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Psalm 16

Psalm 16 moves from a plea for protection to confidence in God’s provision, counsel, and life beyond the grave.

David asks God to preserve him and declares that every good thing he has depends on YHWH. The heading names David, though the poem identifies no specific crisis. He delights in God’s people and refuses the worship of other gods. Images of an assigned portion and a secure inheritance express his contentment with God’s provision. The prayer moves toward confidence that God will preserve his life and bring him into lasting joy in his presence.

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1A Poem by David. Preserve me, God, for I take refuge in you.
2My soul, you have said to the LORD, “You are my Lord. Apart from you I have no good thing.”
3As for the saints who are on the earth, they are the excellent ones in whom is all my delight.
4Their sorrows shall be multiplied who give gifts to another god. Their drink offerings of blood I will not offer, nor take their names on my lips.
5The LORD assigned my portion and my cup. You made my lot secure.
6The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places. Yes, I have a good inheritance.
7I will bless the LORD, who has given me counsel. Yes, my heart instructs 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 tongue rejoices. My body shall also dwell in safety.
10For you will not leave my soul in Sheol, neither will you allow your holy one to see corruption.
11You will show me the path of life. In your presence is fullness of joy. In your right hand there are pleasures forever more.
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Key verses
Psalm 16:11The closing verse brings the prayer to its goal: life and lasting joy in God’s presence.
Psalm 16:8God’s nearness grounds David’s stability and leads into his gladness and confidence that his body will dwell in safety.
Psalm 16:5The language of portion and cup credits YHWH with assigning and securing what David has.
Where this chapter reaches

Acts quotes this psalm and identifies its promise of freedom from corruption with Jesus’ resurrection, distinguishing his risen body from David’s burial. Proverbs shares its language of the path of life, while Revelation shares its hope of life in God’s presence beyond death.

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Notice

After reading the whole chapter

What do the images of a portion, a cup, and boundary lines help you name about God’s provision?

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How does David’s opening plea for protection shape your reading of his closing confidence?

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Questions people ask about Psalm 16

What does Sheol mean in Psalm 16:10?

Sheol is a Hebrew term for the realm of the dead. Here it appears beside corruption, placing death and bodily decay within the psalm’s concern. David expresses confidence that God will not abandon him to death. Acts quotes this verse as a promise fulfilled in Jesus’ resurrection.

What are the lines in Psalm 16:6?

The lines are boundary lines marking an allotted piece of land. Together with portion, lot, and inheritance, they form a picture of a secure and desirable share. David uses this language to express satisfaction with what YHWH has assigned him. The poem does not identify a specific property.

Is Psalm 16 about David or Jesus?

The heading attributes the poem to David, and its prayer expresses his trust in God. Acts also reads its words about deliverance from corruption as a prophecy of Jesus’ resurrection. These belong together: David speaks as God’s servant, and the promise reaches its fulfillment in the risen Christ.

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Psalms · 150 chapters
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What the Bible says about fear →What the Bible says about gratitude →What the Bible says about death →

Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).