Tehillim 43 | "Hope for God – that I Will Yet Praise Him, My Salvation and My God"

It is highly likely that Psalms 42 and 43 were originally a single composition that was later divided into two. Together, they form a unified psalm structured in three stanzas, each concluding with a recurring refrain (slightly varied each time) – “Why are you miserable, my soul? Why do you greave so within me? Hope for God – that I will yet praise Him, my salvation and my God (ישועת פני)” (Tehillim 43:5).

In the first stanza (the first half of Psalm 42), we hear the poet’s state of mind. He yearns for God and for the House of the Lord, but is not yet able to turn to God directly. That stanza concludes with “Hope for God – that I will yet praise Him in the salvations of His presence (ישועות פניו)” (42:6). In the second stanza, he succeeds in addressing God. He tells Him of his distress. And here, the refrain shifts slightly to “Hope for God – that I will yet praise Him, my salvation and my God (ישועת פני)” (42:12), reflecting that God is once again his God, as their bond begins to reawaken. The final stanza, which forms Psalm 43 — our psalm, the poet is able to reach the highest level of relationship, and  pray. Here, the poet calls directly upon God, asking Him to judge his case against his enemies, to send forth His light, and to lead him back to His altar where he may rejoice and offer thanksgiving.