The Meaning of Psalm 40:8

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Introduction

The Masoretic Text of Psalm 40:8 reads as follows:[1]

אָ֣ז אָ֭מַרְתִּי הִנֵּה־בָ֑אתִי
בִּמְגִלַּת־סֵ֝֗פֶר כָּת֥וּב עָלָֽי׃

Translations of "the difficult expression,"[2] כָּת֥וּב עָלָֽי, vary widely. Each depends on the interpretation of the final prepositional phrase, עָלָֽי, as illustrated by the following modern translations:

  • Then I said, "Here I am, I have come—it is written about me in the scroll. (NIV)
  • And so I answered, “Here I am; your instructions for me are in the book of the Law. (GNT)
  • so I said, “See; I come with an inscribed scroll written upon me." (NABRE)

The NIV interprets the prepositional phrase עָלָֽי as the focus of attention, that is concerning me; the GNT interprets it as obligation/control, that is for me to obey; the NABRE interprets it as the location of the writing, that is upon me. We consider these three possibilities in the following argument maps.

Argument Maps

About me (preferred)

Some translations interpret the prepositional phrase as communicating the focus of attention:[3] "Then I said, 'Here I am, I have come—it is written about me in the scroll.'" (NIV) 


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["About me"]: The prepositional phrase עָלָֽי identifies the subject discussed in the scroll: "about me." (Delitzsch 1871, 39 :C:; Craigie 2004, 315 :C:; Mena 2012, 123 :M:; Jacobson and Tanner 2014, 378–379 :C:).
 + <Ancient versions>: Both the LXX and Jerome reflect this interpretation.
  + [Ancient versions]: "About me": περὶ ἐμοῦ (LXX); de me (Jerome).
 + <Collocation כתב על>: Out of only six other instances of the verb כתב followed by the preposition על with a person/group as its landmark, two of them also contain this interpretation (the other four are oppositional "against" \[Job 13:26; Ezra 4:6\] and recipient "to" \[Ezra 4:7; 2 Chr 30:1\]).
  + [Collocation כתב על]: 2 Kings 22:13: "to do according to all that is written concerning us (הַכָּת֥וּב עָלֵֽינוּ)" (ESV); Esther 8:8 "But you may write as you please with regard to the Jews (כִּתְב֨וּ עַל־הַיְּהוּדִ֜ים)" (ESV).
   - <Different interpretation>: Other translations have interpreted these two על prepositional phrases differently. #dispreferred
    + [Different interpretation]: See, for example, the NLT's obligation/control reading of 2 Kings 22:13 ("everything it says we must do"); the LXX of 2 Kings 22:13 ("all that is written against us \[καθʼ ἡμῶν\]," NETS); and the NLT's recipient reading of Esther 8:8 ("and send a message to the Jews").#dispreferred
 + <Royal psalm>: Psalm 40 is spoken by the king, "so Ps 40:8b–9 correspond to a royal meditation on Deut 17:18–19" (Gosse 2005, 395 :A:, own translation) and the phrase בִּמְגִלַּת־סֵפֶר refers specifically to the law of kings in Deuteronomy 17:14-20 (Craigie 2004, 315 :C:).
  + [Deuteronomy 17:18–20, NIV]: "When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write (וְכָ֨תַב) for himself on a scroll (עַל־סֵ֔פֶר) a copy of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests. It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees and not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel."
  + [Psalm of David]: The superscription identifies Psalm 40 as "a psalm of David," who was a king (cf. Craigie 2014, 315 :C:).


