Psalm 91 in Aramaic
Psalm 91 in Aramaic begins Yoteb b'setoreh da-Mraymo: "He who sits in the shelter of the Most High." It is the psalm of protection, the one soldiers carry, mothers whisper over cradles, and the Syriac churches have chanted at nightfall for the better part of two thousand years.
Below is the complete psalm from the Peshitta, the ancient Syriac Bible: all sixteen verses in Syriac script, a transliteration you can read aloud, the English meaning of the Syriac, and a short reflection on each group of verses. First, a word about what "Psalm 91 in Aramaic" is and is not.
Written in Hebrew, Prayed in Aramaic
Like every psalm, Psalm 91 was written in Hebrew, where it opens Yoshev b'seter Elyon. Jesus would have known it in Hebrew from the synagogue, and he certainly knew it well: the devil quoted it to him in the desert, and he answered from memory.
But the language of his home and his road was Aramaic, and the first Aramaic-speaking Christians translated the Psalms into their own tongue. That translation is the Psalter of the Peshitta, the Syriac Bible, made directly from the Hebrew in the earliest centuries of the Church. Syriac is a literary dialect of Aramaic, the language Jesus spoke, and it is the form in which the Maronite Church has prayed the Psalms since its beginning.
So the Aramaic Psalm 91 is not the psalm's original language. It is the psalm of protection as it has lived on the lips of the Syriac Christian world, in the shelter of the Most High, since the Church was young.
Psalm 91 in Aramaic, Verse by Verse
The text follows the Peshitta Psalter. Each verse is given in Syriac script, in a Latin-letter transliteration (Western Syriac pronunciation, the one Maronites use), and in an English rendering of the Syriac, which sometimes differs from the Hebrew in ways worth noticing.
Verses 1 and 2: Under the shadow of God
ܝܬܒ ܒܣܬܪܗ ܕܡܪܝܡܐ ܘܒܛܠܠܗ ܕܐܠܗܐ ܡܫܬܒܚ
Yoteb b'setoreh da-Mraymo, wab-telloleh d'Aloho meshtabah
He who sits in the shelter of the Most High is glorified in the shadow of God.
ܐܡܪ ܠܡܪܝܐ ܬܘܟܠܢܝ̱ ܘܒܝܬ ܓܘܣܝ̱ ܐܠܗܐ ܕܬܟܝܠ ܐ̱ܢܐ ܥܠܘܗ̱ܝ
Emar l'Moryo: tukhlon, w'beth gaws Aloho da-tkhil no 'law
He said to the Lord: my trust, and my refuge is God, in whom I put my trust.
The Hebrew says the one who dwells in the shelter of the Most High "abides" under the shadow of the Almighty. The Syriac chooses a stronger word: meshtabah, "is glorified," or "boasts." To sit in God's shadow is not merely to be safe; it is to be honored, to have something to boast of. Mraymo, the Most High, and Moryo, the Lord, are the two names that frame the whole psalm.
Tukhlon, "my trust," and beth gaws, literally "house of refuge," set the tone. The second word is the one Syriac Christians still use for a sanctuary, a place you run to. The psalm begins by naming where you run.
Verses 3 and 4: The snare of stumbling, the armor of truth
ܕܗܘ ܢܦܨܝܟ ܡܢ ܦܚܐ ܕܬܘܩܠܬܐ ܘܡܢ ܡܡܠܠܐ ܕܣܪܝܩܘܬܐ
D'hu nfasekh men faho d'tuqalto, w'men mamllo da-sriquto
He will deliver you from the snare of stumbling and from empty speech.
ܒܐܒܖ̈ܘܗ̱ܝ ܢܦܨܝܟ ܘܬܚܝܬ ܟܢܦܘ̈ܗܝ̱ ܬܣܬܬܪ ܙܝܢܐ ܢܚܕܪܟ ܩܘܫܬܗ
B'ebraw nfasekh, wa-thet kenfaw testatar; zayno nahdrokh qushteh
With his feathers he will deliver you, and under his wings you will be sheltered; his truth will surround you like armor.
