Tap any verse number for what that verse means.
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.
Understand This
Psalm 16, explained
What Psalm 16 is saying
Psalm 16, a miktam of David, is a psalm of trust expressing deep satisfaction in God as one's inheritance (chelqi) and portion. The psalmist rejects idolatry, delights in the company of the saints, and makes the extraordinary declaration that God will not abandon his soul to Sheol or let His holy one see decay. The 'pleasant boundary lines' (chavalim) employ land-inheritance imagery for spiritual contentment.
The background behind it
Peter's Pentecost sermon (Acts 2:25–31) and Paul's preaching in Antioch (Acts 13:35–37) both apply the resurrection language of this psalm to Jesus, arguing that David spoke prophetically since he himself did see decay. The miktam designation (also in Psalms 56–60) remains debated.
Themes running underneath
The psalm presents God Himself—not God's gifts—as the ultimate inheritance, a radical claim in an agrarian society where land was identity. The closing confidence about not seeing decay pushes beyond typical Israelite afterlife expectations into proto-resurrection hope.
Why it still matters
Psalm 16 invites a fundamental reorientation of desire: from God's blessings to God Himself as the blessing. Its language of fullness of joy and eternal pleasures models a satisfaction that transcends circumstances.
Scripture text: King James Version — public domain.