O LORD, why do you cast my soul away? Why do you hide your face from me?
English Standard Version (ESV)
What's easy to miss is that the psalmist isn't just asking why God seems distant, but uses the phrase "cast my soul away" to convey a sense of being rejected with utter loathing. This isn't a simple complaint about not being heard, but a deep spiritual anguish over feeling fundamentally abandoned by God Himself.
O LORD, why do you cast my soul away? Why do you hide your face from me?
English Standard Version (ESV)
This psalm is a profound cry from the depths of suffering, where the psalmist feels utterly abandoned and overlooked by God, even as he cries out for help day and night. He describes himself as already among the dead, forgotten and unable to praise God, pleading that God's wonders cannot be seen or praised by those in the grave. This desperate plea, wondering why God casts him away and hides His face, comes at the peak of his despair, before continuing with a lament that his life has been a constant struggle with death.
Have you ever felt utterly forsaken by God, as if He's turned His back and forgotten you? This psalm plunges into that darkness.
The psalmist uses the powerful phrase "castest thou off" (or "cast off my soul"). This isn't just a gentle nudge away; it's a forceful rejection, like throwing something away with disgust. Imagine a parent disgusted with their child, or someone discarding a broken tool. The psalmist feels so utterly rejected, so abandoned, that he questions God's very nature. He's not just asking why he's suffering, but why God is actively pushing him away. This sense of divine abandonment is deeply painful and disorienting, challenging his understanding of a loving God.
God's face is often associated with favor, light, and presence. What does it mean when He hides it?
The second part of the verse asks, "Why do you hide your face from me?" This is a plea for God's presence and acknowledgment. When God hides His face, it means He is not showing favor, not offering comfort, and not making His will clear. It's like the sun being hidden by clouds – everything feels dim and uncertain. The psalmist feels unseen, unacknowledged, and isolated in his suffering. He’s not just looking for an answer to his problems, but for the very presence and recognition of God, which he feels is being deliberately withheld.
Understand the original words
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nephesh · Hebrew Noun
A metaphor for the conscious self, life-breath, or the inner being of a person. It is the seat of emotions, will, and the core of the human personality that stands before God.
panim · Hebrew Noun
A vivid metaphor for intimacy, favor, and fellowship with God. Hiding the face indicates the withdrawal of God's manifest presence, blessing, and comforting light, often experienced as a result of divine judgment or testing.
Job, like the psalmist here, grapples with God's apparent silence and questions why God would pursue him so intensely when he feels abandoned.
Jeremiah 20:7The prophet Jeremiah echoes this sentiment of being deceived and overpowered by God, questioning why God would put him in such a position of public shame and suffering.
Habakkuk 1:2This passage shows a prophet crying out to God for an explanation of injustice and suffering, mirroring the psalmist's desperate plea for understanding why God seems distant.
Matthew 27:46Jesus himself cries out from the cross, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?' This is a profound parallel to the psalmist's feeling of abandonment by God in the deepest hour of suffering.
clarkePsalms 88:14: "LORD, why castest thou off my soul? why hidest thou thy face from me?"
Why castest thou off my soul? - Instead of my soul, several of the ancient Versions have my prayer. Why dost thou refuse to hear me, and thus abandon me to death?
pulpitPsalms 88:14: "LORD, why castest thou off my soul? why hidest thou thy face from me?"
Verse 14. - Lord, why cutest thou off my soul? The psalmist speaks here, like Job, as one aggrieved. What has he done to be "cast off"? He is evidently not aware of having sinned any grievous sin, and does not understand why he is visited with such grievous sufferings. Why hidest thou thy face from me? Perhaps it is his insensibility, his unconsciousness of real sins and shortcomings, that has drawn down upon…
What's easy to miss is that the psalmist isn't just asking why God seems distant, but uses the phrase "cast my soul away" to convey a sense of being rejected with utter loathing. This isn't a simple complaint about not being heard, but a deep spiritual anguish over feeling fundamentally abandoned by God Himself.
This psalm is a profound cry from the depths of suffering, where the psalmist feels utterly abandoned and overlooked by God, even as he cries out for help day and night. He describes himself as already among the dead, forgotten and unable to praise God, pleading that God's wonders cannot be seen or praised by those in the grave. This desperate plea, wondering why God casts him away and hides His face, comes at the peak of his despair, before continuing with a lament that his life has been a constant struggle with death.
This psalm is a profound cry from the depths of suffering, where the psalmist feels utterly abandoned and overlooked by God, even as he cries out for help day and night. He describes himself as already among the dead, forgotten and unable to praise God, pleading that God's wonders cannot be seen or praised by those in the grave. This desperate plea, wondering why God casts him away and hides His face, comes at the peak of his despair, before continuing with a lament that his life has been a constant struggle with death.
"O LORD, why do you cast my soul away? Why do you hide your face from me?" — What's easy to miss is that the psalmist isn't just asking why God seems distant, but uses the phrase "cast my soul away" to convey a sense of being rejected with utter loathing. This isn't a simpl…
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Last reviewed October 2026