Psalm 16 Study Notes

16:5-6 My portion . . . cup of blessing and boundary lines . . . inheritance are terms usually used to describe the land promised to Israel. But the idea that God himself is the true inheritance rather than the land was a promise specifically to Aaron and his sons (Nm 18:20; Dt 10:9). Here the concept is expressed more generally as true for anyone who is among God’s people.

16:7 God guides his people with his counsel (33:11; 73:24). Thoughts is literally “kidneys,” which are often used in parallel with “heart” to signify the inner person (26:2; Jr 17:10).

16:8 In legal contexts the person who represented the defense of another was at the right hand (109:6). In military contexts the soldier protecting his comrade was at the right hand; also, it was the location for the sword, the primary weapon used in hand-to-hand combat. On not be shaken, see note at 13:3-4.

16:9-11 Along with v. 8, these verses are quoted (from the LXX) in the NT and explained as referring to Jesus’s resurrection (Ac 2:25-31). Though in its original context it is possible to understand the terminology as meaning deliverance from death, it can also be used to describe resurrection from the dead. The language is sufficiently ambiguous to allow for both possibilities. The NT usage is within the range of meaning and is, according to Peter, the meaning that God ultimately intended in reference to Christ. Confidence is expressed in the fact of one who rests securely. As in the case of the imagery in vv. 5-6, this language usually relates to the land (Dt 33:12,28; Jr 23:6; 33:16). The path of life usually means the way to life in OT Wisdom literature (Pr 5:6).