There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
What does Psalms 91:10 mean?
Whatever happens, nothing shall hurt the believer; though trouble and affliction befal, it shall come, not for his hurt, but for good, though for the present it be not joyous but grievous.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside its immediate passage and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Psalms 91:10
There shall no evil befall thee - The Chaldee Paraphrase has, "The Lord of the world answered and said, 'There shall no evil befall thee,'" etc. The sentiment, however, is that the psalmist could assure such an one, from his own personal experience, that he would be safe. He had himself made Yahweh his refuge, and he could speak with confidence of the safety of doing so. This, of course, is to be understood as a general truth, in accordance with what has been said above. Neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling - On the word rendered "plague" here nega - see Psalm 38:12 , note; Psalm 39:11 , note.
Key words
- befall
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There shall no evil befall thee,.
- thee
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There shall no evil befall thee,.
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.
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