The Eastern Cross/Bible/Psalms/Psalm 90
The Book of Psalms · the Psalter
Psalm 91 in the KJV and most English Bibles
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Praise of a Song, by David. He that dwells in the help of the Highest, Shall sojourn under the shelter of the God of heaven.
Αἶνος ᾠδῆς τῷ Δαυίδ. Ὁ κατοικῶν ἐν βοηθείᾳ τοῦ ὑψίστου, ἐν σκέπῃ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ αὐλισθήσεται.
He then who so imitates Christ as to endure all the troubles of this world, with his hopes set upon God, that he falls into no snare, is broken down by no panic fears, he it is "who dwells under the defence of the Most High, who shall abide under the protection of God", in the words with which the Psalm, which you…
He shall say to the Lord, Thou art my helper and my refuge: My God; I will hope in him.
Ἐρεῖ τῷ Κυρίῳ, ἀντιλήπτωρ μου εἶ καὶ καταφυγή μου, ὁ Θεός μου, ἐλπιῶ ἐπʼ αὐτόν.
For he shall deliver thee from the snare of the hunters, From every troublesome matter.
Ὅτι αὐτὸς ῥύσεταί σε ἐκ παγίδος θηρευτῶν, ἀπὸ λόγου ταραχώδους.
Thus then do thou say also, "In Him will I trust. For He Himself shall deliver me", not I myself. Observe whether he teaches anything but this, that all our trust be in God, none in man. Whence shall he deliver you? "From the snare of the hunter, and from a harsh word." Deliverance from the hunter's net is indeed a…
He shall overshadow thee with his shoulders, And thou shalt trust under his wings: His truth shall cover thee with a shield.
Ἐν τοῖς μεταφρένοις αὐτοῦ ἐπισκιάσει σοι, καὶ ὑπὸ τὰς πτέρυγας αὐτοῦ ἐλπιεῖς· ὅπλῳ κυκλώσει σε ἡ ἀλήθεια αὐτοῦ.
"He shall defend you between His shoulders, and you shall hope under His wings". He says this, that your protection may not be to you from yourself, that you may not imagine that you can defend yourself; He will defend you, to deliver you from the hunter's snare, and from an harsh word. The expression, "between His…
Thou shalt not be afraid of terror by night; Nor of the arrow flying by day;
Οὐ φοβηθήσῃ ἀπὸ φόβου νυκτερινοῦ, ἀπὸ βέλους πετομένου ἡμέρας,
"His truth shall surround thee with a shield." What are "the wings," the same is "the shield:" since there are neither wings nor shield. If either were literally, how could the one be the same as the other? can wings be a shield or a shield wings? But all these expressions, indeed, are figuratively used through…
Nor of the evil thing that walks in darkness; Nor of calamity, and the evil spirit at noonday.
ἀπὸ πράγματος διαπορευομένου ἐν σκότει, ἀπὸ συμπτώματος καὶ δαιμονίου μεσημβρινοῦ.
"Nor for the arrow that flies by day, for the matter that walks in darkness, nor for the ruin and the devil that is in the noonday". These two clauses above correspond to the two below; "You shall not fear" for "the terror by night, from the arrow that flies by day:" both because of "the terror by night," from "the…
A thousand shall fall at thy side, And ten thousand at thy right hand; But it shall not come nigh thee.
Πεσεῖται ἐκ τοῦ κλίτους σου χιλιὰς, καὶ μυριὰς ἐκ δεξιῶν σου, πρὸς σὲ δὲ οὐκ ἐγγιεῖ.
Many then fell before the demon of the noon-day. Would ye know how many? He goes on, and says, "A thousand shall fall beside you, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you". To whom, brethren, but to Christ Jesus, is this said?...For the members, the body, and the head, are not separate from…
Only with thine eyes shalt thou observe And see the reward of sinners.
Πλὴν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς σου κατανοήσεις, καὶ ἀνταπόδοσιν ἁμαρτωλῶν ὄψει.
"Nevertheless, with your eyes shall you behold, and see the reward of the ungodly". What is this? Why "nevertheless"? Because the wicked were allowed to tyrannize over Your servants, and to persecute them. Will they then have been allowed to persecute Your servants with impunity? Not with impunity, for although You…
For thou, O Lord, art my hope: Thou, my soul, hast made the Most High thy refuge.
