Psalm 91, Shelter, and even Midday Demons

You who live in the shelter of the Most High,
    who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress;
    my God, in whom I trust.”

Psalm 91 expresses confidence in God's protection. The psalmist uses various sheltering imagery: refuge, fortress, under a bird's wings. God promises to be present with God's people in a specific way: to keep them safe from harm.

Remember, this is confessional language, not a theological treatise. It is the language born out of the experience of God's relationship with this songwriter.

When they call to me, I will answer them;
    I will be with them in trouble;
    I will rescue them and honor them.

During the Lenten season, we are reminded that God is with us in trouble.

As I was reading about the Christian history of interpretation regarding Psalm 91, I was reminded of the power of translation. The phrase in verse 6, "the destruction that wastes at noonday," was translated from the Hebrew original into Greek and eventually Latin, resulting in the differing phrase, "by the bite of the midday demon." What a wonderful and curious mistranslation!

Thus, the psalm became a prayer against demons in the Middle Ages. In the monastic tradition, this particular demon is suggested to strike monks "with lethargy at noontime" (Susan Gillingham, Psalms Through the Centuries, Volume Three, 2022).

This interpretation would hardly be possible if the psalm was read in its original language; yet, the translation process has opened new and strange interpretive possibilities within the psalm.

Watch out for those midday demons!

A Benediction (Or Miscellaneous Thoughts)

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