Berean Standard Bible · Public domain

Psalm 16

Israel’s prayers give language for praise, grief, repentance, and trust. Poetry uses imagery and parallel lines; each psalm should be read as a whole rather than as a detached promise.

Historical context & book outline

1A Miktam of David. Preserve me, O God, for in You I take refuge.

2I said to the LORD, “You are my Lord; apart from You I have no good thing.”

3As for the saints in the land, they are the excellence in whom all my delight resides.

4Sorrows will multiply to those who chase other gods. I will not pour out their libations of blood, or speak their names with my lips.

5The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; You have made my lot secure.

6The lines of my boundary have fallen in pleasant places; surely my inheritance is delightful.

7I will bless the LORD who counsels me; even at night my conscience instructs me.

8I have set the LORD always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

9Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will dwell securely.

10For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, nor will You let Your Holy One see decay.

11You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.

Read closely

  1. What repeated words, contrasts, or actions stand out in this chapter?
  2. How does this chapter fit the surrounding chapters and the book’s purpose?
  3. What did it communicate to its first hearers, before applying it to your life?