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Psalms 40:11

Old Testament Poetry/Hymns ASV (1901)

What does Psalms 40:11 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O Jehovah; Let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O Jehovah; Let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.
Psalms 40:11 — American Standard Version

Context — Psalms 40

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
8I delight to do thy will, O my God; Yea, thy law is within my heart.
9I have proclaimed glad tidings of righteousness in the great assembly; Lo, I will not refrain my lips, O Jehovah, thou knowest.
10I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation; I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great assembly.
11Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O Jehovah; Let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.
12For innumerable evils have compassed me about; Mine iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up; They are more than the hairs of my head; And my heart hath failed me.
13Be pleased, O Jehovah, to deliver me: Make haste to help me, O Jehovah.
14Let them be put to shame and confounded together That seek after my soul to destroy it: Let them be turned backward and brought to dishonor That delight in my hurt.
← Psalms 40:10Psalms 40:12 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O Lord, etc.] this is a petition of Christ to his Father, when in the midst of his sorrows and sufferings, before related; and particularly when he hid his face from him, and withheld the discoveries of his tender and affectionate love; let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me; as he had promised; of which promise some notice is given, (<234908>Isaiah 49:8), in the fulfilment of which the lovingkindness, truth, and faithfulness of God, would appear. Some read these words as expressive of faith in these things, “thou wilt not withhold”, etc. “thy lovingkindness and thy truth shall continually preserve me” f568.”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“may be rendered as an assertion, that God will not withhold (Psa 16:1).”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O Lord - Do not restrain or hold back thy compassions. Let thy mercies - the expressions of thy love - flow out freely toward me in connection with what I have done. As applicable to the Redeemer, this is a prayer that God would bestow upon him in connection with his work, and as a reward of his work, appropriate proofs of his goodness. And especially is this to be understood here as a prayer for support and deliverance in the sorrows that came upon him in the accomplishment of his work. The prayer is intermediate between the expression of his purpose to do the will of God when all other means of salvation had failed Psalms 40:6-8, and the…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“With - hold not - David, having been transported by the spirit of God to the commemoration of the great mystery of the Messiah, he now seems to be led back by the same spirit, to the consideration of his own case. Psalms 40:12”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“40:11 The psalmist prays that the Lord will be true to his character when answering this plea for mercy.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Withhold: From this verse to the end, we have quite a new subject; for the former contains a thanksgiving, and this contains a supplication. It is nearly the same as the seventieth, and probably formed a distinct Psalm. Psa 69:13, Psa 69:16 let thy: Psa 23:6, Psa 43:3, Psa 57:3, Psa 61:7, Psa 85:10; Heb 5:7 Psalms 40:12”
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Related study paths

Read Psalms 40 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification