Psalm 16

Psalm 16 belongs to Book I of the Psalms (Psalms 1–41). The preceding Psalm 15 asks who may abide in the tabernacle of the LORD; Psalm 16 celebrates the trust and joy of one who dwells near the LORD.

Structure

• Superscription: "Michtam of David." The meaning of michtam is uncertain.
• Verses 1–2: The psalmist takes refuge in God and confesses that he has no good apart from the Lord.
• Verses 3–4: He delights in the saints who are in the earth and refuses to offer gifts and drink offerings of blood (poured-out offerings) to other gods.
• Verses 5–6: The LORD is "the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup"; the lines have fallen to him in pleasant places, and his heritage is goodly.
• Verses 7–8: He blesses the LORD who gives him counsel and confesses that, because he keeps the LORD always before him, he shall not be moved.
• Verses 9–11: His heart and flesh rest secure because God will not abandon his soul to Sheol. The psalm closes with the path of life and fullness of joy in God's presence.

Key Verses

• Psalm 16:2: The declaration that the psalmist has no good apart from the Lord is the central confession of the psalm.
• Psalm 16:8: "I have set the LORD always before me" is a classic expression of a life lived in God's presence.
• Psalm 16:10: "For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell" is cited in the New Testament as testimony to the resurrection.

People and Places

• David: The king of Israel named in the superscription.
• Sheol (rendered "hell" in the KJV): The Hebrew term for the place to which the dead go.

Points for Reflection

• The terms "portion," "lines" measuring out an allotted area, and "heritage" in verses 5–6 recall the distribution of the land of Canaan among the tribes. Some interpreters see the language as similar to that used of the Levites, who received the LORD as their portion instead of land (Numbers 18:20).
• The Hebrew text of verse 3 is difficult, and translations and interpretations of it vary widely.
• In his Pentecost sermon, Peter quoted verses 8–11 and explained that, because David had died and lay in his tomb, these words looked ahead to the resurrection of Christ (Acts 2). Paul likewise cited verse 10 in the same sense (Acts 13). The quotations in Acts follow the Septuagint, which renders the term as "corruption," though the Hebrew word can also be translated "pit."
• Following this New Testament interpretation, Christian tradition reads the psalm as a messianic prophecy. Jewish tradition reads it as the confession of a righteous person who trusts God and hopes to be preserved from death.

In the Korean Church

Verses 8 and 11 are frequently used as mottos for the life of faith and as memory verses. In Easter sermons, verse 10 is sometimes treated together with Acts 2.