TRV
Translation
King James Version
Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The LORD be magnified.
Complete Jewish Bible
But may all those who seek you be glad and take joy in you. May those who love your salvation say always, "ADONAI is great and glorious!"
Berean Standard Bible
May all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; may those who love Your salvation always say, “The LORD be magnified!”
American Standard Version
Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: Let such as love thy salvation say continually, Jehovah be magnified.
World English Bible Messianic
Let all those who seek you rejoice and be glad in you. Let such as love your salvation say continually, “Let the LORD be exalted!”
Geneva Bible (1599)
Let all them, that seeke thee, reioyce and be glad in thee: and let them, that loue thy saluation, say alway, The Lord be praysed.
Young's Literal Translation
All seeking Thee rejoice and are glad in Thee, Those loving Thy salvation say continually, `Jehovah is magnified.'
In the KJVVerse 14,542 of 31,102
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Commentary on Psalms 40 verses 11–17
11 ¶ Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.
12 For 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.
13 Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me: O LORD, make haste to help me.
14 Let 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.
15 Let them be desolate for a reward 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, The LORD be magnified.
17 But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.
The psalmist, having meditated upon the work of redemption, and spoken of it in the person of the Messiah, now comes to make improvement of the doctrine of his mediation between us and God, and therefore speaks in his own person. Christ having done his Father's will, and finished his work, and given orders for the preaching of the gospel to every creature, we are encouraged to come boldly to the throne of grace, for mercy and grace.
I. This may encourage us to pray for the mercy of God, and to put ourselves under the protection of that mercy, Psa 40:11. "Lord, thou hast not spared thy Son, nor withheld him; withhold not thou thy tender mercies then, which thou hast laid up for us in him; for wilt thou not with him also freely give us all things? Rom 8:32. Let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me." The best saints are in continual danger, and see themselves undone if they be not continually preserved by the grace of God; and the everlasting lovingkindness and truth of God are what we have to depend upon for our preservation to the heavenly kingdom, Psa 61:7.
II. This may encourage us in reference to the guilt of sin, that Jesus Christ has done that towards our discharge from it which sacrifice and offering could not do. See here, 1. The frightful sight he had of sin, Psa 40:12. This was it that made the discovery he was now favoured with of a Redeemer very welcome to him. He saw his iniquities to be evils, the worst of evils; he saw that they compassed him about; in all the reviews of his life, and his reflections upon each step of it, still he discovered something amiss. The threatening consequences of his sin surrounded him. Look which way he would, he saw some mischief or other waiting for him, which he was conscious to himself his sins had deserved. He saw them taking hold of him, arresting him, as the bailiff does the poor debtor; he saw them to be innumerable and more than the hairs of his head. Convinced awakened consciences are apprehensive of danger from the numberless number of the sins of infirmity which seem small as hairs, but, being numerous, are very dangerous. Who can understand his errors? God numbers our hairs (Mat 10:30), which yet we cannot number; so he keeps an account of our sins, which we keep no account of. The sight of sin so oppressed him that he could not hold up his head - I am not able to look up; much less could he keep up his heart - therefore my heart fails me. Note, The sight of our sins in their own colours would drive us to distraction, if we had not at the same time some sight of a Saviour. 2. The careful recourse he had to God under the sense of sin (Psa 40:13); seeing himself brought by his sins to the very brink of ruin, eternal ruin, with what a holy passion does he cry out, "Be pleased, O Lord! to deliver me (Psa 40:13); O save me from the wrath to come, and the present terrors I am in through the apprehensions of that wrath! I am undone, I die, I perish, without speedy relief. In a case of this nature, where the bliss of an immortal soul is concerned, delays are dangerous; therefore, O Lord! make haste to help me."
