Ps 42:3, 10). Within this framework, Psalm 42:9 directly voices the psalmist's core complaint to God Himself. Despite recognizing God as his unchanging "Rock," he perceives a painful silence and inaction from the divine, leading him to ask "Why?" about his continued suffering under the oppression of his enemies. This "Why?" is a direct appeal from a position of distress, not a rejection of God, but an earnest wrestling within the covenant relationship. The verse reflects a period of physical distress, social scorn, and spiritual agony, potentially stemming from exile or enforced separation from the place of worship and divine encounter.

Psalm 42 9 Word analysis

• I will say to God: This indicates a direct address, a raw, honest conversation with the Divine. It's not just an internal thought, but a declaration, making the complaint a form of prayer.
• my Rock (צֻרִי - tzurí): Tzur (rock) is a foundational Old Testament metaphor for God, symbolizing His unwavering strength, steadfastness, permanence, refuge, and faithfulness (Deut 32:4, 2 Sam 22:3). By calling God "my Rock," the psalmist paradoxically affirms his foundational trust and reliance on God, even as he voices a feeling of abandonment. This epithet highlights the deep theological tension within the lament: the unchangeable character of God versus the psalmist's distressing experience. It implicitly refutes any idea of God being a fleeting or powerless deity, a stark contrast to pagan perceptions of unreliable gods.
• Why have You forgotten me?: This is a question born of deep pain, not of factual disbelief. The Hebrew word for "forget" (שָׁכַח - shakhach) implies neglect or turning away. It reveals the psalmist's subjective experience of being overlooked or abandoned by God amidst his suffering. This "Why?" is common in laments (Ps 13:1; 22:1), representing the human struggle to reconcile a faithful God with severe affliction. It serves as an appeal for God's attention and intervention.
• Why do I go mourning (קֹדֵר - qōdēr)?: The root qadar (קָדַר) means "to be dark," "to mourn," or "to go about in gloomy attire." It denotes a visible, profound sorrow, indicating deep internal anguish manifested externally. This is a public display of distress, perhaps suggesting the psalmist is in a state of visible grief or depression.
• because of the oppression (לַחַץ - lachatz) of the enemy?: Lachatz means "pressure," "distress," "affliction," or "oppression." It suggests a constant, burdensome pressure from adversaries who likely contribute to the psalmist's emotional and spiritual distress, possibly by mocking his faith (Ps 42:3, 10). This points to an external source of suffering that exacerbates the internal turmoil and perceived divine absence.

Psalm 42 9 Bonus section

• The practice of lament, as exemplified in Psalm 42:9, is a crucial but often overlooked aspect of Christian spirituality. It provides a divine allowance for expressing the full spectrum of human emotion, including grief, anger, confusion, and despair, directly to God. This frankness deepens the relationship, acknowledging God as one who can handle human brokenness.
• The tension between objective truth ("my Rock") and subjective experience ("You have forgotten me") is a key theological and pastoral theme throughout the Psalms. The psalmist holds these two realities in tension, choosing to speak truth to his experience rather than letting his experience define God. This prefigures the struggle and faith exemplified in Christ's own cry of dereliction from the cross (Matt 27:46), "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?", echoing Psalm 22:1.
• The "forgetting" mentioned by the psalmist is from a human perspective of timing and visible action, not a statement about God's literal memory or divine essence. God does not truly "forget" His covenant people (Is 49:15; Rom 11:1-2), but His ways are often inscrutable to human understanding (Is 55:8-9).

Psalm 42 9 Commentary

Psalm 42:9 provides a powerful paradigm for expressing lament and grappling with perceived divine absence in the midst of overwhelming distress. The psalmist, identifying God as "my Rock," establishes a foundational truth about God's steadfast character and reliability, even as his immediate experience feels contrary to this truth. The "Why?" questions ("Why have You forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?") are not an accusation or denial of God's existence, but a desperate cry from a place of deep intimacy and trusting bewilderment. They articulate the raw pain of human suffering when divine intervention seems delayed or absent. This lament demonstrates the psalmist's profound faith, choosing to voice his complaint directly to God, rather than turning away from Him. It affirms that genuine faith allows for honest doubt, questioning, and vulnerability before God. It implicitly asserts God's sovereignty and ability to intervene, hence the puzzlement when He does not. The verse reminds believers that it is biblically permissible and spiritually healthy to bring even our deepest hurts, our most perplexing "why" questions, and our feelings of abandonment before our unchangeable "Rock," knowing that He hears and cares, even when we cannot perceive His presence. This wrestling often precedes deeper revelations of His steadfast love.