Psalm 40 – Sharing With the Community

TEXT (Hebrew text at end)

1. For the leader. A psalm. Of David.

2. I most surely hoped in the LORD; He bent down toward me, and heeded my cry.

3. He lifted me out of the miry pit, the slimy bog, and set my feet on a rock, steadying my steps.

4. He put a new song into my mouth, a hymn to our God. Multitudes 1-see it and stand in awe,-1 and trust in the LORD.

5. Happy is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who turns not to the arrogant or to 2-falsehood.-2

6. You, O LORD my God, have done multitudinous things. Your wonders and Your consideration of us—none can compare with You! I would recite and relate them, but they are more than can be told.

7. You do not desire sacrifice or grain-offering. You opened ears for me: You do not ask for burnt-offering or sin-offering.

8. Then I said, “See, I bring a scrolled book written about me.”

9. To do Your pleasure, my God, is my wish; Your teaching is in my innermost parts.

10. I proclaimed justice in a multitudinous congregation; see, I did not seal my lips; O LORD, You know.

11. I did not hide Your justness within my heart; I declared Your faithful deliverance; I did not conceal Your steadfast faithfulness from a multitudinous congregation.

12. You, O LORD, will not seal off Your compassion from me; Your steadfast faithfulness will always protect me.

13. For injuries without number envelop me; my iniquities have caught up with me and I cannot see; they are more plentiful than the hairs of my head; my heart deserts me.

14. Be it Your pleasure, LORD, to save me; O LORD, hasten to my aid.

15. May those who seek to destroy my life be disgraced and abashed one and all; may those who wish me injury fall back in shame.

16. May those who say “Aha! Aha!’’ over me be desolate because of their disgrace.

17. May all who seek You be glad and rejoice in You; may those who are eager for Your deliverance always say, “the LORD be exalted!’’

18. But as for me, I am lowly and needy; may the Lord consider me. You are my aid and my rescuer; my God, do not hold back.

Notes

1. Hebrew words echo (yir’u viyira’u), approximately, “have comprehension and apprehension.”

2. Uncertain. Many translate, “false gods."

COMMENTARY

Psalm 40 includes only the words of the speaker who, while emphasizing his own experience and needs, constantly involves the group ("our" God), reflecting on communal worship and sharing his message with others. The fascination thus lies in the connection between him and the reader. How does the reader see him? What is the place of community in his life of faith? How does he understand sacrifice, the primary act of communal worship? Before turning to these questions, I reflect on the poem’s structure and unity, the latter challenged by many commentators.

Form and Unity

Some commentators contend that Psalm 40 is two separate poems, the first from the mouth of one saved and the second spoken by one in need. Even those who sense the unity struggle with the order of the sections. As opposed to most psalms that include these two types of sections, here the praise comes first. Has a saved man fallen on hard times, or is the speaker recalling the prayer he once said?

Concerning unity, repetitions bind the poem together and the emphasis on repetition is evident from the beginning: "I most surely hoped” in verse 2 is a double use of a single Hebrew root for hope; “see it and stand in awe” in verse 4 is an echo of different words (yir’u …yira’u); and “trust” is echoed in verses 4–5.

Further repetitions both unite the poem and carry it forward. These are particularly dominant in the middle verses, as the poem smoothly glides from praise to plea. Verses 12 and 13 are the verse of transitions, and these are dominated by terms which appear either before or after. There are fully seven repetitions in these two verses harking back to the earlier part of the poem, particularly the preceding lines (“You, O Lord,” 6, 12; “withhold,” 10, 12; “steadfast” and “love,” 11, 12; “see,” 4, 13; “more,” 6, 13; “my heart,” 11, 13). (There is a further possible pun in verses 6, 8, and 13: as the terms “told” “scroll” and “number” in those verses are from a single root.) Of these, the terms “steadfast love” and “more” are used for radically different situations, encouraging comparison.

The same two verses (12, 13) also include terms which are echoed later, “always” in verse 17 and “injury” in verse 15. Internally, verse 13 also includes an echo, "injuries' (ra'ot) and "see" (r-ot).

Concerning thanksgiving preceding request, there are many possible explanations (sequence of events, primacy of emphasis, speaker's affect), with no clear indication of which holds. In any case, preoccupation with a time line serves only to divert attention from the inclusion of both thanksgiving and distress. It matters little when each element “fits,” as both are part of life. The poem does not reflect on one incident or instant, but on life itself. The speaker reacts to salvation with praise and to trouble with a prayer for help. Neither obviates the other.

