The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.
Parallel translations
- WEB The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places. Yes, I have a good inheritance.
- BSB The lines of my boundary have fallen in pleasant places; surely my inheritance is delightful.
- 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 3:19But I said, How shall I put thee among the children, and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of nations? and I said, Thou shalt call me, My father; and shalt not turn away from me.
- Ps 21:1–3The king shall joy in thy strength, O LORD; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!
- Heb 12:2Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
- Eph 1:18The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
- Ps 78:55He cast out the heathen also before them, and divided them an inheritance by line, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.
- Rom 8:17And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
- 1 Cor 3:21–23Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours;
- Phil 2:9–11Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
- Rev 3:21To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
- 2 Tim 2:12If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:
- John 20:17Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.
- Amos 7:17Therefore thus saith the LORD; Thy wife shall be an harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by line; and thou shalt die in a polluted land: and Israel shall surely go into captivity forth of his land.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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.