Here the Peshitta departs most from the Hebrew, and most beautifully. Where the Hebrew has "the snare of the fowler" and "the deadly pestilence," the Syriac has faho d'tuqalto, "the snare of stumbling," and mamllo da-sriquto, "empty speech." The dangers the Syriac translator feared were the trap that trips you and the talk that hollows you out.
Verse 4 turns the Hebrew's "shield and buckler" into zayno, armor, and makes the armor out of qushteh, "his truth." It is the same word, qushto, that gives Psalm 23 in Aramaic its "paths of truth." Truth as a road there, truth as armor here.
Verses 5 and 6: The terror of the night, the spirit at noon
ܠܐ ܬܕܚܠ ܡܢ ܕܚܠܬܗ ܕܠܠܝܐ ܘܡܢ ܓܐܪܐ ܕܦܪܚ ܒܐܝܡܡܐ
Lo tedhal men dehlteh d'lilyo, w'men gero d'forah b'imomo
You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day,
ܘܡܢ ܡܠܬܐ ܕܡܗܠܟܐ ܒܚܫܘܟܐ ܘܡܢ ܪܘܚܐ ܕܫܝܕܐ ܒܛܗܪܐ
W'men meltho da-mhalkho b'heshukho, w'men ruho d'shoydo b'tahro
nor the word that walks in the darkness, nor the spirit that lays waste at noon.
These are the verses for the hours when protection matters most: the dread of night, the arrow by day, and two dangers the Syriac names in its own way. The Hebrew's "pestilence that stalks in darkness" becomes meltho da-mhalkho b'heshukho, "the word that walks in the darkness," the rumor or the curse that moves when no one is watching. And the "destruction that wastes at noonday" becomes ruho d'shoydo b'tahro, "the spirit that lays waste at noon," the demon of the noonday that the desert monks knew as acedia, the flat despair of the middle of the day.
The monks of the Qadisha Valley chanted these lines at nightfall for a thousand years, and their meaning has not softened: fear has a schedule, and the psalm covers every hour of it.
Verses 7 to 10: A thousand at your side
ܢܦܠܘܢ ܡܢ ܣܛܪܟ ܐܠ̈ܦܐ ܘܖ̈ܒܘܬܐ ܡܢ ܝܡܝܢܟ ܘܠܘܬܟ ܠܐ ܢܬܩܪܒܘܢ
Neflun men setrokh alfe, w'rebwotho men yaminokh, wa-lwothokh lo nethqarbun
Thousands will fall at your side, and ten thousands at your right hand, but they will not come near you.
ܐܠܐ ܒܥܝ̈ܢܝܟ ܒܠܚܘܕ ܬܚܙܐ ܒܦܘܪܥܢܗܘܢ ܕܖ̈ܫܝܥܐ ܬܚܙܐ
Elo b'aynayk balhud tehze, b'fur'onhun d'rashi'e tehze
Only with your eyes will you look, and see the recompense of the wicked.
ܡܛܠ ܕܐܢ̱ܬ ܗܘ ܡܪܝܐ ܬܘܟܠܢܝ̱ ܕܒܡܖ̈ܘܡܐ ܣܡܬ ܡܥܡܪܟ
Metul d'at hu Moryo tukhlon, d'bamrawme somt ma'mrokh
Because you, Lord, are my trust; you have set your dwelling in the heights.
ܠܐ ܬܩܪܘܒ ܠܟ ܒܝܫܬܐ ܘܡܚܘܬܐ ܠܐ ܬܬܩܪܒ ܠܡܫܟܢܟ
Lo teqrub lokh bishto, wa-mhutho lo tethqarab l'mashknokh
Evil will not come near you, and no plague will come near your tent.
The center of the psalm is a battlefield: alfe, thousands, and rebwotho, ten thousands, falling on either side while the one who trusts stands untouched. The Syriac keeps the Hebrew's strange calm: you will only look, tehze, and see the reckoning of the wicked with your eyes.
Verse 10 gives the two words Maronite families have prayed over their homes for centuries: bishto, evil, and mhutho, plague or blow, neither of which will come near your mashkno, your tent, your dwelling. In a mountain village, and later in a diaspora apartment, this was the verse over the door.