Argument Mapn0"About me"The prepositional phrase עָלָֽי identifies the subject discussed in the scroll: "about me." (Delitzsch 1871, 39 🄲; Craigie 2004, 315 🄲; Mena 2012, 123 🄼; Jacobson and Tanner 2014, 378–379 🄲).n1Ancient versions"About me": περὶ ἐμοῦ (LXX); de me (Jerome).n6Ancient versionsBoth the LXX and Jerome reflect this interpretation.n1->n6n2Collocation כתב על2 Kings 22:13: "to do according to all that is written concerning us (הַכָּת֥וּב עָלֵֽינוּ)" (ESV); Esther 8:8 "But you may write as you please with regard to the Jews (כִּתְב֨וּ עַל־הַיְּהוּדִ֜ים)" (ESV).n7Collocation כתב עלOut of only six other instances of the verb כתב followed by the preposition על with a person/group as its landmark, two of them also contain this interpretation (the other four are oppositional "against" [Job 13:26; Ezra 4:6] and recipient "to" [Ezra 4:7; 2 Chr 30:1]).n2->n7n3Different interpretationSee, for example, the NLT's obligation/control reading of 2 Kings 22:13 ("everything it says we must do"); the LXX of 2 Kings 22:13 ("all that is written against us [καθʼ ἡμῶν]," NETS); and the NLT's recipient reading of Esther 8:8 ("and send a message to the Jews").n8Different interpretationOther translations have interpreted these two על prepositional phrases differently. n3->n8n4Deuteronomy 17:18–20, NIV"When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write (וְכָ֨תַב) for himself on a scroll (עַל־סֵ֔פֶר) a copy of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests. It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees and not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel."n9Royal psalmPsalm 40 is spoken by the king, "so Ps 40:8b–9 correspond to a royal meditation on Deut 17:18–19" (Gosse 2005, 395 🄰, own translation) and the phrase בִּמְגִלַּת־סֵפֶר refers specifically to the law of kings in Deuteronomy 17:14-20 (Craigie 2004, 315 🄲).n4->n9n5Psalm of DavidThe superscription identifies Psalm 40 as "a psalm of David," who was a king (cf. Craigie 2014, 315 🄲).n5->n9n6->n0n7->n0n8->n2n9->n0


[Instructions] for me

Some translations interpret the prepositional phrase as communicating control over the landmark:[4] "And so I answered, 'Here I am; your instructions for me are in the book of the Law.'" (GNT) 


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[Instructions for me]: The prepositional phrase עָלָֽי refers to instructions the psalmist must follow (Meiri :C:; Kirkpatrick 1897, 211 :C:; Briggs and Briggs 1906, 355 :C:; Ḥakham 1979, 231 :C:; Gruber 1996, 178 :C:; Goldingay 2006, 574 :C:). #dispreferred
 + <Co-text>: The following co-text implies obligation; in v. 9, the psalmist focuses on his actions.#dispreferred
  + [Ps 40:9]: "To do what please you (לַעֲשֹׂות־‬רְצֹונְךָ), my God, I desire, and your instruction is in my inner being" (CBC). #dispreferred
 + <Canonical context>: Other passages in Scripture imply a context of obligation also here.#dispreferred
  + [Jeremiah 7:22–23, NIV]: "For when I brought your ancestors out of Egypt and spoke to them, I did not just give them commands about burnt offerings and sacrifices (עוֹלָ֖ה וָזָֽבַח; cf. זֶ֤בַח ... עוֹלָ֥ה in v. 7), but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in obedience to all I command you, that it may go well with you." #dispreferred
 + <Targum Psalms>: This interpretation is possibly reflected in Targum Psalms.#dispreferred
  + [Targum Psalms]: "Then I said, 'Behold, I have entered eternal life when I am occupied with the scroll of the book of the Law, which was written for my sake (דאכתיב אמטולתי)" (Stec 2004, 85).#dispreferred
 + <Royal psalm>: Psalm 40 is spoken by the king, "so Ps 40:8b–9 correspond to a royal meditation on Deut 17:18–19" (Gosse 2005, 395 :A:, own translation) and the phrase בִּמְגִלַּת־סֵפֶר refers specifically to the law of kings in Deuteronomy 17:14-20 (Craigie 2004, 315 :C:).#dispreferred
  + [Deuteronomy 17:18–20, NIV]: "When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write (וְכָ֨תַב) for himself on a scroll (עַל־סֵ֔פֶר) a copy of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests. It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees and not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel."#dispreferred
  + [Psalm of David]: The superscription identifies Psalm 40 as "a psalm of David," who was a king (cf. Craigie 2014, 315 :C:).#dispreferred
 - <Collocation כתב על>: The collocation of the verb כתב followed by the preposition על never elsewhere communicates the sense of obligation/control. Rather, this interpretation is influenced by the function of על prepositional phrases as predicates to indicate necessity or responsibility to carry out a certain action (Mor 2017, 28–29 :A:). This is quite a rare and late feature in Biblical Hebrew, becoming much more common in Rabbinic Hebrew.
  + [עַל of obligation]: See, e.g., 1 Kgs 4:7: "Each man had to make provision (יִהְיֶ֥ה עַל־אֶחָד לְכַלְכֵּֽל) for one month in the year" (ESV); Ezra 10:4: "Arise, for it is your task (עָלֶ֥יךָ הַדָּבָ֖ר)" (ESV); Ezra 10:12: "we must do (עָלֵ֖ינוּ לַעֲשֽׂוֹת) as you have said" (ESV); Neh 13:13: "and their duty was to distribute to their brothers (וַעֲלֵיהֶ֖ם לַחֲלֹ֥ק לַאֲחֵיהֶֽם)" (ESV).
  - <Exception>: It is possible to read 2 Kings 22:13 this way.#dispreferred
   + [2 Kings 22:13]: לַעֲשׂ֖וֹת כְּכָל־הַכָּת֥וּב עָלֵֽינוּ "everything it says we must do" (NLT), "and to do all that is laid on us" (REB), "by doing all that it instructs us to do" (NET).#dispreferred
   <_ <Translation style>: The translations reflecting this interpretation are, without exception, idiomatic and do not explicitly account for the passive participle כָּתוּב.


