Bible Strands
Psalms 16:6
The lines of my boundary have fallen in pleasant places; surely my inheritance is delightful.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist speaks to the LORD in a moment of settled satisfaction, having just declared the LORD as his portion and cup (v.5) and before moving to praise (v.7). It is a declaration of what has already been received, not a petition.
The words — נָֽפְלוּ (nafelu, "they have fallen") is the idiom for lots falling, the mechanism by which God assigns land without human choice. חֲבָלִים (chavlim, "boundary lines") is the concrete legal term for the measured limits of an allotment.
The thread — The image of a beautiful inheritance apportioned by God recurs in Psalm 78:55, where He drives out nations and settles the tribes, and in Jeremiah 3:19, where God longs to give Israel "the most beautiful inheritance of all nations."
Why it lands — It asks the reader to name what has been allotted and call it good, or to admit they are still reaching past their boundary. Contentment here is not passivity but trust that the one who drew the lines is faithful.
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
The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.
Cross-references
- Jeremiah 3:19 Then I said, ‘How I long to make you My sons and give you a desirable land, the most beautiful inheritance of all the nations!’ I thought you would call Me ‘Father’ and never turn away from following Me.
- Psalms 21:1 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O LORD, the king rejoices in Your strength. How greatly he exults in Your salvation!
- Psalms 78:55 He drove out nations before them and apportioned their inheritance; He settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.
- Ephesians 1:18 I ask that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know the hope of His calling, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints,
- Hebrews 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
- Romans 8:17 And if we are children, then we are heirs: heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with Him, so that we may also be glorified with Him.
- 1 Corinthians 3:21 Therefore, stop boasting in men. All things are yours,
- Philippians 2:9 Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name above all names,
- Revelation 3:21 To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
- 2 Timothy 2:12 if we endure, we will also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He will also deny us;