The lines of my boundary have fallen in pleasant places; surely my inheritance is delightful.
Parallel translations
- WEB The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places. Yes, I have a good inheritance.
- KJV The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.
- NKJV The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Yes, I have a good inheritance.
- NASB The measuring lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; Indeed, my inheritance is beautiful to me.
- NLT The land you have given me is a pleasant land. What a wonderful inheritance!
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
David rejoices that his boundaries have fallen in pleasant places and that he has a good inheritance. It matters because contentment flows from recognizing God's gracious portion to us.
Overview
Continuing the inheritance metaphor of surveyors' measuring lines, David celebrates the pleasant 'plot' the Lord has given him. His joy rests not in circumstances but in the goodness of what God has apportioned. This contentment in God's provision points to the rich inheritance secured for all who are in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Jer 3:19Then I said, ‘How I long to make you My sons and give you a desirable land, the most beautiful inheritance of all the nations!’ I thought you would call Me ‘Father’ and never turn away from following Me.
- Ps 21:1–3For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O LORD, the king rejoices in Your strength. How greatly he exults in Your salvation!
- Heb 12:2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
- Eph 1:18I ask that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know the hope of His calling, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints,
- Ps 78:55He drove out nations before them and apportioned their inheritance; He settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.
- Rom 8:17And if we are children, then we are heirs: heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with Him, so that we may also be glorified with Him.
- 1 Cor 3:21–23Therefore, stop boasting in men. All things are yours,
- Phil 2:9–11Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name above all names,
- Rev 3:21To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
- 2 Tim 2:12if we endure, we will also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He will also deny us;
- John 20:17“Do not cling to Me,” Jesus said, “for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go and tell My brothers, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.’”
- Amos 7:17Therefore this is what the LORD says: ‘Your wife will become a prostitute in the city, and your sons and daughters will fall by the sword. Your land will be divided by a measuring line, and you yourself will die on pagan soil. And Israel will surely go into exile, away from their homeland.’”
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Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 16:6 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.