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Lenten Season · Annunciation of the Lord · Year C

Psalm 40:7-8, 8-9, 10, 11

He Drew Me Up from the Pit

March 25, 2028

Moses with the Tables of the Law, Guido Reni
Moses with the Tables of the Law, Guido Reni, c. 1624Galleria Borghese, Rome
Reni's Moses holds the tablets upright and looks past them, painted with the cool clarity and the upward gaze he was famous for.Sacrifice and offering you do not desire, but you have given me an open ear. Then I said, Here I am; I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.Guido ReniA Bolognese painter of refined, upward-gazing figures, enormously admired in his own century and out of fashion for most of the next two.Galleria Borghese, RomeCardinal Scipione Borghese's villa, built to hold art he acquired by means that were not always legal, and still hung as he arranged it.Galleria Borghese, Rome
Roman Lectionary
GospelLuke 1:26-38Lk 1:26-38
Second ReadingHeb. 10:4-10Heb 10:4-10
First ReadingIsa. 7:10-14; 8:10Is 7:10-14; 8:10
Responsorial PsalmPs. 40:7-8, 8-9, 10, 11Ps 40:7-8, 8-9, 10, 11

Overview & Insights

“I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry.” (Psalm 40:1)

Psalm 40 is an individual psalm of thanksgiving, which is typically composed of the report of a crisis (40:12) and the celebration of deliverance (40:1–3), and these elements do not necessarily occur in that order.1Some commentators insist that this psalm is a combination of two independent psalms, an individual psalm of thanksgiving (40:1–10) and an individual lament (40:11–17). In reality, however, thanksgiving and lament naturally belong to the individual psalm of thanksgiving, since the suppliant as a matter of course rehearses the crisis (lament) from which he has been delivered.2 As for the usual order of lament followed by thanksgiving, Psalms 9–10 pose a similar challenge to this order and show that the order is not sacrosanct.3 A thematic editorial principle definitely plays a role in the order of the Psalms.

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Take it further: Psalm 40:7-8, 8-9, 10, 11

Commentary

Psalm 40 Bible CommentaryPs 40 Bible Commentary Enduring Word · David Guzik

Verse by verse commentary on the psalmist's offer of obedience over sacrifice.

Psalm 40:1-11 CommentaryPs 40:1-11 Commentary Center for Excellence in Preaching

Reformed preaching commentary covering the appointed psalm verses.

Psalm 40:7 CommentariesPs 40:7 Commentaries BibleHub

Aggregates classic commentaries on the scroll of the book verse.

Psalms 40 (Barnes, Gill)Ps 40 (Barnes, Gill) StudyLight

Classic Barnes and Gill commentaries on the psalm's offer of obedience.

Background & Word Study

Psalms 40:7Ps 40:7 Sefaria

Hebrew Masoretic text of the verse quoted in Hebrews 10.

Questions preachers ask

What does Psalm 40 give thanks for?

God drew the psalmist up from the pit and set his feet on a rock, putting a new song in his mouth; in response he delights to do God's will and proclaims his faithfulness.

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