'n Mistieke lesing van Psalms 42-43

English: Biblical Spirituality offers a fresh perspective to the study of a biblical text. The specific focus of the research is the God-human relationship in the text. In the Psalms, the God-human relationship is central and therefore offers the ideal source for such research. Being largely written in prayer language and therefore with a dialogical orientation towards God, either in praise, thanksgiving or complaint, the Psalms lend themselves to a more detailed examination with the lens of mysticism. The problem addressed here is that Psalms 42-43 are appropriate texts to investigate using a mystical lens. Apart from Waaijman’s investigation in Mystiek in de Psalmen and his analysis in Spirin, this text has not been studied in detail in this way before. The hypothesis is that important aspects of Psalms 42-43 can only be understood from a mystical perspective. Accordingly, the purpose is thus to show how a consistent, theoretically based mystical reading of Psalms 42-43 will contribute to explore a certain essential tenor in the poem. Important aspects of the text can be understood by a mystical lens. This study aims at contributing to the understanding of mysticism from a biblical perspective through the investigation of Psalms 42-43, as well as to show how it may be an essential addition to, and enrichment of existing biblical receptions. The method entails to give a theoretical, hermeneutical and methodological account directly after the introductory chapter. Biblical Spirituality as the meeting of two disciplines, namely Biblical Sciences and Spirituality Studies is investigated. Waaijman’s spiritual hermeneutics is also examined and a mystical perspective regarding a biblical text is analysed. An exegetical analysis of Psalms 42-43 follows in Chapter 3. Grammatical, text-critical, lexicographic, poetical and historical insights, characteristic of the historical-critical approach, are investigated. A mystical lens is continually applied. Consequently, in a close reading of the text, a mystical process is revealed that unfolds systematically on four levels. The following four chapters are a detailed examination of each of these four levels of the mystical process. The four levels entail, firstly, a liminal situation as place of birth for the mystical process (Chapter 4); secondly, a process of interiorisation as means for dealing with the liminal situation (Chapter 5); thirdly, a mystagogical process emerges (Chapter 6) that carries the interiorisation to the fourth level, namely contemplation (Chapter 7). With contemplation, the mystical process reaches its peak. In the last chapter the summarised findings are provided.