Psalm 40:11
New International Version
Do not withhold your mercy from me, LORD; may your love and faithfulness always protect me.

New Living Translation
LORD, don’t hold back your tender mercies from me. Let your unfailing love and faithfulness always protect me.

English Standard Version
As for you, O LORD, you will not restrain your mercy from me; your steadfast love and your faithfulness will ever preserve me!

Berean Standard Bible
O LORD, do not withhold Your mercy from me; Your loving devotion and faithfulness will always guard me.

King James Bible
Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.

New King James Version
Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O LORD; Let Your lovingkindness and Your truth continually preserve me.

New American Standard Bible
You, LORD, will not withhold Your compassion from me; Your mercy and Your truth will continually watch over me.

NASB 1995
You, O LORD, will not withhold Your compassion from me; Your lovingkindness and Your truth will continually preserve me.

NASB 1977
Thou, O LORD, wilt not withhold Thy compassion from me; Thy lovingkindness and Thy truth will continually preserve me.

Legacy Standard Bible
You, O Yahweh, will not withhold Your compassion from me; Your lovingkindness and Your truth will continually guard me.

Amplified Bible
Do not withhold Your compassion and tender mercy from me, O LORD; Your lovingkindness and Your truth will continually preserve me.

Christian Standard Bible
LORD, you do not withhold your compassion from me. Your constant love and truth will always guard me.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
LORD, do not withhold Your compassion from me; Your constant love and truth will always guard me.

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

Contemporary English Version
You, LORD, never fail to have pity on me; your love and faithfulness always keep me secure.

English Revised Version
Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Do not withhold your compassion from me, O LORD. May your mercy and your truth always protect me.

Good News Translation
LORD, I know you will never stop being merciful to me. Your love and loyalty will always keep me safe.

International Standard Version
LORD, do not withhold your mercy from me, for your gracious love and truthfulness will keep me safe continuously.

Majority Standard Bible
O LORD, do not withhold Your mercy from me; Your loving devotion and faithfulness will always guard me.

NET Bible
O LORD, you do not withhold your compassion from me. May your loyal love and faithfulness continually protect me!

New Heart English Bible
Do not withhold your tender mercies from me, LORD. Let your loving kindness and your truth continually preserve me.

Webster's Bible Translation
Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD: let thy loving-kindness and thy truth continually preserve me.

World English Bible
Don’t withhold your tender mercies from me, Yahweh. Let your loving kindness and your truth continually preserve me.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
You, O YHWH, do not restrain Your mercies from me, "" Your kindness and Your truth continually keep me.

Young's Literal Translation
Thou, O Jehovah, restrainest not Thy mercies from me, Thy kindness and Thy truth do continually keep me.

Smith's Literal Translation
Thou wilt not, O Jehovah, shut up thy compassions from me: thy mercy and thy truth shall always guard me.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Withhold not thou, O Lord, thy tender mercies from me : thy mercy and thy truth have always upheld me.

Catholic Public Domain Version
O Lord, do not take your tender mercies far from me. Your mercy and your truth ever sustain me.

New American Bible
LORD, may you not withhold your compassion from me; May your mercy and your faithfulness continually protect me.

New Revised Standard Version
Do not, O LORD, withhold your mercy from me; let your steadfast love and your faithfulness keep me safe forever.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD; let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And you, LORD JEHOVAH, do not you restrain from me your mercies, but let your mercies and your faithfulness keep me at all times.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Thou, O LORD, wilt not withhold Thy compassions from me; Let Thy mercy and Thy truth continually preserve me.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
But thou, Lord, remove not thy compassion far from me; thy mercy and thy truth have helped me continually.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
I Waited Patiently for the LORD
10I have not covered up Your righteousness in my heart; I have declared Your faithfulness and salvation; I have not concealed Your loving devotion and faithfulness from the great assembly. 11 O LORD, do not withhold Your mercy from me; Your loving devotion and faithfulness will always guard me. 12For evils without number surround me; my sins have overtaken me, so that I cannot see. They are more than the hairs of my head, and my heart has failed within me.…

Cross References
Psalm 25:6-7
Remember, O LORD, Your compassion and loving devotion, for they are from age to age. / Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my rebellious acts; remember me according to Your loving devotion, because of Your goodness, O LORD.

Psalm 69:16
Answer me, O LORD, for Your loving devotion is good; turn to me in keeping with Your great compassion.

Psalm 86:15
But You, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness.

Psalm 103:8-10
The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion. / He will not always accuse us, nor harbor His anger forever. / He has not dealt with us according to our sins or repaid us according to our iniquities.

Psalm 119:41
May Your loving devotion come to me, O LORD, Your salvation, according to Your promise.

Psalm 143:8
Let me hear Your loving devotion in the morning, for I have put my trust in You. Teach me the way I should walk, for to You I lift up my soul.

Isaiah 63:7
I will make known the LORD’s loving devotion and His praiseworthy acts, because of all that the LORD has done for us—the many good things for the house of Israel according to His great compassion and loving devotion.

Lamentations 3:22-23
Because of the loving devotion of the LORD we are not consumed, for His mercies never fail. / They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!

Micah 7:18-20
Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity and passes over the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance—who does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in loving devotion? / He will again have compassion on us; He will vanquish our iniquities. You will cast out all our sins into the depths of the sea. / You will show faithfulness to Jacob and loving devotion to Abraham, as You swore to our fathers from the days of old.

Exodus 34:6-7
Then the LORD passed in front of Moses and called out: “The LORD, the LORD God, is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness, / maintaining loving devotion to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin. Yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished; He will visit the iniquity of the fathers on their children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.”

