Bible Strands
Psalms 16:2
I said to the LORD, “You are my Lord; apart from You I have no good thing.”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — David speaks directly to the LORD, framing his declaration as a personal vow of exclusive reliance immediately after requesting preservation in the preceding verse. The statement functions within a psalm that contrasts total devotion to God with the honored status of the saints in the land.
The words — The term אֲדֹנָי ('a.do.Nai) translates literally as "Lord," while בַל־ ('bal-) means "not," combining to form the absolute negation that no good thing exists apart from God. These lexical choices establish a structural boundary between divine sufficiency and all other sources.
The thread — This theme of exclusive devotion appears in Psalms 73:25, which asks who is desired in heaven or on earth besides God, and in Psalms 31:14, where the speaker identifies Yahweh as his sole God. Job 22:2 provides a contrasting perspective by questioning whether human wisdom can benefit God at all.
Why it lands — The text demands a reader to acknowledge that every good thing originates from God alone and requires no alternative source. It asks the reader to align personal trust and preference exclusively with divine provision rather than created alternatives.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not to thee;
Cross-references
- Psalms 73:25 Whom have I in heaven but You? And on earth I desire no one besides You.
- Psalms 31:14 But I trust in You, O LORD; I say, “You are my God.”
- Job 22:2 “Can a man be of use to God? Can even a wise man benefit Him?
- Psalms 89:26 He will call to Me, ‘You are my Father, my God, the Rock of my salvation.’
- Psalms 91:2 I will say to the LORD, “You are my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
- Psalms 8:1 For the choirmaster. According to Gittith. A Psalm of David. O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory above the heavens.
- Psalms 27:8 My heart said, “Seek His face.” Your face, O LORD, I will seek.
- John 20:28 Thomas replied, “My Lord and my God!”
- Isaiah 26:13 O LORD our God, other lords besides You have ruled over us, but Your name alone do we confess.
- Zechariah 13:9 This third I will bring through the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are My people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’”