What Does You Are My Cup Mean in Psalm 16:5?
Short answer
In Psalm 16:5, David says the LORD is the portion of his inheritance and of his cup. Portion is the share of land or goods assigned to a person, and cup stands for whatever fills a person's life, whether blessing or a hard lot.
David names God himself as that share, so the verse teaches that God is what fills and secures his life. The phrase "you are my cup" is a paraphrase, because the King James wording says "the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup."
In Psalm 16:5, David says the LORD is the portion of his inheritance and of his cup, which means God himself is the share that fills and secures his life. The phrase "you are my cup" is a paraphrase of that line, and it does not appear in the King James wording. At Find A Prayer, we write original prayers built on Scripture. The verse is short.
In this verse, portion is the share of land or goods assigned to a person. Cup stands for whatever fills a person's life, whether that is a blessing or a hard lot. David's claim is that the LORD himself is that share. Verse 5 sits inside Psalm 16.
Verse 6 has its own page on this site, so this page stays with verse 5 and the passages that explain it. The sections below cover the surrounding context, the two images, the phrase about God holding David's lot, and how to pray the line today.
The Verse in Its Setting from Psalm 16:1 to 16:11
Psalm 16 begins with a prayer for protection. David writes, "Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust." In verse 2 he speaks to the LORD directly: "Thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not to thee." Verses 7 and 8 describe what the LORD does for David. David says the LORD has given him counsel, and that his reins instruct him in the night seasons.
Verse 5 sits between the opening prayer and those closing words. The psalm keeps returning to God as the one David trusts, and the portion line is one of those returns. Read this way, verse 5 is not a stand-alone slogan.
It is a statement made inside a prayer, and the lines before and after it give it context. Verse 6 continues the thought with words about the lines that have fallen to David, but that verse is not explained on this page.
What the Portion Means in Psalm 16:5
A portion is the share of land or goods assigned to a person. The word tells the reader that something has been given to someone and belongs to them. David uses the word for the LORD, so the share he means is God himself.
The same picture appears in Numbers 18:20. The LORD tells Aaron that he will have no inheritance in the land, and then says, "I am thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel." Aaron is not promised a share of land like the rest of the people in that verse. The LORD becomes his portion instead.
David takes that same idea and applies it to his own life. He does not name the gifts God gives him. He names the LORD as his share.
Other verses use portion in a similar way. Psalm 73:26 says, "God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever." Lamentations 3:24 says, "The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him." In that verse, the word therefore ties the portion to the hope that follows.
What the Cup Means in Psalm 16:5
The cup stands for whatever fills a person's life. A cup can hold a blessing, or it can hold a hard lot. The verse does not limit the cup to one kind of content, so the image covers both.
In David's prayer, the LORD is what fills the cup. David pairs the cup with the portion in the same line. The LORD is the portion of his inheritance and of his cup.
Both images point the same direction, so the cup and the portion each name God as the source of what David has. The cup in this verse is not the cup of suffering or the communion cup. Psalm 16:5 names neither of those, and this page does not read the verse that way.
Psalm 116:13 mentions a different cup: "I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD." Psalm 23:5 uses the word too, where the psalmist writes, "my cup runneth over," in a setting with a table before enemies and oil on the head. Those are separate passages, and each has its own wording and setting.
Thou Maintainest My Lot and God Holds the Share
The second half of verse 5 reads, "thou maintainest my lot." To maintain here means that God holds David's share secure. The lot is the same share the verse has just called the portion, so the line finishes the thought. The sentence is about God's hold on the share. David does not say that he keeps hold of God.
He says that God keeps the share in place. Read this way, the verse places David's security on God's action. Psalm 16:8 expresses the same confidence. David writes that he has set the LORD always before him, and that because the LORD is at his right hand, he shall not be moved.
That verse has its own page on this site. The link to verse 5 is direct: both describe steady trust in God's position in David's life.
Other Verses Where God Is the Portion
Several other passages use the same picture of God as a portion, and each adds a detail. Numbers 18:20 gives the background, as covered above. Psalm 73:26 calls God the strength of the heart and the portion for ever.
Lamentations 3:24 connects the portion to hope. When you compare these verses, look at the words around the portion and the cup. Numbers 18:20 is a statement the LORD makes to a priest.
Psalm 16:5 is part of a prayer. Psalm 73:26 is spoken where the writer's flesh and heart are failing. Lamentations 3:24 is spoken by a soul that declares its hope.
Readers commonly understand the verse as David naming God himself as his share. Readers from different traditions can test that reading against their own church teaching.
Praying Psalm 16:5 Today
A prayer built on this verse can start with the portion. Name God as the share of your life, then name what you are trusting him to hold. The verse gives you words for both.
A short prayer could go like this: "Lord, you are the portion of my life and the one who fills my cup. Hold my lot secure today. I trust you with what I cannot control, and I ask you to keep my steps steady." Say it slowly.
Pause after the words about your lot, and let the sentence about God holding it settle before you go on. Read Psalm 16:5 aloud once. Then pray the portion line in your own words, and let the phrase you are my cup help you remember the verse.
Key Bible verses
- The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage. — Psalm 16:5-6
- And the LORD spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them: I am thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel. — Numbers 18:20
- My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever. — Psalm 73:26
- The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. — Lamentations 3:24
- Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. — Psalm 23:5
Frequently asked questions
What does you are my cup mean in Psalm 16:5?
In Psalm 16:5, the phrase means the LORD is the share that fills David's life. The King James text reads that the LORD is "the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup," so "you are my cup" is a paraphrase of that line, not the wording itself. Portion is the share assigned to a person, and cup stands for what fills a person's life, whether blessing or a hard lot.
What does portion mean in Psalm 16:5?
Portion means the share of land or goods assigned to a person. In this verse, David names the LORD himself as that share, not the gifts God gives. Numbers 18:20 uses the same picture for Aaron, who was told that the LORD was his part and inheritance.
Is the cup in Psalm 16:5 the same as the cup in Psalm 23:5?
Psalm 16:5 uses the cup for what fills a life. Psalm 23:5 says "my cup runneth over" in a setting with a table before enemies. Psalm 116:13 names a different cup, "the cup of salvation."
What does thou maintainest my lot mean?
It means God holds David's share secure. The lot is the share the verse calls the portion. The line places the weight on God's hold, so David's security rests on what God does.
Why does David call the LORD his inheritance?
David calls the LORD his inheritance, and the verse names God as the share that comes to him. The phrase "the portion of mine inheritance" uses both words together. Numbers 18:20 uses the same wording, where the LORD tells Aaron, "I am thy part and thine inheritance."
How can I pray Psalm 16:5 today?
Read the verse aloud, then name God as your portion in your own words. Ask him to hold your lot secure, and thank him for what fills your life, whether it is a blessing or a hard part of the day. The prayer in the section above can serve as a model.