Psalms 40:13
Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me: O LORD, make haste to help me.
Original Language Analysis
רְצֵ֣ה
Be pleased
H7521
רְצֵ֣ה
Be pleased
Strong's:
H7521
Word #:
1 of 6
to be pleased with; specifically, to satisfy a debt
יְ֝הוָ֗ה
O LORD
H3068
יְ֝הוָ֗ה
O LORD
Strong's:
H3068
Word #:
2 of 6
(the) self-existent or eternal; jeho-vah, jewish national name of god
לְהַצִּילֵ֑נִי
to deliver
H5337
לְהַצִּילֵ֑נִי
to deliver
Strong's:
H5337
Word #:
3 of 6
to snatch away, whether in a good or a bad sense
Historical Context
This verse echoes language from other Davidic psalms of distress (Psalms 22, 31, 70), forming a vocabulary of crisis that later became the church's language for spiritual warfare and trials.
Questions for Reflection
- Why does David appeal to God's 'pleasure' rather than to his own deservingness?
- How does urgency in prayer reflect faith rather than doubt?
Analysis & Commentary
This urgent plea--'Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me'--uses the Hebrew ratsah (be pleased, take delight). David appeals not to his own merit but to God's gracious disposition. The cry for God to 'make haste to help me' reflects desperate dependence, acknowledging that only divine intervention can rescue from overwhelming circumstances.