Psalm 16 Meaning - Verse by Verse Explanation from Bible

Psalm 16 Meaning - Verse by Verse Explanation from Bible


Discover Psalm 16 Commentary in detail, with their Bible study and explained, as well as their meaning in the Catholic Bible among others.

Psalm 16-1

Keep me safe, O God, for I have put my trust in you.

Psalm 16-2

O my soul, you said to the Lord, You are my Lord;
I have no good outside of you.

Psalm 16-3

For the saints who are on earth
and for the upright is all my pleasure.

Psalm 16-4

The sorrows of those who rush after another god will multiply.
I will not offer their libations of blood
nor will I take their names on my lips.

Psalm 16-5

Jehovah is the portion of my inheritance and of my cup;
you sustain my luck.

Psalm 16-6

The boundaries have fallen for me in pleasant places,
and indeed the inheritance that has come to me is beautiful.

Psalm 16-7

I will bless the Lord who counsels me;
even at night my conscience teaches me.

Psalm 16-8

I have always set the Lord before me;
because it is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

Psalm 16-9

Therefore my heart rejoices and
my bowels rejoice ;
my flesh also will rest securely.

Psalm 16-10

For you will not leave my soul in hell,
nor will you allow your holy one to see corruption.

Psalm 16-11

You will show me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy, delight
at your right hand forever.

Psalm 16 Meaning

The meaning of Psalm 16 is very interesting, it tells us about the aspects that David has as fundamental for which he has his faith in God. David explains to us with a series of reasons those aspects that are key to Salvation for him.

Psalm 16 Commentary

The things one delights in are a good indication of what is in one’s heart. What is your greatest delight in?

Let’s see what was the delight of a man who had reached the top in every way. I mean David. As king of Israel, David had reached the pinnacle of fame, power, wealth, wisdom, pleasure, etc. In these conditions, let’s see what he really delighted in. To do this, let’s open our Bible to Psalm 16.

What appears first is an overwriting in which we read:

Mictam of David..

The word mictam does not have a clear meaning. It seems that this word is related to a verb that means to cover and it would give the impression that the mictam was a song that had as its theme the covering that those of us who trust in God can have in God. We can also know that David is the author of the psalm. This is one of the psalms in which we almost exclusively find phrases of exaltation of God. In fact, only the first verse contains a request to God. In the rest of the psalm, David lets out beautiful thoughts from his heart about the things he delighted in. Having said that, let’s go to a brief analysis of the content of this precious psalm.

In what did David delight?

First of all, he delighted in the person of God.

Psalm 16: 1-2 says: “Keep me, O God, for I have trusted in You. O my soul, you said to the Lord, You are my Lord; there is no good for me outside of You.”

David lifts his gaze to God, and from his heart springs a request: Keep me, oh God. David had many material things at his disposal to make him feel safe, but he knew that in material things there is no total security. That is why he asks God, because in God there is total security. The reason for the order is very simple. David had trusted God and knew that God could not let him down. The same is with you. Perhaps you have tried to find security in many things in this world, such as fame, power, wealth, wisdom, pleasure, etc. But the only thing he has found is that these things do not provide complete security. Given this, it is necessary that you take refuge in God as soon as possible, because He is the only safe refuge.

Then David takes a look inside himself, into his heart. There he finds his soul speaking with Jehovah and saying to him: You are my Lord. David was the most powerful man of his day. But far from boasting of it, he shows us that the sovereign person of God was above him. That is why he says to Jehovah: You are my Lord. The word Lord denotes the concept of Master, Owner and Sovereign. David bowed gladly to the Lord. Having said that, David shows us that his delight is in the person of God.

It goes like this:

There is no good for me outside of you. David had all the fame you can imagine, he had all the power you can imagine. He had all the wealth you can imagine. I had all the pleasure you can imagine. However, none of this was what brought the greatest delight into his life. What really delighted him was knowing that he had God in his life. There is no good for me outside of you, he said to Jehovah.

