How do the apostles use Psalm 16?
In Acts 2:25-31 Peter quotes verses 8-11 and explains that David died and was buried, so these words pointed to the risen Christ. Paul does the same in Acts 13:35-37 with verse 10.
Psalms · psalm 16 of 150
Psalm 16: Summary, Key Verses and Study Questions
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What happens in Psalm 16?
Psalm 16 is a miktam of David, a prayer of trust. David takes refuge in the Lord, whom he calls his only good, his portion and his cup. He rejoices in the inheritance God gave him, trusts that he will not be abandoned to Sheol and expects to know the path of life, with fullness of joy in God's presence. Peter and Paul quote it to speak of Jesus's resurrection.
The title calls it a miktam of David, a term whose meaning is uncertain; some connect it with a word for gold or with a written composition. It is a psalm of trust in which David affirms that only the Lord satisfies. Its importance in the New Testament is great: Peter (Acts 2) and Paul (Acts 13) quote it as an announcement of Christ's resurrection.
Psalm 16 summary
David opens with a short prayer: preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. He tells the Lord that he is his Lord and that he has no good apart from him. The saints in the land are his delight, but those who run after another god multiply their sorrows, and David will not take part in their drink offerings of blood.
Then he celebrates his inheritance: the Lord is his chosen portion and his cup, and his lines have fallen in pleasant places. He blesses the Lord, who gives him counsel, and even at night his heart instructs him. He sets the Lord always before him, and because he is at his right hand, he will not be shaken.
Therefore his heart is glad and his flesh dwells secure. God will not abandon his soul to Sheol or let his holy one see corruption. He will make known to him the path of life, with fullness of joy in his presence and pleasures at his right hand forever.
Chapter outline
- vv. 1-4: Refuge in the Lord, his only good; rejection of other gods.
- vv. 5-6: The Lord is his portion, his cup and his pleasant inheritance.
- vv. 7-8: He blesses the Lord who counsels him and keeps him always before him.
- vv. 9-11: Security in the face of death and hope of the path of life and fullness of joy.
Key verses in Psalm 16
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
Psalm 16:2
David tells the Lord that he is his Lord and that he has no good apart from him. It is a confession that happiness is not found in things or achievements but in God himself.
Psalm 16:5
The Lord is the portion of his inheritance and of his cup, and he holds his lot. For an Israelite, the land was the inheritance; David says that God himself is his.
Psalm 16:10
God will not abandon his soul to Sheol or let his holy one see corruption. Peter quotes it in Acts 2:25-31 and Paul in Acts 13:35-37 to show that it was fully fulfilled in the resurrection of Jesus.
Psalm 16:11
The Lord will show him the path of life, with fullness of joy in his presence and pleasures at his right hand forever. It is one of the clearest hopes in the Old Testament of eternal communion with God.
Main themes
- The Lord as the only good
- Inheritance in God
- Rejection of idolatry
- Hope beyond death
- The resurrection of Christ
People and places
- David
- The Lord
- The saints in the land
Psalm 16 study questions and answers
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
1. What does David say at the start of the psalm?
Answer: That he takes refuge in God and asks him to preserve him. — Psalm 16:1
2. What happens to those who run after another god?
Answer: They multiply their sorrows. — Psalm 16:4
3. What is the Lord to David?
Answer: The chosen portion of his inheritance and his cup. — Psalm 16:5
4. What does David say about his boundary lines?
Answer: That they have fallen in pleasant places and he has a beautiful inheritance. — Psalm 16:6
5. What does David trust God will not do with his soul?
Answer: He will not abandon it to Sheol or let his holy one see corruption. — Psalm 16:10
6. What is found in the Lord's presence?
Answer: Fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore. — Psalm 16:11
Application for today
Psalm 16 asks us to review where we look for our good. David says he has no good apart from God, and he finds that those who chase other gods only multiply their sorrows. In a small group you can talk about what tries to take God's place in modern life: success, approval, money, comfort.
It also gives hope in the face of death. Through Jesus's resurrection, the path of life is real for whoever trusts him. That hope is not limited to a distant future: already today, living with the Lord before us gives stability, joy and counsel for every decision.
Psalm 16 ends with fullness of joy in God's presence. Psalm 17 is the prayer of a righteous person in danger, who asks God to keep him as the apple of his eye and hopes to see his face.
Frequently asked questions about Psalm 16
What is a miktam?
It is a Hebrew term that appears in the titles of Psalms 16 and 56 through 60. Its exact meaning is not known with certainty; some connect it with a written or precious composition.
What does it mean that he will not see corruption?
It is an expression for the body decaying in the grave. David uses it in hope of rescue; the apostles explain that it was fully fulfilled in Jesus, whose body did not decay because God raised him.