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Psalms

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Psalm 91

1 As for you, the one who lives in the shelter of the Most High, and resides in the protective shadow of the Sovereign One— 2 I say this about the Lord, my shelter and my stronghold, my God in whom I trust— 3 he will certainly rescue you from the snare of the hunter and from the destructive plague. 4 He will shelter you with his wings; you will find safety under his wings. His faithfulness is like a shield or a protective wall.⁠ 5 You need not fear the terrors of the night, the arrow that flies by day,⁠ 6 the plague that stalks in the darkness, or the disease that ravages at noon. 7 Though a thousand may fall beside you, and a multitude on your right side, it will not reach you. 8 Certainly you will see it with your very own eyes—you will see the wicked paid back. 9 For you have taken refuge in the Lord, my shelter, the Most High. 10 No harm will overtake you; no illness will come near your home. 11 For he will order his angels to protect you in all you do.⁠ 12 They will lift you up in their hands, so you will not slip and fall on a stone. 13 You will subdue a lion and a snake; you will trample underfoot a young lion and a serpent.⁠ 14 The Lord says, “Because he is devoted to me, I will deliver him; I will protect him because he is loyal to me. 15 When he calls out to me, I will answer him. I will be with him when he is in trouble; I will rescue him and bring him honor. 16 I will satisfy him with long life and will let him see my salvation.”

Texts in conversation

Compare Psalm 91:4 and Luke 13:34

Hebrew Bible · New Testament

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Summary

Psalm 91 describes God as a protective figure who shelters people under his wings, using an image of a mother bird protecting her babies. In Luke, Jesus uses similar language when lamenting over Jerusalem, wishing to gather its people like a mother bird.

Passages

Psalm 91:4

Hebrew Bible
1 As for you, the one who lives in the shelter of the Most High, and resides in the protective shadow of the Sovereign One— 2 I say this about the Lord, my shelter and my stronghold, my God in whom I trust— 3 he will certainly rescue you from the snare of the hunter and from the destructive plague. 4 He will shelter you with his wings; you will find safety under his wings. His faithfulness is like a shield or a protective wall. 5 You need not fear the terrors of the night, the arrow that flies by day, 6 the plague that stalks in the darkness, or the disease that ravages at noon. 7 Though a thousand may fall beside you, and a multitude on your right side, it will not reach you.
600–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Psalms

Luke 13:34

New Testament
31 At that time, some Pharisees came up and said to Jesus, “Get away from here because Herod wants to kill you.” 32 But he said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Look, I am casting out demons and performing healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will complete my work. 33 Nevertheless I must go on my way today and tomorrow and the next day, because it is impossible that a prophet should be killed outside Jerusalem.’ 34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would have none of it! 35 Look, your house is forsaken! And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’”
75–85 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Luke

References

"... Many of the exegetes (Lyonnet, Sahlin, Hebert, Laurentin) who think that Luke portrayed Mary as the Daughter of Zion also find the symbolism of Mary as the Ark of the Covenant or as the Tabernacle of divine glory. The key to this symbolism is 1:35: 'Power from the Most High will overshadow [episkiazein] you.' I have shown above that this clause and its parallel ('The Holy Spirit will come upon you') represent the language of early Christology, echoing phrases used in Gospel ministry accounts of the baptism and the transfiguration. Yet the cloud of divine presence that overshadows at the transfiguration is set against the background of Peter's offer to build tabernacles for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah (Luke 9:34-35). This reminds us that episkiazein, 'to overshadow' (along with skiazein, 'to shadow') was used to describe how the cloud of God's glory cast a shadow upon the Tabernacle in the wilderness (Exodus 40:35; Number 9:18, 22). Indeed, the verbs for overshadow and shadow described several forms of the divine presence in the Old Testament, e.g., the cloud overshadowing the renewed Mount Zion and its festal assemblies (Isaiah 4:5); the cloud overshadowing the Israelites when they departed from the desert camp (Numbers 10:34); God overshadowing His chosen ones (Deuteronomy 33:12; Psalm 91:4); and the winged cherubim overshadowing the mercy seat or top of the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 25:20; 1 Chronicles 28:18) ... This may be related to a bird whose wings overshadow and protect those beneath ..."
Raymond E. Brown, The Birth of the Messiah: A Commentary on the Infancy Narratives in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1979), 327.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Psalm 91:4 and Luke 13:34

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