And for you, what is the greatest delight of your life? May God your delight is in the person of God. you can imagine. I had all the pleasure you can imagine. However, none of this was what brought the greatest delight into his life. What really delighted him was knowing that he had God in his life. There is no good for me outside of you, he said to Jehovah. And for you, what is the greatest delight of your life?

May God your delight is in the person of God. you can imagine. I had all the pleasure you can imagine. However, none of this was what brought the greatest delight into his life. What really delighted him was knowing that he had God in his life. There is no good for me outside of you, he said to Jehovah. And for you, what is the greatest delight of your life? May God your delight is in the person of God. said to Jehovah.

Second, David’s delight was in God’s people.

Notice what Psalm 16: 3-4 says “For the saints who are on earth, and for the upright, it is all my pleasure. The pains of those who diligently serve another god will multiply. I will not offer their blood libations. , nor on my lips will I take their names.”

This is very interesting in David. After delighting in the person of God, he goes on to delight in the people of God. The saints and the upright are those who brought satisfaction to his soul. Instead the idolaters are going to be pierced by pain. David did not want to participate in anything they did and was not even willing to name them with his mouth. Such was David’s zeal. Do you delight in the company of other believers? Or do you have strained relationships with them? Remember that you are going to be in the company of these believers for eternity in heaven.

It is better then that from now on begin to have good relations with them. I know that it is not easy to have good relationships with all believers, but that does not mean it is impossible. To have good relationships with other believers it is imperative to first have a good relationship with God. All conflict with other believers stems from a bad relationship with God. David delighted in the person of God and delighted in God’s people. But that does not mean that it is impossible. To have good relationships with other believers it is imperative to first have a good relationship with God. All conflict with other believers stems from a bad relationship with God.

David delighted in the person of God and delighted in God’s people. But that does not mean that it is impossible. To have good relationships with other believers it is imperative to first have a good relationship with God. All conflict with other believers stems from a bad relationship with God. David delighted in the person of God and delighted in God’s people.

Third, David delighted in God’s provision.

Psalm 16: 5-10 says: “Jehovah is the portion of my inheritance and of my cup; you sustain my lot. The cords fell to me in delightful places, and the inheritance that has touched me is beautiful. I will bless the Lord who counsels me. Even at night my conscience teaches me. I have always set the LORD before me; because he is at my right hand; I will not be moved. Therefore my heart rejoices, and my soul rejoices; my flesh also will rest safely; for not you will leave my soul in Sheol, nor will you allow your saint to see corruption.”

Now we find David delighting in God’s provision. It is God who manifests himself as David’s great provider. David describes the beauty of his spiritual heritage in a similar way to the divine distribution of the land of Israel. When he says that the ropes fell on him in delightful places, he is referring to the fact that he got the best part of what God can give. For this reason, he concludes by saying that the inheritance that has touched him is beautiful.

But Jehovah was not limited only to this, he was also his permanent adviser. Even when David was on his bed, I could experience the counsel of God. Jehovah was the one who went before David at all times. That way the path was safe. Jehovah had placed himself at David’s right hand and that meant that David was never going to be shaken. All of this brought unspeakable joy to David which resulted in a rest for his body. It is in these circumstances that David utters words that were a prophecy about Jesus Christ.

David was sure that the grave, or Sheol, is not the end for his body, but that one day his body will rise from the grave. This prophecy was fulfilled when Jesus rose from the dead and is about to be fulfilled when David also rises from the dead. So David delighted in the person of God, in God’s people, and in God’s provision.

Finally, David delighted in God’s promise.

Psalm 16:11 says, “You will show me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; delight at your right hand forever.”

David delights in what awaits every believer after death. God will show you the way to pass through the valley of the shadow of death and pass to eternal life in heaven with God where there is fullness of joy. Then David will have found the delights at his fingertips forever.

It may be that you are going through difficult times right now, but you must know that it will not always be this way because one day you will also have the delights at your right hand forever. So, don’t be discouraged. Trust in God. Let Him keep you as David and delight in the person of God, in the people of God, in the provision of God and in the promise of God.

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