He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
What does Psalms 91:1 mean?
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.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside its immediate passage and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Psalms 91:1
He that dwelleth - Everyone that so dwells. The proposition is universal, and is designed to embrace all who are in this condition. It is true of one; it is true of all. The word rendered "dwelleth" here is a participle from the verb to "sit," and here means "sitting:" literally, "sitting in the secret place," etc. The idea is that of calm repose; of resting; of sitting down - as one does in his dwelling. In the secret place - On the meaning of this see the notes at Psalm 27:5 . Compare Psalm 31:20 ; Psalm 32:7 . Abiding where God abides.
Key words
- his secret place
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his secret place.
- his secret place
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his secret place.
Context in Psalms 91
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Psalms 91 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as Book IV. Psalms is the Bible’s great book of sung prayer, teaching the full range of faithful speech from anguish and repentance to jubilation and doxology. Read this chapter with the wider themes of prayer, praise, and lament in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
Related topics
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Passages on God as shield, refuge, and fortress, and the promise of divine protection in danger, trouble, and spiritual warfare.
Passages on trusting God, receiving Christ, persevering without sight, and the relation between faith and lived obedience.
Passages on asking, persistence, confession, dependence, and the way prayer shapes Christian life and attention.
Bible verses about thankfulness and gratitude
Passages on thanksgiving to God, grateful worship, and the discipline of remembering God’s goodness in ordinary life.
Bible verses about grief and loss
Passages for sorrow, bereavement, lament, and the difficult work of hoping in God without denying what has been lost.