16 Let those be struck dumb on account of the merited
punishment of their shame, Who say to me : Aha, aha !
17 Let all those heartily rejoice in Thee who seek Thee,
Let those continually say " Jahve be magnified " who love Thy salvation.
18 Though I be both needy and poor, The Lord will care for me.
My help and my deliverer art Thou !
My God, make no tarrying !
Psa 39:1-13 is followed by Psalms 40, because the language of thanksgiving with which it opens is, as it were, the echo of the language of payer contained in the former. If Psalms 40 was composed by David, and not rather by Jeremiah-a question which can only be decided by including Ps 69 (which see) in the same investigation-it belongs to the number of those Psalms which were composed between Gibea of Saul and Ziklag. The mention of the roll of the book in v. 8 harmonizes with the retrospective references to the Tôra, which abound in the Psalms belonging to the time of Saul. And to this we may add the vow to praise Jahve בּקהל, Psa 40:10, cf. Psa 22:26; Psa 35:18; the expression, “more in number than the hairs of my head,” Psa 40:13, cf. Psa 69:5; the wish יצּרוּני, Psa 40:12, cf. Psa 25:21; the mocking האח האה, Psa 40:16, cf. Psa 35:21, Psa 35:25; and much besides, on which vid., my Commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews, S. 457 transl. vol. ii. p. 149. The second half has an independent form in Psa 70:1-5. It is far better adapted to form an independent Psalm than the first half, which merely looks back into the past, and for this very reason contains no prayer.
The long lines, more in keeping with the style of prayer than of song, which alternate with disproportionately shorter ones, are characteristic of this Psalm. If with these long lines we associate a few others, which are likewise more or less distinctly indicated, then the Psalm can be easily divided into seven six-line strophes.
In the Epistle to the Hebrews, Heb 10:5-10, Psa 40:7 of this Psalm are, by following the lxx, taken as the language of