Argument Mapn0Instructions for meThe prepositional phrase עָלָֽי refers to instructions the psalmist must follow (Meiri 🄲; Kirkpatrick 1897, 211 🄲; Briggs and Briggs 1906, 355 🄲; Ḥakham 1979, 231 🄲; Gruber 1996, 178 🄲; Goldingay 2006, 574 🄲). n1Ps 40:9"To do what please you (לַעֲשֹׂות־‬רְצֹונְךָ), my God, I desire, and your instruction is in my inner being" (CBC). n8Co-textThe following co-text implies obligation; in v. 9, the psalmist focuses on his actions.n1->n8n2Jeremiah 7:22–23, NIV"For when I brought your ancestors out of Egypt and spoke to them, I did not just give them commands about burnt offerings and sacrifices (עוֹלָ֖ה וָזָֽבַח; cf. זֶ֤בַח ... עוֹלָ֥ה in v. 7), but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in obedience to all I command you, that it may go well with you." n9Canonical contextOther passages in Scripture imply a context of obligation also here.n2->n9n3Targum Psalms"Then I said, 'Behold, I have entered eternal life when I am occupied with the scroll of the book of the Law, which was written for my sake (דאכתיב אמטולתי)" (Stec 2004, 85).n10Targum PsalmsThis interpretation is possibly reflected in Targum Psalms.n3->n10n4Deuteronomy 17:18–20, NIV"When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write (וְכָ֨תַב) for himself on a scroll (עַל־סֵ֔פֶר) a copy of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests. It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees and not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel."n11Royal psalmPsalm 40 is spoken by the king, "so Ps 40:8b–9 correspond to a royal meditation on Deut 17:18–19" (Gosse 2005, 395 🄰, own translation) and the phrase בִּמְגִלַּת־סֵפֶר refers specifically to the law of kings in Deuteronomy 17:14-20 (Craigie 2004, 315 🄲).n4->n11n5Psalm of DavidThe superscription identifies Psalm 40 as "a psalm of David," who was a king (cf. Craigie 2014, 315 🄲).n5->n11n6עַל of obligationSee, e.g., 1 Kgs 4:7: "Each man had to make provision (יִהְיֶ֥ה עַל־אֶחָד לְכַלְכֵּֽל) for one month in the year" (ESV); Ezra 10:4: "Arise, for it is your task (עָלֶ֥יךָ הַדָּבָ֖ר)" (ESV); Ezra 10:12: "we must do (עָלֵ֖ינוּ לַעֲשֽׂוֹת) as you have said" (ESV); Neh 13:13: "and their duty was to distribute to their brothers (וַעֲלֵיהֶ֖ם לַחֲלֹ֥ק לַאֲחֵיהֶֽם)" (ESV).n12Collocation כתב עלThe collocation of the verb כתב followed by the preposition על never elsewhere communicates the sense of obligation/control. Rather, this interpretation is influenced by the function of על prepositional phrases as predicates to indicate necessity or responsibility to carry out a certain action (Mor 2017, 28–29 🄰). This is quite a rare and late feature in Biblical Hebrew, becoming much more common in Rabbinic Hebrew.n6->n12n72 Kings 22:13לַעֲשׂ֖וֹת כְּכָל־הַכָּת֥וּב עָלֵֽינוּ "everything it says we must do" (NLT), "and to do all that is laid on us" (REB), "by doing all that it instructs us to do" (NET).n13ExceptionIt is possible to read 2 Kings 22:13 this way.n7->n13n8->n0n9->n0n10->n0n11->n0n12->n0n13->n12n14Translation styleThe translations reflecting this interpretation are, without exception, idiomatic and do not explicitly account for the passive participle כָּתוּב.n14->n13


