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Psalms 40

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I Waited Patiently for the Lord 1–5

1
I waited patiently for Jehovah; And he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. ​
2
He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay; And he set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. ​
3
And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: Many shall see it, and fear, And shall trust in Jehovah. ​
4
Blessed is the man that maketh Jehovah his trust, And respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. ​
5
Many, O Jehovah my God, are the wonderful works which thou hast done, And thy thoughts which are to us-ward: They cannot be set in order unto thee; If I would declare and speak of them, They are more than can be numbered. ​

Obedience and Delight in God's Will 6–10

6
Sacrifice and offering thou hast no delight in; Mine ears hast thou opened: Burnt-offering and sin-offering hast thou not required. ​
7
Then said I, Lo, I am come; In the roll of the book it is written of me: ​
8
I delight to do thy will, O my God; Yea, thy law is within my heart. ​
9
I have proclaimed glad tidings of righteousness in the great assembly; Lo, I will not refrain my lips, O Jehovah, thou knowest. ​
10
I 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 assembly.

Lament and Prayer for Deliverance 11–17

11
Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O Jehovah; Let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me. ​
12
For innumerable evils have compassed me about; Mine iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up; They are more than the hairs of my head; And my heart hath failed me. ​
13
Be pleased, O Jehovah, to deliver me: Make haste to help me, O Jehovah. ​
14
Let them be put to shame and confounded together That seek after my soul to destroy it: Let them be turned backward and brought to dishonor That delight in my hurt. ​
15
Let them be desolate by reason of their shame That say unto me, Aha, aha. ​
16
Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: Let such as love thy salvation say continually, Jehovah be magnified. ​
17
But I am poor and needy; Yetthe Lord thinketh upon me: Thou art my help and my deliverer; Make no tarrying, O my God. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Psalms 40

Verse 1

I waited patiently — Literally 'waiting I waited' (qavah, doubled for emphasis). 'Inclined' (natah) is to bend down, as in Ps 116:2, 'he hath inclined his ear unto me'. 'My cry' is shav'ah, the word of Ps 39:12, 'give ear unto my cry': this psalm records the answer to that request.

Verse 2

an horrible pit… the miry clay — 'Horrible' is sha'on, a roar or tumult, so the pit is one of uproar. The 'miry clay' (yaven) is the mire of Ps 69:2, 'I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing'. The rock is a firm place for his feet, and what is 'established' (kun) is his goings, as in Ps 37:23, 'The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD'.

Verse 3

a new song in my mouth — The song is something put (nathan) there, given to him. 'New song' (shir chadash) is the phrase of Ps 33:3; 96:1; 98:1. The praise is 'unto our God', and 'many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD': what happened to him is seen by others.

Verse 4

maketh the LORD his trust — 'Blessed' is ashre, as in Ps 32:1–2. 'Trust' (mivtach) is the thing a man leans on, and Jer 17:7 gives the same blessing, 'Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD', against Jer 17:5, 'Cursed be the man that trusteth in man'. 'Respecteth' (panah) is to turn toward; he turns neither to the proud nor to those who 'turn aside' to lies.

Verse 5

thy thoughts which are to us-ward — 'Thoughts' is machashavah, the word of Ps 33:11, 'the thoughts of his heart to all generations'. 'Wonderful works' is pala, the 'wonders' of Ex 15:11, and they cannot be set in order, arak, before him. Ps 139:17–18 says the same of the thoughts: 'more in number than the sand'.

Verse 6

mine ears hast thou opened — 'Opened' is karah, literally dug. 'Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire' has the thought of 1 Sam 15:22, 'to obey is better than sacrifice'. Hebrews 10:5 has Christ say it 'when he cometh into the world', giving this line as 'a body hast thou prepared me', and concludes that 'He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second' (Heb 10:9).

Verse 7

Lo, I come — Hebrews 10:7 quotes these words of Christ, 'Lo, I come… to do thy will, O God'. 'Volume' is megillah, a roll, and the 'book' (sefer) is a written scroll. Christ says of the same writings after the resurrection, 'all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me' (Luke 24:44).

Verse 8

I delight to do thy will — 'Delight' is chaphets, the verb 'desire' in v.6: God has no delight in sacrifice, and the speaker delights in his will. 'Within my heart' is literally in the inward parts (me'eh). Christ says 'My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work' (John 4:34).

Verse 9

I have preached righteousness — Basar is to bring glad news, the verb of 'publisheth peace' in Isa 52:7 and 'preach good tidings' in Isa 61:1. The 'great congregation' (qahal rav) is also in Ps 22:25 and 35:18. 'Refrained' is kala, which is rendered 'withhold' in v.11.

Verse 11

Withhold not thou thy tender mercies — The verb is kala of v.9: he did not hold back his lips, and asks that the LORD not hold back his mercies. 'Tender mercies' (rachamim) are compassions, and with 'lovingkindness' (chesed) and 'truth' (emet) they 'preserve' (natsar) him, as 'Mercy and truth preserve the king' (Prov 20:28).

Verse 12

innumerable evils have compassed me about — 'Compassed' is aphaph, to surround, and 'taken hold' means overtaken. The count 'more than the hairs of mine head' is given of enemies in Ps 69:4; here it is of iniquities, read as his own or his people's that he bears. 'Not able to look up' means he cannot lift his eyes, and 'faileth' is azav, literally forsaketh: 'my heart forsaketh me'.

Verse 13

Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me — Ratsah, 'be pleased', is to be favourable. The prayer 'make haste to help me' is repeated nearly word for word in Ps 70:1, and vv.13–17 stand again as Ps 70. The delay he fears is named in v.17, 'make no tarrying'.

Verse 14

ashamed and confounded together — The wording is that of Ps 35:26, 'ashamed and brought to confusion together', and 35:4. Those who 'seek after my soul' (bakash) are set against those who 'seek thee' in v.16. 'Wish me evil' is literally those who delight (chaphets) in his hurt, the verb of Ps 35:27.

Verse 15

Aha, aha — He'ach, a cry of gloating, found in the Psalms in Ps 35:21 and 25, here, and Ps 70:3. 'Desolate' (shamem) is to be stunned or appalled. The 'reward' is eqeb, the consequence: those who mock his distress are to be left stunned by their own shame.

Verse 16

seek thee rejoice and be glad — The ones who 'seek' (bakash) the LORD are set against those who 'seek after my soul' in v.14. 'Love thy salvation' is teshuah, the deliverance of Ps 33:17. 'The LORD be magnified' is the cry of Ps 35:27: 'let them say continually, Let the LORD be magnified'.

Verse 17

the Lord thinketh upon me — Chashav, to reckon, is the verb of 'imputeth' in Ps 32:2, so the Lord reckons him and thinks of him. 'Poor and needy' (ani and evyon) is the pair of Ps 35:10, and 'help' (ezrah) and 'deliverer' (palat) name the one he asks to come. Ps 70:5 repeats the verse.