Psalm 91 (Verses 1–7)
King James Version
The opening of a psalm on God's protection, beginning "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High."
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About this text
Psalm 91 doesn't carry an author's name in its superscription, unlike many surrounding psalms, and its central subject — protection from harm — has made it one of the most quoted psalms in times of danger throughout history. This excerpt covers its opening seven verses, describing that protection through a series of shifting images: refuge, fortress, wings, shield.
The psalm moves through several metaphors for protection in quick succession rather than settling on one — a secret place, then a fortress, then a bird's feathers, then a shield — without pausing to explain the shift between them. Copying it slowly is a good way to notice how many different pictures a short passage can hold without feeling disorganized.
What to watch for
- 5 semicolons: a semicolon joins two complete thoughts that belong together, a pause longer than a comma but shorter than a period.
- 2 colons: a colon points ahead to what explains or completes the first half of the sentence.
- Capital letters in the middle of a sentence: High, Almighty, LORD, He, God. Ask why each one is capitalized before typing it.
- Old-fashioned words: dwelleth, thee, shalt, thou, thy, flieth, walketh, wasteth. These are easy to "correct" by accident into modern spelling, so copy them exactly as written.
- Longest word: "destruction" (11 letters). Try spelling it aloud once before reaching it.
- 7 lines averaging about 19 words each. Long lines: a younger child may do half the text per sitting.
Full text (reference)
1He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
3Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
4He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
5Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
6Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
7A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.