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My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?
Psalms 42:3 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB My tears have been my food day and night, while they continually ask me, “Where is your God?”
  • BSB My tears have been my food both day and night, while men ask me all day long, “Where is your God?”
  • NKJV My tears have been my food day and night, While they continually say to me, “Where is your God?”
  • NASB My tears have been my food day and night, While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
  • NLT Day and night I have only tears for food, while my enemies continually taunt me, saying, “Where is this God of yours?”

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

His tears are his food day and night while mockers ask, 'Where is your God?' Grief and taunting compound his distress.

Overview

Cut off from worship, the psalmist weeps continually, his sorrow unrelenting. Enemies sharpen the pain by questioning God's care. Yet the very lament shows faith that still clings to God amid the taunts.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 11

  • Ps 79:10Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is their God? let him be known among the heathen in our sight by the revenging of the blood of thy servants which is shed.
  • Ps 115:2Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is now their God?
  • Joel 2:17Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?
  • Ps 42:10As with a sword in my bones, mine enemies reproach me; while they say daily unto me, Where is thy God?
  • Ps 80:5Thou feedest them with the bread of tears; and givest them tears to drink in great measure.
  • Ps 102:9For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping,
  • Ps 79:12And render unto our neighbours sevenfold into their bosom their reproach, wherewith they have reproached thee, O Lord.
  • Mic 7:10Then she that is mine enemy shall see it, and shame shall cover her which said unto me, Where is the LORD thy God? mine eyes shall behold her: now shall she be trodden down as the mire of the streets.
  • Ps 22:8He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.
  • Ps 3:2Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah.
  • 2 Sam 16:12It may be that the LORD will look on mine affliction, and that the LORD will requite me good for his cursing this day.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (7)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Psalms videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Psalms 42:3YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on PsalmsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.

How Psalms 42:3 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.