Psalms 91 · Verse 4

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.
Psalms 91:4, King James Version

Psalms 91:4 in other translations

BSBHe will cover you with His feathers; under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and rampart.
WEBHe will cover you with his feathers. Under his wings you will take refuge. His faithfulness is your shield and rampart.
ASVHe will cover thee with his pinions, And under his wings shalt thou take refuge: His truth is a shield and a buckler.
YLTWith His pinion He covereth thee over, And under His wings thou dost trust, A shield and buckler is His truth.
DARBYHe shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou find refuge: his truth is a shield and buckler.
BBEYou will be covered by his feathers; under his wings you will be safe: his good faith will be your salvation.
WebsterHe shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

What does Psalms 91:4 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
4. For the first figure compare De 32:11; Mt 23:37. buckler--literally, "surrounding"--that is, a kind of shield covering all over.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 4 He shall cover thee with his feathers - He shall act towards thee as the hen does to her brood, - take thee under his wings when birds of prey appear, and also shelter thee from chilling blasts. This is a frequent metaphor in the sacred writings; see Psa 17:8 (note), Psa 57:1 (note), Psa 61:4 (note), and the notes on them. The Septuagint has Εν τοις μεταφρενοις αυτου επισκιασει σοι· He will overshadow thee between his shoulders; alluding to the custom of parents carrying their weak or sick children on their backs, and having them covered even there with a mantle. Thus the Lord is represented carrying the Israelites in the wilderness. See Deu 32:11-12 (note), where the metaphor is taken from the eagle. His truth shall be thy shield and buckler - His revelation; his Bible. That truth contains promises for all times and circumstances; and these will be invariably fulfilled to him that trusts in the Lord. The fulfillment of a promise relative to defense and support is to the soul what the best shield is to the body.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Psalms 91:1-8

He that by faith chooses God for his protector, shall find all in him that he needs or can desire. And those who have found the comfort of making the Lord their refuge, cannot but desire that others may do so. The spiritual life is protected by Divine grace from the temptations of Satan, which are as the snares of the fowler, and from the contagion of sin, which is a noisome pestilence. Great security is promised to…

Read the full comment on Psalms 91:1-8 →

Psalms 91:4 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

בְּאֶבְרָת֨וֹ\׀be.'ev.ra.Towith pinion hisH84
יָ֣סֶךְYa.sekhhe will coverH5526
לָ֭ךְlakh<to> you
וְתַֽחַת\־ve.ta.chat-and underH8478
כְּנָפָ֣יוke.na.Favwings hisH3671
תֶּחְסֶ֑הtech.Sehyou will take refugeH2620
צִנָּ֖הtzi.Nah[is] a shieldH6793
וְֽסֹחֵרָ֣הve.so.che.Rahand a wallH5507
אֲמִתּֽוֹ\׃'a.mi.Tofaithfulness hisH571

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Psalms 91:4

  • Psalms 61:4

    I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah.

  • Psalms 57:1

    To the chief Musician, Al–taschith, Michtam of David, when he fled from Saul in the cave. 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 these calamities be overpast.

  • 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 thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

  • 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 children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

  • Psalms 35:2

    Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for mine help.

  • 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 reward.

  • Ruth 2:12

    The Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.

  • Hebrews 6:17-18

    Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:

  • Titus 1:2

    In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

  • Psalms 138:2

    I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
cover.
17:8; 57:1; 61:4; De 32:11; Ru 2:12; Mt 23:37
his truth.
89:23,24; 138:2; Ge 15:1; Isa 43:1,2; Mr 13:31; Tit 1:2
Heb 6:17,18

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Psalms 91:3

    Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.

  • 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.

  • Psalms 91:5

    Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;

Read all of Psalms 91

Psalms 91:4 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Con sus plumas te cubrirá, y debajo de sus alas estarás seguro: escudo y adarga es su verdad.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Il te couvrira de ses plumes, et sous ses ailes tu auras un refuge; sa vérité sera ton bouclier et ta rondache.
German
Elberfelder 1871
Mit seinen Fittichen wird er dich decken, und du wirst Zuflucht finden unter seinen Flügeln; Schild und Tartsche ist seine Wahrheit.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
in decachordo, psalterio; cum cantico, in cithara.