When it is said
Orthodox churches read it at the Sixth Hour and at Great Compline, and the burial service opens with it.
St Athanasius of Alexandria advised praying it to encourage yourself and others to godliness, because hope in God makes the soul fearless.
A family might read it aloud for someone they love who is in danger.
Where it comes from
Author by tradition
Who wrote it?
The Hebrew text gives Psalm 91 no heading and names no author, and Jewish tradition credits it to Moses. The Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures) gives it the heading “Praise of a Song, by David.” In the Greek its first line also reads a little differently, as “He that dwells in the help of the Highest.”
Wikipedia, “Psalm 91”; Rashi on Psalm 90:1, tr. A. J. Rosenberg (Sefaria); L. C. L. Brenton, The Septuagint in English, Psalm 90:1
A soldier’s psalm
The Russian Church reads this psalm at its memorial on 29 August for soldiers who died in battle. In 2005 an Illinois paper reported that National Guard soldiers about to deploy were given bandanas printed with the psalm, which it called “The Soldier’s Prayer”. In 2007 a Marine chaplain told a California paper that he kept such a bandana inside his helmet, to remind him that God protects him too.
Isabel F. Hapgood, Service Book of the Holy Orthodox-Catholic Apostolic Church (1906), the Requiem Office; The Southern Illinoisan, “‘Soldier’s Prayer’: heartfelt bandanas presented to local troops”, 28 January 2005; Orange County Register, “Protection and comfort wrapped up in a bandana”, 7 March 2007
What the words mean
The verses the devil quoted
When the devil tempted Jesus, he set Him on the highest point of the temple and quoted verses 11 and 12 of this psalm. He dared Jesus to throw Himself down and let the angels catch Him. Jesus refused and answered him from Scripture, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test’” (Matthew 4:5-7).
The Scripture in it
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, “You are my refuge and my fortress, my God, in Whom I trust.” Surely He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler, and from the deadly plague. He will cover you with His feathers; under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the calamity that destroys at noon. Though a thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, no harm will come near you. You will only see it with your eyes and witness the punishment of the wicked. Because you have made the LORD your dwelling—my refuge, the Most High— no evil will befall you, no plague will approach your tent. For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. They will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and cobra; you will trample the young lion and serpent. “Because he loves Me, I will deliver him; because he knows My name, I will protect him. When he calls out to Me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation.”
Bible text: Berean Standard Bible, public domain.