The Church Fathers on this verse
THEOSIS
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Psalm 16 (15):5Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and of my cup: it is thou that wilt restore my inheritance to me.

Douay-Rheims · Hebrew numbering, Septuagint numbering in brackets.

יְֽהוָ֗ה מְנָת־חֶלְקִ֥י וְכוֹסִ֑י אַ֝תָּ֗ה תּוֹמִ֥יךְ גּוֹרָלִֽי׃

Hebrew (Masoretic text)

The Church Fathers on this verse

8 Church Fathers comment on this verse · 12 commentaries

Augustine of Hippo

5th centuryChurch Father

Seeking Christ Let others pursue earthly and fleeting treasures where they may find some gain; the portion of the saints lies in the eternal Lord. Let others indulge in corrupt desires; my cup overflows with the Lord. When I speak of "mine," I refer to the Church, for where the Head exists, there the body is also. I will call their gatherings my inheritance, and I will not recall their former identities through worldly delights. You will return to me my inheritance, so that it may be recognized by those I save, along with the glory I shared with You before the foundation of the world. You will not restore to me what I have not truly lost; instead, You will renew the vision of those who have strayed from this glory when You bring back to Me my true self.

In a spirit of selfless devotion, He does not inquire, “O Lord, what is my portion? The gifts You bestow seem of little value,” but instead proclaims, “You will be my inheritance. I adore You; my heart, soul, and mind are wholly dedicated to You.” What more do I require? What can You offer me besides Yourself? This reflects a desire to love God without selfish motives, to seek God for His own sake, and to long for a quick fulfillment in Him, to be fully satisfied by His presence.

With Me, they shall inherit the Lord Himself. Let others seek their portions, fleeting and temporal, for their delight: the inheritance of the Saints is the Eternal Lord. Let others indulge in harmful pleasures, for My cup holds the Lord. When I refer to what is Mine, I encompass the Church, for where the Head is, the body is present. To inherit, I will assemble their congregation, and through the joy of the cup, I will forget their past identities. You are the One who will return My inheritance to Me, so that those I save may experience the glory I shared with You before the foundation of the world.

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(John 17:5) For You will not restore to Me what I have never lost, but You will grant to those who have lost it the understanding of the glory that, as I am, You will once again bestow upon Me.

Athanasius the Great

4th centuryChurch Father

He refers to the dominion of the Gentiles as a heritage and clarifies his statement by indicating, 'The Father granted me the Gentiles as both a possession and an inheritance, to whom I remained faithful even unto death. In regard to My Church, which constitutes My legacy, the Lord Father Himself is part of it. He also shares in My cup, which symbolizes death; for the cup represents death as indicated in the scripture, 'Father.... If it be possible... let this cup pass from Me' (Matthew 26:39). The Church has inherited the Father by obeying His commandments. Moreover, my very death has secured the Father for us, in accordance with the declaration that we are 'heirs ... to God, heirs ... to Christ' (Rom. 8:17).

Jerome of Stridon

4th centuryChurch Father

One who is united with the Lord or considers the Lord as their inheritance must behave in a manner that reflects both ownership and submission to Him. The individual who claims the Lord as their portion, echoing the words of the prophet, ‘The Lord is my portion,’ can have no other possession than the Lord Himself. If they were to claim anything outside of the Lord, then He would cease to be their true portion.

In Scripture, our Redeemer is referred to as both Priest and Sovereign. The title of Priest is affirmed in the words, “Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchisedec” (Ps. 109:4). His royalty is affirmed when it states, “But I am made king by Him over Zion, His holy city” (Psalms 2:6). Because He serves as a priest, His inheritance is the Lord Himself, as it is written, “Unto the children of Levi give no part among the children of Israel: for I am their part, saith the Lord” (cf. Num. 18:20). Thus, the Levites did not receive land among the Israelites but were dispersed throughout the tribes, fulfilling the prophecy: “I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel” (Genesis 49:7).