On me

Some translations interpret the prepositional phrase as locative:[5] "so I said, 'See; I come with an inscribed scroll written upon me.'" (NABRE) 


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["Upon me"]: The prepositional phrase עָלָֽי specifies where the scroll is written (Böhler 2021, 724 :C:; Lasater 2024, 261 :A:; Botha 2025, 13 :A:). #dispreferred
 + <Collocation כתב על>: By far the most common function of the prepositional על following כתב is the locative material of writing, including tablets, stones, sticks, and books. #dispreferred
  + [Collocation כתב על]: See, e.g., Exod 34:1, 28; 39:30; Num 17:17–18; Deut 4:13; 5:22; 6:9; 10:2, 4; 11:20; 27:3, 8; 31:24; Josh 8:32; 10:13; 18:9; 2 Sam 1:18; 1 Kgs 11:41; 14:19; 15:7, 23, 31; 16:5, 14, 20, 27; 22:39, 46; 2 Kgs 1:18; 8:23; 10:34; 12:20; 13:8, 12; 14:15, 18, 28; 15:6, 11, 15, 21, 26, 31, 36; 16:19; 20:20; 21:17, 25; 23:3, 21, 24, 28; 24:5; Isa 8:1; 30:8; Jer 36:18, 28, 29, 32; 45:1; 37:16, 20; Prov 3:3; 7:3; Esth 10:2; Neh 12:23; 1 Chr 9:1; 29:29; 2 Chr 9:29; 16:11; 20:34; 24:27; 25:26; 27:7; 28:26; 32:32; 33:19; 34:21, 24, 31; 35:25, 27; 36:8.#dispreferred
  <_ <Landmark 1>: This interpretation requires the locative landmark as the psalmist, yet "one cannot write a book upon someone ... but the person themself would be the book" (Hitzig 1863, 227 :C:).
  <_ <Landmark 2>: None of these examples listed contains a person/group as the location of writing.
 + <Co-text>: The following co-text implies the psalmist as the locative material of writing; the situation described in v. 9 is perhaps directly parallel with כָּת֥וּב עָלָֽי. #dispreferred
  + [Ps 40:9]: "To do what pleases you, my God, I desire, and your instruction (וְ֝ת֥וֹרָתְךָ֗) is in my inner being (בְּת֣וֹךְ מֵעָֽי)" (CBC). #dispreferred
  - <עַל vs. בְּ>: Writing "on" is not the same as writing "\[with\]in."
 + <Canonical context>: Other passages in Scripture imply this locative interpretation here.#dispreferred
  + [Jeremiah 31:33, NIV]: "This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds (תּֽוֹרָתִי֙ בְּקִרְבָּ֔ם) and write it on their hearts (וְעַל־לִבָּ֖ם אֶכְתֲּבֶ֑נָּה). I will be their God, and they will be my people." #dispreferred
  - <עַל vs. בְּ>: Writing "on" is not the same as writing "\[with\]in."
  <_ <Body part>: The landmark is specifically a body part ("heart") in Jeremiah 31:33, whereas in Psalm 40:8 the suffix on the preposition refers to the psalmist himself.
 - <Previous phrase>: This interpretation requires reading the בְּ preposition as one of accompaniment and בִּמְגִלַּת־סֵ֝֗פֶר as part of the הִנֵּה־בָ֑אתִי verb phrase (Böhler 2021, 724 :C:; see, e.g., NABRE's "I come with an inscribed scroll"), but the accents and line divisions mitigate against this syntactic interpretation, while the phrase כָּת֥וּב עָלָֽי is also unlikely to modify מְגִלַּת־סֵ֝֗פֶר (see the diagram and grammar notes), since כָּת֥וּב is masculine and מְגִלָּה is feminine.
  + [Accents and line division]: The two-line division of this verse is quite uncontroversial, with the atnakhta accent on בָ֑אתִי being the strongest prosodic break in the verse (see poetic structure).
  - <Agreement with "book">: The masculine singular agreement is found with סֵפֶר (Böhler 2021, 724 :C:), rather than with מְגִלָּה.#dispreferred
   <_ <Less plausible syntax>: One expects number and gender agreement to concord with the construct head, not dependent.
    <_ <Exceptions>: There are a number of examples in which even number agreement is found with a construct dependent. Further, there is certain flexibility in agreement following סֵפֶר construct chains.#dispreferred
     + [Number agreement with construct dependents]: See, e.g., 1 Samuel 2:4: קֶ֥שֶׁת גִּבֹּרִ֖ים חַתִּ֑ים; Psalm 38:11: וְֽאוֹר־עֵינַ֥י גַּם־הֵ֝֗ם אֵ֣ין אִתִּֽי.#dispreferred
     + [Construct chains with סֵפֶר]: See, e.g., the masculine demonstrative in לָקֹ֗חַ אֵ֣ת סֵ֤פֶר הַתּוֹרָה֙ הַזֶּ֔ה (Deut 31:26) but feminine demonstrative in בְּסֵ֖פֶר הַתּוֹרָ֣ה הַזֹּ֑את (Deut 28:61).#dispreferred


