A Suggested Translation of Psalm 91:1-2
Every version turns verse 1 into a clause hanging on verse 2, because none can find it a subject. But Scripture repeatedly puts God in the hiding — darkness as His screen, the secret pavilion, the hidden face in five psalms. Make Elyon the subject of dwells and Shaddai of abides, and verse 1 stands alone: the Most High dwells in secret places. Verse 2 is then the petitioner calling Him out of them.
ישב בסתר עליו בצל שדי יתלונ]תה’צא,א’[
)אמר לה’מחסי ומצודתי אלהי אבטח בו]ש,ב’[
The opening verse of Psalm 91 has been rendered in so many various ways in Bible translations and in siddurim, that one is hard-pressed to offer a translation one can agree would be true to the text. Those who struggle to find a subject and verb in the verse are forced to use a subordinate adjectival clause. Many other translations offer Verse 1 as a subordinate clause dependent on Verse 2 for the main subject of the verb. A few examples will suffice: New Jewish Publication Society:
O, You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High and abide in the protection of Shaddai –
I say of the Lord, my refuge and stronghold, . . .
Birnbaum Siddur:
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High abides under the protection of the Almighty.
Soncino Psalms:
O Thou that dwellest in the covert of the Most High, and abidest in the shadow of the Almighty . . . .
ArtScroll Siddur:
Whoever sits in the refuge of the Most High, he shall dwell in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of HaShem, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, I will trust in Him.
Clearly, translations are indeed commentaries as well.
The apparent absence of an independent subject and verb in Verse 1 makes it necessary to consider it as a clause dependent on Verse 2. Translators search for a subject of the verb ישב“ “ [sits], and make עליו“ “ [(of the) Most High) a modifier of “סתר” [secret place, or a synonym of that term].
It is my belief, however, that Verse 1 does stand on its own as a complete and independent sentence. I base my approach on how Scripture describes God’s presence as appearing out of His hiding place; man, seeking God’s presence and protection, asks of Him to emerge from the darkness or the dark cloud or the shadows to be the petitioner’s help. Frequently in the Psalms, God’s dwelling place is described as beyond human eyes. At least five chapters of Psalms refer to the hiding of God’s face (10:11, 13:2, 22:25, 27:9, 30:8). At least two others identify the place as secret, using the same terminology as Psalm 91:
ישת חש סתרו סביבותיו סכתו. . .
He made darkness his screen . . . (18:12)
בסתר פני . . . תסתיר
You shelter them in your [secret] pavilion . . . (31:21).
It would seem logical, then, to make “עליו” the subject of the verb “ישב” and “ “שדי the subject of the verb “יתלונ.” The Psalmist, seeking God’s protection, declares, using accepted synonyms of referring to the Lord: Verse 1: Elyon, the Most High, dwells in secret places; Shaddai abides in the darkness.
Seeking to draw God’s presence out of the shadows and secret places, the Psalmist addresses Him:
Verse 2: I say to Adonai, “You are my refuge, my fortress, my God in whom I trust.” [I need you, come to my help.]
Indeed, my translation is also a commentary.
Reuben M. Katz, Rabbi Emeritus of Congregation B'nai Israel in Freeport, New York, is the author of Musings, a book of poetry in English and Hebrew. He is past National President of B'nai Zion and of the American Jewish League for Israel, and a veteran member of the World Zionist Organization and the Jewish Agency for Israel.
Cite this article
Reuben M. Katz. "A Suggested Translation of Psalm 91:1-2." Jewish Bible Quarterly 29, no. 1 (January – March 2001).
Reuben M. Katz. "A Suggested Translation of Psalm 91:1-2." Jewish Bible Quarterly, vol. 29, no. 1, 2001.