Charles Ellicott Commentary Psalms 16:4

"Their sorrows shall be multiplied that give gifts for another [god]: Their drink-offerings of blood will I not offer, Nor take their names upon my lips." — Psalms 16:4 (ASV)

Their sorrows. —This verse also offers great variation in the ancient versions. The literal text reads: Their sorrows [or, idols] (feminine) are multiplied (masculine); another they hasten [or, change]. I will not pour out their libations from blood, and will not take their names upon my lips. With one or two slight changes in punctuation, this becomes:

“They shall multiply their sorrows
Who change to another god:
I will not pour out their bloody libations,
Nor take their names on my lips.”

At the same time, it seems the psalmist had the common prophetic figure for idolatry—namely, adultery—in his mind. This is suggested by the evident allusion to the curse on Eve in Genesis 3:16 and by the fact that the verb translated “hasten” (compare margin) means “to buy a wife.”

However, because he is not speaking of the Church as a whole, he does not develop this figure as the prophets do, by portraying idolaters as adulteresses.

The “libations of blood” seem to refer to the ghastly rites of Moloch and Chemosh. For the last clause, compare Exodus 23:13. To the Hebrews, the very name of a god included an assertion of his power.

Hence, they avoided even mentioning Baal, instead substituting bosheth (that is, “shameful thing”) for it, even in proper names.