Lectionary Calendar
Saturday, April 11th, 2026
Saturday in Easter Week
Attention!
StudyLight.org has pledged to help build churches in Uganda. Help us with that pledge and support pastors in the heart of Africa.
Click here to join the effort!

Read the Bible

New Life Version

Psalms 40:8

I am happy to do Your will, O my God. Your Law is within my heart."

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Desire;   Happiness;   Jesus Continued;   Offerings;   Quotations and Allusions;   Word of God;   Zeal, Religious;   Thompson Chain Reference - Bible, the;   God's;   Joy;   Law;   Service;   Surrendered Life, Characteristics of;   Will;   Work, Religious;   Work-Workers, Religious;   The Topic Concordance - Covenant;   Delight;   Jesus Christ;   Will of God;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Ark of the Covenant;   Atonement, the;   Christ, Character of;   Happiness of Saints in This Life;   Heart, Character of the Renewed;   Law of Moses, the;   Types of Christ;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Psalms, the Book of;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Quotations;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Hebrews, Theology of;   Old Testament in the New Testament, the;   Paul the Apostle;   Requirement;   Will of God;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Humiliation of Christ;   Messiah;   Obedience of Christ;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Covenant;   Humiliation of Christ;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Burnt Offering;   Isaac;   Jesus Christ;   Law;   Mediator;   Sacrifice;   Slave;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Bowels;   English Versions;   Greek Versions of Ot;   Medicine;   Psalms;   Sin;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Sacrifice;   King James Dictionary - Delight;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Offerings, the;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Bowels;   Christ;   Goat;   Testimony;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Messiah;   Psalms the book of;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Bowels;   Jesus Christ;   Prophecy;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Bowels;   Delight;   Mediation;   Text of the Old Testament;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Manuscripts;   Sacrifice;  

Devotionals:

- Daily Light on the Daily Path - Devotion for October 20;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
I delight to do your will, my God,and your instruction is deep within me.”
Hebrew Names Version
I delight to do your will, my God. Yes, your law is within my heart."
King James Version
I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.
English Standard Version
I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart."
New Century Version
My God, I want to do what you want. Your teachings are in my heart."
New English Translation
I want to do what pleases you, my God. Your law dominates my thoughts."
Amplified Bible
"I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your law is within my heart."
New American Standard Bible
"I delight to do Your will, my God; Your Law is within my heart."
World English Bible
I delight to do your will, my God. Yes, your law is within my heart."
Geneva Bible (1587)
I desired to doe thy good will, O my God: yea, thy Lawe is within mine heart.
Legacy Standard Bible
I desire to do Your will, O my God;Your law is within my inner being."
Berean Standard Bible
I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your law is within my heart."
Contemporary English Version
'I enjoy pleasing you. Your Law is in my heart.'"
Complete Jewish Bible
so then I said, "Here I am! I'm coming! In the scroll of a book it is written about me.
Darby Translation
To do thy good pleasure, my God, is my delight, and thy law is within my heart.
Easy-to-Read Version
My God, I am happy to do whatever you want. I never stop thinking about your teachings."
George Lamsa Translation
I delight to do thy will, O my God; yea, thy law is within my heart.
Good News Translation
How I love to do your will, my God! I keep your teaching in my heart."
Lexham English Bible
‘I delight to do your will, O my God, and your law is deep within me.'"
Literal Translation
I delight to do Your will, O My God; and Your Law is within My inmost soul .
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
In the begynnynge of the boke it is written of me, that I shulde fulfill thy wil O my God, & that am I contet to do: yee thy lawe is within my hert.
American Standard Version
I delight to do thy will, O my God; Yea, thy law is within my heart.
Bible in Basic English
My delight is to do your pleasure, O my God; truly, your law is in my heart.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Then said I: 'Lo, I am come with the roll of a book which is prescribed for me;
King James Version (1611)
I delight to doe thy will, O my God: yea thy lawe is within my heart.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then sayde I, lo I am come: in the booke of thy lawe it is written of me that I shoulde fulfyll thy wyll O my God, I am content to do it, yea thy lawe is within the middest of my brest.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
I desired to do thy will, O my God, and thy law in the midst of mine heart.
English Revised Version
I delight to do thy will, O my God; yea, thy law is within my heart.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
that Y schulde do thi wille; my God, Y wolde; and thi lawe in the myddis of myn herte.
Update Bible Version
I delight to do your will, O my God; Yes, your law is inside me.
Webster's Bible Translation
I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law [is] within my heart.
New King James Version
I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart."
New Living Translation
I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your instructions are written on my heart."
New Revised Standard
I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
To do thy good-pleasure, O my God, is my delight, And, thy law, is in the midst of mine inward parts:
Douay-Rheims Bible
(39-9) That I should do thy will: O my God, I have desired it, and thy law in the midst of my heart.
Revised Standard Version
I delight to do thy will, O my God; thy law is within my heart."
Young's Literal Translation
To do Thy pleasure, my God, I have delighted, And Thy law [is] within my heart.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your Law is within my heart."

