# Psalms 42.1-2

<!-- type: passage | created: 2026-06-01 | updated: 2026-06-01 -->

**Book:** [Psalms](/codex/psalms/) · NASB95

## Immediate context (±2 verses)

**ASV** ([ASV](/codex/asv/))
> **1. <sup>For the Chief Musician. Maschil of the sons of Korah.</sup> As the hart panteth after the water brooks, So panteth my soul after thee, O God. 2. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: When shall I come and appear before God?**
>
> 3. My tears have been my food day and night, While they continually say unto me, Where is thy God? 4. These things I remember, and pour out my soul within me, How I went with the throng, and led them to the house of God, With the voice of joy and praise, a multitude keeping holyday. (Psalms 42:1-4, ASV)

**WEB** ([WEB](/codex/web/))
> **1. <b>For the Chief Musician. A contemplation by the sons of Korah. </b> As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants after you, God. 2. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?**
>
> 3. My tears have been my food day and night, while they continually ask me, “Where is your God?” 4. These things I remember, and pour out my soul within me, how I used to go with the crowd, and led them to God’s house, with the voice of joy and praise, a multitude keeping a holy day. (Psalms 42:1-4, WEB)

**KJV** ([KJV](/codex/kjv/))
> **1. To the chief Musician, Maschil, for the sons of Korah. As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. <sup>Maschil: or, A Psalm giving instruction of the sons, etc</sup> <sup>panteth: Heb. brayeth</sup> 2. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?**
>
> 3. My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God? 4. When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday. (Psalms 42:1-4, KJV)

**YLT** ([YLT](/codex/ylt/))
> **1. To the Overseer., An Instruction. By sons of Korah. As a hart doth pant for streams of water, So my soul panteth toward Thee, O God. 2. My soul thirsted for God, for the living God, When do I enter and see the face of God?**
>
> 3. My tear hath been to me bread day and night, In their saying unto me all the day, 'Where [is] thy God?' 4. These I remember, and pour out my soul in me, For I pass over into the booth, I go softly with them unto the house of God, With the voice of singing and confession, The multitude keeping feast! (Psalms 42:1-4, YLT)

## Setting

- **Speaker:** _TBD_
- **Audience:** _TBD_
- **Location:** _TBD_
- **Time period:** _TBD_

## Theological reading

_Patristic / early-church-father exegesis, to be added._

## Key words

_Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word; see Lexicon Roadmap._

- _TBD_
- _TBD_
- _TBD_
- _TBD_

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## Quoted in

**Arguments and defeaters:**

- [Argument from Desire](/codex/argument-from-desire/)
- [Argument from Restlessness](/codex/argument-from-restlessness/)

**Concepts:**

- [Divine Hiddenness](/codex/divine-hiddenness/), via [Psalms 42.1](/codex/psalms-42-1/)
- [Soul](/codex/h5315-nephesh/), via [Psalms 42.1](/codex/psalms-42-1/)

**Lexicon:**

- [G2198 - zao](/codex/g2198-zao/), via [Psalms 42.2](/codex/psalms-42-2/)
- [G5590 - psyche](/codex/g5590-psyche/)
- [H2416 - chay](/codex/h2416-chay/), via [Psalms 42.2](/codex/psalms-42-2/)
- [H5315 - nephesh](/codex/h5315-nephesh/)

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_Scripture quotations taken from the **New American Standard Bible®** (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by **The Lockman Foundation**. Used by permission. All rights reserved. [www.lockman.org](https://www.lockman.org)_

## Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the **most literal English translations available** (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the **public domain in the United States**, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

- **[ASV](/codex/asv/)** (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
- **[WEB](/codex/web/)** (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
- **[KJV](/codex/kjv/)** (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
- **[YLT](/codex/ylt/)** (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See [Bibles](/codex/bibles/) for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.