
Text -- Psalms 16:10 (NET)




Names, People and Places, Dictionary Themes and Topics



collapse allCommentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per phrase)
In the state of the dead.

Wesley: Psa 16:10 - -- Me thy holy son, whom thou hast sanctified and sent into the world. It is peculiar to Christ, to be called the holy one of God.
Me thy holy son, whom thou hast sanctified and sent into the world. It is peculiar to Christ, to be called the holy one of God.

To be corrupted or putrefied in the grave, as the bodies of others are.
JFB: Psa 16:10 - -- Or, "self." This use of "soul" for the person is frequent (Gen 12:5; Gen 46:26; Psa 3:2; Psa 7:2; Psa 11:1), even when the body may be the part chiefl...
Or, "self." This use of "soul" for the person is frequent (Gen 12:5; Gen 46:26; Psa 3:2; Psa 7:2; Psa 11:1), even when the body may be the part chiefly affected, as in Psa 35:13; Psa 105:18. Some cases are cited, as Lev 22:4; Num 6:6; Num 9:6, Num 9:10; Num 19:13; Hag 2:13, &c., which seem to justify assigning the meaning of body, or dead body; but it will be found that the latter sense is given by some adjunct expressed or implied. In those cases person is the proper sense.

JFB: Psa 16:10 - -- Abandon to the power of (Job 39:14; Psa 49:10). Hell as (Gen 42:38; Psa 6:5; Jon 2:2) the state or region of death, and so frequently--or the grave it...
Abandon to the power of (Job 39:14; Psa 49:10). Hell as (Gen 42:38; Psa 6:5; Jon 2:2) the state or region of death, and so frequently--or the grave itself (Job 14:13; Job 17:13; Ecc 9:10, &c.). So the Greek Hades (compare Act 2:27, Act 2:31). The context alone can settle whether the state mentioned is one of suffering and place of the damned (compare Psa 9:17; Pro 5:5; Pro 7:27).

JFB: Psa 16:10 - -- (Psa 4:3), one who is the object of God's favor, and so a recipient of divine grace which he exhibits--pious.
(Psa 4:3), one who is the object of God's favor, and so a recipient of divine grace which he exhibits--pious.

JFB: Psa 16:10 - -- Some render the word, the pit, which is possible, but for the obvious sense which the apostle's exposition (Act 2:27; Act 13:36-37) gives. The sense o...
Some render the word, the pit, which is possible, but for the obvious sense which the apostle's exposition (Act 2:27; Act 13:36-37) gives. The sense of the whole passage is clearly this: by the use of flesh and soul, the disembodied state produced by death is indicated; but, on the other hand, no more than the state of death is intended; for the last clause of Psa 16:10 is strictly parallel with the first, and Holy One corresponds to soul, and corruption to hell. As Holy One, or David (Act 13:36-37), which denotes the person, including soul and body, is used for body, of which only corruption can be predicated (compare Act 2:31); so, on the contrary, soul, which literally means the immaterial part, is used for the person. The language may be thus paraphrased, "In death I shall hope for resurrection; for I shall not be left under its dominion and within its bounds, or be subject to the corruption which ordinarily ensues."
Clarke: Psa 16:10 - -- Thine Holy One - This is in the plural number, חסידיך chasideycha , thy Holy Ones; but none of the versions translate it in the plural; and a...
Thine Holy One - This is in the plural number,
As to leaving the soul In hell, it can only mean permitting the life of the Messiah to continue under the power of death; for

