Psalms 16:5

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

you make my future secure. ² 

Psalms 22:18

22:18 They are dividing up my clothes among themselves;

they are rolling dice ³  for my garments.

Psalms 125:3

125:3 Indeed, ⁴  the scepter of a wicked king ⁵  will not settle ⁶ 

upon the allotted land of the godly.

Otherwise the godly might

do what is wrong. ⁷ 

[16:5]  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.

[16:5]  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.”

[22:18]  ³ tn Heb “casting lots.” The precise way in which this would have been done is not certain.

[125:3]  ⁵ tn Or “for.”

[125:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “a scepter of wickedness.” The “scepter” symbolizes royal authority; when collocated with “wickedness” the phrase refers to an oppressive foreign conqueror.

[125:3]  ⁷ tn Or “rest.”

[125:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “so that the godly might not stretch out their hands in wrongdoing.” A wicked king who sets a sinful example can have an adverse moral and ethical effect on the people he rules.