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Psalms

About this book
Psalm 40

1 For the music director, a psalm of David. I relied completely on the Lord, and he turned toward me and heard my cry for help. 2 He lifted me out of the watery pit, out of the slimy mud. He placed my feet on a rock and gave me secure footing. 3 He gave me reason to sing a new song, praising our God. May many see what God has done, so that they might swear allegiance to him and trust in the Lord. 4 How blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord and does not seek help from the proud or from liars. 5 O Lord, my God, you have accomplished many things; you have done amazing things and carried out your purposes for us. No one can thwart you. I want to declare your deeds and talk about them, but they are too numerous to recount. 6 Receiving sacrifices and offerings are not your primary concern. Ears you hollowed out for me.18⁠ You do not ask for burnt sacrifices and sin offerings.⁠ 7 Then I say, “Look, I come! What is written in the scroll pertains to me. 8 I want to do what pleases you, my God. Your law dominates my thoughts.” 9 I have told the great assembly about your justice. Look, I spare no words. O Lord, you know this is true. 10 I have not failed to tell about your justice; I spoke about your reliability and deliverance. I have not neglected to tell the great assembly about your loyal love and faithfulness. 11 O Lord, you do not withhold your compassion from me. May your loyal love and faithfulness continually protect me! 12 For innumerable dangers surround me. My sins overtake me so I am unable to see; they outnumber the hairs of my head so my strength fails me. 13 Please be willing, O Lord, to rescue me! O Lord, hurry and help me! 14 May those who are trying to snatch away my life be totally embarrassed and ashamed. May those who want to harm me be turned back and ashamed. 15 May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!” be humiliated and disgraced. 16 May all those who seek you be happy and rejoice in you. May those who love to experience your deliverance say continually, “May the Lord be praised!” 17 I am oppressed and needy. May the Lord pay attention to me. You are my helper and my deliverer. O my God, do not delay.

Texts in conversation

Compare Psalm 40:7 and LXX Psalm 39:7 and Hebrews 10:5

Hebrew Bible · Septuagint · New Testament

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Summary

Psalm 40 says God “opened” the psalmist’s ears, an idiom for giving understanding and obedience. The Greek Septuagint translation instead says God “prepared a body,” language Hebrews later applies to Jesus, showing its use of the Greek text.

Passages

Psalm 40:7

Hebrew Bible
6 Receiving sacrifices and offerings are not your primary concern. Ears you hollowed out for me.18 You do not ask for burnt sacrifices and sin offerings. 7 Then I say, “Look, I come! What is written in the scroll pertains to me. 8 I want to do what pleases you, my God. Your law dominates my thoughts.”
600–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Psalms

LXX Psalm 39:7

Septuagint
6 Lord my God, you have multiplied your wonderful works, and in your thoughts there is none who shall be likened to you: I declared and spoke of them: they exceeded number. 7 Sacrifice and offering you would not; but [a body] you have prepared me: whole burnt offering and sacrifice for sin you did not require. 8 Then I said, Look, I come: in the volume of the book it is written concerning me,
100–1 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in LXX Psalms

Hebrews 10:5

New Testament
5 So when he came into the world, he said, “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me. 6 Whole burnt offerings and sin-offerings you took no delight in. 7 Then I said, ‘Here I am: I have come—it is written of me in the scroll of the book—to do your will, O God.’”
80–90 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Hebrews

References

"... The interface between textual and exegetical issues is nowhere more evident than in the Epistle to the Hebrews. Of particular interest is 10:5-7, in which the author quotes Psalm 40:6-8 (LXX 39:7-9). As is well known, the quotation differs from the Hebrew in one important respect. In the Masoretic Text, the second clause of verse 7 reads ('ears you have dug for me'), usually interpreted to mean, 'you have opened my ears,' that is, 'you have properly instructed me' (in contrast to the first clause: 'Sacrifice and offering you did not desire'). In Hebrews 10:6, however, we read ('but you prepared a body for me'), which is the reading found in virtually the whole LXX tradition ... Since throughout the Epistle to the Hebrews the author depends on the LXX and appears not to have made use of the Hebrew text, it would follow that he seized on the Septuagint's defensible paraphrase to present a messianic Interpretation of the Psalm ... In the light of these considerations, we have good reason to believe that the author of Hebrews had before him a Greek text of Psalms with the reading and that therefore he is the one responsible for changing this word ..."
Karen H. Jobes and Moisés Silva, Invitation to the Septuagint (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2000), 195–197.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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  • I think that the LXX guys got it right.

    Jeff Gideon, January 11, 2025

  • In Heb 10, the inspired writer quotes Ps 40:7 (Ps 39:7 in Septuagint), but Ralph's Septuagint quoted from the MT saying 'an ear thou has prepared for me' but the Hebrew writer quotes 'a body thou has prepared for me' = a very crucial error in Ralhf's; Breton's an earlier version has it right; let's ...

    Peter E Droubay, July 30, 2025

Psalm 40:7 and LXX Psalm 39:7 and Hebrews 10:5

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