Psalms 16:5

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

you make my future secure. ² 

Psalms 38:10

38:10 My heart beats quickly;

my strength leaves me;

I can hardly see. ³ 

Psalms 116:8

116:8 Yes, ⁴  Lord, ⁵  you rescued my life from death,

and kept my feet from stumbling.

[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.”

[38:10]  ³ tn Heb “and the light of my eyes, even they, there is not with me.” The “light of the eyes” may refer to physical energy (see 1 Sam 14:27, 29), life itself (Ps 13:3), or the ability to see (Prov 29:23).

[116:8]  ⁵ tn Or “for.”

[116:8]  ⁶ tn “Lord” is supplied here in the translation for clarification.