Psalms 16:5
Psalms 16:5 in Multiple Translations
The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; You have made my lot secure.
The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.
Jehovah is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: Thou maintainest my lot.
The Lord is my heritage and the wine of my cup; you are the supporter of my right.
Lord, you alone are all I have; you give me what I need; you safeguard my future.
The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou shalt mainteine my lot.
Jehovah [is] the portion of my share, and of my cup, Thou — Thou dost uphold my lot.
The LORD assigned my portion and my cup. You made my lot secure.
The LORD is the portion of my inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.
Perfect thou my goings in thy paths: that my footsteps be not moved.
Yahweh, you are the one whom I have chosen, and you give me great blessings. You protect me and control what happens to me.
Berean Amplified Bible — Psalms 16:5
BAB
Word Study
Hover over any word to see its amplified meaning. Click a word to explore its full definition and translation comparisons.
Amplified text is generated using scripting to tie together English translations for comparison. Always refer to the core BSB translation and original Hebrew/Greek text for accuracy. Anomalies may occur.
Psalms 16:5 Interlinear (Deep Study)
BIB
HEB
יְֽהוָ֗ה
מְנָת
חֶלְקִ֥/י
וְ/כוֹסִ֑/י
אַ֝תָּ֗ה
תּוֹמִ֥יךְ
גּוֹרָלִֽ/י
יְֽהוָ֗ה
Yᵉhôvâh
H3068
The Lord
N-proper
מְנָת
mânâh
H4490
portion
N-fs
חֶלְקִ֥/י
chêleq
H2506
portion
N-ms | Suff
וְ/כוֹסִ֑/י
kôwç
H3563
cup
Conj | N-fs | Suff
אַ֝תָּ֗ה
ʼattâh
H859
you(m.s.)
Pron
תּוֹמִ֥יךְ
tâmak
H8551
to grasp
V-Qal
גּוֹרָלִֽ/י
gôwrâl
H1486
allotted
N-ms | Suff
Hebrew Word Study
Select any word above to explore its original meaning, root, and usage across Scripture.
Use ← → arrow keys to navigate between words.
Hebrew Word Reference — Psalms 16:5
יְֽהוָ֗ה
Yᵉhôvâh
H3068
"The Lord"
N-proper
Yehovah is another name for God, often translated as 'the Lord'. It is a national name for God in the Jewish faith. This name is used throughout the Old Testament.
Definition: Another name of ye.ru.sha.laim (יְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵם "Jerusalem" H3389)
Usage: Occurs in 5522 OT verses. KJV: Jehovah, the Lord. Compare H3050 (יָהּ), H3069 (יְהֹוִה). See also: Genesis 2:4; Genesis 24:42; Exodus 8:8.
מְנָת
mânâh
H4490
"portion"
N-fs
This Hebrew word means a portion or division of something, like food or land. It refers to a part or share of something, as seen in various Bible translations. The concept of portion is important in biblical times.
Definition: part, portion
Usage: Occurs in 14 OT verses. KJV: such things as belonged, part, portion. See also: Exodus 29:26; Nehemiah 8:10; Psalms 16:5.
חֶלְקִ֥/י
chêleq
H2506
"portion"
N-ms | Suff
Smoothness can refer to flattering words, but also to an inheritance or a portion of something. It appears in Psalms and Proverbs, describing the smooth tongue of a deceiver.
Definition: 1) portion, share, part, territory 1a) portion, share 1b) portion, tract, parcel (of land) 1c) one's portion, one's possession 1d) (chosen) portion 1e) portion, award (from God) Aramaic equivalent: cha.laq (חֲלָק "portion" H2508)
Usage: Occurs in 63 OT verses. KJV: flattery, inheritance, part, [idiom] partake, portion. See also: Genesis 14:24; Job 27:13; Psalms 16:5.
וְ/כוֹסִ֑/י
kôwç
H3563
"cup"
Conj | N-fs | Suff
In the Bible, this word can mean a cup or a type of owl, possibly due to the owl's unique eye shape. It's often used figuratively, like in Psalm 16:5, where God is the cup that fills our lives. The KJV translates it as 'cup' or 'owl'.