Clarke: Psa 16:10 - -- See corruption - All human beings see corruption, because born in sin, and liable to the curse. The human body of Jesus Christ, as being without sin...
See corruption - All human beings see corruption, because born in sin, and liable to the curse. The human body of Jesus Christ, as being without sin, saw no corruption.
Calvin -> Psa 16:10
Calvin: Psa 16:10 - -- The Psalmist goes on to explain still more fully the preceding doctrine, by declaring that as he is not afraid of death, there is nothing wanting whi...
The Psalmist goes on to explain still more fully the preceding doctrine, by declaring that as he is not afraid of death, there is nothing wanting which is requisite to the completion of his joy. Whence it follows, that no one truly trusts in God but he who takes such hold of the salvation which God has promised him as to despise death. Moreover, it is to be observed, that David’s language is not to be limited to some particular kind of deliverance, as in Psa 49:15, where he says, “God hath redeemed my soul from the power of the grave,” and in other similar passages; but he entertains the undoubted assurance of eternal salvation, which freed him from all anxiety and fear. It is as if he had said, There will always be ready for me a way of escape from the grave, that I may not remain in corruption. God, in delivering his people from any danger, prolongs their life only for a short time; but how slender and how empty a consolation would it be to obtain some brief respite, and to take breath for a short time, until death, coming at last, should terminate the course of our life, 333 and swallow us up without any hope of deliverance? Hence it appears that when David spake thus, he raised his mind above the common lot of mankind. As the sentence has been pronounced upon all the children of Adam, “Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return,” (Gen 3:19,) the same condition in this respect awaits them all without exception. If, therefore, Christ, who is the first-fruits of those who rise again, does not come forth from the grave, they will remain for ever under the bondage of corruption. From this Peter justly concludes, (Act 2:30,) that David could not have gloried in this manner but by the spirit of prophecy; and unless he had had a special respect to the Author of life, who was promised to him, who alone was to be honored with this privilege in its fullest sense. This, however, did not prevent David from assuring himself of exemption from the dominion of death by right, seeing Christ, by his rising from the dead, obtained immortality not for himself individually, but for us all. As to the point, that Peter (Act 2:30) and Paul (Act 13:33) contend that this prophecy was fulfilled in the person of Christ alone, 334 the sense in which we must understand them is this, that he was wholly and perfectly exempted from the corruption of the grave, that he might call his members into his fellowship, and make them partakers of this blessing, 335 although by degrees, and each according to his measure. As the body of David, after death, was, in the course of time, reduced to dust, the apostles justly conclude that he was not exempted from corruption. It is the same with respect to all the faithful, not one of whom becomes a partaker of incorruptible life without being first subjected to corruption. From this it follows that the fullness of life which resides in the head alone, namely, in Christ, falls down upon the members only in drops, or in small portions. The question, however, may be asked, as Christ descended into the grave, was not he also subject to corruption? The answer is easy. The etymology or derivation of the two words here used to express the grave should be carefully attended to. The grave is called
Defender -> Psa 16:10
Defender: Psa 16:10 - -- Christ's Spirit descended into Sheol, but He returned to raise His own resting body before the flesh could begin to decay."
Christ's Spirit descended into
TSK -> Psa 16:10
TSK: Psa 16:10 - -- my : Psa 9:17, Psa 49:15 *marg. Psa 139:8; Lev 19:28; Num 6:6; Deu 32:22; Job 11:8; Pro 15:11, Pro 27:20; Isa 5:14, Isa 14:9; Amo 9:2; Luk 16:23; Act ...
my : Psa 9:17, Psa 49:15 *marg. Psa 139:8; Lev 19:28; Num 6:6; Deu 32:22; Job 11:8; Pro 15:11, Pro 27:20; Isa 5:14, Isa 14:9; Amo 9:2; Luk 16:23; Act 3:15; 1Co 15:55; Rev 1:18, Rev 20:13
hell : The word hell, from the Saxon
neither : Act 2:27-31, Act 13:35-38; 1Co 15:42, 1Co 15:50-54

