Psalms 91:4

He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
cover	יָ֣סֶךְ Ya.sekh	H5526	properly · verb, hiphil jussive, 3rd person masculine singular
feathers	בְּאֶבְרָת֨וֹ be.'ev.ra.To	H84	a pinion · preposition + noun, common feminine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
wings	כְּנָפָ֣יו ke.na.Fav	H3671	an edge or extremity · noun, common feminine dual construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
trust	תֶּחְסֶ֑ה tech.Seh	H2620	to flee for protection · verb, qal imperfect, 2nd person masculine singular
truth	אֲמִתּֽוֹ 'a.mi.To	H571	stability · noun, common feminine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
shield	צִנָּ֖ה tzi.Nah	H6793	a hook (as pointed) · noun, common feminine singular absolute
buckler	וְֽסֹחֵרָ֣ה ve.so.che.Rah	H5507	something surrounding the person · conjunction + noun, common feminine singular absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Psalms 61:4 I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah.
Psalms 57:1 Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until…
Psalms 17:8 Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings,
Deuteronomy 32:11 As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings:
Isaiah 43:1-2 But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called…
Psalms 35:2 Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for mine help.
Matthew 23:37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy child…
Genesis 15:1 After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great rewar…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Psalms 91:1-8

In these verses we have, I. A great truth laid down in general, That all those who live a life of communion with God are constantly safe under his protection, and may therefore preserve a holy serenity and security of mind at all times (Psa 91:1): He that dwells, that sits down, in the secret place of the Most High, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty; he that by faith chooses God for his guardian shall find all that in him which he needs or can desire. Note, 1. It is the character of a true believer that he dwells in the secret place of the Most High; he is at home in God, returns to God, and reposes in him as his rest; he acquaints himself with inward religion, and makes heart-wor…

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John Gill on Psalms 91:4

He shall cover thee with his feathers,.... As birds do their young, who cannot cover themselves: this they do from a tender regard to them, whereby they both keep them warm, and protect them from those that would hurt them: this represents the helpless state of the children of God, who are, like to young birds, weak and unable to defend themselves: the tender regard of God unto them, as the eagle and other birds have to their young; see Deuteronomy 32:11 and the warmth and comforts souls have, as well as protection, under his powerful and gracious presence; he comforts them under their tribulations, as well as defends them from their enemies: and under his wings shalt thou trust; See Gill o…

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John Calvin on Psalms 91:1-4

Psalm 91:1-4 1. He that dwelleth in the secret place of the High One shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2. I will say to Jehovah, He is my hope and my fortress: my God; in him will I hope. 3. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, from the noxious pestilence. 4. He shall protect thee with his wings, and under his feathers shalt thou be safe; his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. 1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the High One. Some Hebrew interpreters read the three first verses as one continuous sentence, down to the words, he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler The whole would then run thus -- "He who dwells in the covert of the Most…

The Church Fathers

His truth shall surround you with a shield: that is, you shall be encircled round about with truth.
— Jerome, Homily 68, on Psalm 90 (Alternate Series)

With His shoulders He shall overshadow you. Who shall overshadow? Surely the God of heaven, as a hen her chicks, and as an eagle its nest. Hence also in the song of Deuteronomy it is said that He carried the people of Israel upon His shoulders, and protected them as an eagle. It can also be understood of the Savior, that upon His cross He protected us with His wings. And under His feathers you shall hope. "All the day long I have stretched forth my hands to a people that did not believe and that contradicted me." The hands of the Lord raised to heaven did not ask for help, but were protecting us wretches.
— Jerome, Homily 68, on Psalm 90 (Alternate Series)

When the great David heard and understood this, he [David] said to him "who dwells in the shelter of the most High; He will overshadow you with his shoulders," which is the same as being behind God (for the shoulder is on the back of the body). Concerning himself David says, "My soul clings close to you, your right hand supports me." You see how Psalms agree with the history. For as the one says that the right hand is a help to the person who has joined himself close behind God, so the other says that the hand touches the person who waits in the rock on the divine voice and prays that he might follow behind.
— Gregory of Nyssa, LIFE OF MOSES 250

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Armour — Is employed in the English Bible to denote military equipment, both offensive and defensive. (1.) The offensive weapons were different at different periods of history. The “rod of iron” (Ps. 2:9) is…
Buckler — (1.) A portable shield (2 Sam. 22:31; 1 Chr. 5:18). (2.) A shield surrounding the person; the targe or round form; used once figuratively (Ps. 91:4). (3.) A large shield protecting the whole body…
Protection · Is vouchsafed to saints in: All dangers — Is vouchsafed to saints in: All dangers
Providence Of God, The · Is exercised in: Protecting saints — Is exercised in: Protecting saints
Shield · .Of God’ s truth — .Of God’ s truth
Shields · Illustrative of: Truth of God — Illustrative of: Truth of God
Sickness · God: Preserves saints in time of — God: Preserves saints in time of
Testimony · RELIGIOUS, EXEMPLIFIED — RELIGIOUS, EXEMPLIFIED

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Psalms 91:4

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Psalms 91:1-8

John Gill on Psalms 91:4

John Calvin on Psalms 91:1-4

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Psalms 91:4

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Psalms 91:1-8

John Gill on Psalms 91:4

John Calvin on Psalms 91:1-4

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Keil & Delitzsch on Psalms 91:3-8

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Psalms 91:4

Spurgeon's Treasury of David on Psalms 91:4