Argument Mapn0"Upon me"The prepositional phrase עָלָֽי specifies where the scroll is written (Böhler 2021, 724 🄲; Lasater 2024, 261 🄰; Botha 2025, 13 🄰). n1Collocation כתב עלSee, e.g., Exod 34:1, 28; 39:30; Num 17:17–18; Deut 4:13; 5:22; 6:9; 10:2, 4; 11:20; 27:3, 8; 31:24; Josh 8:32; 10:13; 18:9; 2 Sam 1:18; 1 Kgs 11:41; 14:19; 15:7, 23, 31; 16:5, 14, 20, 27; 22:39, 46; 2 Kgs 1:18; 8:23; 10:34; 12:20; 13:8, 12; 14:15, 18, 28; 15:6, 11, 15, 21, 26, 31, 36; 16:19; 20:20; 21:17, 25; 23:3, 21, 24, 28; 24:5; Isa 8:1; 30:8; Jer 36:18, 28, 29, 32; 45:1; 37:16, 20; Prov 3:3; 7:3; Esth 10:2; Neh 12:23; 1 Chr 9:1; 29:29; 2 Chr 9:29; 16:11; 20:34; 24:27; 25:26; 27:7; 28:26; 32:32; 33:19; 34:21, 24, 31; 35:25, 27; 36:8.n7Collocation כתב עלBy far the most common function of the prepositional על following כתב is the locative material of writing, including tablets, stones, sticks, and books. n1->n7n2Ps 40:9"To do what pleases you, my God, I desire, and your instruction (וְ֝ת֥וֹרָתְךָ֗) is in my inner being (בְּת֣וֹךְ מֵעָֽי)" (CBC). n10Co-textThe following co-text implies the psalmist as the locative material of writing; the situation described in v. 9 is perhaps directly parallel with כָּת֥וּב עָלָֽי. n2->n10n3Jeremiah 31:33, NIV"This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds (תּֽוֹרָתִי֙ בְּקִרְבָּ֔ם) and write it on their hearts (וְעַל־לִבָּ֖ם אֶכְתֲּבֶ֑נָּה). I will be their God, and they will be my people." n12Canonical contextOther passages in Scripture imply this locative interpretation here.n3->n12n4Accents and line divisionThe two-line division of this verse is quite uncontroversial, with the atnakhta accent on בָ֑אתִי being the strongest prosodic break in the verse (see poetic structure).n14Previous phraseThis interpretation requires reading the בְּ preposition as one of accompaniment and בִּמְגִלַּת־סֵ֝֗פֶר as part of the הִנֵּה־בָ֑אתִי verb phrase (Böhler 2021, 724 🄲; see, e.g., NABRE's "I come with an inscribed scroll"), but the accents and line divisions mitigate against this syntactic interpretation, while the phrase כָּת֥וּב עָלָֽי is also unlikely to modify מְגִלַּת־סֵ֝֗פֶר (see the diagram and grammar notes), since כָּת֥וּב is masculine and מְגִלָּה is feminine.n4->n14n5Number agreement with construct dependentsSee, e.g., 1 Samuel 2:4: קֶ֥שֶׁת גִּבֹּרִ֖ים חַתִּ֑ים; Psalm 38:11: וְֽאוֹר־עֵינַ֥י גַּם־הֵ֝֗ם אֵ֣ין אִתִּֽי.n17ExceptionsThere are a number of examples in which even number agreement is found with a construct dependent. Further, there is certain flexibility in agreement following סֵפֶר construct chains.n5->n17n6Construct chains with סֵפֶרSee, e.g., the masculine demonstrative in לָקֹ֗חַ אֵ֣ת סֵ֤פֶר הַתּוֹרָה֙ הַזֶּ֔ה (Deut 31:26) but feminine demonstrative in בְּסֵ֖פֶר הַתּוֹרָ֣ה הַזֹּ֑את (Deut 28:61).n6->n17n7->n0n8Landmark 1This interpretation requires the locative landmark as the psalmist, yet "one cannot write a book upon someone ... but the person themself would be the book" (Hitzig 1863, 227 🄲).n8->n7n9Landmark 2None of these examples listed contains a person/group as the location of writing.n9->n7n10->n0n11עַל vs. בְּWriting "on" is not the same as writing "[with]in."n11->n10n11->n12n12->n0n13Body partThe landmark is specifically a body part ("heart") in Jeremiah 31:33, whereas in Psalm 40:8 the suffix on the preposition refers to the psalmist himself.n13->n12n14->n0n15Agreement with "book"The masculine singular agreement is found with סֵפֶר (Böhler 2021, 724 🄲), rather than with מְגִלָּה.n15->n14n16Less plausible syntaxOne expects number and gender agreement to concord with the construct head, not dependent.n16->n15n17->n16