III. This may encourage us to hope for victory over our spiritual enemies that seek after our souls to destroy them (Psa 40:14), the roaring lion that goes about continually seeking to devour. If Christ has triumphed over them, we through him, shall be more than conquerors. In the belief of this we may pray, with humble boldness, Let them be ashamed and confounded together, and driven backward, Psa 40:14. Let them be desolate, Psa 40:15. Both the conversion of a sinner and the glorification of a saint are great disappointments to Satan, who does his utmost, with all his power and subtlety, to hinder both. Now, our Lord Jesus having undertaken to bring about the salvation of all his chosen, we may in faith pray that, in both these ways, that great adversary may be confounded. When a child of God is brought into that horrible pit, and the miry clay, Satan cries Aha! aha! thinking he has gained his point; but he shall rage when he sees the brand plucked out of the fire, and shall be desolate, for a reward of his shame. The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan! The accuser of the brethren is cast out.
IV. This may encourage all that seek God, and love his salvation, to rejoice in him and to praise him, Psa 40:16. See here, 1. The character of good people. Conformably to the laws of natural religion, they seek God, desire his favour, and in all their exigencies apply to him, as a people should seek unto their God; and conformably to the laws of revealed religion they love his salvation, that great salvation of which the prophets enquired and searched diligently, which the Redeemer undertook to work out when he said, Lo, I come. All that shall be saved love the salvation not only as a salvation from hell, but a salvation from sin. 2. The happiness secured to good people by this prophetic prayer. Those that seek God shall rejoice and be glad in him, and with good reason, for he will not only be found of them but will be their bountiful rewarder. Those that love his salvation shall be filled with the joy of his salvation, and shall say continually, The Lord be magnified; and thus they shall have a heaven upon earth. Blessed are those that are thus still praising God.
V. This may encourage the saints, in distress and affliction, to trust in God and comfort themselves in him, Psa 40:17. David himself was one of these: I am poor and needy (a king, perhaps now on the throne, and yet, being troubled in spirit, he calls himself poor and needy, in want and distress, lost and undone without a Saviour), yet the Lord thinketh upon me in and through the Mediator, by whom we are made accepted. Men forget the poor and needy, and seldom think of them; but God's thoughts, towards them (which he had spoken of Psa 40:5) are their support and comfort. They may assure themselves that God is their help under their troubles, and will be, in due time, their deliverer out of their troubles, and will make no long tarrying; for the vision is for an appointed time, and therefore, though it tarry, we may wait for it, for it shall come; it will come, it will not tarry.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 11–17. Public domain.
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Augustine of HippoAD 430
Exposition on Psalm 40
"Let all those that seek You, O Lord, rejoice and be glad" [Psalm 40:16]. Those who "seek" not me, but "You;" who say not to me, "Well done! Well done!" but see me "glory in You," if I have anything whereof to glory; for "he who glories, let him glory in the Lord." [1 Corinthians 1:31] "Let all those who seek You, Lord, rejoice and be glad."
"And say continually, the Lord be magnified." For even if the sinner becomes righteous, you should give the glory to "Him who justifies the ungodly." [Romans 4:5] Whether therefore it be a sinner, let Him be praised who calls him to forgiveness; or one already walking in the way of righteousness, let Him be praised who calls him to receive the crown! Let the Name of the Lord be magnified continually by "such as love Your salvation."
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Psalms 40:16 is a fervent communal prayer embedded within David's psalm, transitioning from his personal testimony of deliverance to a universal aspiration. It expresses a profound desire that all who earnestly seek God would find their ultimate joy and gladness in Him, and that those who deeply appreciate His saving work would be compelled to continually declare and exalt His supreme greatness. This verse encapsulates the appropriate response of God's people to His enduring faithfulness and transformative salvation, culminating in an unending proclamation of His worth.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Psalms 40:16 employs several potent literary devices to convey its message. Parallelism is evident in the structure, where the first two clauses ("Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee" and "let such as love thy salvation say continually") present similar ideas in different phrasing, reinforcing the connection between seeking God, loving His salvation, and responding with praise. The verse also features Metonymy, where "salvation" stands for the entire redemptive work and character of God that brings about deliverance. Furthermore, the imperative "Let... be magnified" functions as a Jussive, expressing a strong wish or prayer, indicating a fervent desire for this continuous exultation of God to occur among His people. The phrase "continually" acts as Hyperbole to emphasize the unending nature of the praise, highlighting the profound and constant gratitude due to God.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Psalms 40:16 powerfully articulates the appropriate human response to divine grace: a joyful, continuous magnification of God's name, rooted in a deep love for His saving work. This verse underscores the biblical truth that true joy is not found in self-sufficiency or worldly pursuits, but in an active, earnest relationship with God. It connects the experience of salvation (deliverance, help, well-being) directly to an outpouring of praise, demonstrating that gratitude for God's intervention naturally leads to His exaltation. The desire for God to be "magnified continually" reflects an understanding of His enduring faithfulness and the perpetual need for His people to bear witness to His greatness in every generation. This communal aspiration for God's glory is a central theme throughout Scripture, uniting individual testimonies with corporate worship and pointing to the ultimate purpose of humanity: to glorify God.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Psalms 40:16 serves as a profound blueprint for the life of a believer, calling us to an active, joyful, and worshipful engagement with God. It challenges us to examine the true source of our gladness: is it rooted in fleeting circumstances or in the unchanging character and saving work of God? To "seek" God implies a deliberate, daily pursuit of His presence through prayer, meditation on His Word, and obedience to His commands, recognizing that He is the ultimate wellspring of life and joy. Our "love" for His salvation should not be a passive appreciation but an active, overflowing gratitude that compels us to declare His greatness. In a world often consumed by self-magnification and the pursuit of fleeting pleasures, this verse redirects our focus to the only One truly worthy of all praise. It encourages a lifestyle where our lips and lives continually bear witness to the magnitude of God's goodness and power, inspiring others to seek Him and experience His transformative salvation.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What does it mean to "seek God"?
Answer: To "seek God" (Hebrew: bâqash) implies an earnest, diligent, and intentional pursuit of His presence, will, and favor. It's not a casual inquiry but a proactive desire for a deeper relationship with Him. This involves spending time in prayer, studying His Word (Joshua 1:8), obeying His commands, and prioritizing Him above all else. It's about orienting one's entire life towards knowing and experiencing God as the ultimate source of meaning and satisfaction, recognizing that He is the ultimate good.
Why is it important to "rejoice and be glad in God" rather than in circumstances?
Answer: Rejoicing and being glad "in God" means that our joy is rooted in His unchanging character, His sovereignty, and His saving work, rather than in the fluctuating conditions of our lives. Circumstantial joy is fleeting and dependent on external factors, but joy in God is steadfast and resilient, providing an anchor during trials. As Habakkuk 3:17-18 powerfully illustrates, even when all earthly comforts fail, we can still rejoice in the God of our salvation. This kind of joy is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) and a powerful testament to God's faithfulness in a fallen world.
How can we "continually" magnify the Lord in our daily lives?
Answer: Magnifying the Lord continually means living a life that consistently points to His greatness. This isn't limited to formal worship services but permeates every aspect of life. It involves expressing gratitude in prayer, speaking of His goodness to others, living righteously, using our gifts for His glory (1 Peter 4:10-11), and allowing our actions to reflect His character and love. It's a mindset of worship that transforms ordinary moments into opportunities to declare His supreme worthiness, in both word and deed, making our entire existence a living testimony to His greatness.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Psalms 40:16 finds its ultimate and most profound fulfillment in Jesus Christ. He is the one who perfectly "sought" the Father's will, demonstrating complete obedience even to the point of death on a cross (Philippians 2:8). In Him, believers find the true and lasting joy that the psalmist longed for, a joy that transcends earthly circumstances because it is rooted in His finished work of redemption and the promise of eternal life (John 15:11). Christ Himself is the embodiment of God's "salvation" (tᵉshûwʻâh), for His very name, Jesus (Yeshua), means "The Lord saves." Those who "love His salvation" are those who have received the grace offered through His atoning sacrifice, experiencing forgiveness of sins and new life through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). Therefore, the call to "magnify the Lord continually" becomes a Christ-centered imperative: to proclaim the greatness of God revealed in the person and work of Jesus, who is "the image of the invisible God" (Colossians 1:15) and through whom all things were created. Our continuous praise is a response to the unparalleled salvation accomplished by the Lamb of God, who alone is worthy of all glory and honor (Revelation 5:12-13).