Psalm 40:7 kjv
Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me,
Psalm 40:7 nkjv
Then I said, "Behold, I come; In the scroll of the book it is written of me.
Psalm 40:7 niv
Then I said, "Here I am, I have come? it is written about me in the scroll.
Psalm 40:7 esv
Then I said, "Behold, I have come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me:
Psalm 40:7 nlt
Then I said, "Look, I have come.
As is written about me in the Scriptures:
Psalm 40 7 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Heb 10:5-7 | "Therefore, when Christ came into the world, He said... "Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body you have prepared for me... Then I said, 'Behold, I have come... to do your will, O God.'" | Christ's incarnation fulfilling Ps 40:6-8. |
| 1 Sam 15:22 | "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings... as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice." | Obedience over ritual sacrifice. |
| Isa 1:11-17 | "What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices... Wash yourselves... Learn to do good." | God's rejection of mere ritualism. |
| Hos 6:6 | "For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings." | Heartfelt devotion preferred over offerings. |
| Mic 6:6-8 | "What does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" | True worship as moral obedience. |
| Ps 51:16-17 | "For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it... The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit." | Inner spiritual transformation is desired. |
| John 4:34 | "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work." | Christ's primary purpose and satisfaction. |
| John 5:30 | "I seek not My own will but the will of Him who sent Me." | Jesus' subordination and focus on Father's will. |
| John 6:38 | "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will but the will of Him who sent Me." | Christ's pre-incarnate resolve. |
| Lk 24:44 | "Everything written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled." | Scripture's unity and focus on Christ. |
| 1 Pet 1:10-11 | "Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired... the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow." | Old Testament prophecy points to Christ. |
| Col 2:16-17 | "Therefore let no one pass judgment on you... with regard to a festival... These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ." | Old Covenant rituals foreshadow Christ. |
| Mt 5:17 | "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." | Christ's fulfillment of Old Covenant. |
| Ps 139:16 | "Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me." | God's preordained plan and knowledge. |
| Rev 13:8 | "All who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb." | Eternal divine plan and decrees. |
| Phil 2:7-8 | "He emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant... and being found in human likeness, He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death." | Christ's ultimate humility and obedience. |
| Heb 12:2 | "Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross." | Christ's focus and endurance. |
| Gal 4:4 | "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law." | God's timing for Christ's arrival. |
| Isa 50:4-7 | "The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word... I have not resisted or turned back." | The obedient Servant prophecy. |
| Jer 31:31-34 | "Behold, the days are coming... when I will make a new covenant... I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts." | New Covenant promised, enabled by Christ's work. |
| Exod 32:32 | "But now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, please blot me out of Your book which You have written!" | Moses' plea, reflecting "book of life" concept. |
Psalm 40 verses
Psalm 40 7 Meaning
Psalm 40:7 presents a pivotal declaration of a willing spirit and purpose, particularly contrasting with external sacrificial rituals. Initially spoken by King David in a posture of dedication and readiness to fulfill God's divine plan written concerning him, it prophetically points to Jesus Christ. In its deepest fulfillment, this verse declares the Son's incarnation and His perfect submission to the Father's will, signifying His redemptive mission to supersede the Old Covenant sacrifices through His perfect, once-for-all obedience, as foretold and recorded in God's eternal counsels.
Psalm 40 7 Context
Psalm 40 is attributed to David, unfolding in three distinct parts. Verses 1-5 describe God's deliverance and goodness, fostering a spirit of grateful testimony. Verses 6-8, where Psalm 40:7 resides, mark a profound shift from outward sacrifice to inward obedience and the willing surrender of oneself to God's will. This declaration stands in opposition to the ceremonial and often hollow offerings of the time, suggesting a deeper spiritual reality. The psalm concludes in verses 9-17 with a renewed plea for help against enemies, underpinned by David's expressed commitment. Historically, this psalm originates from a culture steeped in the Mosaic sacrificial system, where obedience to divine will, rather than mere ritual, was perpetually emphasized by prophets. The declaration "in the volume of the book it is written of me" prophetically looks forward to a preordained divine plan for the speaker, fully realized in the advent and mission of the Messiah.
