Mazmur 91:2-6

91:2 I say this about the Lord, my shelter and my stronghold,

my God in whom I trust –

91:3 he will certainly rescue you from the snare of the hunter ¹ 

and from the destructive plague.

91:4 He will shelter you ²  with his wings; ³ 

you will find safety under his wings.

His faithfulness is like a shield or a protective wall. ⁴ 

91:5 You need not fear the terrors of the night, ⁵ 

the arrow that flies by day,

91:6 the plague that comes in the darkness,

or the disease that comes at noon. ⁶ 

Mazmur 91:14

91:14 The Lord says, ⁷ 

“Because he is devoted to me, I will deliver him;

I will protect him ⁸  because he is loyal to me. ⁹ 

[91:3]  ¹ tn The word refers specifically to a fowler (or hunter of birds).

[91:4]  ² tn Heb “put a cover over you” (see Ps 5:11).

[91:4]  ³ tc The Hebrew text has the singular, but the plural should be read. The final yod (י) of the suffix, which indicates the plural, has dropped off by haplography (note the yod [י] at the beginning of the next word).

[91:4]  ⁴ tn Traditionally the Hebrew term סֹחֵרָה (sokherah), which occurs only here in the OT, has been understood to refer to a buckler or small shield (see BDB 695 s.v.). But HALOT 750 s.v., on the basis of evidence from the cognate languages, proposes the meaning “wall.”

[91:5]  ⁵ tn This probably alludes to a sneak attack by enemies in the darkness of night (see Song 3:8).

[91:6]  ⁶ sn As in Deut 32:23-24, vv. 5-6 closely associate military attack and deadly disease. Perhaps the latter alludes to one of the effects of siege warfare on the population of an entrapped city, which was especially vulnerable to the outbreak of epidemics.

[91:14]  ⁷ tn The words “the Lord says” are supplied in the translation to clarify that the words which follow are the Lord’s oracle of assurance.

[91:14]  ⁸ tn Or “make him secure” (Heb “set him on high”).

[91:14]  ⁹ tn Heb “because he knows my name” (see Ps 9:10).