collapse allCommentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per Verse)
Barnes -> Psa 16:10
Barnes: Psa 16:10 - -- For thou will not leave - The language used here implies, of course, that what is here called the soul would be in the abode to which the name ...
For thou will not leave - The language used here implies, of course, that what is here called the soul would be in the abode to which the name hell is given, but "how long"it would be there is not intimated. The thought simply is, that it would not be "left"there; it would not be suffered to "remain"there. Whether it would be restored to life again in a few days, or after a longer period, is not implied in the term used. It would be fulfilled, though, as in the case of the Lord Jesus, the resurrection should occur in three days; or though, as in the case of David, it would occur only after many ages; or though, as Abraham believed of Isaac if he was offered as a sacrifice Heb 11:19, he should be restored to life at once. In other words, there is no allusion in this language to time. It is only to the "fact"that there would be a restoration to life.
My soul - DeWette renders this, "my life."The Hebrew word -
In hell - -
Neither wilt thou suffer - literally, "thou wilt not give;"that is, he would not give him over to corruption, or would not suffer him to return to corruption.
Thine Holy One - See the notes at Act 2:27. The reading here in the text is in the plural form, "thy holy ones;"the marginal reading in the Hebrew, or the Qeri’ , is in the singular, "thine Holy One."The singular form is followed by the Aramaic Paraphrase, the Latin Vulgate, the Septuagint, the Arabic, and in the New Testament, Act 2:27. The Masoretes have also pointed the text as if it were in the singular. Many manuscripts and earlier editions of the Bible, and all the ancient versions, read it in the same manner. It is probable, therefore, that this is the true reading. The Hebrew word rendered holy one -
To see - That is, to experience; to be acquainted with. The word is used often to denote perceiving, learning, or understanding anything by experience. Thus, "to see life,"Ecc 9:9; "to see death,"Psa 89:48; "to see sleep,"Ecc 8:16; "to see famine,"Jer 5:12; "to see good,"Psa 34:12; "to see affliction,"Lam 3:1; "to see evil,"Pro 27:12. Here it means that he would not "experience"corruption; or would not return to corruption.
Corruption - -
The same word which is employed by the Septuagint is employed also in quoting the passage in the New Testament, where the argument of Peter Act 2:27, and of Paul Act 13:35-37, is founded on the supposition that such is the sense of the word here; that it does not mean merely "the pit, or the grave;"that the idea in the psalm is not that the person referred to would not go down to the grave, or would not "die,"but that he would not moulder back to dust in the grave, or that the "change"would not occur to him in the grave which does to those who lie long in the tomb. Peter and Paul both regard this as a distinct prophecy that the Messiah would be raised from the grave "without"returning to corruption, and they argue from the fact that David "did"return to corruption in the grave like other men, that the passage could not have referred mainly to himself, but that it had a proper fulfillment, and its highest fulfillment, in the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. This interpretation the believer in the inspiration of Peter and Paul is bound to defend, and in reference to this it may be remarked,
(1) that it cannot be demonstrated that this is not the meaning of the word. The word may be as "fairly"derived from the verb to corrupt, as from the verb to sink down, and, indeed, more naturally and more obviously. The grammatical form would rather suggest this derivation than the other.
(2) It "is"a fair construction of the original word. It is such a construction as may be put upon it without any "forced"application, or any design to defend a theory or an opinion. In other words, it is not a mere "catch,"or a grasp at a "possible"meaning of the word, but it is a rendering which, on every principle of grammatical construction, may be regarded as a "fair"interpretation. Whatever may have been the exact idea in the mind of David, whether he understood this as referring only to himself, and to the belief that he would not "always"remain in the grave, and under the power of corruption; or whether he understood it as referring primarily to himself, and ultimately and mainly to the Messiah; or whether he understood it; as referring solely to the Messiah; or whether he did not at all understand the language which the Holy Spirit led him to employ (compare the notes at 1Pe 1:11-12), it is equally true that the sense which the apostles put on the words, in their application of the passage to the Messiah, is a suitable one.
(3) The ancient versions, as has been seen above, confirm this. Without an exception they give the sense of "corruption"- the very sense which has been given to the word by Peter and Paul. The authors of these versions had no theory to defend, and it may be presumed that they had a just knowledge of the true meaning of the Hebrew word.
(4) It may be added that this interpretation accords with the connection in which the word occurs. Though it may be admitted that the connection would not "necessarily"lead to this view, yet this interpretation is in entire harmony with the statements in the previous verses, and in the following verse. Thus, in the previous verse, the psalmist had said that "his flesh would rest in hope,"- a sentiment which accords with either the idea that he would at some future period be raised from the grave, and would not perish forever, though the period of the resurrection might be remote; or with the idea of being raised up so soon that the body would not return to corruption, that is, before the change consequent on death would take place. The sentiment in the following verse also agrees with this view. That sentiment is, that there is a path to life; that in the presence of God there is fulness of joy; that at his right hand there are pleasures forevermore - a sentiment, in this connection, founded on the belief of the resurrection from the dead, and equally true whether the dead should be raised immediately or at some remote period. I infer, therefore, that the apostles Peter and Paul made a legitimate use of this passage; that the argument which they urged was derived from a proper interpretation of the language; that the fair construction of the psalm, and the fact that David "had"returned to corruption, fully justified them in the application which they made of the passage; and that, therefore, it was the design of the Holy Spirit to convey the idea that "the Messiah"would be raised from the dead without undergoing the change which others undergo in the grave; and that it was thus "predicted"in the Old Testament, that be would be raised from the dead in the manner in which he was.
