Psalm 91
You Are My Refuge and My Fortress
1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say to the LORD, “You are my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
3 Surely He will deliver you
from the snare of the fowler,
and from the deadly plague.
4 He will cover you with His feathers;
under His wings you will find refuge;
His faithfulness is a shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of the night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the calamity that destroys at noon.
7 Though a thousand may fall at your side,
and ten thousand at your right hand,
no harm will come near you.
8 You will only see it with your eyes
and witness the punishment of the wicked.
9 Because you have made the LORD your dwelling—
my refuge, the Most High—
10 no evil will befall you,
no plague will approach your tent.
11 For He will command His angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
12 They will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and cobra;
you will trample the young lion and serpent.
14 “Because he loves Me, I will deliver him;
because he knows My name, I will protect him.
15 When he calls out to Me,
I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble.
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
and show him My salvation.”
टिप्पणियाँ
- 1 Hebrew Shaddai
- 12 Cited in Matthew 4:6 and Luke 4:10–11
About this passage
Psalm 91 is a 16-verse psalm about taking refuge in God. It speaks of dwelling in the shelter of the Most High, of safety from snares, plague and terror, and of angels given charge over the faithful. In its last verses God himself speaks and promises deliverance to those who love him.
Unlike many neighboring psalms it has no author heading in the Hebrew text. Jewish tradition has sometimes linked it with Moses, who is named in the heading of Psalm 90, while many Christians have read it as David's. Scholars do not agree.
Jews recite it in some bedtime and evening prayers, and Christians turn to it in times of fear or illness. In the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, the tempter quotes verses 11 and 12 to Jesus, which is one reason Christians know the psalm well. Its promises are poetic and devotional, not guarantees of outcome.
- Refuge and shelter
- Protection
- Trust in God
- Fear and danger
Questions
Who wrote Psalm 91?
The text names no author. Some Jewish tradition connects it to Moses because Psalm 90 is attributed to him, and many Christians have assumed David. Scholars regard the authorship as unknown, so any attribution is a tradition rather than a settled fact.
When is Psalm 91 read?
Some Jewish communities say it at bedtime and at the close of the Sabbath, and Christians read it in prayers for protection and in times of anxiety. Customs differ widely, and none is required by the text itself.
Does Psalm 91 promise protection from harm?
Within the poem, yes, but most interpreters read it as devotional language about trust in God, not a guarantee against every danger. The Gospels themselves show the psalm being quoted and then qualified, so it is best read in that wider context.