Definition: cup
Usage: Occurs in 29 OT verses. KJV: cup, (small) owl. Compare H3599 (כִּיס). See also: Genesis 40:11; Proverbs 23:31; Psalms 11:6.
אַ֝תָּ֗ה
ʼattâh
H859
"you(m.s.)"
Pron
You is the translation of a Hebrew word used to address someone directly, like when God says you to someone in the Bible. It can be singular or plural, and is often translated as thee, thou, or ye.
Definition: you (second pers. sing. masc.)
Usage: Occurs in 997 OT verses. KJV: thee, thou, ye, you. See also: Genesis 3:11; Exodus 23:9; Deuteronomy 14:1.
תּוֹמִ֥יךְ
tâmak
H8551
"to grasp"
V-Qal
This Hebrew word means to grasp or hold something, like taking hold of a person or object. It is used in books like Genesis and Psalms to describe helping or supporting someone.
Definition: 1) to grasp, hold, support, attain, lay hold of, hold fast 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to grasp, lay hold of, attain 1a2) to hold up, support 1a3) to hold, keep 1a4) to take hold of each other 1b) (Niphal) to be seized, be held
Usage: Occurs in 20 OT verses. KJV: (take, up-) hold (up), maintain, retain, stay (up). See also: Genesis 48:17; Proverbs 5:22; Psalms 16:5.
גּוֹרָלִֽ/י
gôwrâl
H1486
"allotted"
N-ms | Suff
In the Bible, this word means a pebble or small stone used for making decisions by casting lots. It symbolizes a portion or destiny assigned by chance, like the drawing of lots to determine an outcome. This concept is central to ancient Israelite decision-making practices.
Definition: 1) lot 1a) lot-pebbles used for systematically making decisions 2) portion 2a) lot, portion (thing assigned by casting lots) 2b) recompense, retribution
Usage: Occurs in 67 OT verses. KJV: lot. See also: Leviticus 16:8; Judges 1:3; Psalms 16:5.
Study Notes — Psalms 16:5
Show Verse Quote Highlights
- Context
- Cross References
- Psalms 16:5 Summary
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Reflection Questions
- Gill's Exposition on Psalms 16:5
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Psalms 16:5
- Matthew Poole's Commentary on Psalms 16:5
- Trapp's Commentary on Psalms 16:5
- Ellicott's Commentary on Psalms 16:5
- Adam Clarke's Commentary on Psalms 16:5
- Cambridge Bible on Psalms 16:5
- Barnes' Notes on Psalms 16:5
- Whedon's Commentary on Psalms 16:5
- Sermons on Psalms 16:5
Context — The Presence of the LORD
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.Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psalms 73:26 | My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. |
| 2 | Psalms 142:5 | I cry to You, O LORD: “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.” |
| 3 | Lamentations 3:24 | “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in Him.” |
| 4 | Psalms 23:5 | You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. |
| 5 | Psalms 119:57 | The LORD is my portion; I have promised to keep Your words. |
| 6 | Deuteronomy 32:9 | But the LORD’s portion is His people, Jacob His allotted inheritance. |
| 7 | Psalms 89:20–37 | I have found My servant David; with My sacred oil I have anointed him. My hand will sustain him; surely My arm will strengthen him. No enemy will exact tribute; no wicked man will oppress him. I will crush his foes before him and strike down those who hate him. My faithfulness and loving devotion will be with him, and through My name his horn will be exalted. I will set his hand over the sea, and his right hand upon the rivers. He will call to Me, ‘You are my Father, my God, the Rock of my salvation.’ I will indeed appoint him as My firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth. I will forever preserve My loving devotion for him, and My covenant with him will stand fast. I will establish his line forever, his throne as long as the heavens endure. If his sons forsake My law and do not walk in My judgments, if they violate My statutes and fail to keep My commandments, I will attend to their transgression with the rod, and to their iniquity with stripes. But I will not withdraw My loving devotion from him, nor ever betray My faithfulness. I will not violate My covenant or alter the utterance of My lips. Once and for all I have sworn by My holiness— I will not lie to David— his offspring shall endure forever, and his throne before Me like the sun, like the moon, established forever, a faithful witness in the sky.” Selah |
| 8 | Psalms 89:4 | ‘I will establish your offspring forever and build up your throne for all generations.’” Selah |
| 9 | Isaiah 53:12 | Therefore I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the spoils with the strong, because He has poured out His life unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors. Yet He bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors. |
| 10 | Psalms 116:13 | I will lift the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD. |
Psalms 16:5 Summary
[The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; this means that God is the most important thing to me, and I trust that He will take care of me. Just like the psalmist, we can trust that God has made our lot secure, and we can be content in His sovereignty, as seen in Jeremiah 29:11 where it says 'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.' By making God our chosen portion, we can experience peace and joy, regardless of our circumstances, as promised in John 14:27.]
