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Wisdom & Poetry · Old Testament

Psalms 91

Psalm 91: under the shadow of the Almighty, from the fowler's snare to God's own promise

General context

The psalm says that the one who dwells in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. A speaker says of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in him will I trust. The address then turns to thee: he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler and the noisome pestilence, cover thee with his feathers, and his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid of the terror by night, the arrow by day, the pestilence in darkness or the destruction at noonday; a thousand shall fall at thy side and ten thousand at thy right hand, but it shall not come nigh thee, and thine eyes shall see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, thy habitation, no evil shall befall thee and no plague come near thy dwelling. He shall give his angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways, and they shall bear thee up in their hands lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread on the lion and adder and trample the young lion and the dragon. The last three verses are God's own words: because he has set his love upon me, I will deliver him and set him on high, because he has known my name; he shall call and I will answer, be with him in trouble, deliver and honour him, satisfy him with long life and shew him my salvation.

Cited passages: Psalms 91:1, Psalms 91:2, Psalms 91:3, Psalms 91:4, Psalms 91:5, Psalms 91:6, Psalms 91:7, Psalms 91:8, Psalms 91:9, Psalms 91:10, Psalms 91:11, Psalms 91:12, Psalms 91:13, Psalms 91:14, Psalms 91:15, Psalms 91:16

Psalms 91 (KJV)

1He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

2I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

3Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.

4He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

5Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;

6Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

7A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.

8Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.

9Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;

10There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

11For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

12They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

13Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.

14Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.

15He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.

16With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.

This page shows the King James Version. In the app, reading opens in the Berean Standard Bible unless you have chosen another translation. The reader includes five translations: the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), the King James Version (KJV), the World English Bible (WEB), the Bible in Basic English (BBE), and the American Standard Version (ASV). Search covers three of them: Berean Standard, King James, and World English. Basic English and American Standard readers search the King James words.

Historical context

This source prints no superscription; the psalm begins with He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High. The voices change without being labelled. Verse 1 speaks of he, verse 2 has an I who calls the Lord my refuge, verses 3 to 13 address thee, verse 9 mixes both with the Lord, which is my refuge, and verses 14 to 16 speak as God, I will deliver him, because he hath known my name. The one addressed is never named, and no occasion is given. The dangers are listed as the fowler's snare, pestilence, terror by night, an arrow by day, destruction at noonday, plague, lion, adder, young lion and dragon; the psalm does not say which of these is literal. There is no Selah. Matthew 4:6 and Luke 4:10 and 11 quote verses 11 and 12: He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Four names for God appear in the first two verses: the most High, the Almighty, the Lord, and my God.

Cited passages: Psalms 91:2, Psalms 91:3, Psalms 91:9, Psalms 91:14, Psalms 91:13, Matthew 4:6, Luke 4:10, Luke 4:11, Psalms 91:1

Literary context

The psalm builds by paired opposites. Night and day, darkness and noonday, a thousand and ten thousand, side and right hand, each pair covers a whole range so that no time or direction is left out. God is a shadow, feathers and wings, then a shield and buckler, so the images move from shelter to armour. The word refuge is spoken twice, by the I of verse 2 and again inside verse 9, so the protected one is told to make the speaker's own refuge his habitation. Verses 11 and 12 turn from what God does to what his angels do, keeping and carrying, and verse 13 gives the protected one an active role, treading and trampling. The final shift to God's own voice changes the grammar from promises about him to promises in the first person, each with its reason: because he hath set his love upon me, because he hath known my name. The psalm ends with the two words that sum it up, long life and salvation.

Cited passages: Psalms 91:5, Psalms 91:6, Psalms 91:7, Psalms 91:4, Psalms 91:9, Psalms 91:12, Psalms 91:13, Psalms 91:14, Psalms 91:16

Key moments

  1. Shadow of the Almighty (Psalms 91:1). The one who dwells in the secret place of the most High abides under God's shadow.
  2. My refuge and my fortress (Psalms 91:2). A speaker declares trust in the Lord as refuge.
  3. Feathers and wings (Psalms 91:4). God covers the protected one like a bird and is shield and buckler.
  4. Not afraid by night or day (Psalms 91:5). Terror, arrow, pestilence and destruction are named as things not to fear.
  5. Angels given charge (Psalms 91:11). God's angels are to keep the protected one in all his ways.
  6. God speaks: I will deliver him (Psalms 91:14). The voice becomes God's, promising deliverance because of love and knowledge of his name.

For reflection

The psalm says a thousand shall fall at thy side and it shall not come nigh thee. How does a reader hold that promise alongside the thousand who fell, whom the psalm mentions but does not speak for?