Psalm 40(39): 7–9 in the Hebrew Bible and in the Septuagint, with Its Reception in the New Testament (Heb 10:5–10)

Abstract

The interpreters of Ps 40 traditionally had difficulties to make sense of the disposition of the psalm. After the heading in the first verse, the psalm contains three parts: verses 2–5, a report about an experience of salvation; verses 6–12, a hymn of thanksgiving; and verses 13–18, a lament.¹ It is striking that the third part, verses 13–18, reappears in the book of Psalms without verse 13, forming a psalm of its own, namely, Ps 70. Why is there this salvation report first (vv. 2–5), then the new hymn of thanksgiving (vv. 6–12), then...