John Calvin Commentary Psalms 42:6

"O my God, my soul is cast down within me: Therefore do I remember thee from the land of the Jordan, And the Hermons, from the hill Mizar." — Psalms 42:6 (ASV)

O my God! my soul is cast down within me. If we suppose that this verse requires no supplement, then it will consist of two distinct and separate sentences. Literally, it may be read this way: O my God! my soul is cast down within me, therefore will I remember thee, etc. But most expositors translate the word על-כן , al-ken, as since, or because, so that it is used to express the reason for what is contained in the preceding clause.

And certainly, it would be very appropriate in this sense: that whenever David, from the land of Jordan, where he now lay hidden as an exile, turned his thoughts to the sanctuary, his sorrow was all the more increased. If, however, anyone would prefer, as I have already observed, to distinguish this verse into two parts, it must be understood as meaning that David thought of God in his exile, not to nourish his grief, but to assuage it.

He did not act like those who find relief in their afflictions only by forgetting God; for although wounded by his hand, he nevertheless still acknowledged him to be his physician. Accordingly, the meaning of the whole verse will be this: I am now living in a state of exile, banished from the temple, and seem to be an alien from the household of God; but this will not prevent me from regarding him and turning to him.

I am now deprived of the accustomed sacrifices, which I greatly need, but he has not taken his word from me. However, as the first interpretation is the one more generally received, and this also seems to be added as an explanation, it is better not to depart from it.

David then complains that his soul was oppressed with sorrow because he saw himself cast out of the Church of God. At the same time, there is a tacit contrast in these words, as if he had said: It is not the desire to be restored to my wife, my house, or any of my possessions that grieves me so much as the distressing consideration that I now find myself prevented from taking part in the service of God.

We should learn from this that although we are deprived of the aids which God has appointed for the edification of our faith and piety, it is still our duty to be diligent in stirring up our minds, so that we never allow ourselves to forget God.

But, above all, it should be observed that just as in the preceding verse we have seen David contending courageously against his own emotions, so now we see here by what means he steadfastly maintained his ground. He did this by turning to God’s help and taking refuge in it as in a holy sanctuary.

And certainly, if meditation on the promises of God does not lead us to prayer, it will not have sufficient power to sustain and confirm us. Unless God gives us strength, how will we be able to subdue the many evil thoughts that constantly arise in our minds? The soul of man serves, so to speak, as a workshop for Satan in which to forge a thousand methods of despair. Therefore, it is with good reason that David, after a severe conflict with himself, turns to prayer and calls upon God as the witness of his sorrow.

By the land of Jordan is to be understood that part of the country which, relative to Judea, was beyond the river of that name. This becomes even clearer from the word Hermonim or Hermons. Hermon was a mountainous district that extended a considerable distance; and because it had several tops, it was called Hermonim in the plural.

Perhaps David also purposely used the plural number because of the fear that forced him frequently to change where he lived and to wander here and there. As for the word Mizar, some suppose that it was not the proper name of a mountain and therefore translate it as little, supposing that there is an indirect comparison here of the Hermons with Mount Zion, as if David meant to say that Zion, which was comparatively a small hill, was greater in his estimation than the lofty Hermons; but it appears to me that this would be a constrained interpretation.