Albert Barnes Commentary Psalms 16:11

"Thou wilt show me the path of life: In thy presence is fulness of joy; In thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." — Psalms 16:11 (ASV)

You will show me the path of life — In this connection, this means that though he was to die—to descend to the regions of the dead and to lie down in the dark grave—yet there WAS a path back to the living world, and that path would be pointed out to him by God. In other words, he would not be allowed to remain among the dead, or to wander away forever with those who were in the underworld, but he would be brought back to the living world. This is language that, in this connection, could be founded only on a belief in the resurrection of the dead. The word “life” here does not necessarily refer to heaven—to eternal life—though the connection shows that this is the ultimate idea. It is life in contradistinction from the condition of the dead.

The highest form of life is that which is found in heaven, at the right hand of God; and the connection shows it was that on which the psalmist’s eye was fixed.

In your presence — literally, “with your face.” Before your face; or, as the sense is correctly expressed in our version, “in your presence.” The reference is to God’s presence in heaven, or where He is supposed to dwell.

This is shown by the additional statement that the joy mentioned was to be found at His “right hand”—an expression that properly refers to heaven. It is not merely a return to earth that is anticipated; it is an exaltation to heaven.

is fullness of joy — Not partial joy; not imperfect joy; not joy intermingled with pain and sorrow; not joy that, though in itself real, does not satisfy the desires of the soul, as is the case with much of the happiness we experience in this life—but joy, full, satisfying, unalloyed, unclouded, unmingled with anything that would diminish its fullness or its brightness; joy that will not be diminished, as all earthly joys must be, by the feeling that it must soon come to an end.

At your right hand — The right hand is the place of honor (Notes, Psalms 16:8). Compare Mark 16:19, Hebrews 1:3, and Acts 7:56; and it here refers to the place that the saints will occupy in heaven. This language could have been used only by one who believed in the doctrine of the resurrection and of the future state. As applicable to the author of the psalm, it implies that he had a firm belief in the resurrection of the dead and a confident hope of happiness hereafter. As applicable to the Messiah, it denotes that He would be raised up to exalted honor in heaven. As applicable to believers now, it expresses their firm and assured faith that eternal happiness and exalted honor await them in the future world.

There are pleasures for evermore — Happiness that will be eternal. It is not enjoyment such as we have on earth, which we feel is soon to terminate; it is joy that can have no end.

Here, in respect to any felicity that we enjoy, we cannot but feel that it is soon to cease. No matter how secure the sources of our joy may seem to be, we know that happiness here cannot last long, for life cannot long continue; and even though life should be lengthened out for many years, we have no certainty that our happiness will be commensurate even with our existence on earth.

The dearest friend that we have may soon leave us to return no more; health, the source of so many comforts and essential to the enjoyment of any comfort here, may soon fail; property, however firmly it may be secured, may “take to itself wings and fly away.” Soon, at any rate, if these things do not leave us, we shall leave them; and in respect to happiness from them, we shall be as though they had not been.

Not so will it be at the right hand of God. Happiness there, whatever its nature, will be eternal. Losses, disappointment, bereavement, sickness, can never occur there; nor can the anticipation of death, even at the most distant period and after countless millions of ages, ever mar our joys. How different in all these things will heaven be from earth!

How desirable to leave the earth and to enter on those eternal joys!