Bible Glide

Psalms 40

Psalms 40 Summary, Context, and Full Chapter

Psalm 40 gives voice to someone who waited for the Lord, found rescue, and then answered with praise and obedience. It moves from thanksgiving for past help to fresh need in the present, showing both confidence in God and honest dependence on him.

Read in ReaderShare Passage

What happens in Psalms 40?

The psalm begins with patient waiting and a clear rescue: the Lord hears the cry, lifts the psalmist out of danger, and gives him a steadier path. That deliverance leads to a new song and public praise, so others may trust God too. The writer then says God values obedient devotion more than ritual alone, and he comes ready to do God's will. In the final section, the tone turns urgent as he asks for mercy, deliverance, and protection from enemies and from his own sin and weakness.

Psalm 40 stands in Book I of the Psalms and continues the personal prayers of David. It follows a lament in Psalm 39 and moves into a mix of thanksgiving, worship, and petition. The chapter is also often read as a bridge between God's past rescue and the believer's present need for mercy and help.

Themes to notice

  • Patient waitingThe psalm starts with trust that God hears at the right time and brings real help.
  • Obedient worshipGod wants a heart ready to do his will, not empty religious performance.
  • Need for mercyEven after rescue, the psalmist still depends on God's grace, deliverance, and protection.

Questions for Psalms 40

  • What changes in the psalmist after God lifts him from trouble?
  • Why does the psalm say God desires obedience more than sacrifice?
  • How does the ending prayer hold together confidence in God and honest need?

Read the full text of Psalms 40 below, then open it in the reader to highlight, take notes, or ask follow-up Bible questions. No account is required to read.

Psalms 40

I Waited Patiently for the LORD

For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

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.

Keep studying

Save notes and ask about Psalms 40

Create a free account to keep highlights and notes across devices, or open Bible Glide Chat with this passage already attached.

Create Free AccountAsk About This Passage