Psalm 91 is a psalm of trust that promises God's protection to the person who makes Him their home: "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty" (Psalm 91:1). It pictures God as a fortress and as a bird covering its young with its wings, and it ends with God's own promise: "I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him" (Psalm 91:15). It is a promise of God's care and ultimate safety, not a guarantee that believers will never suffer; Jesus refused to use it to test God when Satan quoted it (Matthew 4:6-7).
Psalm 91 is one of the Bible's great protection psalms. Soldiers have carried it into battle, often called the Soldier's Psalm, and families have prayed it over children, hospital beds and homes in the middle of storms and epidemics. Its pictures are vivid: a secret place, a fortress, sheltering wings, angels with outstretched hands. It is also one of the few psalms that Satan quoted, when he tempted Jesus to throw Himself from the top of the temple. That moment teaches us how to read it. Psalm 91 is a song for people who trust God, not a formula to force God's hand. Christians who love this psalm still get sick and still die, as the psalmists themselves knew. Its promise is deeper than a safe life: no evil can finally separate those who dwell in God from His care, and He will be with them in every trouble. This page goes through the psalm in twelve readings in the King James Version, with a note on each. For more verses on the theme, see Bible verses about protection and Bible verses for the military.
The secret place of the most High (Psalm 91:1-6)
1. Psalms 91:1
"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty."
The psalm opens with a description of a person and a place: He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. To dwell is to live somewhere, not to visit now and then. The secret place is a hidden shelter, a place of close fellowship with God. The promise is that those who live there abide under the shadow, the shade and protection, of the Almighty, El Shaddai. Psalm 91 is first about where we live, and only then about what God does for us.
2. Psalms 91:2
"I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust."
Now the psalmist speaks for himself: I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Verse 1 described the person who dwells in God. Verse 2 shows how to become that person: by saying it, choosing to trust. Refuge and fortress were military words, a place you run to when enemies come. The psalm uses four names for God in two verses: most High, Almighty, LORD and God. Each adds a reason to trust Him. See Bible verses about trusting God.
3. Psalms 91:3-4
"Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler."
Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. A fowler set hidden traps for birds, a picture of dangers we cannot see. Noisome pestilence means deadly disease. Then one of the tenderest images in the Bible: He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust. God is pictured as a mother bird sheltering her chicks. Jesus used the same picture when He wept over Jerusalem (Matthew 23:37). His truth shall be thy shield and buckler: His faithfulness is our armor.
4. Psalms 91:5-6
"Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday."
Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day. The psalm covers every hour: night and day, darkness and noon. Night terrors and sudden arrows, the pestilence that walketh in darkness and the destruction that wasteth at noonday. Notice the promise is first about fear: thou shalt not be afraid. Whatever comes, those who trust God do not have to be ruled by dread. This is why so many people read Psalm 91 aloud at night. See Bible verses about fear.
A thousand shall fall at thy side (Psalm 91:7-13)
5. Psalms 91:7-8
"A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked."
A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. This is the verse that made Psalm 91 the soldier's psalm. It pictures a battlefield or plague where many fall, and the one who trusts God stands. Read alone, it can sound like a promise of immunity. Read with the whole Bible, it is a promise that the judgment falling on the wicked will not fall on God's people: Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. God's people are on the other side of that judgment.
6. Psalms 91:9-10
"Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling."
Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. The promise is again tied to dwelling: making the LORD your habitation, your home. How do we hold this together with the fact that faithful Christians suffer illness and loss? Paul answers in Romans 8: nothing, not tribulation or peril or sword, can separate us from God's love (Romans 8:35-39). No evil can finally harm the one whose life is hidden in God.
7. Psalms 91:11-12
"For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone."
For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. God commands His angels to guard those who trust Him. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone, like a parent catching a child before he falls on a rocky path. Hebrews says angels are ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation (Hebrews 1:14). These are the verses Satan quoted to Jesus, and that is why the last reading on this page matters. See Bible verses about angels.
