NOTES for Psa 41:6

Who is this, "my soul"? And if this is not I, then who is "I"? Perhaps the psalmist here discovers his own lack of uniformity, his many-sidedness, which each of us knows from experience. Perhaps he does not yet have in mind the threefold structure of the human person of which the Fathers of the Church speak already in New Testament times; after all, such a classification grows from Greek philosophy, not from Old Testament wisdom. But there is no doubt that he is very close to such a view: for his "soul" is downcast and troubled, that is, under the power of negative feelings, while the "I" is where there is a firm decision, independent of emotions, to praise God. It is important for us too that our will should not follow on the heels of our moods, but should be nourished by faith in God and relationship with Him, leading us to hope in God, a hope that overcomes every despondency.