Psalm 91
"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High"
Psalm of protection
Late 8th century ivory plaque withChrist treading on the beasts, illustrating verse 13. FromGenoelselderen (in present-day Belgium).[1]
Other name	Psalm 90 "Qui habitat"
Language	Hebrew (original)

Psalm 91 is the 91st psalm of theBook of Psalms, beginning in English in theKing James Version: "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." In the slightly different numbering system used in the GreekSeptuagint and LatinVulgate translations of the Bible, this psalm isPsalm 90. In Latin, it is known as 'Qui habitat".^[2] As a psalm of protection, it is commonly invoked in times of hardship. Though no author is mentioned in the Hebrew text of this psalm, Jewish tradition ascribes it toMoses, withDavid compiling it in hisBook of Psalms. TheSeptuagint translation attributes it toDavid.

The psalm forms a regular part ofJewish,Catholic,Eastern Orthodox,Lutheran,Anglican and other Protestant liturgies. The complete psalm and selected verses have often been set to music, notably byHeinrich Schütz andFelix Mendelssohn, who used verses for his motetDenn er hat seinen Engeln befohlen. The psalm has been paraphrased inhymns. The psalm was originally written in theHebrew language. Itis divided into 16 verses.

TheMidrash states that Psalm 91 was composed byMoses on the day he completed the building of theTabernacle in the desert. The verses describe Moses's own experience entering the Tabernacle: "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty".^[3]Midrash Tehillim andZohar teach that Moses composed this psalm while ascending into the cloud hovering overMount Sinai, at which time he recited these words as protection from the angels of destruction.^[4]

In Jewish thought, Psalm 91 conveys the themes of God's protection and rescue from danger.^[5] TheTalmud (Shevu'ot 15b) records opinions calling this psalm the "song of evil spirits" and the "song of plagues" ("shir shel pega'im" and "shir shel nega'im," respectively), for "one who recites it with faith in God will be helped by Him in time of danger".^[3] Since the times of theGeonim, this psalm was recited todrive away demons and evil spirits.^[6] According tomidrashim, the psalm references many types of demons that threaten man, including the "Terror", "Arrow", "Pestilence", and "Destruction" mentioned in verses 5–6.^[7] The psalm was written inamulets by both Jews and Christians from theLate Antique period.^[8][9] According to the Talmud (Shevu'ot 15b), the subsequent verse, verse 7 ("A thousand shall fall at your side," etc.) is a reference to the demons which would perish upon recitation of this psalm. In the same vein, Psalm 91 was included as one of the "Four Psalms Against Demons" inDead Sea Scroll 11QapocrPs, the other three psalms being previously unknown, which are thought to have been used by the Qumran community for exorcisms.^[10][11]

Modern-day Christians see the psalm as a source of comfort and protection, even in times of suffering.^[12] CommentatorAlexander Kirkpatrick holds that

This exquisite Psalm may no doubt simply describe the security of the godly man under Jehovah’s protection amid the perils of his journey through life. But it gains in point and force if it is regarded as addressed to Israel in a crisis of its history.^[12]

Verse 13, in theKing James Version "Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet", was the origin of theiconography ofChrist treading on the beasts, seen in theLate Antique period and revived inCarolingian andAnglo-Saxon art.

• Verses 11 and 12 are quoted by thedevil during thetemptation of Christ inMatthew 4:6 andLuke4:10–11.^[12]
• Verse 13 is quoted inLuke10:19.^[12]

Psalm 91 is prominent in Jewish liturgy and ritual. It is recited during thePesukei Dezimra in theShabbat,Yom Tov, and, in many communities, onHoshana Rabbah morning services.^[3] It is also recited after theevening prayer onMotza'ei Shabbat^[13][14] and during the nightlyBedtime Shema.^[14][15] In the contemporary custom, verse 16 is recited twice in each of these prayers,^[16] although the older Ashkenazic practice was to recite it twice only at the conclusion of the Sabbath.^[17] According toMachzor Vitry, the verse is doubled to complete the spelling of aname of God.^[18]

Psalm 91 is recited seven times during a burial ceremony. As the casket bearers approach the grave, they stop every few feet, repeating the psalm. In the case of the burial of a woman, the casket bearers do not stop the procession, but they do repeat the psalm seven times.