Psalm 40 7 Word analysis
- Then said I,: The speaker (David) takes initiative, demonstrating a conscious and volitional declaration. The "I" anticipates the perfect fulfillment in Jesus Christ who willingly embraces His divine mission.
- Lo, I come: (Hebrew: הִנֵּה-בָאתִי, hinnêh vāʾthî – "Behold, I have come"). This phrase conveys readiness, immediacy, and an arrival to fulfill a purpose. It indicates a willing, purposeful self-presentation. In a Messianic sense, it signifies Christ's intentional arrival into human history.
- in the volume of the book: (Hebrew: בִּמְגִלַּת-סֵפֶר, biməgillat-sēfer – "in a scroll-book").
- מְגִלַּת (megillah): refers to a scroll, which was the ancient form of a book, a roll of parchment or papyrus. This indicates a permanent, recorded truth.
- סֵפֶר (sēfer): means "book" or "writing," emphasizing the content being authoritative scripture or divine record.
- The Greek Septuagint (LXX) translates this as ἐν κεφαλίδι βιβλίου (en kephalídi bibliou). Kephalídi (κεφαλίδι) literally means "little head," or "sum/summary." While sometimes interpreted as a small roll, scroll-handle, or even a heading/chapter summary, its most common scholarly understanding in this context refers to the "roll" itself—the whole scroll, signifying the entirety of what is written within it. This LXX rendering is crucially adopted in Heb 10:7, implying that the totality of Scripture speaks of Christ.
- it is written of me: (Hebrew: כָּתוּב עָלַי, kātûḇ ‘ālāy – "written concerning me" or "written about me"). This signifies a preordained, eternal truth. The divine plan for the "I" was inscribed or ordained long before. For David, it alluded to the Davidic covenant and his role. For Christ, it speaks of the entirety of redemptive history, the types, shadows, and prophecies across the Old Testament, culminating in His person and work, all eternally purposed by God.
Psalm 40 7 Bonus section
The "book" in this verse can be understood not merely as a physical scroll (though that's its literal meaning) but symbolically as the eternal divine counsel or God's predetermined blueprint for salvation history. This aligns with other biblical references to God's book or record where destinies and divine plans are inscribed before the foundation of the world. Christ's declaration signifies not a reluctant submission but a joyful embrace of His foreordained mission, rooted in love for the Father and humanity. His 'coming' was a fulfillment of prophecy, not just of specific verses, but of the very core intent of the Law and the Prophets—pointing to the need for a perfect sacrifice and mediator, which only He could be through perfect obedience. This concept emphasizes the unity and coherence of God's plan throughout all Scripture.
Psalm 40 7 Commentary
Psalm 40:7 acts as a theological hinge, shifting the focus from the efficacy of animal sacrifices to the supreme value of true obedience to God's will. David, the speaker, declares his readiness, illustrating that outward rituals are secondary to inward submission. The phrase "in the volume of the book it is written of me" points to a preordained, divinely established plan for his life. However, its ultimate and complete fulfillment is in Jesus Christ. As quoted in Hebrews 10:7, this verse is Christ's declaration upon entering the world. It reveals His profound and eternal willingness to perfectly obey God's will, a will that was documented in the "scroll" of God's eternal counsels and throughout the Old Testament Scriptures (Law, Prophets, Psalms). Christ’s "coming" to do the Father's will supersedes and makes obsolete the repetitive, incomplete sacrifices, offering instead the single, perfect, atoning sacrifice of Himself—the embodiment of pure obedience. This passage reminds believers that genuine worship is rooted in a yielded heart eager to fulfill God's purposes as revealed in His word, echoing Christ's perfect example of saying, "Here I am; I have come to do your will."