Conclusion (B+)

Out of the three possible interpretations of the prepositional phrase עָלָֽי, the focus of attention, "about me," is the most plausible. It is the clear interpretation of both the LXX and Jerome's Iuxta Hebraeos. Out of only six other instances of כתב על with a human referent in the Bible, this is the most plausible interpretation of two of them (2 Kgs 22:13; Esther 8:8), while neither the control/obligation nor locative interpretations are possible in any of the six. Further, as a psalm of David, it makes perfect sense that the "book of writing" (מְגִלַּת־סֵ֝֗פֶר) would be written about the king and his obligation to obey it, in light of the crucial text of Deuteronomy 17:14–20 in this regard.[6]

Research

Translations

Ancient

  • LXX: τότε εἶπον Ἰδοὺ ἥκω, ἐν κεφαλίδι βιβλίου γέγραπται περὶ ἐμοῦ[7]
    • "Then I said, 'Look! I have come; in a scroll of a book it is written of me.'"[8]
  • Peshitta: ܗܝܕܝܢ ܐܡܪܬ ܕܗܐ ܐܬܝܬ܂ ܕܒܪܝܫ ܟܬ̈ܒܐ ܟܬܝܒ ܥܠܝ܂[9]
    • "Then I said, ‘Look, I have come. In the beginning of the books it is written concerning me.'"[10]
  • Jerome (Hebr.): tunc dixi ecce venio in volumine libre scriptum est de me
    • "Then I said, 'Look, I am coming; in the chapter of the book it is written about me.'"
  • Targum:הידין אמרית הא עלית לחיי עלמא כד אעסוק במגילת סיפרא אוריתא דאכתיב אמטולתי׃ [11]
    • "Then I said, 'Behold, I have entered eternal life when I am occupied with the scroll of the book of the Law, which was written for my sake.'"[12]

Modern

About Me

  • Then I said, "Here I am, I have come—it is written about me in the scroll. (NIV; cf. CJB, CSB, ESV, NLT)
  • Then I said, "Behold, I come; In the scroll of the book it is written of me. (NASB; cF. KJV, NRSV)
  • Da sprach ich: Siehe, ich komme; im Buch ist von mir geschrieben: (LUT 2017)
  • Da sprach ich: Siehe, ich komme; in der Rolle des Buches steht über mich geschrieben. (ELB; cf. EÜ)
  • Da sprach ich: Sieh, ich bin gekommen, in der Schriftrolle steht geschrieben, was für mich gilt. (ZÜR)
  • Alors j’ai dit : Voici, je viens, dans le rouleau du livre, il est question de moi. (BDS)
  • Alors j’ai dit: «Me voici, je viens – dans le rouleau du livre il est écrit à mon sujet – (SG21)
  • Por eso he dicho: Aquí estoy, tal como el libro dice de mí. (DHH; cf. RVC, RVR95)