Verse 11 of the psalm is recited by some after the liturgical poemShalom Aleichem at the Friday night meal.^[14]

Psalm 91 is often recited as a prayer for protection.^[19] Some say it before embarking on a journey.^[14][20]

InWestern Christianity it is often sung or recited during services ofCompline.^[21]The psalm forms part of theBenedictine rite of the daily evening prayer Compline.^[22] After theReform of the Roman Breviary by Pope Pius X it was only used on Sundays and Solemnities. In theLiturgy of the Hours it is part of Compline on the eve of Sunday and Solemnities.

In theRevised Common Lectionary (Year C)^[23] the psalm is appointed for the first Sunday in Lent, linking it to thetemptation of Christ, where the devil quotes this psalm.

In the medieval Western Church it was included in the readings forGood Friday.

In theEastern Orthodox Church, Psalm 90 (Psalm 91 in the Masoretic Text) is read daily at theSixth Hour. It is part of the twelfthKathisma division of the Psalter, read atVespers on Wednesday evenings, as well as on Tuesdays and Thursdays duringLent, atMatins and theNinth Hour, respectively. It is also read atGreat Compline and at theFuneral service.^[24]

In theAgpeya, theCoptic Church'sbook of hours, this psalm is prayed in the office ofSext,^[25] as well as the first watch of theMidnight office.^[26] It is also in the prayer of the Veil, which is generally prayed only by monks.^[27]

The 1972 hymn in German, "Wer unterm Schutz des Höchsten steht", is a paraphrase of Psalm 91. "On Eagle's Wings" is a hymn composed byMichael Joncas in 1979, loosely based on this psalm.^[28]

Heinrich Schütz set a German metred version of Psalm 91 in theBecker Psalter, published in 1628,Wer sich des Höchsten Schirm vertraut, SWV 189.

Dmitry Bortniansky set Psalm 91 as Concerto No. 21 of his Choruses in Old Church Slavonic,Zhyvyi v pomoshshi Vyshnjago ("He That Dwelleth").Felix Mendelssohn composed an eight-part motet based on verse 11 in German,Denn er hat seinen Engeln befohlen, and included it in his 1846 oratorioElijah. Movement 9 of Benjamin Britten'sThe Company of Heaven, a major choral composition with soloists and orchestra first aired in 1937, sets verses 1, 9–13 fora cappella choir. with the densest vocal texture within the work for eight voices.^[29]

Polish composerJózef Elsner set the three last verses of as an offertorio,Quoniam in me speravit, Op.30, published c. 1829.^[30]

Josquin des Prez set the psalm as a motet for four and one for twenty four voices.^{[31][circular reference]}

Psalm 91 is known as the Soldier's Psalm or Soldier's Prayer.^[32] Camouflagebandanas imprinted with the psalm are often distributed to US troops.^[32][33][34]

Sinéad O'Connor's debut albumThe Lion and the Cobra includes a recitation of verses 11–13 inIrish by singerEnya on the song "Never Get Old".^[35]

Canadian metal bandCryptopsy references verses 5–8 of the psalm in their song "The Pestilence That Walketh in Darkness" on their 2005 albumOnce Was Not.^[36]

Brazilian-American metal bandSoulfly recited the psalm inPortuguese on the bonus track "Salmo-91" on their fifth albumDark Ages.^[37]

TheJerry Garcia Band quotes verses 5–6 in its song "My Sisters and Brothers".

Madonna references Psalm 91 in "Virgin Mary (Intro)" on her 2012The MDNA Tour.^[38]

The psalm is recited in its entirety in the final boss of the second chapter ofFaith: The Unholy Trinity.

