Psalms 16:5-6

16:5 Lord, you give me stability and prosperity; ¹ 

you make my future secure. ² 

16:6 It is as if I have been given fertile fields

or received a beautiful tract of land. ³ 

Psalms 47:4

47:4 He picked out for us a special land ⁴ 

to be a source of pride for ⁵  Jacob, ⁶  whom he loves. ⁷  (Selah)

Psalms 61:5

61:5 For you, O God, hear my vows;

you grant me the reward that belongs to your loyal followers. ⁸ 

John 17:2

17:2 just as you have given him authority over all humanity, ⁹  so that he may give eternal life to everyone you have given him. ¹⁰ 

Acts 26:18

26:18 to open their eyes so that they turn ¹¹  from darkness to light and from the power ¹²  of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share ¹³  among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

Colossians 1:12

1:12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share ¹⁴  in the saints’ ¹⁵  inheritance in the light.

¹ tn Heb “O Lord, the portion of my possession and my cup”; or “the Lord [is] the portion of my possession and my cup.” The psalmist compares the Lord to landed property, which was foundational to economic stability in ancient Israel, and to a cup of wine, which may symbolize a reward (in Ps 11:6 it symbolizes the judgment one deserves) or divine blessing (see Ps 23:5). The metaphor highlights the fact that God is the psalmist’s source of security and prosperity.

² tc Heb “you take hold of my lot.” The form תּוֹמִיךְ (tomikh) should be emended to a participle, תוֹמֵךְ (tomekh). The psalmist pictures the Lord as casting his lot (a method used to allot landed property) for him, thus assuring that he will receive a fertile piece of land (see v. 6). As in the previous line, land represents security and economic stability, thus “you make my future secure.”

³ tn Heb “measuring lines have fallen for me in pleasant [places]; yes, property [or “an inheritance”] is beautiful for me.” On the dative use of עַל, see BDB 758 s.v. II.8. Extending the metaphor used in v. 5, the psalmist compares the divine blessings he has received to a rich, beautiful tract of land that one might receive by allotment or inheritance.

⁴ tn Heb “he chose for us our inheritance.” The prefixed verbal form is understood as a preterite (see “subdued” in v. 3).

⁵ tn Heb “the pride of.” The phrase is appositional to “our inheritance,” indicating that the land is here described as a source of pride to God’s people.

⁶ tn That is, Israel.

⁷ sn Jacob whom he loves. The Lord’s covenantal devotion to his people is in view.

⁸ tn Heb “you grant the inheritance of those who fear your name.” “Inheritance” is normally used of land which is granted as an inheritance; here it refers metaphorically to the blessings granted God’s loyal followers. To “fear” God’s name means to have a healthy respect for his revealed reputation which in turn motivates one to obey God’s commands (see Ps 86:11).

⁹ tn Or “all people”; Grk “all flesh.”

¹⁰ tn Grk “so that to everyone whom you have given to him, he may give to them eternal life.”

¹¹ sn To open their eyes so that they turn… Here is Luke’s most comprehensive report of Paul’s divine calling. His role was to call humanity to change their position before God and experience God’s forgiveness as a part of God’s family. The image of turning is a key one in the NT: Luke 1:79; Rom 2:19; 13:12; 2 Cor 4:6; 6:14; Eph 5:8; Col 1:12; 1 Thess 5:5. See also Luke 1:77-79; 3:3; 24:47.

¹² tn BDAG 352-53 s.v. ἐξουσία 2 states, “Also of Satan’s power Ac 26:18.” It is also possible to translate this “the domain of Satan” (cf. BDAG 353 s.v. 6)

¹³ tn Or “and an inheritance.”

¹⁴ tn BDAG 473 s.v. ἱκανόω states, “τινὰ εἴς τι someone for someth. Col 1:12.” The point of the text is that God has qualified the saints for a “share” or “portion” in the inheritance of the saints.

¹⁵ tn Grk “the inheritance of the saints.” The genitive noun τῶν ἁγίων (twn Jagiwn) is a possessive genitive: “the saints’ inheritance.”