“The lines of my boundary have fallen in pleasant places”
The lines of my boundary have fallen in pleasant places; surely my inheritance is delightful. (Psalm 16:6 BSB)
What it sounds like today
A vaguely poetic line about pleasant boundaries.
The cultural key
The metaphor comes from dividing up land. When Israel apportioned territory, plots were assigned by lot and then measured out with a rope or cord, the 'measuring line' (chevel). Where your line fell, and how much it enclosed, determined the inheritance you received. So 'the lines of my boundary have fallen in pleasant places' means: when the land was parceled out, I drew a beautiful lot, a rich, well-watered plot. David turns the surveyor's picture into a statement about God: the LORD Himself is his 'portion' and 'inheritance' (16:5), and no allotment could be better. A modern reader hears vague poetry; the first hearers pictured the day the tribal land was measured and divided.
Recovered meaning
The 'boundary lines' are a surveyor's measuring cords: David says that when life's inheritance was parceled out, he drew a wonderful plot, because his portion is God Himself. It is the language of the land lottery, not vague sentiment.