Introduction to Psalm 40
Text of Psalm 40: 'I waited, I waited for the Lord' and the expectation
Ps 40 opens with a formula of rare intensity in the Psalter: qavvoh qivviti YHWH va-yet elai va-yishma shav'ati — «I waited patiently for the Lord, and he inclined to me and heard my cry» (Ps 40:2). The construction infinitive absolute + finite verb (qavvoh qivviti) is typical of Hebrew for expressing intensity or continuity: «I waited patiently», «I waited with perseverance». The verb qavah (to hope, to wait) is connected to tiqvah (hope), and indicates an active, taut expectation, not a passive one.
The psalm divides clearly into two parts: vv. 2-12 are a thoda (song of thanksgiving) for a past deliverance; vv. 13-18 are a tefillah (supplication) for a new present anguish. This second part is almost identical to Ps 70 (see Ps 70:2-6 and Ps 40:14-18), and form criticism sees in Ps 40 a redactional composition combining two originally distinct psalms. The structure has theological meaning: by recalling the past deliverance, the psalmist finds confidence to supplicate in the new trial.
| Verse (MT) | Key Hebrew term | Theological meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Ps 40:2 | qavvoh qivviti YHWH (קַוֹּה קִוִּיתִי יְהוָה) | I waited intently for the Lord |
| Ps 40:3 | mi-bor sha'on mi-tit ha-yaven (מִבּוֹר שָׁאוֹן מִטִּיט הַיָּוֵן) | From the roaring pit, from the miry bog |
| Ps 40:4 | shir chadash (שִׁיר חָדָשׁ) | A new song |
| Ps 40:7 | oznayim karita li (אָזְנַיִם כָּרִיתָ לִּי) | Ears you have dug for me |
| Ps 40:9 | la'asot retzonkha Elohai chafatzti (לַעֲשׂוֹת רְצוֹנְךָ אֱלֹהַי חָפַצְתִּי) | To do your will, my God, is my delight |
Commentary on Psalm 40: 'you have dug ears for me' and the citation in Hebrews 10
Verse 7 is among the most enigmatic in the Psalter in the Masoretic text: zevach u-minchah lo chafatzta oznayim karita li olah va-chata'ah lo sha'alta — «sacrifice and offering you do not desire; ears you have dug for me; burnt offering and sin offering you have not required» (Ps 40:7). The expression oznayim karita li (ears you have dug for me) is unique and has generated debate. Some commentaries connect it to Exod 21:6, where the ear of the servant who freely chooses to remain with his master is pierced with an awl as a sign of voluntary service. Others read it as a metaphor for openness to listening to the divine will.
The LXX translates in a very different way: soma de katertiso moi — «a body instead you have prepared for me», substituting the image of dug ears with that of a body prepared. Heb 10:5-7 cites exactly the LXX version and applies it Christologically: the Incarnation of the Son is the «body prepared» that replaces insufficient animal sacrifices. This Christological application has made Ps 40:7-9 one of the foundational texts of NT theology on Christ's sacrifice. The textual difference between MT (dug ears) and LXX (body prepared) is not an error: the LXX interprets the ear metaphor as a synecdoche for the entire body offered in obedience. Mishnah Pesachim 5:5-7 describes the rite of Temple sacrifices, and Ps 40 expresses a prophetic critique that relativizes these rites with respect to inner obedience.
Explanation of Psalm 40: 'to do your will is my delight' and Messianic obedience
Verse 9 is the central declaration of the psalm: la'asot retzonkha Elohai chafatzti ve-toratkha be-tokh me'ai — «to do your will, my God, is my delight, and your torah is within my inmost being» (Ps 40:9). The term retzon (will, good pleasure) is technical in the biblical spirituality of kavvanah (intention) — doing what God desires with a whole heart. The psalmist declares that the torah is not an external burden but an inner reality, be-tokh me'ai (within my inmost parts), in the most intimate place of the body.
Heb 10:5-10 cites Ps 40:7-9 as a prophetic witness to the sacrifice of Christ: the Incarnation of the Son perfectly realizes the «to do your will» of the psalm. The «body prepared» of the LXX is the body of Christ, and Messianic obedience is the antitype of the Davidic psalmic obedience. Mishnah Avot 2:4 cites Rabbi Judah ha-Nasi: aseh retzono ki-rtzonekha kedei she-ya'aseh retzonkha ki-rtzono — «do his will as your own will, so that he will do your will as his». This Tannaitic rabbinic principle resonates with the la'asot retzonkha chafatzti of Ps 40:9: obedience is not opposed to joy but is itself the source of spiritual joy. The traditional Jewish and Christian explanation of Ps 40 sees in these verses the summit of the biblical theology of interiorized obedience.