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

“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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