Psalm 91 features in the 1990 short story "The Fenstanton Witch" byM. R. James.^[39][40]

The classic horror storyNegotium Perambulans byE.F. Benson takes its title from part of the Latin rendition of verse six of Psalm 91 in reference to "the pestilence that walketh in darkness",^[41] the story being an account of a slug-like,vampiric demon thatfears light and haunts an isolated fishing village in westernmost Cornwall.^[42]

"Negotium perambulans in tenebris" from the ninety-first Psalm. We should find it translated there, "the pestilence that walketh in darkness," which but feebly rendered the Latin. It was more deadly to the soul than any pestilence that can only kill the body: it was the Thing, the Creature, the Business that trafficked in the outer Darkness, a minister of God's wrath on the unrighteous. . . .

E.F. BensonNegotium Perambulans^[43]

The following table shows the Hebrew text^[44][45] of the Psalm with vowels, alongside theKoine Greek text in theSeptuagint^[46] and the English translation from theKing James Version. Note that the meaning can slightly differ between these versions, as the Septuagint and theMasoretic Text come from different textual traditions.^{[note 1]} In the Septuagint, this psalm is numbered Psalm 90.

I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress;

My God, in Him I will trust".^[47]

Kirkpatrick notes that the use of the firstperson in this verse and the first part of verse 9, followed in each case by the second person, is "somewhat perplexing". Many commentators argue that the text is corrupt and amend it. Kirkpartick argues that "The two occurrences of the first person mutually support one another. If the interpretation suggested above is adopted [that the text is addressed to Israel], Psalm 91:1–2 [and] Psalm 91:9a will be the profession of the Psalmist’s faith, on the strength of which he addresses to Israel the comforting words of Psalm 91:3 ff. [and] Psalm 91:9b ff."^[12]

• Horowitz, Shimon Halevi (1923).Machzor Vitry (in Hebrew) (reprint ed.).
• Kaplan, Rabbi Aryeh (1990).Innerspace: Introduction to Kabbalah, Meditation and Prophecy. Moznaim.
• Kraus, Thomas J. (2009),"'He That Dwelleth in the Help of the Highest': Septuagint Psalm 90 and the Iconographic Program on Byzantine Armbands", in Evans, Craig A.; Zacharias, H. Daniel (eds.),Jewish and Christian Scripture as Artifact and Canon, Bloomsbury Publishing, p. 139,ISBN 978-0-56735188-3
• Matt, Daniel Chanan, ed. (2004).The Zohar. Vol. 1. Stanford University Press.ISBN 978-0-80474747-9.
• Reif, Stefan C. (2004),"The Bible in Jewish Life and Thought", in Berlin, Adele; Brettler, Marc Zvi (eds.),The Jewish Study Bible, Oxford University Press,ISBN 978-0-19529751-5
• Ruth, Peggy Joyce (2012).Psalm 91 Military Edition: God's Shield of Protection. Charisma Media.ISBN 978-1-61638708-2.
• Scherman, Rabbi Nosson (2003).The Complete Artscroll Siddur (3rd ed.).Mesorah Publications.ISBN 978-0-89906650-9.
• Schiffman, Lawrence H., ed. (1992).Hebrew and Aramaic Incantation Texts from the Cairo Genizah. A&C Black.ISBN 978-1-85075285-1.
• Würthwein, Ernst (1995).The Text of the Old Testament. Translated by Rhodes, Erroll F. Grand Rapids, MI:William B. Eerdmans.ISBN 0-8028-0788-7. RetrievedJanuary 26, 2019.

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Psalm 91

• Pieces with text from Psalm 91: Scores at theInternational Music Score Library Project
• Psalm 91: Free scores at theChoral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)
• Text of Psalm 91 according to the1928 Psalter
• Psalms Chapter 91 text in Hebrew and English, mechon-mamre.org
• Psalm 91 – The Assurance of those Who Trust in God text and detailed commentary, enduringword.com
• You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shade of the Almighty text and footnotes, usccb.org United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
• Psalm 91:1 introduction and text, biblestudytools.com
• Psalm 91 / Refrain: Bless the Lord, O my soul.Church of England
• Psalm 91 at biblegateway.com
• Hymns for Psalm 91 hymnary.org

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