Psalm 91 is for many the most powerful and miraculous prayer in the Holy Scriptures.
This sought-after and recurrent work lacks a title and its authorship remains a mystery to this day. Some attribute it to King David, while others prefer Moses.
Be that as it may, we are before a poetic composition of praise to the Creator solid, beautiful, elevated… All adjectives fall short to describe the glorious tone of Psalm 91, which undoubtedly represents the apogee of faith.
Psalm 91 complete in English (bible reina-valera)
Catholic Psalm 91 in audio
You can see for yourself below.
Psalm 91 complete Catholic Psalm 91 in large print
1Whodwells in the shelter of the Most High
He will dwell under the shadow of the Almighty.2 I will say to the LORD, My hope and my fortress;
My God, in whom I will trust.3 He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler,
Of the destructive plague.4 With his feathers he will cover you,
And under its wings you will be safe;
Shield and buckler is his truth.5 Thou shalt not fear the terror of the night,
Nor an arrow that flies by day,6 Nor pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor mortality that in the middle of the day destroys.7 A thousand shall fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it will not reach you.8 Surely with thine eyes shalt thou behold
And you will see the reward of the wicked.9 For thou hast set Jehovah, who is my hope,
To the Most High for your room,10 No evil shall befall you,
No plague shall touch your dwelling.11 For he will command his angels concerning you,
May they keep you in all your ways.12 In their hands they will carry you,
So that your foot does not stumble over a stone.13 Upon the lion and the asp thou shalt tread;
You will tread the lion’s cub and the dragon.14 Because he has set his love on me, I will also deliver him;
I will set him on high, inasmuch as he has known my name.15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him;
With him I will be in anguish;
I will deliver him and glorify him.16 I will satisfy him with long life,
And I will show you my salvation.
Meaning of Psalm 91 verse by verse
Verse 1: “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty”.
Through prayer and the reading of the Word we can strengthen our faith, thanks to which we will access that spiritual space in which God protects us; that place of peace and security in which the Creator gives us the shelter of His shade from the scorching sun of our worries and burdens.
Verse 2: “I will say to the Lord, ‘My hope and my fortress, my God, in whom I will trust.
We proclaim the Lord as our hope and protection. We express God’s lordship over all things and place our unconditional trust in Him through our strong faith.
Verse 3: “
He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler, from the destroying pestilence”.
The “snare of the fowler” is a metaphor referring to the wiles of the evil one manifested through evil intentions, temptations, envy… In short, sin. These are traps into which we will not fall if we follow the guidance of the Most High.
In this verse we are also given the promise of healing, by pointing out that God will deliver us from the destructive plague.
Verse 4: “With his feathers he will cover you, and under his wings you will be safe;
shield and buckler is his truth”.
The Lord protects us with the tenacity and tenderness of a bird protecting its chicks, giving us the security we need in the face of any threat, but at the same time correcting and disciplining us if necessary.
In addition, our faith makes us impregnable by acting as a powerful shield or adarga (an oval or heart-shaped leather shield used for defense).
Verse 5: “Thou shalt not fear terror by night, nor the arrow that flieth by day”.
The psalmist again uses a warlike language to establish an analogy between this arrow and the calamities we face every day. In the same way that it refers to night terror to express the warrior’s fear the night before the battle.
Whatever our situation, we will be protected by God through our faith.
Verse 6: “Nor pestilence that walks in darkness, and no pestilence that in the midst of the day destroys”.
As in verse 3, the psalmist reminds us that in God we will find healing and cure, even in the face of the abundant epidemics and diseases of the time.
Verse 7: “A thousand shall fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not come near you.
God guarantees us physical and spiritual protection even in the most difficult and dangerous moments. If we follow its path, we will remain upright in the face of any plague or threat.
Verse 8: “Surely with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked”.
Those who turn away from the way of the Lord in exchange for fleeting and illusory pleasures, will lose the guarantee of Salvation. God is wisdom and justice, and gives us the reward or punishment we deserve according to our actions.
Verse 9: “For thou hast set the LORD, who is my hope, the Most High for your habitation”.