Poole -> Psa 16:10
Poole: Psa 16:10 - -- My soul i.e. my person, as this word is every where used by a synecdoche of the part, and then the person by another synecdoche of the whole is put f...
My soul i.e. my person, as this word is every where used by a synecdoche of the part, and then the person by another synecdoche of the whole is put for the body. The soul is oft put for the body; either for the living body, as Psa 35:3 105:18 , or for the carcass or dead body, as it is taken Lev 19:28 21:1 Num 5:2 6:6,9,11 9:10 19:11,13 ; and so it is interpreted in this very place, as it is produced, Act 2:29 , &c.; Act 13:36,37 .
In hell i.e. in the grave or state of the dead, as appears,
1. From the Hebrew word scheol , which is very frequently so understood, as is undeniably evident from Gen 42:38 Num 16:30 Job 14:13 compared with Job 17:13 Psa 18:5 30:3 141:7 Ecc 9:10 Eze 32:21,27 Jon 2:2 , and many other places.
2. From the following clause of this verse.
3. From Ac 2 13, where it is so expounded and applied. Thine Holy One , i.e. me thy holy Son, whom thou hast sanctified and sent into the world: It is peculiar to Christ to be called the Holy One of God , Mar 1:24 Luk 4:34 . To see corruption , or rottenness , i.e. to be corrupted or putrefied in the grave, as the bodies of others are. Seeing is oft put for perceiving by experience; in which sense men are said to see good , Psa 34:12 , and to see death , or the grave, Psa 89:48 Luk 2:26 Joh 8:51 , and to see sleep , Ecc 8:16 . And the Hebrew word shochath , though sometimes by a metonymy it signifies the pit or place of corruption , yet properly and generally it signifies corruption or perdition , as Job 17:14 33:18,30 Ps 35:7 55:23 Jon 2:6 , and is so rendered by the seventy Jewish interpreters, Psa 107:20 Pro 28:10 Jer 13:4 15:3 Lam 4:20 Eze 19:4 21:31 . And so it must be understood here, although some of the Jews, to avoid the force of this argument, render it the pit . But in that sense it is not true; for whether it be meant of David, as they say, or of Christ, it is confessed that both of them did see the pit, i.e. were laid in the grave. And therefore it must necessarily be taken in the other sense now mentioned; and so it is properly and literally true in Christ alone, although it may in a lower and metaphorical sense be applied to David, who had a just and well-grounded confidence, that although God might bring him into great dangers and distresses, which are called the sorrows of death , and the pains of hell , Psa 116:3 ; yet God would not leave him to perish in or by them.
Haydock -> Psa 16:10
Haydock: Psa 16:10 - -- Their fat. That is, their bowels of compassion: for they have none for me. (Challoner) ---
They have become fat, and have given way to greater ins...
Their fat. That is, their bowels of compassion: for they have none for me. (Challoner) ---
They have become fat, and have given way to greater insolence, as we see too often verified, Deuteronomy xxxii. 15., Job xv. 26., and Psalm lxxii. 7. (Chaldean) (Calmet) ---
Proudly. Libertines are often prompted by vanity to speak as they do against God and man. (Haydock) ---
If Collins, Tindal, &c., had been cast upon some desert island, they would probably never have written such irreligious works as there would have been none to applaud them. (Berthier)
Gill -> Psa 16:10
Gill: Psa 16:10 - -- For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell,.... Meaning, not in the place of the damned, where Christ never went, nor was; for at his death his soul was ...
For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell,.... Meaning, not in the place of the damned, where Christ never went, nor was; for at his death his soul was committed to his Father, and was the same day in paradise: but rather, "sheol" here, as "hades" in the Near Testament, signifies the state of the dead, the separate state of souls after death, the invisible world of souls, where Christ's soul was; though it was not left there, nor did it continue, but on the third day returned to its body again; though it seems best of all to interpret it of the grave, as the word is rendered in Gen 42:38; and then by his "soul" must be meant, not the more noble part of his human nature, the soul, in distinction from the body; for as it died not, but went to God, it was not laid in the grave; but either he himself, in which sense the word "soul" is sometimes used, even for a man's self, Psa 3:2. For it might be truly said of him, God's Holy One, that he was laid in the grave, though not left there; or rather his dead body, for so the word "nephesh" is rendered in Num 9:6; so "anima" is used in Latin authors u: this was laid in the grave; for Joseph having begged it of Pilate, took it down from the cross, and laid it in his own new tomb; though it was the will of God it should not be left there, but be raised from the dead, as it was on the third day, before it was corrupted, as follows:
neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption; that is, to lie so long in the grave as to putrefy and be corrupted; wherefore he was raised from the dead on the third day, according to the Scriptures, before the time bodies begin to be corrupted; see Joh 11:39; and this was owing not to the care of Joseph or Nicodemus, in providing spices to preserve it, but of God who raised him from the dead, and gave him glory; and who would not suffer his body to be corrupted, because he was holy, and because he was his Holy One; that so as there was no moral corruption in him, there should be no natural corruption in him; so the Jewish Midrash w interprets it, that
"no worm or maggot should have power over him;''
which is not true of David, nor of any but the Messiah. This character of "Holy One" eminently belongs to Christ above angels and men, yea, it is often used of the divine Being, and it agrees with Christ in his divine nature, and is true of him as man; he is the holy thing, the holy child Jesus; his nature is pure and spotless, free from the taint of original sin; his life and conversation were holy and harmless, he did no sin, nor knew any, nor could any be found in him by men or devils; his doctrines were holy, and tended to promote holiness of life; all his works are holy, and such is the work of redemption, which is wrought out in consistence with and to the glory of the holiness and righteousness of God; Christ is holy in all his offices, and is the fountain of holiness to his people; and he is God's Holy One, he has property in him as his Son, and as Mediator, and even as an Holy One; for he was sanctified and sent into the world by him, being anointed with the holy oil of his Spirit without measure. The word may be rendered, a "merciful" x or "liberal" and "beneficent one": for Christ is all this; he is a merciful as well as a faithful high priest, and he generously distributes grace and glory to his people.

