What does Psalms Chapter 41 say, and which statements belong to its speaker?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

The hart image expresses thirst for the living God amid tears and taunts. Future sanctuary entry and remembered billows accompany day-and-night prayer. Repeated questions to the troubled soul end with hope and future praise.

Chapter breakdown

The Latin incipit is Quemadmodum desiderat. The separate heading describes the just person's desire for God and hope in afflictions; the inscription is unto the end, understanding for Core's sons. As a hart pants for water fountains, the speaker's soul pants for God and thirsts for the strong living God, asking when he shall appear before His face. The text does not add a hunted deer, arid country or particular exile. Tears are bread day and night amid daily questions of where his God is.

He remembers and pours out his soul, saying he shall go into the wonderful tabernacle and God's house with joy, praise and feasting noise; future entry is not a narrated past procession. He asks why his soul is sad and troubling him, urging hope because he will still praise the salvation of his countenance and his God. Troubled within, he will remember from Jordan's land, Hermoniim and the little hill. Deep calls on deep at flood-gates' noise and God's heights and billows passed over him.

He says the Lord commanded mercy by day, with a canticle at night and prayer to life's God. He will address God as support, asking why forgotten and mourning under an enemy's affliction. While bones are broken, reproaching enemies repeat where his God is. The psalm closes by again questioning the downcast, disquieted soul and urging hope and future praise. It does not certify that disquiet was subdued or offer a guaranteed technique for ending anxiety.

The story inside

Opening: The hart image expresses thirst for the living God amid tears and taunts. Development: Future sanctuary entry and remembered billows accompany day-and-night prayer. Conclusion: Repeated questions to the troubled soul end with hope and future praise.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The hart image expresses thirst for the living God amid tears and taunts.
2
Future sanctuary entry and remembered billows accompany day-and-night prayer.
3
Repeated questions to the troubled soul end with hope and future praise.

Test your recall

Which images and requests does the speaker use, and what does the chapter leave unresolved?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 60155–60156
41:2. As the hart panteth after the fountains of water; so my soul panteth after thee, O God.
Lines 60169–60171
41:6. Why art thou sad, O my soul? and why dost thou trouble me? Hope in God, for I will still give praise to him: the salvation of my countenance,
Lines 60180–60181
41:9. In the daytime the Lord hath commanded his mercy; and a canticle to him in the night. With me is prayer to the God of my life.