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean for the LORD to be my 'chosen portion'?
This means that the LORD is the most valuable and precious thing to the psalmist, above all else, as seen in Psalms 73:25 where it says 'Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth.'
How can I trust that God has made my lot secure?
We can trust in God's sovereignty and goodness, just like the psalmist, knowing that He works all things together for our good, as stated in Romans 8:28, and that He will complete the work He started in us, as promised in Philippians 1:6.
What is the significance of the cup in this verse?
The cup often represents the portion or assignment given by God, as seen in Psalms 11:6, where the wicked will receive a cup of judgment, but for the believer, it is a cup of blessing and salvation, as mentioned in Psalms 116:13.
How does this verse relate to the idea of inheritance?
The concept of inheritance is closely tied to the idea of our portion, as seen in the following verse, Psalms 16:6, where the psalmist says that the lines of his boundary have fallen in pleasant places, indicating a sense of contentment and trust in God's provision, similar to what is promised in Deuteronomy 8:7-10.
Reflection Questions
- What are the things in my life that I consider to be my 'portion' or most valuable, and how do they compare to the LORD?
- In what ways can I trust that God has made my lot secure, even when circumstances seem uncertain?
- How can I cultivate a deeper sense of contentment and trust in God's sovereignty, like the psalmist in this verse?
- What are some ways that I can practically make the LORD my 'chosen portion' in my daily life, and what might be the benefits of doing so?
Gill's Exposition on Psalms 16:5
The Lord [is] the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup,.... This is said by Christ as a priest, and in allusion to the Levitical priests, who had no inheritance in the land of Canaan with their
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Psalms 16:5
The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.
Matthew Poole's Commentary on Psalms 16:5
Of mine inheritance, or, of my division, i.e. of that inheritance which God hath mercifully divided or distributed to me, and which I by his grace have chosen for myself. I envy not the vast riches and glory of idolaters, but do heartily rejoice in God as my portion, and desire no better nor no other felicity. God, who hath suffered other nations to walk in their own idolatrous ways, hath granted this favour to me, to know and worship him, the only true God. And as other nations have chosen and do adhere to their false gods, so have I chosen God, and will cleave to him. And of my cup; the same thing repeated in other words. The portion of my cup, is the portion which is put into my cup, as the ancient manner was in feasts, where each had his portion of meat and of wine allotted to him. See . The cup oft denotes a man’ s portion or condition, as 26:39. Thou maintainest my lot, i.e. my inheritance divided to me by lot, as the custom then was, : q.d. As thou hast given me an excellent lot, having planted me among thine own people, and in that place which thou hast chosen for thy dwelling and worship, so, I doubt not, thou wilt uphold and preserve me there, in spite of all the malicious designs of mine enemies that seek to drive me hence.