This Speaker

We feel the presence of the speaker strongly. Partially this is due to the large number of corporal references (as Schaefer points out): feet (3), steps (3), mouth (4), ears (7), innermost parts (9 “guts”), lips (10), heart (11, 13), hairs, and head (13). The speaker also refers to his “life” (verse 15) and focuses on himself in the last verse, “As for me.”

The speaker elicits sympathy, not only in that troubles possibly dominate his life. He seems both appreciative and sharing; he hopes his enemies will be confounded, not destroyed; and he feels very close to his God. (Note the use in verses 6 and 12 of “You, LORD” and two other uses of “You,” atah, as a separate pronoun in Hebrew, verses 10 and 18.) He certainly feels he has praised God properly, even as he confesses his many sins. (Hence his confusion―this suffering man has done what is expected of him.)

The Community

Psalm 40 involves the community in many ways. The “many things” God has done is reflected in his hope that “many” come to fear Him and in his proclaiming God’s glory in a “multitudinous” congregation (verses 10, 11). This very personal psalm is constantly flowing over to the people—in its reference once to “our” God (verse 4), its recollection of wonders “for us” (verse 6), and the speaker’s hopes and prescriptions for others (verses 4–5, 17). One is struck in particular by the speaker’s determination to make God’s salvation known to the masses (verses 10–11). Thus the readers as his audience are drawn helter-skelter into the text of the poem. Out of love and concern, both for the group and for God, he claims "us," and the readers find themselves involved both in his contentions and in his hopes and prayers. It is an inclusion to which the reader almost certainly must react in personal terms.

Some scholars (from medieval, e.g., Rashi, to modern, e.g., Broyles) on noting this emphasis believe that the whole prayer was said by a speaker for the congregation, standing before them. I find the personality and history of the speaker to be too sharp to support such an interpretation, but there is much to ponder here about the power afforded an individual’s prayer by a congregation, and vice-versa.

Sacrifice

Among the speaker’s most striking contentions is the secondary nature of sacrifice. The stance is certainly not unique in the Bible. (See, with various nuances: I Sam. 15:22; Jeremiah 7:21ff.; Hosea 6:6; Amos 5:21ff.; Micah 6:6ff.; Psalms 51:18f.; 69:31f.; 141:2. Other verses, such as Isaiah 1:10–17, might have similar claims, but are more ambiguous and might only imply how sacrifices should be offered.)

Later commentators have a field day with this position―from those who applaud this “advance” within early Israelite religion (there are different views on the timing of such a stage), to those who see here no rejection of sacrifice, only a poetic emphasis on proper affect. Interpretations thus span dismissal of sacrifice to prioritization within a sacrificial system. Traditional commentaries sometimes find a fine line to walk in facing this problem of how one could oppose or limit an early biblical obligation. By way of example, Kimche (eleventh century) suggested that sacrifices are necessary only if man sins, and the force of Psalm 40 is the emphasis on how much better it is to be good, thus obviating the need for sacrifices. (He points out that the sacrifices are not included in the Ten Commandments!) Among moderns, Broyles comments that this psalm (partially) acknowledges that God cherishes even the thanksgiving of the poor who cannot afford sacrifices. (Note the poverty in verse 18.)

In any case, the number of similar biblical verses and their distribution indicate a widespread value hierarchy according to which the sacrifices were clearly held to be of secondary importance, if not less. The speaker, wanting to emphasize that he has done his duty toward God, thus speaks of actions, praise, and the authenticity of his statements, rather than of sacrifice. One recalls, however, the great import he affords community. Thus, one might find in this psalm the elements that eventually led to group prayer as a replacement for sacrifice.

* * * * * * * *

Additional Notes

There may be references here to at least one process that gave birth to psalms. Much depends on the hard-to-follow verse 8, most literally translated “I come with the scroll of the book written for (or about) me.” While many (myself included) interpret this to mean that the speaker comes having internalized God's teaching ("Torah") as mentioned in the next verse, others connect this “scroll” to the “new song” of verse 4. finding here a hint of the genesis of some psalms, as follows. A person would literally bring a written manuscript (“scroll”) of a poem to the Temple in reaction to some occurrence, and this would ultimately be gathered together with similar documents there. Concerning Psalm 40, it is unclear just what the parameters of the “new song” are, ending after verse 7, 11, 12, or 18. Some (e.g., Seybold, pp. 39–41) see the possibility that all of Psalm 40 was thus written and deposited. This approach is only a theory, but deserves recollection while we await further insight. (I note that there are seven references in as many psalms to singing a “new song” to God, and one in Isaiah.)

Verses 14–18 later appear as Psalm 70, with some differences. The section is, however, well integrated here through repetition and content. Its value as a separate psalm will be considered in its own commentary.

