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In deepest crisis of the soul

Psalm 43 is a plea for help in a deep crisis of the Jewish people, perhaps the exile.  The memory of God's miraculous deeds in days of old gives them courage for this pressing call for help.

The Christian as he prays this Psalm will either find a deep crisis of sin in his own soul or speak for all the Church and pray God to turn away the deep affliction from so many of her children's souls.  The deliverance from Egypt is in a fuller sense Redemption through our Lord Jesus Christ: exile is the humiliation of the Church and soul by sin; the motivation for fidelity to the Law is either an earnest resolution, for us as we pray, or the merits of Christ and the saints, for the Church.

Do not miss the strong emotions in which the Psalm speaks: it is not hard to rise upon them to a really lofty object.

Psalm 43

Time of deepest crisis

Psalm 43. i.  Deus auribus

Days of old

Deus, áuribus nostris audívimus: * patres nostri annuntiavérunt nobis.
2  Opus, quod operátus es in diébus eórum, * et in diébus antíquis.
3  Manus tua gentes dispérdidit, et plantásti eos: * afflixísti pópulos, et expulísti eos.
4  Nec enim in gládio suo possedérunt terram, * et bráchium eórum non salvávit eos:
5  Sed déxtera tua, et bráchium tuum, et illuminátio vultus tui, * quóniam complacuísti in eis.

We have heard with our ears, O God, * our fathers have told us.
2   What thou hast done in their days, * yea, and in their days of old.
3  How thou hast destroyed the heathen with thy hand, and planted them; * how thou didst afflict the nations, and cast them out.
4  For they gat not the land in possession through their own sword, * neither was it their own arm that helped them;
5  But thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance; * because thou hadst a favour unto them.

Confidence in God

6  Tu es ipse Rex meus et Deus meus: * qui mandas salútes Jacob.
7  In te inimícos nostros ventilábimus cornu: * et in nómine tuo spernémus insurgéntes in nobis.
8  Non enim in arcu meo sperábo: * et gládius meus non salvábit me.
9  Salvásti enim nos de affligéntibus nos: * et odiéntes nos confudísti.
10  In Deo laudábimur tota die: * et in nómine tuo confitébimur in sæculum.

6  Thou art my King and my God; * who commanded the salvation of Jacob.
7  Through thee will we overthrow our enemies with the horn, * and in thy Name will we tread them under that rise up against us.
8  For I will not trust in my bow, * it is not my sword that shall save me;
9  But it is thou that hast saved us from them that afflict us, * and put them to confusion that hate us.
10  In God shall we glory all the day long, * and in thy Name we will give praise for ever.

Psalm 43. ii.  Nunc autem repulisti

The present crisis

11  Nunc autem repulísti et confudísti nos: * et non egrediéris, Deus, in virtútibus nostris.
12  Avertísti nos retrórsum post inimícos nostros: * et qui odérunt nos, diripiébant sibi.
13  Dedísti nos tamquam oves escárum: * et in Géntibus dispersísti nos.
14  Vendidísti pópulum tuum sine prétio: * et non fuit multitúdo in commutatiónibus eórum.
15  Posuísti nos oppróbrium vicínis nostris, * subsannatiónem et derísum his, qui sunt in circúitu nostro.
16  Posuísti nos in similitúdinem Géntibus: * commotiónem cápitis in pópulis.
17  Tota die verecúndia mea contra me est, * et confúsio faciéi meæ coopéruit me.
18  A voce exprobrantis, et obloquéntis: * a fácie inimíci, et persequéntis.
19  Hæc ómnia venérunt super nos, nec oblíti sumus te: * et iníque non égimus in testaménto tuo.
20  Et non recéssit retro cor nostrum: * et declinásti sémitas nostras a via tua:
21  Quóniam humiliásti nos in loco afflictiónis, * et coopéruit nos umbra mortis.

11  But now thou hast cast us off, and hast put us to confusion, * and goest not forth with our armies.
12  Thou hast made us to turn our backs upon our enemies, * so that they which hated us plundered for themselves.
13  Thou hast given us up like sheep to be eaten, * and hast scattered us among the heathen.
14  Thou hast sold thy people for nought, * and there was no reckoning in the exchange of them.
15  Thou hast made us to be rebuked of our neighbours, * to be laughed to scorn, and had in derision of them that are round about us.
16  Thou hast made us to be a by-word among the nations, * that the peoples shake their heads at us.
17  My shame is before me all the day long, * and the confusion of my face hath covered me;
18  At the voice of him that reproacheth and detracteth me : * at the face of the enemy and avenger.
19  And though all this be come upon us, yet did we not forget thee, * nor behave ourselves frowardly in thy covenant.
20  Our heart is not turned back, * neither our steps gone out of thy way;
21  For thou hast smitten us in the place of affliction, * and covered us with the shadow of death.

Psalm 43. iii.  Si obliti sumus

Protestation of innocence

22  Si oblíti sumus nomen Dei nostri, * et si expándimus manus nostras ad deum aliénum:
23  Nonne Deus requíret ista? * ipse enim novit abscóndita cordis.
24  Quóniam propter te mortificámur tota die: * æstimáti sumus sicut oves occisiónis.

22  If we have forgotten the Name of our God, * and holden up our hands to any strange god,
23  Shall not God search it out? * for he knoweth the very secrets of the heart.
24  For thy sake also are we killed all the day long, * and are counted as sheep for the slaughter.

Final plea

25  Exsúrge, quare obdórmis, Dómine? * exsúrge, et ne repéllas in finem.
26  Quare fáciem tuam avértis,* oblivísceris inópiæ nostræ, et tribulatiónis nostræ?
27  Quóniam humiliáta est in pulvere ánima nostra: * conglutinátus est in terra venter noster.
28  Exsúrge, Dómine, ádjuva nos: * et rédime nos propter nomen tuum.

25  Up, Lord, why sleepest thou? * arise, and cast us not off for ever.
26  Wherefore hidest thou thy face, * and forgettest our misery and trouble?
27  For our soul is brought low, even unto the dust; * our belly cleaveth unto the ground.
28  Arise, Lord, and help us, * and redeem us, for thy Name's sake.