8. Psalms 91:13
"Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet."
Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. The lion attacks openly, the adder strikes from hiding. Dragon here likely means a great serpent. These are pictures of every kind of danger, open and hidden, and especially of evil powers. Jesus told His disciples He had given them power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19). Christians read this verse as a promise of victory over evil through Christ, who crushed the serpent's head.
Because he hath set his love upon me (Psalm 91:14-16)
9. Psalms 91:14
"Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name."
In the last three verses, God Himself speaks: Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him. The psalm has been about our trust; now it is about our love. To set your love on someone is to cling to them. I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. To know God's name is to know who He is and to have a relationship with Him. Psalm 91 is not a protection spell for anyone who recites it. It is God's personal promise to those who love Him.
10. Psalms 91:15
"He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him."
He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. Notice the phrase with him in trouble. God does not promise His people will never be in trouble. He promises He will be with them in it. That is the most important line for reading the whole psalm. Daniel's friends were not kept out of the furnace; God was with them in the fire (Daniel 3:25). The deliverance may come in this life or in the next, but it will come. See Bible verses about deliverance.
11. Psalms 91:16
"With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation."
With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation. The psalm ends with satisfaction and salvation. Long life was a real blessing in Israel, and many believers enjoy it. But the deepest fulfilment is the life that never ends. The last word is salvation, the same word that gives Jesus His name. Those who dwell in the secret place of the most High will be satisfied in the end, and they will see God's salvation in full.
12. Matthew 4:6-7
"And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, 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. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God."
When Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, he took Jesus to the top of the temple and quoted Psalm 91:11-12: If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee. He wanted Jesus to use the promise to force God to act. Jesus answered with Deuteronomy 6:16: It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. This is the key to reading Psalm 91 well. It is a promise to trust, not a dare to test God by taking needless risks.
A short prayer
Most High God, I want to dwell in Your secret place and abide under the shadow of the Almighty. You are my refuge and my fortress; in You I will trust. Cover me with Your feathers, and let Your truth be my shield. When I am afraid at night or troubled by day, remind me that You are with me in trouble. Keep me from testing You, and teach me to love You and know Your name. Show me Your salvation. Amen.
Go deeper: a SOAP study prompt
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Frequently asked questions
What is the meaning of Psalm 91?
Psalm 91 means that those who trust God and make Him their home are under His protection and care. It pictures God as a refuge, a fortress and a mother bird sheltering her young, and promises that He will be with His people in trouble and deliver them. It is a song of trust, not a guarantee that believers will never suffer, as Jesus showed when He refused Satan's misuse of it.
Does Psalm 91 promise that Christians will never get sick?
No. Psalm 91 promises God's care and presence, but the rest of Scripture shows faithful believers who suffered illness and danger, like Paul's friend Epaphroditus, who was sick nigh unto death (Philippians 2:27). The psalm's own words are "I will be with him in trouble" (Psalm 91:15). Its promise is that no evil can finally separate us from God, and that He will deliver us in this life or the next.
Why is Psalm 91 called the Soldier's Psalm?
Psalm 91 is often called the Soldier's Psalm because of verse 7, "A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand" (Psalm 91:7), and its language of fortress, shield and arrows. Soldiers in many wars have carried it with them, and stories are told of units that prayed it daily. See Bible verses for the military.
Who wrote Psalm 91?
Psalm 91 has no title in the Hebrew Bible, so its author is not named. Jewish tradition often credits it to Moses, because Psalm 90, just before it, is called a prayer of Moses, and the two psalms share themes. Others suggest David. The psalm is written so that anyone who trusts God can pray it as their own.
Sources: All Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV), public domain in the United States. References were checked against the KJV text from bible-api.com.
Related: Protection · Military · Fear · Angels · Deliverance · Trusting God · El Shaddai meaning · Psalm 46 KJV
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