According to the Talmud (Shevu'ot 15b), the subsequent verse, verse 7 ('A thousand shall fall at your side,' etc.) is a reference to the demons which would perish upon recitation of this psalm. The psalm was written in amulets by both Jews and Christians from the Late Antique period. According to midrashim, the psalm references many types of demons that threaten man, including the 'Terror', 'Arrow', 'Pestilence', and 'Destruction' mentioned in verses 5вЂ“6. Since the times of the Geonim, this psalm was recited to drive away demons and evil spirits. The Talmud ( Shevu'ot 15b) records opinions calling this psalm the 'song of evil spirits' and the 'song of plagues' ('shir shel pega'im' and 'shir shel nega'im,' respectively), for 'one who recites it with faith in God will be helped by Him in time of danger'. In Jewish thought, Psalm 91 conveys the themes of God's protection and rescue from danger.

Midrash Tehillim and Zohar teach that Moses composed this psalm while ascending into the cloud hovering over Mount Sinai, at which time he recited these words as protection from the angels of destruction. The verses describe Moses' own experience entering the Tabernacle and being enveloped by the Divine cloud. The Midrash states that Psalm 91 was composed by Moses on the day he completed the building of the Tabernacle in the desert. The complete psalm and selected verses have been set to music often, notably by Heinrich SchГјtz and Felix Mendelssohn, who used verses for his motet Denn er hat seinen Engeln befohlen. The psalm is a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran, Anglican and other Protestant liturgies. The Septuagint translation attributes it to David. Though no author is mentioned in the Hebrew text of this psalm, Jewish tradition ascribes it to Moses, with David compiling it in his Book of Psalms. As a psalm of protection, it is commonly invoked in times of hardship. Psalm 91 is the 91st psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: 'He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.' In the slightly different numbering system in the Greek Septuagint version of the Bible and in the Latin Vulgate, this psalm is Psalm 90.

Bible gateway psalm 91 audio youtube