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.

King James Version BSB KJV

Tap any verse number for what that verse means.

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.

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: King James Version — public domain.