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If the Levites had the Lord as their sole inheritance, then much more so does Jesus, who is the Priest and boldly declares, “The Father that abideth in Me doeth His works” (see John 14:10), for the Father is His unique possession. As King, He is instructed, “Ask of Me, and I will give Thee the nations for Thy possession, and the ends of the earth for Thy possession” (Ps. 2:8). Observe how profoundly wise He is in His teachings. Regarding the Father, it is proclaimed, “Thou art part of My possession.” The term “is” is used, not “was,” for the Father eternally resides in the Son, just as the Son resides in the Father. However, regarding the nations, it is stated, “Thou gavest Me My possession”; they ceased to be the Lord's inheritance when their weaknesses multiplied, resulting in their gatherings being tainted with blood. Some suggest that the last phrase should be directed towards God the Father, conveying a meaning along these lines: since I have humbled Myself by taking the form of a servant and descended from My exalted state to the earth, grant Me back My possessions, which is, in essence, Myself, the one I have always been, and restore to Me the glory I had prior to the foundation of the world (see John 17:5). For You will not provide Me with any new inheritance; rather, You have bestowed upon Me that which is rightfully Mine: divinity itself, and the nature of God, which may seem to be absent because I have taken on human form. Furthermore, in regard to the phrase, “and my cup,” it is well established in Scripture that the cup symbolizes a cherished drink and joy, as seen in “Thy filling cup is so excellent” (see Psalms 22:5) and “I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord” (Psalms 115:4). Thus, just as our sustenance comes from our Savior (for we partake of His Flesh and Blood), so too, for the one who has received Him, the Father becomes their sustenance—essentially sharing in the divine nature with God the Father.

A minister serving the church of Christ should first reflect on the significance of his title and strive to embody it. The Greek term κλήρος translates to sors, or lot, in Latin, implying that clergy are designated as such because they are part of the Lord’s lot or because the Lord is their lot—essentially, their inheritance. Those who are included in the Lord's lot or claim the Lord as their inheritance must act in a manner that allows them to both possess Him and be possessed by Him. If one can truly declare with the psalmist, “My portion is the Lord” (Psalm 15:5, 141:6), then nothing else should hold any value. Should anyone possess anything other than the Lord, then He can no longer be considered their portion.

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For example, a person who possesses gold, silver, or material possessions is not fit to have the Lord as their treasure alongside these items. However, as someone who is a part of the Lord and a branch of His inheritance, I do not seek an inheritance among other tribes; like the priests and Levites, I will live by tithes, serve at the altar, and partake of what comes from it. With food and clothing, I will find contentment and willingly bear the simple cross that comes with following Him.

Therefore, I urge and plead with you repeatedly not to view the responsibilities of a clergyman as akin to ancient military service. In your role for Christ, do not pursue worldly gains or seek to acquire additional possessions, lest it be said of you, “Their possessions will not be useful to them” (Jeremiah 12:13). Let your table be frequented by the needy and the outcast, alongside Christ, who is present among them. Avoid the clergyman who seeks wealth at the expense of the poor, as he is akin to a plague. Your ways are honorable, but his conversations are detrimental (1 Cor. 15:33). You have disdain for gold while he treasures it; you reject material wealth as he avidly chases it. You prefer silence, humility, and solitude, while he is drawn to noise, boastfulness, bustling streets, and the dwellings of charlatans. With such contrasting ways, what common ground could possibly exist?

Theodoret of Cyrus

5th centuryChurch Father

The Lord is a part of my inheritance and my chalice. It is essential to remember what is expressed in the second Psalm, where the Father addressed Him in His human nature: ‘Ask of Me, and I will give Thee tongues of Thy possession, and Thy possession the ends of the earth’ (Psalm 2:8). In the Holy Gospel, speaking about the holy Apostles, He expressed to His Father: ‘Father, them Thou hast given Me, Thou hast given them, and unto Me Thou hast given them: and none of them shall perish, but the son of perdition’ (John 17:6, 12). While He speaks here in human terms, imploring to be granted His own, in another context, He demonstrates that He is Lord over all.

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He states, ‘My sheep hear My voice, and I know them: and after Me they shall come, and I will give them eternal life’ (John 10:27-28); and further, ‘I have other sheep, which are not of this fold: and these it is fitting unto Me to bring, and they shall hear My voice: and there shall be one flock, and one Shepherd’ (John 10:16). In this Psalm, He also speaks in human terms, saying, ‘The Lord is part of My inheritance and of My chalice,’ with the inheritance illustrating His sovereignty over the nations and the chalice signifying the suffering He endured for us. This is further echoed in the Gospel when He prayed, ‘Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me’ (Matt. 26:39). ‘You are the one who arranges My inheritance.’ He did not say ‘give,’ but ‘arranging My possessions.’ When humanity was first created, it was granted authority over all creation and the gift of eternal life; however, through sin, both the authority and life were forfeited. The Lord of mankind pleads on behalf of humanity, seeking the restoration of its original life and dominion.

Euthymios Zigabenos

11th centuryCommentator

The Lord forms an integral part of my inheritance and my cup. It was not due to the will of God the Father that I took on human form; rather, He, in His sovereign will, has His own inheritance in gathering into the church those who believe among the Gentiles, referred to here as heritage, aligning with the words from the second psalm (Psalm 2:8). Additionally, God the Father was involved in the death of Jesus Christ, as Scripture often refers to death as the cup. The Gospel states, “Can ye drink the cup which I have drunk?” (Matt. 20:22), and in another passage, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me” (Matt. 26:39). Thus, God the Father, in unity with the Son of God, consented equally to both the calling of the Gentiles and the death of Jesus Christ.