The Lord is mercy and goodness. Anyone who strays from their path will always have the possibility of redirecting their life towards God.
Verse 10: “No evil shall befall you, and no plague shall touch your dwelling place.
God protects us in the face of adversity, but not only us, but also our families.
Verses 11-12: “For he will command his angels concerning you, to keep you in all your ways. In their hands they will carry you, so that your foot will not stumble over a stone.”
To God’s unconditional protection is added the help of his angels. Have you ever come out ahead in the face of an adverse situation without being able to explain very well how you did it? It may have been thanks to an angel. Angels can take various forms as persons or events and are God’s envoys to his faithful to triumph in the face of danger.
Verse 13: “Thou shalt tread upon the lion and the asp; You shall trample on the lion’s whelp and the dragon”.
Lions, serpents and dragons symbolize evil and appear throughout the Holy Scriptures on several occasions. What this verse conveys to us again is the security that God provides us in the face of any threat.
If we take into account the date and place in which Psalm 91 was written, these dangers could be taken as literal.
Verse 14: “Because he has set his love on me, I will also deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known my name”.
This verse could be interpreted in two ways. In the first, God elevates his faithful so that evil cannot touch them. The second is the promise of salvation for those who love the Lord. For them shall be the Kingdom of Heaven.
Verse 15: “He shall call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and glorify him”.
Freedom and glory are within the reach of those who honor God through their prayers and reflect Christian values in their daily behaviors.
Verse 16: “I will satisfy him with long life, and I will show him my salvation”.
The last verse of Psalm 91 follows the line of the previous two verses. In it, God promises long life to those who place their faith in Him.
Recitation of Psalm 91 in large print
Before proceeding further, we want to make it clear that whenever we can do so, the most powerful and beneficial thing for us is to recite the original Psalm 91. If we dedicate the necessary time and effort we will soon be able to memorize it and have it always with us.
In the meantime, there is no problem reading it directly from the Bible or even using prayers like this one below.
The following prayer has been composed from Psalm 91 in order to make it more easily memorized and articulated in a manner more accessible to the majority of devotees.
Without further ado, we leave you with the Prayer of Psalm 91:
“Lord, my father who allows me to dwell in the shelter of the most great, of God, my lord for I know that I will dwell at all times and in all places under the shadow of the most high, almighty God.
I will cry out and tell the LORD that hope is mine and will live in me forever, and prayer at all times will be my castle and refuge. My God, he is the only one in whom I will be able to trust until I am received into his arms, for he will deliver me from all evil and people who want to destroy me, because I believe only in him.
The Lord will send his angels, who with their feathers will know how to take care of me and guide me even when I have my free will. I will fear nothing, for at all times with God I can do all things, the enemy will fall at my side and all those who dare to mess with me will fall at my right hand. I know that with God, my Lord, my shepherd, he will know how to guide my decisions and hope will dwell in my heart.
I only know that in God I can do everything because being in his arms, I will surrender my heart and be in the care of the angels and archangels by my side, I will be full of blessings, I know that they will take me to your shelter and that even in my last breaths you will be present to then open my arms like a son who runs to embrace his father whom he has not seen, my refuge of salvation is you Lord, Amen!”.
Remember that, although any time is a good time to pray Psalm 91, it is best to do it first thing in the morning so that its power will accompany you for the rest of the day, and before going to sleep to enjoy a deep and restful sleep.
Turn to Psalm 91 when you need to:
- To ward off bad luck.
- Regain strength.
- Protect yourselves and your family.
- Stay away from the influence of negative people.
- Strengthen your faith.
- To enjoy abundance and prosperity.
- Gain confidence and self-esteem.
Psalm 91 song (NKJV)
To say goodbye we leave you the following recommendations to follow with beautiful psalms, such as Psalm 37 or Psalm 1. If you also want to improve your mood, there is no better way to do it with our selection of encouraging verses.
We hope that our articles will help you to grow personally with the help of the Holy Scriptures and the words of Jesus Christ.
Farewell! See you in the next articles!