Wisdom & Poetry · Old Testament
Psalms 16
Psalm 16: the Lord as portion, cup and path of life
General context
The speaker asks God to preserve him because he trusts in him. He tells his soul that it has said to the Lord, Thou art my Lord, and that his goodness does not extend to God but to the saints in the earth and the excellent, in whom is all his delight. He says the sorrows of those who hasten after another god will be multiplied, and that he will not offer their drink offerings of blood or take their names on his lips. The Lord is the portion of his inheritance and of his cup and maintains his lot; the lines have fallen to him in pleasant places and he has a goodly heritage. He blesses the Lord who has given him counsel, and says his reins instruct him in the night seasons. He has set the Lord always before him; because the Lord is at his right hand he will not be moved. Therefore his heart is glad, his glory rejoices, and his flesh will rest in hope, because God will not leave his soul in hell or let his Holy One see corruption. God will show him the path of life; in his presence is fulness of joy and at his right hand pleasures for evermore.
Cited passages: Psalms 16:1, Psalms 16:2, Psalms 16:3, Psalms 16:4, Psalms 16:5, Psalms 16:6, Psalms 16:7, Psalms 16:8, Psalms 16:9, Psalms 16:10, Psalms 16:11
Psalms 16 (KJV)
1Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust.
2O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not to thee;
3But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight.
4Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god: their drink offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips.
5The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.
6The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.
7I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.
8I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
9Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.
10For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
11Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
This page shows the King James Version. In the app, reading opens in the Berean Standard Bible unless you have chosen another translation. The reader includes five translations: the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), the King James Version (KJV), the World English Bible (WEB), the Bible in Basic English (BBE), and the American Standard Version (ASV). Search covers three of them: Berean Standard, King James, and World English. Basic English and American Standard readers search the King James words.
Historical context
The text as printed carries no heading, so no author is stated in this source. The speaker addresses God, then his own soul, then speaks about the Lord, and returns to addressing God from verse 5. Verse 2 is difficult in the English, the speaker's goodness "extendeth not to thee" but to the saints, and the text gives no further explanation. Those who "hasten after another god" and their "drink offerings of blood" are mentioned only to be refused; the god and the rite are not named. "Thine Holy One" in verse 10 is the psalm's own phrase and is not identified within the psalm. The New Testament quotes verses 8-11 at length: Acts 2:25-28 introduces them with "For David speaketh concerning him" and reads "Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption"; Acts 2:31 and Acts 13:35-37 apply the corruption line to Christ and contrast it with David, who "saw corruption". Those are the later books' readings; the psalm itself speaks in the first person of trust, inheritance and hope.
Cited passages: Psalms 16:2, Psalms 16:4, Psalms 16:10, Acts 2:25, Acts 2:27, Acts 2:31, Acts 13:36, Acts 13:37
Literary context
The psalm opens with a single petition, "Preserve me", and the rest is confidence. It sets two loyalties side by side: the saints in whom the speaker delights against those who hasten after another god, whose offerings he will not make and whose names he will not speak. Inheritance language dominates the middle, portion, cup, lot, lines, heritage, with the Lord himself as the portion. The right hand is used twice: the Lord at the speaker's right hand in verse 8 and pleasures at the Lord's right hand in verse 11, so the image is mirrored. "Therefore" in verse 9 draws gladness of heart, glory and flesh from the Lord's nearness, and verse 10 gives the reason with "For". The night seasons of verse 7 and the path of life in verse 11 frame counsel and its outcome. The poem ends on "for evermore", and its confidence rests on not being left in hell rather than on any enemy being defeated; no enemy is mentioned at all.
Cited passages: Psalms 16:1, Psalms 16:3, Psalms 16:4, Psalms 16:5, Psalms 16:8, Psalms 16:11, Psalms 16:9, Psalms 16:7
Key moments
- Preserve me (Psalms 16:1). The speaker asks God to preserve him because he puts his trust in him.
- Delight in the saints (Psalms 16:3). His delight is in the saints in the earth and the excellent.
- Refusing another god (Psalms 16:4). He will not offer the drink offerings of blood of those who hasten after another god.
- The Lord my portion (Psalms 16:5). The Lord is the portion of his inheritance and his cup.
- Counsel in the night (Psalms 16:7). He blesses the Lord for counsel and is instructed in the night seasons.
- Not left in hell (Psalms 16:10). He is confident God will not leave his soul in hell or let his Holy One see corruption.
- The path of life (Psalms 16:11). God will show him the path of life and fulness of joy in his presence.
For reflection
The speaker names the Lord himself as his portion and inheritance rather than any land or goods; what does the poem count as the pleasant places where the lines have fallen?