Nehemiah 9:17
They refused to listen and failed to remember the wonders You performed among them. They stiffened their necks and appointed a leader to return them to their bondage in Egypt. But You are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in loving devotion, and You did not forsake them.

2 Samuel 22:51
Great salvation He brings to His king. He shows loving devotion to His anointed, to David and his descendants forever.”

Romans 5:8
But God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Ephesians 2:4-5
But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, / made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our trespasses. It is by grace you have been saved!

2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, / who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.


Treasury of Scripture

Withhold not you your tender mercies from me, O LORD: let your loving kindness and your truth continually preserve me.

Psalm 69:13,16
But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O LORD, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation…

let thy

Psalm 23:6
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Psalm 43:3
O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles.

Psalm 57:3
He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth.

Jump to Previous
Always Compassion Compassions Continually Faith Faithfulness Gentle Kindness Love Loving Mercies Mercy Preserve Protect Safe Steadfast Tender Truth Wilt Withhold
Jump to Next
Always Compassion Compassions Continually Faith Faithfulness Gentle Kindness Love Loving Mercies Mercy Preserve Protect Safe Steadfast Tender Truth Wilt Withhold
Psalm 40
1. The benefit of confidence in God
6. Obedience is the best sacrifice
11. The sense of David's evils inflames his prayer














O LORD, do not withhold Your mercy from me;
This plea reflects a deep reliance on God's mercy, a recurring theme throughout the Psalms. The psalmist acknowledges human frailty and the need for divine compassion. The use of "O LORD" signifies a personal relationship with Yahweh, the covenant-keeping God of Israel. This request for mercy echoes the sentiments found in other Psalms, such as Psalm 51:1, where David seeks God's mercy after his sin with Bathsheba. The concept of mercy is central to the Hebrew understanding of God's character, often linked with His covenant promises to Israel. In the New Testament, this mercy is fully realized in the person of Jesus Christ, who embodies God's compassion and grace.

Your loving devotion and faithfulness will always guard me.
"Loving devotion" translates the Hebrew word "chesed," which encompasses steadfast love, kindness, and loyalty. This term is foundational to understanding God's covenant relationship with His people. "Faithfulness" refers to God's reliability and truthfulness, assuring the psalmist of God's unwavering support. The imagery of being "guarded" suggests protection and security, akin to a shepherd watching over his flock. This assurance is mirrored in Psalm 23, where the Lord is depicted as a shepherd who provides and protects. The dual mention of loving devotion and faithfulness highlights the completeness of God's care, a theme that resonates throughout Scripture, culminating in the New Testament with the faithfulness of Christ, who guards believers through His Spirit.

Persons / Places / Events
1. David
Traditionally attributed as the author of Psalm 40, David is expressing his reliance on God's mercy and faithfulness.

2. The LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant name of God, emphasizing His eternal and unchanging nature, as well as His relationship with His people.

3. Mercy and Faithfulness
Key attributes of God that David appeals to, highlighting God's character and His covenantal promises.
Teaching Points
Dependence on God's Mercy
Recognize our continual need for God's mercy in our daily lives.

Understand that God's mercy is not earned but freely given to those who seek Him.

God's Faithfulness as a Guard
Trust in God's faithfulness as a protective force in our lives.

Reflect on how God's faithfulness has been evident in past experiences.

Prayer as a Means of Seeking God
Use prayer as a way to express our dependence on God's mercy and faithfulness.

Encourage regular prayer, asking God to reveal His mercy and faithfulness in specific situations.

Living in Response to God's Attributes
Live a life that reflects gratitude for God's mercy and faithfulness.

Strive to embody these attributes in our interactions with others.Verse 11. - Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O Lord. The supplicatory portion of the psalm here commences. David beseeches God, whose loving-kindness is so great (ver. 10), not to withhold from him those "tender mercies" which he lavishes so freely. As he is bent on "not withholding," or "refraining," his lips (ver. 9), so it is fitting that God should not "withhold," or "refrain" (כלא) his kindness. Let thy loving-kindness and thy truth continually preserve me (compare the last clause of ver. 10).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
O LORD,
יְהוָ֗ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

do not
לֹא־ (lō-)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

withhold
תִכְלָ֣א (ṯiḵ·lā)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 3607: To shut up, restrain, withhold

Your mercy
רַחֲמֶ֣יךָ (ra·ḥă·me·ḵā)
Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 7356: Compassion, the womb, a maiden

from me;
מִמֶּ֑נִּי (mim·men·nî)
Preposition | first person common singular
Strong's 4480: A part of, from, out of

Your loving devotion
חַסְדְּךָ֥ (ḥas·də·ḵā)
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 2617: Kindness, piety, reproof, beauty

and truth
וַ֝אֲמִתְּךָ֗ (wa·’ă·mit·tə·ḵā)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 571: Stability, certainty, truth, trustworthiness

will always
תָּמִ֥יד (tā·mîḏ)
Adverb
Strong's 8548: Continuance, constant, ellipt, the regular, sacrifice

guard me.
יִצְּרֽוּנִי׃ (yiṣ·ṣə·rū·nî)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural | first person common singular
Strong's 5341: To watch, guard, keep


Links
Psalm 40:11 NIV
Psalm 40:11 NLT
Psalm 40:11 ESV
Psalm 40:11 NASB
Psalm 40:11 KJV

Psalm 40:11 BibleApps.com
Psalm 40:11 Biblia Paralela
Psalm 40:11 Chinese Bible
Psalm 40:11 French Bible
Psalm 40:11 Catholic Bible

OT Poetry: Psalm 40:11 Don't withhold your tender mercies from me (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 40:10
Top of Page
Top of Page