Psalms 16:5 (ASV)

Passage

Jehovah is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: Thou maintainest my lot.

Nearby Context

Psalms 16:3 As for the saints that are in the earth, They are the excellent in whom is all my delight.

Psalms 16:4 Their sorrows shall be multiplied that give gifts for another [god]: Their drink-offerings of blood will I not offer, Nor take their names upon my lips.

Psalms 16:5 Jehovah is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: Thou maintainest my lot.

Psalms 16:6 The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; Yea, I have a goodly heritage.

Psalms 16:7 I will bless Jehovah, who hath given me counsel; Yea, my heart instructeth me in the night seasons.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "jehovah", "portion", "mine", "inheritance", "thou", and "maintainest". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "jehovah" and "portion", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "Their sorrows shall be multiplied that give..." into verse 6's "The lines are fallen unto me in...", so "jehovah" and "portion" belong inside that flow. In Psalms context, the local focus is worship, trust, the LORD's kingship, and covenant mercy.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "jehovah" and "portion" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.