Trapp's Commentary on Psalms 16:5
Psalms 16:5 The LORD [is] the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.Ver. 5. The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance] Therefore I have neither need nor mind to run a madding after dumb idols; for he is good original, universal, all sufficient, and satisfactory, proportionable, and fitting to my soul; so that, having him, I am abundantly provided for. And of my cup] A phrase taken from those shares that every one had assigned unto him at feasts, Genesis 43:34 1 Samuel 1:4; 1 Samuel 9:23 : q.d. Thou art my meat and my drink, Lord, and I am very well content with my condition, be it better or worse. That which gives quiet in any portion, is, First, The favour and presence of God; Secondly, That it is from the hand of a Father; Thirdly, That it comes to us in the covenant of grace; Fourthly, That it is the purchase of Christ’ s blood; Fifthly, That it is an answer of prayers, and a blessing from above on honest endeavours. Thou maintainest my lot] Upholdest me in a good condition, who should otherwise soon lose and forego it, were it in mine own keeping. And here the psalmist useth four several words, all to the same sense, ad corroborandum, saith R. David.
Ellicott's Commentary on Psalms 16:5
(5) The portion.—There is allusion here to the Levitical portion (Numbers 18:20): “I am thy portion and thine inheritance.” The poet, whom we must imagine exiled from his actual inheritance in Canaan, consoles, and more than consoles himself, with the sublime thought that this “better part” could not be taken away from him. Perowne quotes Savonarola’s fine saying, “What must not he possess who possesses the possessor of all!” and St. Paul’s, “All things are yours; for ye are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s;” which rather recalls Deuteronomy 32:9, where the correlative truth to Numbers 18:20 occurs. For the figure of the cup, see Psalms 11:6. It had already become a synonym for “condition in life.” Thou maintainest.—The Hebrew word is peculiar, and causes grammatical difficulties; but the sense is clear. God does not only dispose (cast) the lot of the man in covenant relation to Him—He does that even for unbelievers—but holds it fast in His hand. (See this use of the verb, Amos 1:5; Amos 1:8; Proverbs 5:5.) At the same time Hitzig’s conjecture (tômîd for tômîkh), is very plausible, “Thou art ever my lot.”
Adam Clarke's Commentary on Psalms 16:5
Verse 5. The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance] The Messiah speaks. Jehovah is the portion of mine inheritance; I seek no earthly good; I desire to do the will of God, and that only. It is God who has given me this lot-to redeem mankind-to have them for mine inheritance. From him I have received the cup of suffering, which I shall drink for their sake, through which I shall impart to them the cup of consolation. He, by the grace of God, has tasted death for every man; and he has instituted the cup of blessing to commemorate his passion and death.
Cambridge Bible on Psalms 16:5
5, 6. Jehovah is the Psalmist’s portion.
Barnes' Notes on Psalms 16:5
The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance - In contradistinction from idols.
Whedon's Commentary on Psalms 16:5
5. The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance—An allusion to the settlement by lot of the land of Canaan among the tribes, and specially to the tribe of Levi, which had no landed estate except the
Sermons on Psalms 16:5
| Sermon | Description | |
|---|---|---|
|
I Keep a Quiet Heart by Elisabeth Elliot | In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of trusting in God's presence, sovereignty, and love. He encourages the audience to have a quiet heart and not rush after thei |
|
All Fulness in Christ by C.H. Spurgeon | In this sermon, the preacher calls upon angels and redeemed spirits to sing praises to the Lamb that was slain. The preacher emphasizes that all fullness and grace is found in Jesu |
|
I Want My Portion Now! by David Wilkerson | In this sermon, the preacher addresses the issue of backsliding and encourages the audience to examine their reasons for coming to church. He emphasizes the importance of personal |
|
The Book of Ruth #2 by T. Austin-Sparks | In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the significance of the book of Ruth in understanding God's plan of redemption. The book portrays the state of human loss and hopelessness, |
|
Studies in Psalm 16:-02 by James K. Boswell | In this sermon, the speaker focuses on Psalm 16:1 and the concept of putting trust in God. The speaker emphasizes the importance of recognizing Jesus as our Lord and surrendering t |
|
|
What Is a Christian 06 a Heir of God by James K. Boswell | In this sermon, the preacher discusses the story of Rebecca and how she made a decision based on the testimony of the servant. Despite never having seen him, she believed in the gr |
|
He Destroyed the Grave by Michael Koulianos | Michael Koulianos passionately preaches about the resurrection of Christ, emphasizing its profound significance and the mystery of God becoming man. He connects the resurrection to |