Psalm 91:1-6

My Refuge and My Fortress

1 He who dwells in ¹the shelter of the Most High will abide in ²the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say^[a] to the Lord, “My ³refuge and my ⁴fortress, my God, in whom I ⁵trust. ”

3 For he will deliver you from ⁶the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence.

4 He will ⁷cover you with his pinions, and under his ⁸wings you will ⁹find refuge; his ¹⁰faithfulness is ¹¹a shield and buckler.

5 ¹²You will not fear ¹³the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day,

6 nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.

Psalm 91:1-6 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 91

Jarchi and others think this psalm was written by Moses {m}, as was the preceding; but the Targum ascribes it to David; as do the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions; and very probably, as is generally thought, was penned by him on occasion of the pestilence which came upon the people, through his numbering of them, 2Sa 24:1. The person all along spoken of, and to, according to the Targum, is Solomon his son; and, according to the title in the Syriac version, King Hezekiah, so Theodoret, who is called the son of David; neither of which are probable. Some think the Messiah is meant; and that the psalm contains promises of protection and safety to him, as man, from diseases, beasts of prey, evil spirits, and wicked men, under the care of angels; and this not because that Satan has applied one of these promises to him, Mt 4:6, but because they seem better to agree with him than with any other: and one part of the title of the psalm, in the Syriac version, runs thus,

``and spiritually it is called the victory of the Messiah, and of everyone that is perfected by him.''

It seems best to understand it of every godly man, who is always safe under the divine protection. The Talmudisis {n} call it Myegp ryv, "a song of the occursions", or "meetings with evil spirits."

Cross References

• 1. 91:1 See Ps. 32:7
• 2. 91:1 Ps. 121:5; [Isa. 25:4; 32:2]
• 3. 91:2 ver. 9; See Ps. 14:6
• 4. 91:2 See Ps. 18:2
• 5. 91:2 See Ps. 11:1
• 6. 91:3 Ps. 124:7; 140:5; 141:9; Prov. 6:5
• 7. 91:4 [1 Kgs. 8:7]
• 8. 91:4 See Ps. 17:8
• 9. 91:4 Ps. 57:1
• 10. 91:4 See Ps. 36:5
• 11. 91:4 See Ps. 35:2
• 12. 91:5 Prov. 3:23; Isa. 43:1; See Job 5:19-23
• 13. 91:5 Song 3:8

Footnotes

• [a] 91:2 Septuagint 'He will say'