Psalms 42 and 43 were probably originally one. This is evidenced by the repeated refrain (42:6, 11; 43:5; also 42:3b, 10b; and 42:9; 43:2), by the absence of a superscription for Psalm 43 (unusual esp. in Book II of the Psalter), and by the structure of the psalm, which is incomplete without Psalm 43. Prayer psalms characteristically begin with lament, which comprises Psalm 42, and then move to petitions and a vow of praise, which comprise Psalm 43. Many Hebrew manuscripts, in fact, do join these two psalms. The threefold refrain breaks the psalm into clear sections, and the repetition found in 42:3b, 10b ties together sections one (42:1–5) and two (42:6–11); and the repetition found in 42:9; 43:2 ties together sections two and three (43:1–5).

The psalm appears to place us at some distance…