Psalm 40:6-8
“Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me,”
King James Version · the opening — all 3 verses are below
More of Psalm 40 on this sitePsalm 40:9-10
The declaration that God desires obedience over sacrifice — 'Lo, I come to do thy will' — applied in Hebrews to Christ's incarnation and self-offering.
Read the whole passage — all 3 verses (KJV)
40:6Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.
40:7Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me,
40:8I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.
Fulfillment References
Hebrews 10:5-10 Psalm 51:16-17 John 6:38 1 Samuel 15:22
How Traditions Read This Prophecy
Apostolic (Oneness) Pentecostal'Lo, I come to do thy will' is Jesus' incarnation (Heb. 10:5-7) — the one God preparing a body for Himself, the obedient Man fulfilling the Father's will (John 6:38).
JewishThe priority of obedience and inward devotion over ritual sacrifice — a prophetic theme; read of the psalmist's consecration.
CatholicHebrews applies 'Lo, I come to do thy will' to Christ's incarnation and the once-for-all offering replacing the sacrifices.
ProtestantHebrews 10:5-10 puts these words in Christ's mouth — His coming to do God's will, by which 'we are sanctified.'
OrthodoxChrist's self-offering, the obedience that fulfills and ends the sacrificial system.
DispensationalThe Messiah's incarnation and obedient self-offering.
AcademicHebrews 10 follows the LXX ('a body hast thou prepared me') rather than the Masoretic ('mine ears hast thou opened') — a notable text-form difference underlying the christological reading.
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Audio narration (listen to this prophecy read aloud), cross-references, Hebrew/Greek, Dead Sea Scrolls notes, a prophetic timeline, network maps, study tools and multi-tradition analysis in the interactive explorer.
Bible Prophecy Explorer · based on J. Barton Payne’s Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy catalogue · an openly Apostolic (Oneness) Pentecostal study resource — all traditions presented fairly. Pastor: C. Myles Young, D.Min. · Bishop: Nathaniel J. Wilson, Ed.D.