Psalms 91:9 - Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Bible Comments

Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge - literally, “For thou, O Jehovah, (art) my refuge.” The Chaldee Paraphrase regards this as the language of Solomon, who, according to that version, is one of the speakers in the psalm: “Solomon answered and said, ‘Since thou, O Lord, art my refuge,’” etc. Tholuck regards this as the response of the choir. But this is unnecessary. The idea is, that the psalmist “himself” had made Yahweh his refuge, or his defense. The language is an expression of his own feeling - of his own experience - in having made God his refuge, and is designed here to be a ground of exhortation to others to do the same thing. He could say that he had made God his refuge; he could say that God was now his refuge; and he could appeal to this - to his own experience - when he exhorted others to do the same, and gave them assurance of safety in doing it.

Even the Most High thy habitation - literally, “The Most High hast thou made thy habitation;” or, thy home. On the word habitation, see the notes at Psalms 90:1. The idea is, that he had, as it were, chosen to abide with God, or to dwell with him - to find his home with him as in a father’s house. The consequence of this, or the security which would follow, he states in the following verses.

Psalms 91:9

9 Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;