John Calvin Commentary Psalms 91:1

"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." — Psalms 91:1 (ASV)

He that dwells in the secret place of the High One. Some Hebrew interpreters read the first three verses as one continuous sentence, down to the words, he shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler. The whole would then run as follows: “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, and abides under his shadow, to him will I say of Jehovah, that he is his hope and defense, and the God in whom he may safely rest, for he shall deliver him from the snare,” etc.

This is evidently a forced construction to put upon the verses, and the reason that has led some to adopt it is weak and insufficient. They consider that the first verse repeats the same thing twice, and therefore conveys no proper meaning. But this is a great mistake, for the inspired writer of the psalm, whoever he may have been, states two ideas quite distinct: that he who is hidden under the Divine protection occupies a safe and secure position, where no hostile weapon can reach him.

Or, should the verse be read: He who has God to be the guardian of his safety shall rest under the shadow of God; still the second clause would retain an emphatic meaning, for the power of God would be contrasted with that weak defense which man is able to extend. Those, too, who dwell in the secret place of God are here said by the Psalmist to dwell under his shadow, in the sense that they experience the rich extent to which his protection reaches.

Men generally seek out a great variety of hiding-places, resorting to one or another, according to the different calamities that threaten to overtake them; but here we are taught that the only safe and impregnable fortress to which we can resort is the protection of God. He contrasts the security of those who trust in God with the vanity of all other confidences by which we are prone to delude ourselves.

In the second verse, he repeats the truth which he had already taught, showing at the same time that he speaks from his personal feeling and experience as a believer. This is very necessary in one who would be a teacher, for we cannot communicate true knowledge unless we deliver it not merely with the lips, but as something which God has revealed to our own hearts.

The Psalmist accordingly gives evidence that what he had taught in the preceding verse corresponded with his own inward experience. Some read, I will say concerning the Lord, and the Hebrew prefix, ל, lamed, may be so rendered; but the other translation which I have given conveys the stronger meaning.

The believer does more than simply resolve to make God his fortress; he draws near in the trust of the Divine promises and familiarly addresses God. This confidence in prayer affords additional proof of how securely the people of God can dwell under his shadow. This holy type of boasting constitutes the very highest triumph of faith, when we resort to God without fear under our worst trials, and are fully persuaded that he answers all our prayers, indeed, that we have in him sufficient and superabundant help.

In the third verse, the Psalmist expresses his assurance that the trust of which he had spoken would not be vain and deceptive, but that God would prove at all times the deliverer of his people. He is evidently to be considered as addressing himself, and in this way encouraging his own heart to hope in the Lord.

Some think that the snare of the fowler, mentioned here in connection with the pestilence, is to be understood as hidden mischief (as distinguished from open aggression), and that the Psalmist declares the Divine protection to be sufficient for him, whether Satan should attack him openly and violently or by more secret and subtle methods. I would not reject this interpretation, for though some may think that the words should be taken in their simpler meaning, the Psalmist most probably intended by these terms to denote all different kinds of evil, and to teach us that God was willing and able to deliver us from any of them.