expand allCommentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes
NET Notes: Psa 16:10 The Hebrew word שָׁחַת (shakhat, “pit”) is often used as a title for Sheol (see Pss 30:9; 49:9; 55:24;...
Geneva Bible -> Psa 16:10
Geneva Bible: Psa 16:10 For thou ( i ) wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
( i ) This is chiefly meant by Christ, by w...

expand allCommentary -- Verse Range Notes
TSK Synopsis -> Psa 16:1-11
TSK Synopsis: Psa 16:1-11 - --1 David, in distrust of merits, and hatred of idolatry, flees to God for preservation.5 He shews the hope of his calling, of the resurrection, and lif...
Maclaren -> Psa 16:8-11
Maclaren: Psa 16:8-11 - --God With Us, And We With God
I have set the LORD always before me: because [he is] at my right hand, I shall not be moved. 9. Therefore my heart is g...
MHCC -> Psa 16:1-11
MHCC: Psa 16:1-11 - --David flees to God's protection, with cheerful, believing confidence. Those who have avowed that the Lord is their Lord, should often put themselves i...
Matthew Henry -> Psa 16:8-11
Matthew Henry: Psa 16:8-11 - -- All these verses are quoted by St. Peter in his first sermon, after the pouring out of the Spirit on the day of pentecost (Act 2:25-28); and he tell...
Keil-Delitzsch -> Psa 16:9-11
Keil-Delitzsch: Psa 16:9-11 - --
Thus then, as this concluding strophe, as it were like seven rays of light, affirms, he has the most blessed prospect before him, without any need t...
Constable -> Psa 16:1-11; Psa 16:9-11
Constable: Psa 16:1-11 - --Psalm 16
This psalm voices the joy David experienced in his life because of his trust in God and fellows...
