Chapter Sixteen

According to the inscription in the Hebrew and Slavonic Bibles, this psalm belongs to David and presents in its content a prayer to God for deliverance from the trials he was experiencing. The psalm was written during the persecutions by Saul, as indicated both by David’s confession of his innocence before God (Ps 16:1-4) and by the indication of the impiety (Ps 16:9) and fury of enemies who sought to take his life (Ps 16:11) and by their persecutions opposed themselves to the Divine determination concerning him (Ps 16:4).

Hear, O Lord, my prayer for help and save me, righteous both in thoughts and in deeds (1–4). Save me, as the apple of the eye, from numerous, cunning, and mighty enemies (5–9). They are everywhere and strive to take my life (10–12). Arise, O Lord, and cast them down, and I will sing Your praise (13–15).

Psalm 16:1. Hear, O Lord, my righteousness, give heed to my cry, receive my prayer from lips that do not lie. “My righteousness”—my justice, my innocence before You and men in the trials I am undergoing. My prayer “from lips that do not lie,” is sincere; there is no falsehood or exaggeration in it.

Psalm 16:2. Let judgment on my behalf go forth from Your face; let Your eyes look upon righteousness. “Judgment”—determination, decision. Pronounce, O Lord, Your judgment upon me and my enemies, and since I suffer undeservedly, then by Your condemnation of my enemies, let righteousness triumph (“let Your eyes look upon righteousness”).

Psalm 16:3. You have tested my heart, visited me at night, tried me and found nothing; from my thoughts my lips do not depart. “You visited me at night”—night is a symbol of trials; despite the trials he was experiencing, David remained faithful to “righteousness,” to his longing and devotion to God, and did not turn away from His commandments. His words were a true expression of his thoughts; there was no hypocrisy in him.

Psalm 16:4. In human matters, according to the word of Your lips, I have kept myself from the paths of the oppressor. “In human matters.” By human matters, as is usual in the Bible, are meant a man’s attachments to the earthly, to what only in the eyes of men has special value, for example, wealth, the patronage of the powerful, and the like. “According to the word of Your lips”—according to Your commandments, “I have kept myself from the paths of the oppressor”—David in his ordinary, everyday relations with men watched over himself carefully so that he might never become an oppressor of his neighbor. Such an attitude toward one’s neighbor was exceptional, as in the East violence was the ordinary course of life. By “words of the lips” one may also understand the Divine appointment of David to the kingdom, which served as the chief reason for Saul’s persecution of him. In this case, the verse may be rendered as follows: because of Your anointing and appointment of me to the throne, I could form factions and gather supporters around myself for the forcible overthrow of Saul, but I avoided being an oppressor, a tyrant.

Psalm 16:5. Establish my steps on Your paths so that my feet will not be shaken. David entreats God that in the time to come the Lord would not abandon him with His protection, thus giving him the ability to grow steadfast in his devotion to Him (“establish my steps on Your paths”—on His commandments), so that he might follow Him firmly and without wavering, and not “human matters.”

Psalm 16:7. Show Your wonderful mercy, O Savior of those who hope in You, from those who oppose Your right hand. “Show Your wonderful mercy”—is equivalent to miraculously deliver, which indicates the grave and hopeless situation of David during these persecutions. By “God’s right hand” is meant the determination of God concerning David, by which he received anointing for the kingdom and was to be king of the Hebrew people. Those opposing this right hand were Saul and his followers, who saw in David not the anointed of God for the kingdom, but an illegal pretender to the throne.

Psalm 16:10. They have enclosed themselves in their wealth, proudly speaking with their mouths. The enemies attacking David, that is, those who caused him suffering and sought to take his life; “they have enclosed themselves in their wealth,” closed off their fatness; “proudly speaking.” By these words the enemies of David are characterized—those who enjoyed complete satisfaction, from which they gave nothing to the poor (“enclosed themselves in their wealth”). Because of their concentration in their hands of satisfaction and strength, they became proud and arrogant.

Psalm 16:11. At our every step now they surround us; they have set their eyes to cast me down to the earth; “They have set their eyes to cast me down to the earth”—they strain their sight, devise ways to knock David down to the earth, to overthrow and destroy him. The various attempts of Saul to capture and kill David are well known.

Psalm 16:12. They are like a lion thirsting for prey, like a young lion sitting in secret places. Among these attempts, apart from open persecution, there were also hidden, secret surveillance and waylaying of David, equating David’s enemies to predatory beasts that stalk their prey.

Psalm 16:13. Arise, O Lord, confront them, cast them down. Deliver my soul from the wicked with Your sword, “Arise, O Lord, confront and cast them down,”—arise, O Lord, to my defense, confront the attacks of my enemies and thereby hinder their success against me.

Psalm 16:14. from men—by Your hand, O Lord, from men of the world whose portion is in this life, whom You satisfy from Your treasures; their children are full and leave a remainder for their offspring. O Lord, save me “from men of the world whose portion is in this life,” that is, the enemies of David pursue him not from lofty motives, but from earthly and worldly interests; they are all attached and striving for temporal and personal advantages; their portion is the earth, even when You “satisfy their bellies” with Your treasures, when they are already full of wealth and satisfaction. They have so much of these goods that they themselves enjoy them, and after themselves leave a great quantity of them to their heirs. Thus, the entire content of the verse represents David’s prayer to God to save him and his followers from enemies, however numerous and possessed of strength and wealth they might be, from which David is now deprived.

Psalm 16:15. But I in righteousness will behold Your face; when I awake, I will be satisfied with Your likeness. The persecution by Saul and David’s forced flight deprive him of the ability to fearlessly and openly visit the sanctuary (“behold Your face”). The impossibility for David to attend worship was a great and heavy deprivation for him as a pious man; in salvation from enemies he will obtain the ability to satisfy his religious longings—“be satisfied with Your likeness,” to be and pray at the sanctuary.