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Psalms 40

KJV · Chapter 40/150

1I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.

2He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.

3And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.

4Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.

5Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.

6Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.

7Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me,

8I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.

9I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O Lord, thou knowest.

10I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation.

11Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O Lord: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.

12For innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me.

13Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me: O Lord, make haste to help me.

14Let them be ashamed and confounded together that seek after my soul to destroy it; let them be driven backward and put to shame that wish me evil.

15Let them be desolate for a reward of their shame that say unto me, Aha, aha.

16Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The Lord be magnified.

17But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

David celebrates being lifted out of a 'horrible pit' of mire and given a new song to sing, declares that God prefers obedience over sacrifices, and closes with an urgent plea for help amid new troubles.

Explanation

The psalm has two distinct parts: praise for a past deliverance (v.1-10) and an urgent plea for help in the present (v.11-17), showing how a life of faith alternates between gratitude for past victories and renewed need for rescue. The phrase 'sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire... lo, I come' is quoted in Hebrews 10:5-7 as a prophetic reference to Christ's willingness to fulfill God's will beyond religious rituals. Today's application: sincere obedience is worth more than empty religious rituals, and it is legitimate to bring God both gratitude for the past and urgent requests for the present in the very same moment of prayer.

Fun facts

  • Verses 6-8 are quoted in Hebrews 10:5-7 and applied to Christ, who came to do God's will 'in the volume of the book' — one of the most direct connections between a Davidic psalm and the theology of Jesus's sacrifice.
  • The closing verses of this psalm (13-17) reappear almost identically as an independent psalm, Psalm 70, suggesting that portions of psalms could circulate separately before being compiled into the final collection.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Psalms 40:1Opens the psalm with a testimony of patient waiting: the answer wasn’t instant, but it came, with God bending down to hear the cry.
  2. Psalms 40:2Describes the rescue with a very physical image: pulled out of a horrible pit full of mud that trapped his feet, and set on a firm rock where his steps gain security.
  3. Psalms 40:3The result of this rescue is a new song, and this testimony doesn’t stay hidden: other people will see and, because of it, will also come to trust in God.
  4. Psalms 40:4Declares happy whoever places their trust in God, in contrast to whoever pays attention to the proud or those who turn aside to lies.
  5. Psalms 40:5Describes an impossible attempt: trying to count all of God’s wonders and thoughts is like trying to count something beyond any number that exists.
  6. Psalms 40:6This phrase is puzzling even in the original Hebrew: it may point to the custom of piercing the ear of a servant who chose to keep serving his master out of love, not obligation. That’s why the idea of voluntary obedience appears right after.
  7. Psalms 40:7A response of total availability: “Lo, I come”, as though his own life were already written beforehand in a book, a verse Hebrews later applies to Christ.
  8. Psalms 40:8Describes obedience not as a burden, but as genuine delight, with God’s law kept within his heart, not just memorized on the outside.
  9. Psalms 40:9Describes a commitment to proclaiming righteousness publicly, without keeping silent or holding back his lips before the assembly.
  10. Psalms 40:10Reinforces the same commitment: faithfulness, salvation, kindness, and truth, all of it announced publicly, hiding nothing from the assembly.
  11. Psalms 40:11After so much proclaiming God’s faithfulness, he asks that this same mercy keep being his constant guard, never withdrawn.
  12. Psalms 40:12Counting his own sins like strands of hair is hyperbole to describe a feeling of being completely buried under guilt, unable even to see the path ahead.
  13. Psalms 40:13Shifts tone, from a testimony of gratitude to an urgent plea for help, almost identical to the opening of Psalm 70, which repeats this same appeal.
  14. Psalms 40:14Asks that the enemies seeking to destroy his life be put to shame and forced to retreat, the common pattern of poetic justice in laments.
  15. Psalms 40:15Asks that whoever mocks him with jeers of scorn receive back, in the form of desolation, the same size of the insult they caused.
  16. Psalms 40:16Draws the expected contrast: while asking desolation for the mockers, he wishes constant joy for whoever seeks God and loves the salvation He offers.
  17. Psalms 40:17Closes the psalm with honest humility: even poor and needy, he knows God cares for him, and ends by asking that this help not delay.

Chapters

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