What does it mean that deep calls to deep (Psalm 42:7)?

Answer

The psalmist laments, “Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me” «Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: All thy waves and thy billows are gone over me. », (Psalm 42:7). In its beautifully crafted poetry, Psalm 42 conveys a heartfelt cry from God’s people in a time of distress. What does it truly signify when “deep calls to deep?”

There is some uncertainty about the setting of Psalm 42. The writer appears to be situated outside Jerusalem and unable to return. He recalls how he “used to go to the house of God . . . with shouts of joy” (verse 4), speaks as if he is east of the Jordan River (verse 6), and hears the mocking of an adversary (verse 10). Most likely, the scenario is this: the sons of Korah—the leaders of tabernacle worship to whom the psalm is attributed—were accompanying King David as he was forced out of Jerusalem by his rebellious son Absalom (2 Samuel 15). As David and his loyal followers fled for their lives, they gazed back with sorrow at their beloved Jerusalem. Psalm 42 captures their reflections during that period of exile.

In the preceding verses before the declaration that “deep calls to deep,” the poet expresses his yearning for God’s presence like a deer thirsting for streams of water «As the hart panteth after the water brooks, So panteth my soul after thee, O God. », (Psalm 42:1). The exiled individuals were craving their Deliverer with tears while facing taunts from their foes. Isolated from Jerusalem, the sons of Korah were deeply longing for the divine presence.

Could only remember what it was like to take part in worship with shouts of joy in the festive processions. In the reminiscing, the songwriter attempts to encourage himself in the Lord and place his hope in God. The songwriter vacillates between confidence that he would soon be able to praise the Lord as he had in the past and despair over his present affliction.

The language of Psalm 42 is poetic and metaphorical. “Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls; All Your waves and billows have gone over me” «Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: All thy waves and thy billows are gone over me. », (Psalm 42:7, NKJV). The songwriter portrays his distress figuratively: it’s as if waves and breakers are sweeping over him. Trouble was surging, with one overwhelming swell coming after another. The “deep” trials he faced kept coming, wave-like—deep after deep.

The Hebrew word translated here as “deep” refers to the deepest depths of the sea. The sons of Korah exiled with David had lost all footing, and they felt as if recurring waves of trouble had plunged their souls into a bottomless ocean of sorrow and despair. The prophet Jonah used similar language to describe his predicament after God’s discipline in his life: “You hurled me into the depths, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me” «For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; And the floods compassed me about: All thy billows and thy waves passed over me. », (Jonah 2:3).

There’s another interpretation of the word deep in Psalm 42, namely, that the songwriter is expressing the fact that his soul was in deep need of God. The psalmist calls out from his place of profound need for the unfathomable greatness of God. A deep need calls for a deep remedy.

James Smith and Robert Lee eloquently explain the concept of “deep calls to deep” in their extensive work Handfuls on Purpose for Christian Workers and Bible Students: “The profoundness of man’s need calls out to the richness of God’s abundance; and the abundance of God’s fullness calls out to the depth of man’s need. There is a significant gap between our emptiness and His all-sufficiency. . . . Deep calls unto deep. The profound mercy of God requires our emptiness, into which it can pour itself. . . . Only the depth of His Almighty fullness can truly satisfy the depth of our need” (William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1971. Vol. 8, p. 11.)

The essence of “deep calls to deep” is grasped when we acknowledge that human needs are substantial, yet God’s riches are even greater. Our wisdom is limited, but His knowledge and judgments are beyond comprehension (Romans 11:33-34). God’s thoughts are profound “O LORD, how great are thy works! And thy thoughts are very deep.”, (Psalm 92:5). His love is as deep as His vast heart (Ephesians 3:18-19), as demonstrated when He gave His only begotten Son to die for us “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”, (John 3:16). The extent, breadth, and depth of God’s provisions are immeasurable. From the depths of his despair, the psalmist found solace in the depth of God’s goodness, leading him to declare, “Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God!” “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God; For I shall yet praise him, who is my help and my God.”

“Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again—my Savior and my God.”, (Psalm 42:11, NLT).