Deep calls unto deep – Psalm 42:6-7

Psalm 42:6-7 (NKJV)

6 O my God, my soul is cast down within me;

Therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan,

And from the heights of Hermon,

From the Hill Mizar.

7 deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls;

All Your waves and billows have gone over me.

This is a contemplative Psalm written by the Psalmist in a season of deep emotional distress and sorrow.

First, observe that the phrase “unto deep” is not present in the original Hebrew manuscript. It simply reads “deep calls.” The word “deep” translates the Hebrew word “tehom” (תְּהוֹם) which means “abyss, the depths of the earth, the grave.” It is used similarly in Psalm 71:20

Psalm  71:20 (NKJV)

20 You, who have shown me great and severe troubles,

Shall revive me again,

And bring me up again from the depths of the earth.

So “deep calls” simply means “I hear the sound of the deep (or the grave) calling to me.” It is a statement of fear as he dreads death.

© Josh Banks Ministries. 2021.