[Instructions] for Me

  • And so I answered, “Here I am; your instructions for me are in the book of the Law. (GNT)
  • Then I said, ‘Here I am,’ as is prescribed for me in a written scroll. (REB)
  • Then I say, "Look! I come! What is written in the scroll pertains to me. (NET)
  • Darum sage ich: Mein Gott, ich bin bereit, zu tun, was du von mir erwartest, so wie es für mich aufgeschrieben ist im Buch des Gesetzes. (GNB)
  • Alors j’ai dit : « Me voici, je viens à toi. Dans le rouleau d’un livre , je trouve écrit ce que je dois faire. » (PDV; cf. NFC)
  • Alors je dis : Voici je viens Avec le rouleau du livre écrit pour moi (NVSR; cf. NBS, TOB)

On me

  • So I said, “Here I come! I’m inscribed in the written scroll. (CEB)
  • so I said, “See; I come with an inscribed scroll written upon me." (NABRE)

Secondary Literature

Böhler, Dieter. 2021. Psalmen 1–50. Freiburg, Basel, Wien: Herder Verlag.
Botha, Phil. 2025. "'Here I Am, I Have Come; In the Scroll of the Book, it is Written of Me' (Ps 40:8). The Private and Public Piety Advocated by Psalm 40 and the Challenges Faced by the Editors of the Psalter," Journal for Semitics 34: 15 pages. https://doi.org/10.25159/2663-6573/17468
Briggs, Charles A. & Briggs, Emilie G. 1906. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Psalms. Volume 1. New York, NY: C. Scribner’s Sons.
Craigie, Peter C. 2004. Psalms 1–50. Second edition. Nashville, TN: Nelson.
Delitzsch, Franz. 1871. Biblical Commentary on the Psalms: Vol. 2. Edinburgh: T&T Clark.
Goldingay John. 2006. Psalms 1–41. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.
Gosse, Bernard. 2005. "Le Psaume 40 et le livre de Jérémie," ZAW 117: 396–404.
Gruber, Meir. 1996. "Chapter 40" (in Hebrew). Pages 176–180 in Psalms: Volume 1. Olam HaTaNaKh. Tel Aviv: דודזון–עתי.
Ḥakham, Amos. 1979. The Book of Psalms: Books 1–2 (in Hebrew). Jerusalem: Mossad Harav Kook.
Hitzig, Ferdinand. 1863. Die Psalmen: übersetzt und ausgelegt. Erster Band. Leipzig und Heidelberg: C. F. Winterische Verlagshandlung.
Jacobson, Rolf A. & Tanner, Beth. 2014. “Book One of the Psalter: Psalms 1–41,” in The Book of Psalms (NICOT). Grand Rapids, MI; William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
Kirkpatrick, Alexander, F. 1897. The Book of Psalms with Introduction and Notes. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Lasater, Phillip M. 2024. "Psalm 40 and the 'New Covenant' of Jeremiah 31? Contextualizing the Legal Anthropology of a Liturgical Text" Vetus Testamentum 74: 645–668.
Meiri, Menachem. Meiri on Psalms.
Mena, Andrea K. 2012. "The Semantic Potential of עַל in Genesis, Psalms, and Chronicles." MA Thesis, Stellenbosch University.
Mor, Uri. 2017. "Prepositional Predicates with Nominalized Subjects in Classical Hebrew," Hebrew Studies 58: 25–46.

References

Choose a PsalmNavigate Psalm 40

40:8

  1. ↑ Text from OSHB.
  2. ↑ Böhler 2021, 724.
  3. ↑ Mena 2012, §5.4.1.1.
  4. ↑ Mena 2012, §5.4.1.3.
  5. ↑ Mena (2012 §5.3) describes locative verticality as the "proto-scene" of the preposition עַל, in this case with physical contact, on, upon.
  6. ↑ In this sense, the larger semantic and contextual result is similar to the control/obligation interpretation, yet the syntax prepositional phrase עָלָֽי does not lend itself directly to this reading (just as in 2 Kgs 22:13—see above). Further, this interpretation seems to be influenced by the function of על prepositional phrases as predicates to indicate necessity or responsibility to carry out a certain action (see, e.g., 1 Kgs 4:7; Ezra 10:4, 12; Neh 13:13; cf. Mor 2017, 28–29). This is quite a rare and late feature in Biblical Hebrew, becoming much more common in Rabbinic Hebrew.
  7. ↑ Rahlfs 1931, 144.
  8. ↑ NETS
  9. ↑ CAL.
  10. ↑ Taylor 2020, 155.
  11. ↑ CAL.
  12. ↑ Stec 2004, 85.