Psalm 16 – The Totally Committed

TEXT

1. A michtam1. Of David.

Protect me, O God, for I take refuge in You.

2. I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord, I have no good but through You.”
3. As to the holy and mighty ones that are in the land, my whole desire concerning them is that
4. those who espouse another (god) may their sorrows abound! I will not pour out their bloody libations; I will not let their names pass my lips.

5. The LORD is my given share and portion; You control my fate.
6. Boundary lines have befallen me in delightful places; indeed, lovely is my estate.
7. I bless the LORD who has guided me; my conscience2 admonishes me at night.
8. I set the LORD before me at all times; when He is at my right hand; I shall not stumble.

9. Therefore my heart rejoices, my whole being exults, and indeed my body rests secure.
10. For You will not abandon my being to Sheol, or let Your faithful one see the Pit.
11. You show the path of life. In Your presence is perfect joy; delights are ever in Your right hand.

Notes
1. Meaning uncertain
2. Literally, kidneys, the biblical seat of conscience.

COMMENTARY

There is no conviction as strong as that of the new enthusiast.

A Single Psalm and Style

Psalm 16 is both compact and difficult. It is unquestionably a single psalm, the few repetitions being concentrated in the last verse as a summarizing technique. (There are three such terms: “joy,” “delight,” and “right hand.”) There are also four uses of bal, a poetic form of “not.” (See Isaiah 26, 33, and 44 and Psalms 10, 17, and 21 for other multiple uses of the term).

Apart from the last verse, the poet does not make use of extensive repetition or framing. On the contrary, this is a psalm (like Psalm 5) in which the poet prefers synonyms. It has seven separate terms for parts of the body or a person as a whole, four separate terms for his allotted portion, and four terms for happiness. A similar sense of constant change (even an impression of staccato movement) is achieved through the alternating between a second-person address to God (verses 1, 5b, 10, and 11) and speaking about God in the third person. I return to a consideration of this style below, after reviewing the content.

By Sections

Most commentators agree that there is a four-part division of the psalm: verse 1 (the only request); verses 2–4 (loyalty to the LORD set against a rejected party); 5–8 (thanksgiving for the LORD’s being the speaker’s portion); and 9–11 (happiness and assurance).

Many term this a psalm of confidence, but as strong as that impression is at the end, the poet has painted a slightly more complex picture.

First section - The first verse is radically different from the rest of the psalm. It is a request, and only here is there use of “El” (“God”), not His name, LORD. On coming to the end of the psalm, one becomes aware of the additional striking qualities in this verse. First, the undefined “refuge” noted here seems extraneous, as subsequent verses attest to a clear sense of God’s presence and support. Second, this ostensibly simple and non-controversial request of God turns out to be one of two alternatives—the other being turning to idols (verse 4)

Second section - The choice between the LORD and idols is apparent in the second section, verses 2–4. Verse 2 reflects the speaker’s choice of being with the LORD and verse 4 rejects the choice of idolatry. Verse 3 can be understood in different ways, either as a parallel to verse 2 (“As for the saints in the land, they are the noble, in whom is all my delight”―RSV) or (as I have translated it, following NJPS) a parallel to the start of verse 4, wherein the terms “holy” and “mighty ones” are taken as mocking appellations for idolaters or idols (for whom the speaker wishes sorrows in verse 4). (For a different view of verses 3 and 4, see my final note.) In verse 4 the speaker clarifies that he will neither participate in their bloody sacrifices nor utter their names. Some interpreters even see the speaker as a convert to the Israelite faith, also reflected in the change from the initial “El” (i.e., “God,” but a term which was also the proper name of a Canaanite god) to the LORD (the specific Israelite name) throughout the rest of the poem.

In whichever way one sees the details of the second section, the first four verses establish two facts: the speaker is requesting refuge of God, and he has made a choice—in favor of the LORD and away from the alternative.

Third and fourth sections - Grateful acknowledgment (verses 5–8) and joyful reaffirmation (verses 9–11, framed by two uses of the root “joy”) follow, each using many synonyms. Was the poet trying to depict a speaker who sought to be as encompassing as possible by using so many different terms? Is this the adult equivalent of what a child might put as: “I really, really, really am fortunate and I really, really, really, really am happy.” To be clear: there is no reason to doubt the sincerity of the speaker—his total submission or his confidence. The poet paints a picture of the speaker that leaves no room for doubt. (Fittingly, the last word in Hebrew is “evermore.”)

There are three minor elements that add some sense of dynamism to this fairly static picture. First, as noted, the psalm is announced as a request (1), which inherently implies something lacking. Second, the sharp depiction of choice (2–4) would seem to indicate that what is now so evident was once less clear. Third, the movement back and forth between the second- and third-person references to God might hint of moments of greater and slightly lesser awareness of God’s immediate presence.

Admittedly, these are undertones and one feels that the speaker would be uncomfortable at the idea that they imply faults in the unchanging, absolute picture. It is vital to recall, however, that the poet and the speaker might well be two different parties. The poet could be indicating complexity where the speaker could not do so. The reader is left to contemplate the speaker’s sound sense of confidence and ultimately of course to question his or her own.

* * * * * * * *

Additional Notes

1. On “Conversion”

Space limitations preclude a full explanation of the word “convert” as used above. I suffice with the following. “Conversion” as practiced today was unknown in the Bible. It would appear that physical integration within the People of Israel across time eventually led to full assimilation. In the Bible, there are various terms indicating the presence among the Israelite people of non-Israelites, often seen as fellow travelers in matters of culture and religion. Among these terms are “resident stranger” and “accompanier” (Hebrew, nilveh). Such terms would imply both that there were differing degrees of integration into the society and that full belonging might have been a matter of generations rather than years. This ongoing presence of immigrants, in turn, required clarification of equality under the law for the Israelite and the resident stranger (Numbers 9:14) and the reassurance of shared future redemption for all (Isaiah 56:3).

Following the interpretation that Yehezkel Kaufman offered years ago, many commentators believe that the non-availability of a formal conversion system lay behind the crisis in the time of Ezra (see Ezra 9–10) when the leadership demanded separation from foreign wives (since there was no way to recommend formal conversion as a solution). Some believe that soon thereafter that very crisis gave birth to the system of conversion that we find in place in rabbinic times, which is when we next encounter an extensive body of Jewish literature.

2. A Later Interpretation of Verse 8

The first half of verse 8 is a justifiably oft-cited epithet of closeness to God, found with some frequency as an inscription in places of prayer. For such contexts, it is best conveyed literally (as RSV), “I keep the LORD always before me,” an apt expression of the essence of faith. Medieval commentator David Kimche, interpreting the full verse, proposed a wonderful dual implication by placing God in two places at once, writing, “I shall always imagine God facing me, seeing what I do, for He stands at my right hand to help me that I might not fall.” In the two roles, God is seen acting both in judgment and in encouragement. (I found this appreciation of Kimche in the interpretation by H. Bar-Yosef).

3. Verses 3–4

Verses 3 and 4 are very difficult. A few scholars apply the verses not to idolaters but to corrupt priests. However, this not only strains the Hebrew but also creates a psalm that has no unity, and so I do not accept it.

The author of these essays is Rabbi Benjamin Segal, former president of the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem and author of The Song of Songs: A Woman in Love (Jerusalem: Gefen, 2009). This material is copyright by the author, and may not be reproduced. If you are interested in using the texts for study groups, please be in direct contact with the author, at psalmblog@gmail.com.