　

　

The author of these essays is Rabbi Benjamin Segal, former president of the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem　and author of The Song of Songs: A Woman in Love (Jerusalem: Gefen, 2009). This material is copyright by the author, and may not be reproduced. If you are interested in using the texts for study groups, please be in direct contact with the author, at psalmblog@gmail.com.

HEBREW TEXT

(א) לַמְנַצֵּחַ לְדָוִד מִזְמוֹר:

(ב) קַוֹּה קִוִּיתִי יְהֹוָה וַיֵּט אֵלַי וַיִּשְׁמַע שַׁוְעָתִי:

(ג) וַיַּעֲלֵנִי מִבּוֹר שָׁאוֹן מִטִּיט הַיָּוֵן וַיָּקֶם עַל סֶלַע רַגְלַי כּוֹנֵן אֲשֻׁרָי:

(ד) וַיִּתֵּן בְּפִי שִׁיר חָדָשׁ תְּהִלָּה לֵאלֹהֵינוּ יִרְאוּ רַבִּים וְיִירָאוּ וְיִבְטְחוּ בַּיהֹוָה:

(ה) אַשְׁרֵי הַגֶּבֶר אֲשֶׁר שָׂם יְהֹוָה מִבְטַחוֹ וְלֹא פָנָה אֶל רְהָבִים וְשָׂטֵי כָזָב:

(ו) רַבּוֹת עָשִׂיתָ אַתָּה יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהַי נִפְלְאֹתֶיךָ וּמַחְשְׁבֹתֶיךָ אֵלֵינוּ אֵין עֲרֹךְ אֵלֶיךָ אַגִּידָה וַאֲדַבֵּרָה עָצְמוּ מִסַּפֵּר:

(ז) זֶבַח וּמִנְחָה לֹא חָפַצְתָּ אָזְנַיִם כָּרִיתָ לִּי עוֹלָה וַחֲטָאָה לֹא שָׁאָלְתָּ:

(ח) אָז אָמַרְתִּי הִנֵּה בָאתִי בִּמְגִלַּת סֵפֶר כָּתוּב עָלָי:

(ט) לַעֲשׂוֹת רְצוֹנְךָ אֱלֹהַי חָפָצְתִּי וְתוֹרָתְךָ בְּתוֹךְ מֵעָי:

(י) בִּשַּׂרְתִּי צֶדֶק בְּקָהָל רָב הִנֵּה שְׂפָתַי לֹא אֶכְלָא יְהֹוָה אַתָּה יָדָעְתָּ:

(יא) צִדְקָתְךָ לֹא כִסִּיתִי בְּתוֹךְ לִבִּי אֱמוּנָתְךָ וּתְשׁוּעָתְךָ אָמָרְתִּי לֹא כִחַדְתִּי חַסְדְּךָ וַאֲמִתְּךָ לְקָהָל רָב:

(יב) אַתָּה יְהֹוָה לֹא תִכְלָא רַחֲמֶיךָ מִמֶּנִּי חַסְדְּךָ וַאֲמִתְּךָ תָּמִיד יִצְּרוּנִי:

(יג) כִּי אָפְפוּ עָלַי רָעוֹת עַד אֵין מִסְפָּר הִשִֹּיגוּנִי עֲוֹנֹתַי וְלֹא יָכֹלְתִּי לִרְאוֹת עָצְמוּ מִשַּׂעֲרוֹת רֹאשִׁי וְלִבִּי עֲזָבָנִי:

(יד) רְצֵה יְהֹוָה לְהַצִּילֵנִי יְהֹוָה לְעֶזְרָתִי חוּשָׁה:

(טו) יֵבֹשׁוּ וְיַחְפְּרוּ יַחַד מְבַקְשֵׁי נַפְשִׁי לִסְפּוֹתָהּ יִסֹּגוּ אָחוֹר וְיִכָּלְמוּ חֲפֵצֵי רָעָתִי:

(טז) יָשֹׁמּוּ עַל עֵקֶב בָּשְׁתָּם הָאֹמְרִים לִי הֶאָח הֶאָח:

(יז) יָשִׂישׂוּ וְיִשְׂמְחוּ בְּךָ כָּל מְבַקְשֶׁיךָ יֹאמְרוּ תָמִיד יִגְדַּל יְהֹוָה אֹהֲבֵי תְּשׁוּעָתֶךָ:

(יח) וַאֲנִי עָנִי וְאֶבְיוֹן אֲדֹנָי יַחֲשָׁב לִי עֶזְרָתִי וּמְפַלְטִי אַתָּה אֱלֹהַי אַל תְּאַחַר: