Psalms · psalm 91 of 150
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Psalm 91 is a poem of trust that describes whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High as protected from the snare, the pestilence, terror and danger, even when thousands fall nearby. It mentions the angels who guard the faithful, and in the last verses God himself speaks, promising to rescue, honor and give long life to the one who holds fast to him in love.
Psalm 91 has no title and follows Psalm 90, the prayer of Moses, in Book IV of the Psalms (Psalms 90-106). If Psalm 90 recognizes that human beings are frail and that the Lord has been their dwelling place in every generation, Psalm 91 develops the same idea: whoever makes God their dwelling place lives in safety. It is one of the psalms most often read in times of fear and sickness.
The poem opens with a general statement: whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. In verse 2 a personal voice answers: the Lord is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust. From verse 3 the psalm speaks to that believer as you and lists dangers: the snare of the fowler, the deadly pestilence, the terror of the night, the arrow by day, the sickness that stalks in darkness and the destruction at noonday. God covers him like a bird with its wings, and his faithfulness is a shield and rampart.
Verse 7 says a thousand may fall at the believer's side without the evil reaching him, and he will see the punishment of the wicked. Verses 9 and 10 repeat the foundation: because he has made the Lord his refuge and dwelling place, no disaster will come near his tent. Verses 11 and 12 add that God will command his angels to guard him in all his ways, so that his foot does not strike a stone. He will tread on the lion and the adder.
In verses 14-16 the speaker changes: it is God himself who promises to rescue the one who holds fast to him in love, set him on high because he knows his name, answer him when he calls, be with him in trouble, deliver and honor him. He will satisfy him with long life and show him his salvation.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High rests in the shadow of the Almighty. The verb dwells speaks of a life of constant trust, not an occasional visit, and the whole psalm unfolds that picture of safety.
God covers the believer with his feathers and under his wings he finds refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and rampart. The picture of a bird protecting its young shows God's close care.
God commands his angels to guard the believer in all his ways and to lift him so that he does not stumble. Satan quoted these verses when tempting Jesus, in Matthew 4:6, but Jesus answered that the Lord must not be put to the test.
Here God speaks: he rescues, protects and answers the one who holds fast to him in love. He promises to be with the believer in trouble and to show him his salvation, and the psalm closes with the Lord's own voice.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: He rests in the shadow of the Almighty. — Psalm 91:1
Answer: That he is his refuge and fortress and his God, in whom he trusts. — Psalm 91:2
Answer: Feathers that cover and wings under which the believer takes refuge. — Psalm 91:4
Answer: The evil will not come near him. — Psalm 91:7
Answer: His angels, who guard him in all his ways. — Psalm 91:11
Answer: God himself; he promises to rescue, answer, be with the believer in trouble and show him his salvation. — Psalm 91:14-16
Psalm 91 invites us to make God a dwelling place and not an emergency shelter. In a small group it can help to talk about what fears stalk us today and what it concretely means to trust the Lord in each of them. The psalm does not promise a life without trials: Jesus himself suffered and died, and believers also go through sickness and loss. It promises God's presence and salvation, not the absence of danger.
It also warns against presumption. Jesus rejected Satan's suggestion to throw himself from the temple by appealing to this psalm, because trusting God is not demanding that he save us from risks we choose ourselves. Whoever loves the Lord seeks him in prayer and obedience and rests in the knowledge that he will keep his promise in his own way and time.
Psalm 91 ends with the voice of God promising salvation to the one who loves him. Psalm 92, a song for the Sabbath day, answers with gratitude: it is good to give thanks to the Lord and sing to his name, and those planted in his house bear fruit even in old age.
In the wilderness Satan quoted verses 11 and 12 to tempt Jesus to throw himself from the pinnacle of the temple (Matthew 4:5-7; Luke 4:9-12). Jesus answered with Deuteronomy 6:16: you shall not put the Lord your God to the test. It is a warning not to use a Bible text outside its context.
No. The psalm expresses trust in God's protection, but the Bible also shows faithful believers who suffer, fall ill or die. What the psalm assures is God's presence, his care and final salvation, not the absence of every trial in this life.
The text does not say, and there is no title. Most likely more than one voice is heard: a teacher or believer instructing in verses 1 and 3-13, the believer himself confessing in verse 2, and God himself promising in verses 14-16.