Psalms 16:4 - Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Their sorrows, &c. Having showed his great respect and affection to the saints and servants of the true God, he now declares what an abhorrence he had for those that worshipped idols, the increase of whose sorrows he foretels, that a consideration thereof might be a means of awakening and converting them to the Lord. That hasten after another God Or, that present to, or endow, (as the verb מהר, mahar, signifies, Exodus 22:16,) another God, namely, with oblations, as it follows. The sense is, Idolaters, notwithstanding all their zeal or cost about their idols, gain nothing to themselves but abundance of sorrow and misery. This he mentions as a reason why he would have no fellowship with them in their idolatrous worship; and also, that by this comparison he might illustrate and commend his own happiness, in having the Lord for his portion, of which he speaks, Psalms 16:5-6. Their drink-offerings of blood Under which he comprehends all their offerings, none of which would he be concerned in offering; but he mentions these particularly, because of the peculiar wickedness implied in these sacrifices, more than in others. For in these, as divers learned men have observed, the heathen used not only to offer, but even to drink part of the blood of their sacrifices, whether of beasts or men, according as either of them were sacrificed. Which must needs have been very hateful to God, because he had so severely forbidden his people to drink or eat blood, either at their sacrifices or at their common meals. By this the psalmist probably meant to convince those Israelites of the greatness of their sin who hankered after idolatry, and made no conscience of maintaining communion with idolaters, (which was the case with many of them in Saul's time,) as well as to justify himself for his detestation of them and of all fellowship with them. Nor take up their names into my lips The names of those other gods mentioned before. I abhor the very name and memory of them. Not that he thought it absolutely unlawful to mention the names of these idols, which is frequently done by holy prophets, but he means thus to express the odiousness of idolatry, by showing his hatred to the very names of idols. Compare Exodus 23:13; Deuteronomy 12:3; Hosea 2:16-17; Ephesians 5:3.