He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
Parallel translations
- WEB He will cover you with his feathers. Under his wings you will take refuge. His faithfulness is your shield and rampart.
- BSB He will cover you with His feathers; under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and rampart.
- NKJV He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
- NASB He will cover you with His pinions, And under His wings you may take refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and wall.
- NLT He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God shelters His people tenderly, like a bird covering its young, and His faithfulness is their shield.
Overview
The image of feathers and wings conveys God's intimate, protective care, while "shield and rampart" stress His strong defense. God's own faithfulness is the believer's armor. Jesus drew on this maternal imagery, longing to gather His people under His wings (Matt. 23:37).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Ps 61:4I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah.
- Ps 57:1Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.
- Ps 17:8Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings,
- Deut 32:11As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings:
- Isa 43:1–2But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.
- Ps 35:2Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for mine help.
- Matt 23:37O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
- Gen 15:1After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
- Ruth 2:12The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.
- Heb 6:17–18Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:
- Titus 1:2In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;
- Mark 13:31Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
- Ps 138:2I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.
- Ps 89:23–24And I will beat down his foes before his face, and plague them that hate him.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 91:4 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.