Psalms 16:9

9. My glory The word generally means honour, majesty, renown; but here, the soul, as the most excellent part of man.

My flesh… shall rest in hope כשׂר , ( flesh,) is the organic body, and the enumeration of heart, glory, ( soul,) flesh, nearly answers to the Greek trichotomy, “spirit, soul, and body,” 1 Thessalonians 5:23, where see note. When applied to the human body the word commonly means the living body, as opposed to one dead, and it has been hence urged that it could not apply, as a prophecy, to the dead body of Christ. But against this it may be urged, first, To restrict the whole to the personal history of David would give only the sense, “My body shall dwell in safety,” that is, I shall be preserved alive a rendering too insipid and pointless to comport with the dignity of the psalm. Secondly, The scope of the passage requires us to understand the author as speaking of the state after death. See on Psalms 16:10-11. Thirdly, It would be perfectly natural for him, in speaking of the future state and destiny of the body, to use a term that designates that living body, as if he had said, “This body, now alive, shall rest in hope,” etc. Fourthly, The word not unfrequently denotes the body as frail, mortal, perishable, (as 2 Chronicles 32:8; Psalms 56:4; Psalms 78:39,) in which sense it is exactly suitable to this connexion, just as the apostle, “This corruptible (equal to mortal body) shall put on interruption.” 1 Corinthians 15:53. Fifthly, The word is certainly applied to a dead body. Zechariah 11:9; Ezekiel 37:68. Sixthly, The “also” (“also my flesh,” etc.) signifies something additional to what had been hitherto said or applied. But the rendering objected to gives no accession to, but a fatal falling off, of the sense. Above all, it directly contradicts the literal application of the passage made by the apostle in Acts 2:25-35, where see notes.