Verses 11 and 12: His angels concerning you
ܡܛܠ ܕܠܡܠܐܟܘ̈ܗܝ̱ ܢܦܩܕ ܥܠܝܟ ܕܢܢܛܪܘܢܟ ܒܟܠܗܝܢ ܐܘܖ̈ܚܬܟ
Metul dal-malakaw nfaqed 'layk, da-nnatrunokh b'kulhen urhothokh
For he will command his angels concerning you, to keep you in all your ways.
ܘܥܠ ܕܖ̈ܥܝܗܘܢ ܢܫܩܠܘܢܟ ܕܠܐ ܬܬܩܠ ܒܪܓܠܟ
W'al dro'ayhun neshqlunokh, d'lo tetqel b'reglokh
On their arms they will lift you, so that you do not stumble with your foot.
These are the most famous lines in the psalm, and the most misused. The devil quotes them to Jesus in the desert (Matthew 4:6), tempting him to throw himself from the Temple, and Jesus answers with another verse of Scripture. The Peshitta Gospel and the Peshitta Psalm use the same Syriac words, malakaw nfaqed 'layk, "his angels he will command concerning you," so a Syriac reader hears the temptation and the psalm in one voice.
The Syriac says the angels will carry you 'al dro'ayhun, "on their arms," where the Hebrew has "in their hands." It is the picture of a child lifted over a stone in the road.
Verse 13: The lion and the dragon
ܥܠ ܓܪܣܐ ܘܥܠ ܚܪܡܢܐ ܬܕܪܘܟ ܘܬܕܘܫ ܐܪܝܐ ܘܬܢܝܢܐ
'Al gorso w'al harmono tedrukh, wa-tdush aryo w'tanino
On the viper and on the adder you will tread, and you will trample the lion and the dragon.
The Syriac names four creatures: gorso, the viper, harmono, the adder, aryo, the lion, and tanino, the dragon or great serpent. Christians from the earliest centuries read this verse as a picture of Christ trampling the powers of death, and Syriac hymnody returns to it constantly. On the ancient icons of the Anastasis, Christ stands on exactly this: the broken gates and the serpent beneath his feet.
Verses 14 to 16: Because he has known my name
ܡܛܠ ܕܠܝ ܒܥܐ ܐܦܨܝܘܗ̱ܝ ܘܐܥܫܢܝܘܗ̱ܝ ܡܛܠ ܕܝܕܥ ܫܡܝ̱
Metul d'li b'o efasew w'e'ashniw; metul d'ida' shem
Because he has sought me, I will deliver him and make him strong; because he has known my name.
ܢܩܪܝܢܝ̱ ܘܐܥܢܝܘܗ̱ܝ ܥܡܗ ܐܢܐ ܒܐܘܠܨܢܐ ܐܥܫܢܝܘܗ̱ܝ ܘܐܝܩܪܝܘܗ̱ܝ
Neqren w'e'new; 'ameh eno b'ulsono; e'ashniw w'eyaqriw
He will call me and I will answer him; I am with him in distress; I will strengthen him and honor him.
ܢܘܓܪܐ ܕܝܘ̈ܡܬܐ ܐܣܒܥܝܘܗ̱ܝ ܘܐܚܘܝܘܗ̱ܝ ܦܘܪܩܢܝ̱
Nughro d'yawmotho esab'iw, w'ehawew furqon
With length of days I will satisfy him, and I will show him my salvation.
In the last three verses God himself speaks, and the Syriac gives him six verbs of rescue in a row: I will deliver, I will strengthen, I will answer, I will strengthen again, I will honor, I will satisfy. The reason is stated twice: metul d'li b'o, "because he has sought me," and metul d'ida' shem, "because he has known my name."
The heart of the psalm is 'ameh eno b'ulsono, "I am with him in distress." Not "I will remove the distress," but "I am with him in it," the same promise that turns Psalm 23 at the valley of the shadow of death. And the final word is furqon, "my salvation," from the root that gives the Syriac name for the Redeemer, Foruqo. The last word of the psalm of protection is the name of the one who saves.
The Night Psalm of the Syriac Church
In the Latin West, Psalm 91 (numbered 90 in the Vulgate) was the psalm of Compline, sung every night for over a thousand years. The Syriac East made the same choice independently. In the West Syriac night office, Sootoro, the psalm of protection is chanted as the day closes, alongside Psalm 121, and the Maronite office descends from that same tradition. Verses 5 and 6, the terror of the night and the spirit at noon, were written for exactly this hour.
The Psalms are the backbone of Maronite prayer. The daily office, the Shimto, is built on them, and their verses run through the Qurbono from beginning to end. In the monasteries of the Qadisha Valley, where Saint Charbel was formed, the Psalter has been chanted in Syriac without interruption for more than a millennium, and Psalm 91 with it.
It is also the psalm behind much Maronite popular devotion. The medal or picture of Saint Charbel that Lebanese families keep in the car or above the bed, the holy oil on a child's forehead before a journey, the blessing of a new house: all of these are Psalm 91 in practice, lo teqrub lokh bishto, "evil will not come near you." For the prayers that go with them, see our prayer for protection and the Saint Charbel medal.
Praying It Yourself
You do not need to learn all sixteen verses. Take the first line, Yoteb b'setoreh da-Mraymo, and say it at the door before you leave the house, or at the window before you sleep. Then take verse 15, 'ameh eno b'ulsono, "I am with him in distress," for the days when protection does not mean the trouble goes away.
If you want the psalm as a bedtime habit, pair it with our prayers for sleep, and if the terror of the night is a literal description of what you are living through, our prayer for anxiety was written with this psalm open on the desk. The Aramaic cluster continues with the Our Father in Aramaic, the Hail Mary in Aramaic, the Beatitudes in Aramaic, and the Aramaic words Jesus spoke.
Frequently Asked Questions
What language was Psalm 91 originally written in?
Psalm 91 was written in Hebrew, and its opening in Hebrew is Yoshev b'seter Elyon, "he who dwells in the shelter of the Most High." The Aramaic version is from the Peshitta, the Syriac Bible translated from the Hebrew in the first centuries of Christianity. Syriac is a dialect of Aramaic, the everyday language of Jesus, and it is the language in which Maronite, Syriac, Assyrian and Chaldean Christians have chanted the Psalms ever since.
How do you say "he who dwells in the shelter of the Most High" in Aramaic?
In the Syriac Aramaic of the Peshitta, the first line of Psalm 91 is Yoteb b'setoreh da-Mraymo (ܝܬܒ ܒܣܬܪܗ ܕܡܪܝܡܐ), "he who sits in the shelter of the Most High." The verse continues wab-telloleh d'Aloho meshtabah, "and in the shadow of God is glorified." Mraymo is the Syriac title for the Most High, and Aloho is the word for God, related to the Hebrew Elohim and the Arabic Allah.
Is Psalm 91 the same as Psalm 90?
Yes, in a different numbering. The Hebrew Bible and most modern translations call it Psalm 91. The Greek Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate, followed by older Catholic Bibles and the traditional Latin office, number it Psalm 90, because they join Psalms 9 and 10 into one. The Peshitta follows the Hebrew numbering, so in Syriac it is Psalm 91. It is the same psalm, beginning "he who dwells in the shelter of the Most High."
Why did the devil quote Psalm 91 to Jesus?
In the temptation in the desert (Matthew 4:6, Luke 4:10), the devil quotes Psalm 91:11 and 12, "he will command his angels concerning you, and on their hands they will bear you up," to dare Jesus to throw himself from the Temple. Jesus answers with Deuteronomy 6:16, "you shall not put the Lord your God to the test." The Church has always read this as a lesson about the psalm itself: it is a promise to trust, not a formula to test God with.
Do Maronites pray Psalm 91 at night?
Yes. In the Syriac tradition Psalm 91 is the psalm of the night office, Sootoro, the equivalent of Compline, and the West Syriac churches, from which the Maronite office descends, have chanted it at nightfall for centuries. Its verses about the terror of the night and the angels keeping you in all your ways make it the natural bedtime psalm, and many Maronite families still say it, or the Arabic version, before sleep.
See also: Psalm 23 in Aramaic. The Our Father in Aramaic. What language did Jesus speak. The Peshitta Bible. The Beatitudes in Aramaic. The Hail Mary in Aramaic. Prayer for Protection. The Maronite Divine Liturgy (Qurbono).