Contextual Overview

6 You have not wanted gifts given on the altar in worship. You have opened my ears. You have not wanted burnt gifts or gifts to cover sins. 7 Then I said, "Look, I have come. It is written about me in the book. 8 I am happy to do Your will, O my God. Your Law is within my heart." 9 I have told the good news about what is right and good in the big meeting with many people. You know I will not close my lips, O Lord. 10 I have not hidden what is right and good with You in my heart. I have spoken about how faithful You are and about Your saving power. I have not hidden Your loving-kindness and Your truth from the big meeting.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

I delight: Psalms 112:1, Psalms 119:16, Psalms 119:24, Psalms 119:47, Psalms 119:92, Job 23:12, Jeremiah 15:16, John 4:34, Romans 7:22, Romans 8:29

yea: Psalms 37:30, Psalms 37:31, Proverbs 3:1, Jeremiah 31:33, 2 Corinthians 3:3

within my heart: Heb. in the midst of my bowels

Reciprocal: Exodus 40:20 - the testimony Leviticus 1:3 - his own Numbers 28:11 - in the beginnings Deuteronomy 6:6 - shall be Deuteronomy 15:16 - General Psalms 1:2 - But his Psalms 19:8 - rejoicing Psalms 84:5 - in whose Psalms 119:11 - Thy word Psalms 119:70 - but I Psalms 119:167 - and I love Proverbs 4:21 - in the Proverbs 21:15 - joy Isaiah 42:21 - he will Isaiah 51:7 - in whose Jeremiah 6:10 - delight Matthew 3:15 - for Matthew 6:10 - Thy will Mark 14:36 - nevertheless Luke 2:49 - my Luke 6:45 - good man Luke 12:50 - and Luke 22:42 - not John 5:30 - because John 6:38 - not John 7:10 - then John 9:31 - and doeth John 14:31 - that the Romans 3:31 - yea Galatians 1:4 - according 1 Thessalonians 4:3 - this Hebrews 1:9 - loved

Cross-References

Genesis 40:10
And there were three branches on the vine. Then its flowers grew out. From the many flowers came grapes ready to eat.
Genesis 40:11
Pharaoh's cup was in my hand. So I took the grapes and made wine from them and poured it into Pharaoh's cup. And I put the cup into Pharaoh's hand."
Genesis 40:15
For I was stolen from the land of the Hebrews. And here also I have done nothing for which they should put me in prison."
Genesis 40:16
The head bread-maker saw that the meaning of the dream was good. He said to Joseph, "I had a dream also. There were three baskets of white bread on my head.
Psalms 25:14
The secret of the Lord is for those who fear Him. And He will make them know His agreement.
Isaiah 8:19
When they say to you, "Ask those who speak in secret with the spirits of the dead and who use their secret ways," should not a people ask their God? Should they speak to the dead for the living?
Daniel 2:11
What the king asks is too hard. No one can do it for you except the gods, who do not live among men."
Daniel 2:28
But there is a God in heaven who makes secrets known. And He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the future. This was the special dream you had while you were on your bed.
Daniel 2:47
The king said to Daniel, "For sure your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and He makes hidden things known. For you have been able to make known this secret."
Daniel 4:8
At last Daniel came to me, who was given the name Belteshazzar after the name of my god. A spirit of the holy gods is in him, and I told him about my dream. I said,

Gill's Notes on the Bible

I delight to do thy will, O my God,.... This he came down from heaven to do, and this he did do, by preaching the Gospel, and working miracles; and above all by obtaining eternal redemption for his people, which he effected by fulfilling the law, becoming a sacrifice, and suffering and dying in their room; all which were the will of God, and grateful to him, and in doing which Christ took the utmost delight and pleasure, John 4:34;

yea, thy law [is] within my heart; either the whole moral law, under which he was, as man, and the surety of his people; and which was written upon his heart, and which he perfectly obeyed; or that particular law, injunction, and command laid upon him by his Father, to offer himself a sacrifice, and lay down his life for men; which he agreed to, had it in his mind, his heart was set upon it, and he cheerfully complied with it, John 10:18.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

I delight to do thy will, O my God - To wit, in obeying the law; in submitting to all the trials appointed to me; in making an atonement for the sins of men. See the notes at Hebrews 10:7. Compare Philippians 2:8; Matthew 26:39.

Yea, thy law is within my heart - Margin, “In the midst of my bowels.” So the Hebrew. The idea is, that the law of God was within him. His obedience was not external, but proceeded from the heart. How true this was of the Redeemer it is not necessary here to say.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Psalms 40:8. To do thy will — God willed not the sacrifices under the law, but he willed that a human victim of infinite merit should be offered for the redemption of mankind. That there might be such a victim, a body was prepared for the eternal Logos, and in that body he came to do the will of God; that is, to suffer and die for the sins of the world.

1. Hence we see that the sovereign WILL of God is that Jesus should be incarnated; that he should suffer and die; or, in the apostle's words, taste death for every man; that all should believe on him, and be saved from their sins; for this is the WILL of God, our sanctification.

2. And as the apostle grounds this on the words of the Psalm, we see that it is the WILL of God that that system shall end; for as the essence of it is contained in its sacrifices, and God says he will not have these, and has appointed the Messiah to do his will, i.e., to die for men, hence it necessarily follows, from the psalmist himself, that the introduction of the Messiah into the world is the abolition of the law; and that his sacrifice is that which shall last for ever.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile