Old Testament · Poetry

Psalm 40

He Set My Feet on a Rock

David waited patiently — and God reached into the miry pit and pulled him out. A psalm that moves from the depths to a new song.

Berean Standard Bible BSB KJV

Tap any verse number for what that verse means.

1I waited patiently for the LORD; He inclined to me and heard my cry.

2He lifted me up from the pit of despair, out of the miry clay; He set my feet upon a rock, and made my footsteps firm.

3He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.

4Blessed is the man who has made the LORD his trust, who has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.

5Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders You have done, and the plans You have for us— none can compare to You— if I proclaim and declare them, they are more than I can count.

6Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but my ears You have opened. Burnt offerings and sin offerings You did not require.

7Then I said, “Here I am, I have come— it is written about me in the scroll:

8I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your law is within my heart.”

9I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly; behold, I do not seal my lips, as You, O LORD, do know.

10I have not covered up Your righteousness in my heart; I have declared Your faithfulness and salvation; I have not concealed Your loving devotion and faithfulness from the great assembly.

11O LORD, do not withhold Your mercy from me; Your loving devotion and faithfulness will always guard me.

12For evils without number surround me; my sins have overtaken me, so that I cannot see. They are more than the hairs of my head, and my heart has failed within me.

13Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me; hurry, O LORD, to help me.

14May those who seek my life be ashamed and confounded; may those who wish me harm be repelled and humiliated.

15May those who say to me, “Aha, aha!” be appalled at their own shame.

16May all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; may those who love Your salvation always say, “The LORD be magnified!”

17But I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my helper and deliverer; O my God, do not delay.

Understand This

Psalm 40, explained

What Psalm 40 is saying

Psalm 40 combines thanksgiving for past deliverance with urgent petition for present trouble, creating a characteristically Davidic oscillation between confidence and crisis. The opening testimony—'He lifted me out of the slimy pit' (mi-bor ha-sha'on)—describes a rescue so profound it produced a 'new song.' The theological center (vv. 6–8) declares that God desires obedience over sacrifice: 'Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for me,' as rendered in the Septuagint and quoted in Hebrews 10:5–7.

The background behind it

The latter portion (vv. 13–17) reappears almost verbatim as Psalm 70, suggesting independent circulation of the petition section. The Hebrews citation of the Septuagint rendering ('a body You have prepared') rather than the Hebrew ('ears You have opened/dug') became theologically significant in Christology.

Themes running underneath

The psalm develops the prophetic critique of ritual without obedience (cf. 1 Samuel 15:22, Isaiah 1:11–17). The 'scroll' (megillah) in which God's will is written for the psalmist anticipates the internalization of Torah that Jeremiah will describe as the new covenant (Jeremiah 31:33).

Why it still matters

Psalm 40 challenges worship that remains in the sanctuary without transforming daily obedience. It models the integration of grateful testimony and honest present need, refusing to let past blessings silence current struggles.

This is one chapter. BibleKey does all 1,189.

Tap any verse for its meaning, any word for its Hebrew or Greek root, and follow every cross-reference without losing your place.

Get BibleKey

All 150 chapters of Psalms · Every book of the Bible · Browse by topic

Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible — used by permission, Bible Hub.