Deep calls to deep

Posted by Reneed on May 04, 2007

In Reply to: Deep calls to deep posted by Mathew K J on May 04, 2007

: I've been digging around trying to fully grasp the meaning (or the common English understanding) of a phrase found in Psalm 42:7. The phrase reads as follows:
: "Deep calls to deep" (New International Version) "Deep calleth unto deep" (King James Version) "Deep calls unto deep" (New King James Version)

: Would help to know. Thanks in advance - Mathew K J (Bangalore, India)

It's a powerful, poetic image. The sea was very frightening to the Hebrews, as ESC points out -- witness the story of Jonah.

I recently ran across this phrase in the movie "Infamous" (the second Truman Capote movie). The Harper Lee character says that when Capote told her about the Clutter murders it was deep calling unto deep. (No idea whether she actually said this.) Nice example, I think of the way we use it -- something hidden and, well, deep that speaks to a profound impulse in another.