Ὅτι σὺ Κύριε ἡ ἐλπίς μου, τὸν ὕψιστον ἔθου καταφυγήν σου.
"For Thou, Lord, art my hope". He has now come to the power Which rescues him from falling by the "downfall and the devil of the noon-day." "For Thou, Lord, art my hope: You have set Your house of defence very high." What do the words "very high" mean? For many make their house of defence in God a mere refuge from…
No evils shall come upon thee, And no scourge shall draw nigh to thy dwelling.
Οὐ προσελεύσεται πρὸς σὲ κακὰ, καὶ μάστιξ οὐκ ἐγγιεῖ τῷ σκηνώματί σου.
For he shall give his angels charge concerning thee, To keep thee in all thy ways.
Ὅτι τοῖς ἀγγέλοις αὐτοῦ ἐντελεῖται περὶ σοῦ, τοῦ διαφυλάξαι σε ἐν πάσαις ταῖς ὁδοῖς σου.
What then, my brethren, what is said of our Head? "For Thou, Lord, art my hope," etc. Of this we have spoken, "for He has given His angels charge over You, to keep You in all Your ways". You heard these words but now, when the Gospel was being read; attend therefore. Our Lord, after He was baptized, fasted. Why was He…
They shall bear thee up on their hands, Lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Ἐπὶ χειρῶν ἀροῦσί σε, μή ποτε προσκόψῃς πρὸς λίθον τὸν πόδα σου.
Let us return to the words of the Psalm. "They shall bear You in their hands, lest at any time Thou hurt Your foot against a stone". Christ was raised up in the hands of Angels, when He was taken up into heaven: not that, if Angels had not sustained Him, He would have fallen: but because they were attending on their…
Thou shalt tread on the asp and basilisk: And thou shalt trample on the lion and dragon.
Ἐπʼ ἀσπίδα καὶ βασιλίσκον ἐπιβήσῃ, καὶ καταπατήσεις λέοντα καὶ δράκοντα.
"Thou shall go upon the asp and the basilisk; the lion and the dragon shall you tread under your feet". You know who the serpent is, and how the Church treads upon him, as she is not conquered, because she is on her guard against his cunning. And after what manner he is a lion and a dragon, I believe you know also,…
For he has hoped in me, and I will deliver him: I will protect him, because he has known my name.
Ὅτι ἐπʼ ἐμὲ ἤλπισε, καὶ ῥύσομαι αὐτόν· σκεπάσω αὐτὸν, ὅτι ἔγνω τὸ ὄνομά μου.
These are the words of God to the Church. "Because he hath set his love in me, therefore will I deliver him." Not only therefore the Head, which now sits in heaven, because He hath set His house of defence very high, to which no evil shall happen, neither shall any plague come nigh His dwelling; but we also who are…
He shall call upon me, and I will hearken to him: I am with him in affliction; And I will deliver him, and glorify him.
Ἐπικαλέσεται πρὸς μὲ, καὶ εἰσακούσομαι αὐτοῦ, μετʼ αὐτοῦ εἰμι ἐν θλίψει, καὶ ἐξελοῦμαι αὐτὸν, καὶ δοξάσω αὐτόν.
"He shall call upon me, and I will hear him: yea, I am with him in trouble." Fear not when thou art in trouble, as if the Lord were not with thee. Let faith be with thee, and God is with thee in thy trouble. There are waves on the sea, and thou art tossed in thy bark, because Christ sleepeth. Christ slept in the ship,…
I will satisfy him with length of days, And show him my salvation.
Μακρότητι ἡμερῶν ἐμπλήσω αὐτὸν, καὶ δείξω αὐτῷ τὸ σωτήριόν μου.
"With length of days will I satisfy him." What is length of days? Eternal life. Brethren, imagine not that length of days is spoken of in the same sense as days are said to be long in summer, short in winter. Hath he such days to give us? That length is one that hath no end, eternal life, that is promised us in long…
Every note is a real passage, quoted word for word from a published English translation, with its source. Nothing here is summarised or written by us. Some verses have many notes and some have none, because the Fathers wrote more on some passages than others.
All of these translations are in the public domain. The passages were matched to their verses by the Historical Christian Commentaries project, which also hosts the full texts we link to. The Fathers are a treasury of the Church's mind, and they are best read alongside the life of the Church: if a passage raises a question, bring it to your priest.