Psalms 40:7

Then said I,.... As in the council and covenant of peace, when and where he declared his willingness to come into the world, and make satisfaction for the sins of his people; so when the fulness of

Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, Then ( 'aaz (H227)) - when sacrifices and offerings, such as the Mosaic law prescribed, were proved not to be what God desired

Then, when I understood and considered thy mind and will therein, expressed . Said I; either within myself, by a firm purpose; or unto thee by way of promise or engagement. Lo, I come. He may seem to speak like a servant, answering to the call of his master, and signifying his readiness to obey him; in which sense it may be accommodated to David. But the servant’ s answer is usually expressed in Scripture by another phrase, Here am I, and never to my remembrance in these words. Besides, this phrase in that sense seems not to be proper in this place, but rather, Lo, I hear, which best suits with the foregoing words, mine ears hast thou opened. But these words do most literally and truly belong to Christ, and the sense is this: Seeing thou requirest a better sacrifice than those of the law, lo, I do offer myself to come; and I will in due time come, to wit, from heaven, or in the flesh, or into the world, as this phrase is more fully expressed and explained in divers places of Scripture, and particularly , where this place is explained and applied to Christ. The two words volume and book are indifferently used of any writing, and both words seem here to express the same thing, as may appear by comparing Jeremiah 36$, where we have the very same words; and what is called the roll or volume of a book, ,4, is called simply a roll or volume, ,20,21, and the book, ,13; it being usual with the Hebrews to join two words together in like manner, of which we have an instance here above, , miry clay, Heb. clay of mire. Now this volume of the book, is meant, either, 1. Of the book of predestination, in which Christ was written, as being foreordained before the foundation of the world, . But that is a secret book, not to be read by any man living, and therefore not fitly alleged as an evidence in this matter. Or, 2. Of a legal instrument, wherein the contract was drawn between God and him, wherein he did oblige himself to serve God, and to execute his will in all things; it being the manner of the Hebrews to write their contracts in a little volume or book. But, 1. We read of no such usage among the Hebrew in the contracts between master and servant, but only of the boring of the servant’ s ear, . So the foundation of this allusion is destroyed. 2. At least there was no such contract written between God and him. And if it be said that he only speaks thus by way of allusion, that is but a supposition without ground. And when the words may be properly understood as they sound, of a thing really done, why should we forsake the plain sense without necessity? 3.

Psalms 40:7 Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book [it is] written of me,Ver. 7. Then said I, Lo, I come] Christ became obedient even to the death, yea, that of the cross, Philippians 2:8. Christ’ s people also are a willing people, Psalms 110:3, their obedience is prompt and present, ready and speedy, without delays and consults, Psalms 119:60, without capitulation and security, Isaiah 56:6. In the volume of the book] In libro plicatili, in thy law, which was anciently (and is still this day among the Jews) written in paper or parchment rolled up; because it will last longer rolled than folded. It is written of me] Of Christ, in many places; for he is both author, object, matter, and mark of both Testaments. Of David also, and all God’ s people, doth the law speak with fruit and efficacy; and they do use to read their own names, written, as it were, in every precept, promise, threatening. Look how men read the statute book of the land, as holding themselves highly concerned therein: so here.

(7) Then said I.—This rendering, which follows the LXX. and Vulg., and is adopted in the Epistle to the Hebrews, must be abandoned. The Hebrew means, Lo! I come, bringing the book written for me, which no doubt refers to the Law, which in the person of the poet, Israel here produces as warrant for its conduct. Some see a particular allusion to the discovery of the Book of Deuteronomy in Josiah’s reign. But if the conjecture of Grätz be accepted (see preceding Note), the reference will be rather to the Levitical regulation of sacrifice. “Shouldest thou require burnt-offering and sin-offering, then I say, Lo! I bring the book in which all is prescribed me,” i.e., I have duly performed all the rites ordained in the book. The rendering “written on me,” i.e., “on my heart and mind,” might suit the contents of the book, but not the roll itself.

Verse 7. In the volume of the book] במגלת ספר bimegillath sepher, "in the roll of the book." Anciently, books were written on skins, and rolled up. Among the Romans, these were called volumina, from volvo, I roll; and the Pentateuch in the Jewish synagogues is still written in this way. There are two wooden rollers; on one they roll on, on the other they roll off, as they proceed in reading. One now lying before me, written on vellum, is two feet two inches in breadth and one hundred and two feet long. To roll and unroll such a MS. was no easy task, and to be managed must lie flat on a table. This contains the Pentateuch only, and is without points, or any other Masoretic distinction. The book mentioned here must be the Pentateuch, or five books of Moses; for, in David's time no other part of Divine revelation had been committed to writing. This whole book speaks about Christ, and his accomplishing the will of God, not only in "the seed of the woman shall bruise the head of the serpent," and "in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;" but in all the sacrifices and sacrificial rites mentioned in the law.

7. Then said I] This was his answer when he became aware of God’s requirements. Lo, I come] Rather as R.V., Lo, I am come: (LXX. ἰ ?äïὺἥ ?êù) the servant’s response to his master’s summons (Numbers 22:38; 2 Samuel 19:20): like ‘Behold me,’ or, ‘Here I am’ (Isaiah 6:9). The object of the coming is not expressed, but is clear from the context. in the volume of the book it is written of me] Better, in a roll of a book is it prescribed to me: though the rendering of A.V., which is that of the LXX, is possible. The exact phrase ‘roll of a book’ occurs only in Jeremiah 36:2; Jeremiah 36:4; Ezekiel 2:9; ‘roll’ only in Jeremiah 36; Ezekiel 3:1-3; Zechariah 5:1-2; Ezra 6:2[16]. Cp. however Isaiah 34:4. The context points to Deuteronomy, or at any rate the nucleus of the teaching contained in it, as the book referred to. The absence of the it article seems to emphasise the fact that a written document is referred to (in a book, cp. Hosea 8:12), rather than to single out a particular document as ‘the book’ par excellence, as the A.V. seems to imply. [16] ‘Roll’ in Isaiah 8:1 (A.V.) should be tabiet.

Then said I - In Hebrews 10:7, the apostle applies this to the Messiah. See the notes at that verse. This is the most simple and satisfactory interpretation of the passage.

7. Then said I—Christ still speaks, (see Psalms 40:6.) The language is slightly historic, but passes over into the typically predictive. “Then” is emphatic.