Psalm 16:4
“Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god: their drink offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips.”
KJV
Read in Psalm 16Meaning
The multiplying sorrows attached to rival gods lead the speaker to refuse their libations and names in worship; the verse is about covenant loyalty, not permission to persecute or coerce people of other religions.
Refuge, exclusive loyalty, and the community of the faithful
Verses 1–4 move from a plea for preservation and refuge to confession of loyalty to the LORD, delight in the holy ones, and rejection of rival worship without authorizing coercion against other people.
Read carefully
The multiplying sorrows attached to rival gods lead the speaker to refuse their libations and names in worship; the verse is about covenant loyalty, not permission to persecute or coerce people of other religions. Keep the verse inside its literary unit.
Reflection
Let this verse deepen refuge and loyalty to God without turning poetic confidence into a guarantee of comfort, superiority, or immunity from suffering.