Psalm - 40:16



16 Let all those who seek you rejoice and be glad in you. Let such as love your salvation say continually, "Let Yahweh be exalted!"

Verse In-Depth

Explanation and meaning of Psalm 40:16.

Differing Translations

Compare verses for better understanding.
Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The LORD be magnified.
Let all that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee : and let such as love thy salvation say always : The Lord be magnified.
Let all those that seek thee be glad and rejoice in thee; let such as love thy salvation say continually, Jehovah be magnified!
All seeking Thee rejoice and are glad in Thee, Those loving Thy salvation say continually, 'Jehovah is magnified.'
Let all those who are looking for you be glad and have joy in you; let the lovers of your salvation ever say, May the Lord be great.
Let them be appalled by reason of their shame that say unto me: 'Aha, aha.'

*Minor differences ignored. Grouped by changes, with first version listed as example.


Historical Commentaries

Scholarly Analysis and Interpretation.

Let all those that seek thee be glad and rejoice in thee. David here uses another argument -- one which he often adduces elsewhere -- in order to obtain deliverance; not that it is necessary to allege reasons to persuade God, but because it is profitable to confirm our faith by such supports. As, then, it is the will of God that he should be known in his gracious character, not only of one or two, but generality of all men, whenever he vouchsafes deliverance to any of his children, it is a common benefit which all the faithful ought to apply to themselves when they see in the person of one man in what manner God, who is never inconsistent with himself, will act towards all his people. David, therefore, shows that he asks nothing for himself individually but what pertains to the whole Church. He prays that God would gladden the hearts of all the saints, or afford them all common cause of rejoicing: so that, assured of his readiness to help them, they may have recourse to him with greater alacrity. Hence we conclude, that, in the case of every individual, God gives a proof of his goodness towards us. What is added, those that love thy salvation, is also worthy of being observed by us. We may infer from this, that our faith is only proved to be genuine when we neither expect nor desire preservation otherwise than from God alone. Those who devise various ways and means of preservation for themselves in this world, despise and reject the salvation which God has taught us to expect from him alone. What had been said before, those who seek thee, is to the same purpose. If any individual would depend wholly upon God, and desire to be saved by his grace, he must renounce every vain hope, and employ all his thoughts towards the reception of his strength. Here, again, we must observe that two things are contrasted with each other. Formerly David had said that the wicked sought his life; now he ascribes to the faithful quite a contrary feeling, namely, that they seek God. In like manner he had related the reproaches and derision of the ungodly, while they said, Aha, aha! and now he introduces the godly speaking very differently, saying, The Lord be magnified!

Let all those that seek thee - All those who desire to know thee; to understand thy ways; to be thy friends. The phrase is used to denote the truly pious, because it is a characteristic of all such that they truly desire to be acquainted with God, and to find the way which leads to his favor.
Rejoice and be glad in thee -
(1) By finding thee, or securing the object which they sought;
(2) in thee, as the source of all true comfort and joy.
The prayer is that all such may be successful in their efforts, while those who have no such aim may be disappointed, Psalm 40:14.
Let such as love thy salvation -
(a) Thy method of salvation, or the appointed way by which men may be saved; and
(b) the salvation itself - deliverance from the guilt and dominion of sin, and complete and eternal restoration to the favor of God.
Say continually, The Lord be magnified - See the notes at Psalm 35:27, where the same expression occurs.

Let all those that seek thee - be glad - In making prayer and supplication to thee, let them ever find thee, that they may magnify thee for the blessings they receive.
Love thy salvation - Who earnestly desire to be saved from sin: saved in thy own way, and on thy own terms.
The Lord be magnified - Let God be praised continually for the continual blessings he pours down.

Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, (n) The LORD be magnified.
(n) As the faithful always praise God for his benefits, so the wicked mocked God's children in their afflictions.

Let all those that seek thee,.... In the first place, with their whole hearts, earnestly and diligently, in Christ, and under the influences of his Spirit, for pardon, righteousness, communion, larger measures of grace, and for honour, glory, immortality, and eternal life;
rejoice and be glad in thee: as their covenant God, the Father of their mercies, the God of all comfort and salvation, who pardons their sins, clothes them with the robes of righteousness and garments of salvation, and accepts their persons in Christ; all which is matter of joy and gladness: Christ is concerned for the joy of his people, John 15:11; the Targum is, "they shall", or "let them rejoice, and be glad in thy word": in himself, the essential Word, in whom there is always ground and reason of joy and gladness; because of his person, blood, righteousness, and sacrifice;
let such as love thy salvation; either Christ, who is God's salvation, Genesis 49:18; and who is loved by his people, universally, superlatively, and sincerely; or the salvation of him, his deliverance from the grave, resurrection from the dead, and exaltation; the benefits of which believers share in, and so have reason to love it: or the salvation he is the author of, which is loved by those that know it; partly because agreeable to the divine perfections, the glory of God is great in it; and partly because it is so full and complete in itself, and so suitable to them;
say continually, the Lord be magnified; let this be their constant employment in this world, as it will be for ever in the next, to ascribe greatness to God; or greatly to praise him, because of the great salvation wrought out for them.

(Compare Psalm 35:27).
love thy salvation--delight in its bestowal on others as well as themselves.

*More commentary available at chapter level.


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