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By my inheritance, one may also understand a treasure, leading to the interpretation that God the Father serves as the beloved treasure of my heritage from the Gentiles, as if the Son of God is voicing this; moreover, He embodies the essence of my teaching: hence, throughout the Gospel, Jesus Christ consistently speaks of the Father. The term part, as opposed to treasure or riches, is employed in the Psalm concerning the Scripture, “Thou art my portion in the land of the living” (Psalm 141:6). In the context of regular human interactions, when sons partition their father's estate into distinct shares, each share becomes an individual’s treasure or wealth. Thus, it is fitting to convey this idea using the words part, treasure or wealth, and inheritance, as this property is first divided into portions, enhances the wealth of the recipients, and ultimately is passed down as an inheritance from the father. The cup symbolizes the teachings of Christ, often likened to wine, which uplifts those who partake in it; Jesus Himself is sometimes referred to as the vine. "Thou art thou that settest my possessions unto me." The Gentiles, created by the Son of God, previously fell into idolatry but ultimately turned away from it and believed in Christ—an act attributed to God the Father as its source. This aligns closely with our previous interpretation, echoing Jesus Christ’s address to God the Father: “Thou art a participant in my inheritance and my cup, for Thou hast restored it to me.” The term ‘possession’ precedes ‘cup’ as it resulted in the Savior's death; it was for this that He laid down His life. Regarding what has been stated, it seems appropriate to diverge slightly from the direct interpretation here. The enemy of humanity ensnared a man made in the image of God, thereby attempting to claim what belonged to his Creator, and drew him to his side, seizing another’s property. To this thief, the Son of God and Heir of God the Father sent His messages through the prophets, demanding the return of this lost property and the liberation from foreign dominion. Since the devil continually resisted the restitution of what he had wrongfully taken, the Heir Himself eventually came to confront the thief, having accepted the covenant from God the Father, thereby inviting Him to serve as judge over the matter. Having condemned the thief, God the Father restored the property to His Son. Consequently, the Son of God regarded God the Father as His ally in this noble endeavor.

Leandrus of Seville

6th centuryChurch Father

Bridegroom, Brother, and Inheritance

Sister, behold the magnitude of your achievements; observe the pinnacle you have attained - you have discovered the grace of abundant blessings in Christ. He is the Bridegroom, the Brother, the Inheritance, the Lord and God. He is the cherished Bridegroom for you - the Fairest among the sons of men (Ps 44:3). He stands as your true Brother; through adoption, you are counted as the daughter of Him who is inherently the Son. He is the Friend in whom you can place your trust; He Himself affirmed: “the only one is My beloved.” He forms part of your inheritance, which you now possess because He belongs to it. He is your Just Reward, familiar to you, for His blood has ransomed you. He is the God whose sovereignty you acknowledge, the Lord who deserves your reverence and praise.

Irenaeus (Klementjewsky)

18th centuryCommentator

He provides a further explanation for why, in order to steer clear of idolaters within the assembly of God, he wishes to remain within the congregation, rejecting their society with disdain while aspiring to remain devoted to the authentic and pure worship of God: for he finds total satisfaction in the one true God. By designating God as part of his heritage and portion, he demonstrates that he is wholly content with God alone, seeking nothing beyond Him and remaining unyielded to distracting desires, understanding that all varieties of false worship that have taken root in the world arise from the fact that superstitious individuals are never fulfilled by God alone.

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We can possess Him only when He becomes our inheritance, meaning we hold Him as our own, ensuring that no doubt can unsettle us. In this context, the prophet presents three metaphors, first likening God to a cherished possession or inheritance, then to a cup, and finally to a builder or distributor of possessions, aligning his thoughts with the nature of inheritances, which often evoke restlessness and discontent. In contrast, David not only experiences joy within but also allows his tongue and body to share in this rejoicing. This is justifiable because the faithful not only experience spiritual joy in their hearts, but they also proclaim with their voices that God sustains their lives and well-being. Therefore, the Prophet wisely includes his physical being in this grace, entrusting it to the mercy and protection of God.

Psalter with Commentaries (Cave Monastery in Kiew)

19th centuryCommentator

The faithful, who belong to Christ, are the inheritance bestowed upon Him by the Father. Through the sacred Passion of Christ, which the Father has granted, He has secured His followers by His blood, leading them from their earthly state to their eternal heritage.

Cross references

Passages read together with this verse.