Psalms 43

This short psalm continues the cry of Psalm 42 (many Hebrew manuscripts treat them as one). The writer is pressed by enemies and feels far from God. He asks God to defend him and lead him back to worship, and he talks to his own downcast soul, telling it to hope in God.

Psalms 43:1

The psalmist asks God to be his judge and lawyer. He is surrounded by people who lie and do wrong, and he does not take revenge himself. He hands his case to the One who judges fairly and asks to be rescued.

BSA: Vindicate (“judge, plead my cause”): He asks God to rule in his favor and to speak up for him, as a defender in court would. deceitful (“false, cheating”): His enemies attack with lies and trickery, not only force.

Hebrew: שָׁפְטֵנִי (shofṭēnī, H8199) — “judge me, give me justice.” The Hebrew word for judging often means putting things right. He is asking God to set the matter straight, not only to hand down a verdict.

See also: Psalm 26:1; 1 Peter 2:23.

Psalms 43:2

He states what he believes: God is his refuge. Then he voices what he feels: God seems to have cast him off. Faith and feeling pull against each other, and the psalm lets him say both honestly to God. The enemy’s pressure keeps him walking in sorrow.

BSA: refuge (“security, a fortified place”): God is like a stronghold where he can be safe, which makes the sense of being rejected all the more painful. rejected (“cast me off, abandoned”): It describes how it feels to him, not what God has actually done.

See also: Psalm 42:9; Psalm 22:1.

Psalms 43:3

He prays that God’s light and truth would act like guides sent out to walk him home. Light shows the way, and truth (God’s faithfulness) keeps the path sure. Their goal is God’s holy hill, the place of worship in Jerusalem.

BSA: light (“and spiritual illumination”): He wants more than daylight. He wants God’s own guidance to show him the way. truth (“faithfulness and stability”): God’s truth means He can be counted on and will not fail him.

Hebrew: אוֹרְךָ וַאֲמִתְּךָ (orkha va’amittekha, H216) — “Your light and Your truth.” The psalmist speaks of light and truth almost as people sent out to lead him by the hand.

See also: Psalm 119:105; John 8:12.

Psalms 43:4

Being led back to God’s presence, he will go to the altar and worship with music. God Himself, not just the temple, is his greatest joy. He repeats ‘my God’ because he holds on to the relationship even in distress.

BSA: joy (“gladness, rejoicing”): God is the source of his happiness, not just the giver of it. praise (“give thanks, express gratitude”): His worship will be thankfulness for what God has done.

Hebrew: שִׂמְחַת גִּילִי (simchat gili, H8057) — “gladness of my rejoicing.” The phrase stacks two words for joy on top of each other, like saying God is the joy of my joy.

See also: Psalm 16:11.

Psalms 43:5

He speaks to his own soul and asks why it is so low, then tells it to wait for God. He is confident that he will praise God again. The same refrain closes Psalm 42, and here it ends the whole twin prayer on hope.

BSA: downcast (“crushed, disheartened”): His inner self feels bowed down by the weight of what he faces. hope (“wait, trust”): Hope here is patient waiting on God, who will act. Savior (“the one who saves, delivers”): He expects to praise God as the One who will bring him through.

See also: Psalm 42:5; Psalm 42:11; Lamentations 3:24.